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Poker rooms slowly started to reopen at casinos in Pennsylvania nearly seven months after the casinos and subsequently poker games were shut down in March as a result of coronavirus. 

Due to the social nature of the game, poker rooms were not permitted to welcome back players when casinos started reopening in June. 

Five poker rooms reopened as of mid-November with Parx, the state’s largest, set to return in December. The city of Philadelphia added restrictions included another shutdown of Rivers Casino Philadelphia until at least Jan 1, taking away another option for live poker.

One poker room continues to remain conspicuously quiet – Wind Creek Casino. 

Wins and losses for Wind Creek

Wind Creek is one of the larger poker rooms in Pennsylvania rooms with 26 tables. Located in Bethlehem, PA, it’s in a prime spot to attract visitors from New York City and northern New Jersey. 

A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open. On Nov. 18, Wind Creek opened the Betfred sportsbook. The sportsbook is the first for Wind Creek in the United States and the third US retail location for Betfred Sports. 

Wind Creek claimed a number of honors from Casino Player Magazine in October including being named best: 

• Overall Gaming Resort
• Table Games
• Poker Room

However, it hasn’t been all good news at Wind Creek Casino. Wind Creek announced layoffs on Sept. 24 that affected about 20% of its workforce. Total revenue in October was $33.1 million, a 16.41% decrease from October 2019.

Wind Creek provided the following statement to LehighValleyLive regarding recent layoffs:

“With recent business volumes significantly lower than we had hoped, we were forced to make this incredibly difficult decision. The hospitality and gaming industries have been crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that our reduction in workforce will in the long term positively affect our future success.”

In addition, Wind Creek also announced the permanent closure of Emeril’s Fish House.

A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. The person agreed to share their insight based on the condition of anonymity. 

“When Wind Creek shut down in mid-March, they could’ve easily had a mass layoff but they didn’t. They continued to pay all employees until May 31, 2020. Even those that work on tips got an average hourly wage and they continued to pay for benefits. Most casinos around the country just straight up laid off hundreds of dealers back in the spring.”

On June 1, the poker room employees were furloughed. They stopped getting paid but the full-time workers could keep their health benefits as long as bi-weekly premiums were paid. On Sept. 30, all poker room employees were laid off/terminated and the poker room was made into a high-limit slots parlor.  

“We were told it was being turned into a high-limit slots parlor for the time being. Obviously a casino makes way more money on slot machines than a poker room, so I believe they’re focusing on that right now.”

The employee said it is their belief along with other employees that the poker room is not closed permanently and will eventually reopen. 

“The plan is to reopen the poker room in the future. But who knows what the future entails considering what is looking like another round of closures. Wind Creek does see the value in the poker room but I think right now they’re trying to recover from the major financial hit they took during the 3.5 months we were closed up. The client base of the poker room really enjoyed playing at Wind Creek. I know some of them think it’s closed permanently but that isn’t likely the case.” 

Poker pales in revenue comparison

In fiscal year 2019/2020, poker accounted for $37 million in total revenue across the state’s ten poker rooms. That number pales in comparison to the $607 million in total revenue by all other table games.

Casinos, trying to recover from an unprecedented financial hit as a result of COVID closures and operating at reduced capacity, are likely allocating resources to games that generate more revenue.

In late August, PlayPennsylvania exclusively reported that Harrah’s Philadelphia would not reopen their WSOP poker room.

Pennsylvania poker revenue by casino

As you can see from the table below, live poker is not the biggest revenue earner for PA casinos (though it can help drive other verticals).

2019/2020 Fiscal Year Poker Revenue in PA (figures from the PGCB):

The post Whispers out of Wind Creek: What’s Happening with the Poker Room? appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.

As the US online poker market reaches unprecedented heights, more players are getting in the game. From major buy-in tournaments like the upcoming World Poker Tour Main Tour event to the World Series of Poker Main Event, there’s never been a better time to bet and bluff online.

