Christmas sales expected to rise
Steepleton owner James Graven figures he has a sure bet for the holidays.
Graven and other retailers are gambling that poker's mainstream popularity will make chips and playing cards among the in-demand items on this year's Christmas shopping list. So Steepleton recently bulked up its inventory with a six-month supply of chips.
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Between now and Dec. 25, Steepleton expects to sell 150,000 chips — more than six times the amount sold during the 2003 holiday season. And Graven estimates that dozens of Texas Hold 'Em tables ranging from $300 to $400 will sell during the holidays.
Overall, the billiard supplies company plans to devote entire sections of its downtown and St. Matthews stores to poker accessories.
"I've never seen anything like this in my 34 years of retail," Graven said.
A barrage of televised tournaments is leading poker's resurgence. "The World Series of Poker" on ESPN along with Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and the "World Poker Tour" on the Travel Channel are among the hit new shows.
"I'm not a big poker player, but I know a lot about it because it's such a hot item," said Kmart spokeswoman Caryn Klebba. "It seems like the teenagers are in love with it."
PokerStars.com, a popular Web site that offers poker online, estimates based on anecdotal research that from 50 million to 60 million people play poker at least once a month. Games range from high school students gathering in basements on weekend nights to organized tournaments.
Noah Campbell, 25, started a weekend tournament in Toledo, Ohio, this year that draws a combined 80 players on Friday and Saturday nights, with the money going to charities.
He spent at least $2,000 buying tables, cards and chips. Campbell said many of his friends are buying their own supplies too — including high-end chips and cards.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. sells a $99 gaming set that comes in a portable velvet-lined case with a chrome handle and 300 chips and two decks of cards. Most items began arriving at Sears stores in the middle of August. "We saw it fly away," said Georganne Greece, a buyer for the company's game room group.
Caesars Indiana in Elizabeth, Ind., has 15 tables in the casino's poker room — nearly twice as many as it had when it opened in 1998.
"Our poker room play is up significantly," said Joe Feldman, Caesars' vice president of casino operations. "We added three games this year and we're looking to expand our room further."
Feldman said the casino is looking to increase its small inventory of "how-to" poker books.
Borders bookstores in Louisville has added 25 percent more poker books since the 2003 Christmas season and has seen brisk sales of instructional poker guides, including books by popular players such as Doyle Brunson, said Steve Henry of Borders.
Source: Associated Press
