Poker, the game associated the Wild West, has re-emerged as the game to play
It's about bad beat tales, winning with the river, Amarillo Slim and milking pigeons.
Poker, the game associated the Wild West, has re-emerged as the game to play among a new generation thanks to cable channels , such as ESPN2, airing the games with graphics and expert commentary.
The popularity has inspired casinos and steady players like 23-year-old Jed McCurray.
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"Weekends are when you win all your money because all the tourists come up," McCurray said during a break from playing with old-timers.
Steven Schorr has noticed the increase in business. Schorr, manager of poker, keno and the sports and racing book at Harveys Resort & Casino, said poker revenues are up 70 percent.
"I would say it's the growth industry of the casinos," Schorr said.
Poker's surge moved it past keno as a moneymaker, Schorr said, who listed the hierarchy as slots, table games, sport betting, poker, keno and bingo.
Casino officials believe it started in April 2003, when the Travel Channel began televising high-stakes poker games. Televised games have happened before, but not with graphics showing the down cards and commentary explaining the game.
David Schwartz is the coordinator of the Gaming Studies Research Center and author of "Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond."
Schwartz initially thought televising poker was a bad idea. The game is undramatic since "the whole point of poker is to be poker-faced," Schwartz said.
"Now you see them everywhere," he said.
Poker always had appeal. It involves drama, psychology, acting, strategy and guts. Its vocabulary is legendary.
Those who had a good hand but lost had a bad beat. New players are called pigeons. The last, perhaps crucial card on Texas Hold'em is the river. A pair of kings are a cowboy. A pair of queens are called San Francisco.
Soldiers back from World War II provided a similar boost to casinos.
"That's what they did in their spare time: Throw dice and play cards," said John Packer, spokesman for Harveys casino.
After winning the World Series of Poker in 1972, Amarillo Slim Preston became a celebrity, touring talk shows and making television appearances.
t's the game families play with pennies. A deck of cards and some Corn Nuts are all middle school students need.
Get teenagers and college-aged students around a table and quotes from "Rounders," - a movie that centered on under-ground, high-stakes poker playing - will likely be heard.
Televising the World Series of Poker was icing on the cake. The competition, which draws gamblers who make their living off poker, deals Texas Hold'em.
Competition play has huge pots. Chris Moneymaker, the winner of last year's World Series of Poker, took $2.5 million as his prize.
Packer said the purchase of Binion's Horseshoe Casino, where the series is held, by Harrah's Casino won't affect the series, except the drop of Binion from the name.
On some Saturdays, no-limit tournaments can be found at Harveys. Pots can reach $80,000. It's where those who make their living off poker come out to play.
"It's probably one of the largest games in the country," said Kevin Wines, poker supervisor at Harveys.
Before April, Wines said he would card players to get their ages about five times a year. Now he's having to do it every day.
Harveys poker room expanded to 14 tables after adding four over Super Bowl weekend. Starting tonight at 8 p.m., the casino will offer cheap instructional weekend games for beginners.
Horizon Casino Resort also has a poker room with various tournaments. Caesars Tahoe has three-card poker tables on its main floor.
Poker has allowed McCurray, the 23-year-old, to eek out a living while unemployed. He's played for three weeks straight and might have a job offer from another player. He calculated he makes about $5 an hour playing.
McCurray said he expects this three-day weekend to be a moneymaker and has "got to clock in" for work.
"It's fun, I don't have a job and I win," he said.
Source: William Ferchland, Tahoe Daily Tribune