And while those big buy-in, prestigious events garner headlines, low- and mid-stakes players remain vital to the industry. Maybe it’s a guy who gets off work and plays a few sit and go’s after dinner.

A commuter might break out the cell phone for a few hands while sitting on a train heading to work. Perhaps the $5 tournament grinder has won a ticket for a bigger buy-in event that’s part of a major tournament series.

Adding more recreational players to the mix is what will grow the game in the long run. USPoker reached out to major operators to get their perspectives and how they’re appealing to this player segment.

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Quite a party for non-poker pros at partypoker

The partypoker US Network currently operates in New Jersey and has been approved in Pennsylvania. Party officials make efforts to reach out to recreational players through tailored events and promotions.

Like most operators, partypoker offers a wide range of price points for tournaments, sit and go’s, and cash games. The site’s regular Online Series offer opportunities for players in the $5-10 range up to a few hundred bucks.

The site has also found success with its popular Phase tournaments as well. These offer numerous flights and qualifiers to earn entry into a bigger event.

Satellites will also be a major part of the upcoming WPT Online Poker Open. In this case, qualifiers offer players a chance to live a dream and join the WPT Champions Club.

Another new promotion offers rec players a shot at big money. Players who took part in two or more Sunday $35,000 Guaranteed tournaments (Nov 1-22) earned a $215 entry into the Sunday $100,000 Guaranteed on Nov. 29.

The Grind (BorgataPoker.com) and Regulars Rewards (BetMGM) programs also offer ongoing monthly promotions to reward all players. In the daily “Spin the Wheel” promotion, players simply earn 1 or more iRPs playing poker to claim a spin. Prizes include:

• Hot Cash Bonus
• loyalty points
• tournament tickets valued up to $215

“Recreational players and low to mid-stakes players are the backbone of the poker community,” BetMGM/partypoker US Network director of poker Ray Stefanelli says. “Without this group, which makes up a large percentage of the poker player pool, it would be difficult to run a poker network.”

PokerStars brings plenty of ways to win

This is another operator that recognizes the need to bring more recreational players into the market. With Americans seeing so many options for their extra time, company officials view keeping the entertainment value as critical to success.

 “Players of all skill levels and bankrolls play pivotal roles in the success of online poker for different reasons,” PokerStars head of poker operations Luke Staudenmaier said. “An operator’s ability to attract recreational players is linked to poker’s capacity to entertain, while more skilled players provide the liquidity needed for games to start.

“Still, nothing is more important for the growth and health of online poker than legal, shared poker in as many markets as possible.” 

Staudenmaier says every aspect of the PokerStars experience is viewed through the lens of a recreational player. That includes software, rewards, and even tournament structures for US players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Progressive knockout (PKO) tournaments are one example he offers. The last time Pennsylvania residents were able to play on PokerStars in 2011, these tournaments didn’t exist.

“Now they make up a sizable portion of all scheduled tournaments we offer,” Staudenmaier says. “The reason is simply that recreational and skilled players alike have shown that they enjoy the mechanics, and of course, we want to maximize everyone’s entertainment in the community. We’ll continue to adapt based on what our players are telling us and trends in the industry.”

The Bounty Builder Series highlights the popularity of PKO tournaments, Staudenmaier notes. Tournament players will also find plenty of satellites, qualifiers, and affordable buy-ins. 

These offer plenty of value and start as low as $1 with freerolls also in the mix. In Pennsylvania, the recent Anniversary Series featured events starting in the $10-$30 range.

PokerStars sees recreational players as a huge segment to the US market and works to cater to this group.

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WSOP.com offer numerous ways to play

Winning some hardware remains a major attraction for players at WSOP.com. From bracelets to championship rings to title belts, there’s plenty of bling to battle for.

That includes series like the recently announced Super Online Circuit Series. WSOP.com offers numerous satellites and mega satellites for these events – some nice opportunities at a low price point.

“The online circuit events continue to be highly successful and something we will look to expand upon in 2021 as live events should return gradually to the schedule,” WSOP executive director Ty Stewart says.

