Bits & Pieces

I am always amazed (and I shouldn't be) that my pageviews go up this time of year.  I think I went through most of the WSOP season and did not post once.  Do I still like poker?  Yes.  But since the "reputable", and I use that term very loosely these days, poker sites are either under investigation, under indictment, or just plain shady, I have played little poker lately.

Why don't I just find a home game or visit the Poker Room that is 20 minutes from my house you say?  Well, I have this little employment problem.  I have no job, so I have no money, so I have no bankroll.  Yes, I could play with my kids, but I don't feel like losing on purpose and I don't feel like dealing with them getting upset when they lose.


I did get to see some of ESPN's coverage of this year's WSOP.  I kind of liked it.  It was quieter, smarter, and not "in my face".  I wasn't told that the team name from every college was "The Rambling Wreck".  It was poker, almost the way it is actually played.


Can anyone name Penn National Gaming's top earning casino?  The answer is:  Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia.  I won't bore you with the numbers, if you are interested read "The Journal" article here.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness (for me)!

Anyone Need a Job? (Besides Me That Is!)

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is currently looking for a Poker Room Supervisor.  If you would like to apply, you need to do so online.  Here is a brief job description and requirements:

Supervise gaming operations and personnel in an assigned area. Circulate among tables and observe operations. Ensure that stations and games are covered for each shift. May explain and interpret operating rules of house to patrons. May plan and organize activities and create friendly atmosphere for guests in hotels/casinos. May adjust service complaints.

Must be 21. Job in Charles Town. Full-time. Must be able to work flexible schedule. Must be able to obtain West Virginia Lottery and Racing Commission license. Must have bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university and a minimum of 3 yrs comparable table games management experience, or equivalent combination of education or experience. Responsible for the efficient operation of the table games on the assigned shift. More detailed description on web site.

I do not qualify, but if you do and you are looking...

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Grab the Gamblers

In an online article on The Journal, there is an article which reports that there is now a Table Gaming bill in the Maryland Senate.  Grab the Gamblers while you can Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races!

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

I Love This Blog

I can't help it.  I could read Linda Geenen's blog forever.  In fact, a couple of years ago, I read it in it's entirety.  She used to be one of the better dealers in Vegas and blogged about poker and the people who inhabited the chairs around the table.  I have yet to play in a bricks and mortar casino, but I know when I do, I will follow proper table etiquette because of what I learned from here blog.t

If you have been reading this blog long enough (one question, Why?) you will know that I have been out of work for some time.  I applied to become a dealer at Hollywood Casino.  I thought at the time,"How cool would that be?"  But alas, I was done in by my credit check.  I was very open and up front about what I had not paid, and why I had not paid (Kind of hard to keep up on payments when you are unemployed), and that when I got a job, I was going to make good on those payments.  But, they have to hire by the numbers.  OK, let's get away from this digression.

Go read "Table Tango"! 

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness.

Question for WPBT'ers about Hollywood Casino

If and when Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races decides to add tournament play to their new "poker room", would there be any interest in having a WPBT event there?  I know you can't go casino hopping like you do in Vegas, but they do have a nice facility. Besides Poker, they offer horse racing, Pai Gow, other table games, as well as over 5000 slots. (Yes there are several strip bars within driving/cab/limo distance so those of you who need that kind of entertainment can indulge.)

Let me know if there is any interest.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

High Steaks and Poker

No that isn't a typo.  Hollywood Casino has opened their newest restaurant, a high end steak house called "Final Cut"  That should satisfy the high rollers.  As I am still unemployed (Hire me, I am worth it.), I can not afford to eat there.  I can't even afford to Enjoy the Pokery Goodness at one of the 27 poker tables available.

An article on the restaurant can be found at "The Journal".

WPBT Winter Classic 2010

Yes, it is that time of year again.  Unfortunately, my current job status does not allow me to attend.  Someday, I will have a job... and one that pays enough for me to afford this trip.  Either that or we organize a WPBT event at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

For information on the Winter Classic, go read here.

In the past, this has been THE event.  I have so much enjoyed reading the trip reports.  If half of them are true, it is amazing that everyone has survived.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

PS:  I am available for dial-a-shots if you get desperate.  :-)

Hollywood Casino Poker Room

Pardon me, but I did not have time to stick around long.  I had to pick up my wife.  But here goes.

The first thing that struck me when I entered Hollywood Casino was that they still have their ton of slot machines.  And there were some areas blocked off for construction.  My guess is that they eventually are going to have the table games toward the center of the casino where the construction is.  In the mean time the table games are located on the higher priced slot end of the main floor. 

