let's get the facts straight: poker makes money

[RR]

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More important, poker is the way young men (and women) are now introduced to gambling, in the US

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Don't be so sure that this is different than in the past.ii can't think of a gambling game I playe3d before I played poker (maybe I flipped baseball cards first but it would be close) As a small child I and my friends knew draw poker. As I got older we learned stud. I remember my first trip to a casino (it was with a couple of guys who I regularly played poker with) we didn't even think of poker on that trip. It wasn't till years later that I starte dto equate poker with caasino poker.

I would venture to guess that is a very common experience.

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This hints at something else that poker players miss. Even though they make money from a poker player they might still not want them there. In a busy time poker players might take up hotel rooms so now if a slot player wants to come there they can't because the hotel is booked. Or maybe there is a tournament about to start so valet parking is backed up so the slot player drives on down the street.

[Don Olney]

Poker is here to stay, Al, for some rooms. And you are right a small room with the right staff can do well. Lets not forget how great the alaadin was when Mr. Nick was there. Games were small BUT the room was a blast. Lets not ever forget the " COOKIES ARE HERE AND YOU CAN NOT GET THEM AT THE BELLAGIO" speach every day at 4:00.

[Spiffysean]

Mmmmmmmm... Cookies. (drools)

I think it's a great point. pretty much every room has 3/6 limit, 1/2NL, and some variations. What makes one place to play better than another?

Sometimes, it's cookies.

[dtf13]

Poker doesn't make money. Fact.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

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In a busy time poker players might take up hotel rooms so now if a slot player wants to come there they can't because the hotel is booked. Or maybe there is a tournament about to start so valet parking is backed up so the slot player drives on down the street.

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Hotel staff anticipate this kind situation and preferentially reserve and book rooms to players with a history of past action. So a random caller may be told "we're booked," but mrs jones (the 50c slot player) gets a room no problem. Thus, the problem you mentioned probably does exist, but to a pretty small extent.

For many casinos these days they only valet for hotel guests. Thus, if there's a big backup because of a poker tournament about to begin, there's probably gonna be a bunch of late entries to the tourney. Valet these days isn't full service with a smile (tophat and cane, show tunes included) like it was in days gone by. These days valet is more like boarding the monorail at disneyland, but only if you're a guest of the hotel (you'll probably need to show that room key too).

This little anecdote is off on a tangent for sure, but can't resist. I like to valet the ol' dodge at bellagio sometimes, and give the valey boy a couple three bucks when I drop it off. First I show him how the door only opens from the outside, so he'll need to roll the window down to get out. Then I give him the $ and tell him "take extra special care of this baby so it doesn't get any scratches." One day when I picked it up the guy tells me my steering box is really loose and his manager almost crashed into a wall in the garage, so could I self park next time. No dice! I tell him I worked in a shop, then show him how nope, my steering box is really tight, almost like new. His manager needs to learn how to drive because not all cars and trucks have rack and pinion like his friggin' lotus. Plus he needs to take care of my baby instead of crashing it because the $ I'm spending is just as green as everyone else's. :-)

Al

[JohnnyGroomsTD]

OP is way off on some stuuf. One factor thatwas eliminated is a market specific one. What about the casinos that have a limit on square footage? Like on the MS barges.

Also,
What about taxes, benefits for employees, and a laundry list of other things. I cannot go into detail, but poker is not the windfall that some may think.

[StevieG]

psandman,

I hear what you're saying, and as a kid I played penny ante poker, too (and pitched pennies, and flipped baseball cards).

Like you, though, it was draw poker, and with wild cards, etc. The casino games I knew about (poorly) were blackjack and craps. I did not know poker was available and would not have recognized what they were doing in the room (stud table, maybe, hold 'em definitely not).

But these guys are playing no-limit hold' em freezeouts with friends, following the same casino procedures they see on TV.

Unlike when you or I first walked into a casino, they are going to look for and recognize that same game, and won't be at all intimidated playing in it.

With the possible exception of the slot machines that look more and more like video games all the time (Top Gun, etc), poker will be more familiar to them than any other game in the casino.

[PokrLikeItsProse]

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This little anecdote is off on a tangent for sure, but can't resist. I like to valet the ol' dodge at bellagio sometimes,


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Maybe you should change your screen name to Al_Bundy_Junior

[Spiffysean]

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Poker doesn't make money. Fact.

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Really? What do you base this fact on? I've seen financial reports that indicate that poker makes a pretty consistent and steady ROI for the casinos, even after overhead and re-appropriation of funds.

Again, per sq/ft does it make as much as some other things? No.

But is it a draw? Does it bring people to the casino? Does it add to the casino's overall appeal?

I just don't get the arguement that poker in casinos is not a good/moneymaking idea. The numbers don't lie, first off. Second off, you can't discount the lure of the game, and what other "bells and whistles" casinos throw at you.

It works, right? Trust me when I say this... and this should smack you in the face with common sense...

Casinos are not in business because they waste time, money, or space with things that do not make them more profitable.

[AWLurch]

I will say that atleast this argument has brought up many reasons why the comps for poker players are the lowest compared to any other games, and for those of you that complain about the comps now realize that you are providing the least amount of revenue per customer than other games.

I am a poker dealer and I can attest that the biggest complaints that players whine about are that the comps are worse and worse, or insufficient. Atleast for those of you that do complain, this post will give you an insight as to why this may be the case. I am all for treating players right and providing good customer service, but you don't go to the movies expecting free popcorn. Poker rooms are a business with the goal of maximizing profits. Poker rooms must make proper decisions for not only its customers but its managers as well as shareholders.