2008 - Poker Year in Review

Just my random & unscientific thoughts, observations, and comments - in no special order.

ST LOUIS - Missouri eliminated the $500 "loss limit" a few weeks ago and most think this will help their casinos and perhaps the poker rooms. Illinois smoking ban has also helped the St Louis casinos. I have not seen much evidence of a poker slowdown in St Louis. Dennis Phillips won a satellite WSOP entry at Harrahs and became a big star -- and millionaire.

Lumiere opened (badly) and did not improve much the next couple times I made the trip there. Have not been for months and should give it another try. Internet reports they are spreading 4-8 there now.

President closed their poker room. Finally! - its time to celebrate something "good for poker".

Ameristar opened a brand new poker room and its great. A beautiful excellent facility and even includes a private 3 table salon for higher limit games. They are getting much higher numbers of players now and are spreading several and different games. Good for them! They always were the most "player friendly" location.

Harrahs is now kind of tired looking and not packed at all - many vacant tables. They have been the big loser with Lumiere opening and Ameristar improving.


CHICAGO AREA - No smoking in Illinois casinos so many Joliet gamblers just go over the state line to the Indiana casinos. NO real impact on poker rooms since they are all non-smoking, except maybe they get a few more players.

Joliet -- yucky poker anyway.

Aurora -- blah blah blah.

Elgin -- is supposed to be opening a (typical) Illinois casino poker room. It will be only a very few tables with a high rake and limited games. They may even close it on weekends like Joliet and Aurora have done. Staff will be poor and the players will be rude suburbanites.

Hammond IN -- an excellent new poker room and very snazzy casino. The only poker room in the area worth visiting. Has made the below two close-by Indiana poker rooms a shell of their former activity.

East Chicago IN -- very sad since this used to be the "big" room. Now it has a stud game.

Gary IN -- still has some 1-2 and 3-6 games but its such a nasty place.


LAS VEGAS- I keep reading how the economy and the loss of the poker boom is hurting the casinos and poker rooms. I sure did not see it last June - but it was WSOP time. Now the internet is filled with stories about how much play is down.

Venetian -- is booming in the poker room. They have snagged much of the NL play because of their "deep stack" tourney series. The company itself is in trouble, though.

Hard Rock -- actually OPENED a poker room. Its supposedly way too nice and way too large to support itself. Hope it lasts till next June.

Excaliber -- converted to ALL electronic tables and has a 12 table room.

Several rooms have closed including Paris and Tropicana. Others were expected to close but have somehow hung on. Some other poker rooms have cut back hours.


TUNICA - This area was feeling the effects of the economy a year ago and its just gotten worse. Their status as a "regional draw" is losing steam with casinos in Biloxi, Florida, Kansas/Oklahoma and etc.

Grand - now Harrahs -- The rebranding is complete. New poker room is downstairs and its much nicer.

Horseshoe and Gold Strike have done some layoffs in response to reduced poker play.


PERSONAL RECAP - I played in 24 different casino poker rooms this year - 11 of them for the first time. Highlights and trip reports are scattered throughout this years blog posts. Seem to be falling into a rut with annual or repetitive poker trips to St Louis, Chicago suburbs, Tunica and Las Vegas. Maybe its time for something different. How about a road trip to Rock Island?