I was there at 2:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon and there were more people playing slots than at any other time I visited.  At that time they only had about 15 to 20 percent of the tables games open.  Mostly Black Jack, and Pai Gow.  No roulette, baccarat, or craps open at that point.

In my wandering, I found about 3 or 4 signs pointing (not very well) to the Poker Room.  I finally found it after going toward the race track side of the casino and finding a glass door with Poker Room stenciled on it.  From there it was up a stairwell (there is also an elevator) to the "under the grandstand" area.  I walked past the betting counters and there, roped off, was the poker room.  It looked like about 20 of the 27 tables in use at that time.

Above the roped off entrance area was a screen with the waiting lists displayed.  There were about 6 different kinds of poker being spread and interest lists for a couple of others.  What I saw listed ranged from 1/2 Limit Holdem to at least one table of 7 Stud, and one table of Omaha.   The tables looked clean, the chairs looked comfortable, and even the chips looked new.

Like I said, I did not have too much time to spend.  Hopefully next time I will be to give you more details.  Since as of today, the Poker Room is open 24/7, I may be able to go at a more convenient time and bring back a better report. 

If you have any questions, let me know.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Note:  I not being paid to mention Hollywood Casino, nor am I employed by Hollywood Casino.

Hollywood Casino changes Poker Room hours

By popular demand Hollywood Casino has changed their Poker Room hours.  According to their official twitter account, on Wednesday October 13th 2010, they will open at 1pm as usual but will remain open 24 hours a day seven days a week!

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Update on Hollywood Casino Rakes

A couple of days ago, I reported on Hollywood Casino's Poker Game rake here.  I emailed back asking for clarification and specifics and this was the reply:

"There are too many to list. What game do you like to play??"

I am guessing what he means is that they haven't put them in a list accessible by computer.  I guess I will go over there soon and write them down myself.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Hollywood Rake

I received and answer to my question.  Earlier this week I sent a message to Hollywood Casino (at Charles Town Races.  That question was:  What is the rake on your Texas Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, and Omaha games.  I was expecting a breakdown by game and by limits of what the rake is.  Instead I got:

"Some of our games are raked at 10% up to $6 and others are time raked at $12 an hour per player or above. Hope this helps.

Have a great day,"

Only slightly helpful. Seriously 10% rake?  I am not sure, having not played in a brick & mortar poker room but I think that is a bit high.  Can I get a confirmation from someone?  The most puzzling part of the answer (or maybe the most ominous is "... and others are time raked at $12 an hour per player or above"  What?  Again I have nothing to compare this to, but it seems a bit high.  Does this mean that at some tables they charge more that $12 per hour per player?

Again I don't know if the rake here is good or bad.  Please let me know.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Another Year Older

Yes my 3 readers, I have been blogging for 6 years as of today.  Considering the content and the look, that is kind of a dubious distinction.

Do I still have the same hunger for the game?  Yes.  In fact in the past couple of weeks I have been playing more and playing better than I have in a couple of years.  But again, that is not saying much.  At least I enjoy the hell out of it.

I am not going to bore you with links to my "best of" posts.  I don't think there are many.

A lot has happened in six years.  Poker in the US has waxed mightily and is now waning.  Casinos were illegal in West Virginia, and now there are five of them.  Poker for money on the internet was once "legal" and now it is "illegal" (at least funding your account with funds from US banks).  I have held two widely diverse jobs.  I quit one and was unceremoniously let go from the other.  In between them I was out of work for 11 months.  And currently I am unemployed.  If you have been waiting to offer me a job, now would be the perfect time to offer.

I will give you an article I found in "The Charleston Gazette" online.  I find it amazing that the new Hollywood Casino, not 20 minutes from my house, is doing so well.  If you are like me and too lazy to click the link, here is the article:

September 29, 2010 

 

Charles Town table games offset Lottery problems elsewhere

 

By Phil Kabler

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A second gangbusters month for table games at the Charles Town casino/racetrack bolstered an otherwise dismal August revenue report, members of the state Lottery Commission learned Wednesday.

In their first full month of operations, table games at Charles Town's Hollywood Casino raked in $9.75 million in August -- far more than the state's four other casinos combined.
Charles Town accounted for 58 percent of all table games revenue in the state, followed by $3 million at Mountaineer Racetrack and Casino, $1.8 million at Nitro's Mardi Gras Casino, $1.46 million at Wheeling Island, and $776,318 at The Greenbrier resort casino.

Blackjack alone brought in $2.23 million at Charles Town -- more than the entire table games revenue for Wheeling Island and The Greenbrier combined.
Dean Patrick, Lottery deputy director for table games, told Lottery commissioners that these figures could be just the tip of the iceberg for Charles Town.
He said Charles Town is set up for 85 gaming tables, but is operating about half the tables at any given time because the casino doesn't have enough licensed dealers.
Because of high demand and limited spaces, the tables at Charles Town have minimum bets of $25 or higher, he said.

Charles Town also accounted for more than half of the state's share of table game profits in August, paying accounting for $3.4 million of the state's total $5.88 million in table games "privilege taxes" for the month.

Charles Town's success was the bright spot in another dismal month for state Lottery revenues overall.

In August, total state Lottery revenues were $118.3 million, down 4 percent from $123.2 million in August 2009.
Racetrack video lottery was down about 9 percent, at $64.5 million, and traditional on-line and scratch-off games were also down about 9 percent, at $15.86 million.
Limited video lottery, at 1,594 bars and clubs around the state, was off 2 percent, at $31.7 million.

Spurred by Charles Town, table game revenues were up 205 percent over August 2009.
Conversely, the new casino at The Greenbrier has failed to meet Lottery revenue projections since its opening, providing the state with a total of about $974,000 in table games and video slots revenue since July 1, about 16 percent below projections.
But Jim Toney, the Lottery's deputy director for revenue, noted that The Greenbrier saw improvement in August, with the state's share of revenue coming in at $591,000.
The Greenbrier opened its permanent, $80 million casino July 2.

A second gangbusters month for table games at the Charles Town casino/racetrack bolstered an otherwise dismal August revenue report, members of the state Lottery Commission learned Wednesday.

So until I get a job and a bankroll, Enjoy the Pokery Goodness for me.

P.S.: Thank you for reading what for me is an "uber-post".  Sorry Iggy, I could not resist.  I miss your posts, but I guess the time for them is over.

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races: Poker Room

OK, I haven't been there yet.  But being unemployed as I am, I can still research the new Poker Room at Hollywood Casino online.  You can too.  Here is the link.

If you don't want to go to the link yet, here is the information it contains:

Hours of the Poker Room are currently 1PM to 4AM Mondays through Thursdays.  On Weekends they are open 24 hours (Friday 1PM through Monday 4AM).

There are currently 27 Tables offering Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Limit and Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better, and 7Card Stud.  It also says games are will be based on Player demand and table availability.  So if you don't see your game, and you can get a full table, you can probably play it there.

Another piece of information not yet available on the website (I asked them via email):
They do not currently run any poker tournaments, but they are planning to do so after the first of the year.

So if you are going to be in the neighborhood, let me know. 

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

PS: Yes they have Pai Gow!

Incident at Hollywood Casino

I wasn't there, but if this is the kind of thing that goes on at Hollywood Casino I am not sure I want to play poker there.
The following is from the "The Journal's" website.  The Journal is the Eastern Panhandle's daily newspaper.

Man arrested on betting charges
September 18, 2010
 
CHARLES TOWN - A Lorton, Va., man was arrested on four counts of West Virginia table games violation Thursday at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Abraham G. Abraham, 43, allegedly was caught on surveillance video placing a bet after knowing the outcome of four separate Texas Hold Em poker games, according to court records.

Abraham allegedly told West Virginia Lottery Investigator David Loftis that he had placed a bet after knowing his hand approximately five or six times, and that he was sorry.

Abraham was arrested at 8:44 p.m. Thursday and taken to the Eastern Regional Jail. He was later released on a $10,000 bond.

I am guessing that this gentleman will not be welcome at Hollywood Casino again.  I think the article was trying to say Abraham was allegedly trying to put chips into the pot after he knew he had won.  The way the article is worded it sounds like you are not allowed to bet on Texas Hold Em.

Either way, Hollywood Casino would do well to get the exact circumstances published so others don't try it.  I would like to think that the casino would like to run a clean game.  Because at some point I would like to Enjoy the Pokery Goodness there.

Checking out the Poker

Sometime in the next two weeks I will be headed over to the "Hollywood Casino" (formerly Charles Town Races and Slots) to check out the poker action.  No, I will not be playing.  Unfortunately I am still unemployed and have no bankroll.  But I hope to report on how the poker is there.  This is really killing me.  I have been trying to get poker here in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia for some time.  And now that we have it, I can't play it.

Probably just as well though.  I have only played online poker, and for play chips only since congress passed UIGEA.  I would probably lose my bankroll in an hour.

If I don't get a report on Hollywood Casino up by September 14th, please remind me.

Until then, Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!