Rec players even have some opportunities to play in the $10,000 Main Event, which moved online for 2020. Qualifiers start at just $1 and there will also be weekly freerolls.

Players will also find numerous sit and go’s with smaller buy-ins as well as the $100 Daily Freeroll. The $1,000 Hero Freeroll also honors current or former members of the armed forces and fire or police departments.

In recent years, WSOP officials have worked to reach “weekend warrior” players at the live series each summer. The goal is to give players with smaller bankrolls plenty of value. That spirit appears to apply to the online product as well.

Global Poker brings the social gaming fun

This social gaming, sweepstakes poker site has seen huge growth over the last year. A big part of that has been its efforts at reaching poker players just looking for some fun.

Global Poker stresses the fun of poker through interesting avatars, trophies, and swag for winners as well as unique events. Global uses a two-tiered virtual currency system.

Players can use Gold Coins for free play or receive Sweeps Coins as a bonus when purchasing more Gold Coins. Sweeps Coins can be used in separate ring games and tournaments. They can also be redeemed for cash prizes and gift cards.

Players will find plenty of micro- to mid-stakes action as well as numerous satellites even for daily tournaments. There are also freerolls and regular tournaments starting at only SC1 (known as “Buckaments”). Global is available to players in the US and Canada (excluding Washington and Quebec).

The site also adds to the fun on social media. Global often rewards players for showing off their winning trophies on Twitter or Facebook. Recreational players seem to be a huge part of the Global Poker experience and site management seems to understand that.

US online poker market continues to see major growth

With more lockdowns in some states and major live poker on hold, the American online poker market continues to surge. US online operators have worked to meet growing demand.

Numbers have ebbed downward since the highs of March, April, and May. However, year over year the US regulated market remains in great shape.

Recreational players remain a huge part of that and poker sites are working to keep them coming back.

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The post REC PLAYER ROUNDUP: US Online Poker Operators Work to Attract More Average Joe & Jane Players appeared first on .

The 1974 film California Split is regarded by many as one of the best depictions of gambling in movie history. Written and co-produced by the actor Joseph Walsh, the film routinely ranks highly on lists of “best gambling movies” ever, often at the very top.

The truth is, for gamblers who like movies, or film buffs who like to place a bet now and then, you can’t do much better than California Split.

Except, perhaps, to talk to Walsh himself about his film. I had the chance recently to do just that in a call with the writer at his California home. Much like his film, the conversation was both entertaining and edifying.

A couple of gambling buddies who are anything but two of a kind

In a sense, California Split is a buddy movie, or perhaps a variation on The Odd Couple. It is both a comedy and a drama, mixing the playful with the serious in a way that mirrors life itself.

It begins with a chance meeting between two gamblers. They are seated at the same poker table at the fictional California Club. The movie’s setting uncannily recreates one of the several Gardena poker rooms that were popular at the time. So uncannily, in fact, that Walsh notes some poker players have insisted to him over the years they played at the California Club, even though it was entirely built on a set.

Elliott Gould plays Charlie Waters, a seemingly happy-go-lucky type always eager to place his next bet. George Segal portrays Charlie’s new friend, Bill Denny, whose relationship with gambling is less certain.

For Bill, gambling fills some sort of need in his life. It provides a temporary emotional fulfillment he is otherwise lacking. Charlie does not have such a problem. For Charlie, gambling doesn’t serve to replace something else in his life — gambling is his life.

California Split’s place in film history

There is a great deal to praise about California Split. Director Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, Nashville, The Player) brings to the film his signature style, often crowding the frame with a great deal of information. The crew used an experimental sound technique that involved recording eight separate audio channels. As a result, the multiple conversations in many scenes often create an appropriately casino-like atmosphere (even when not in a casino).

Gould and Segal are both excellent in their roles, demonstrating tremendous chemistry despite their characters’ different outlooks. Meanwhile, Walsh’s episodic story provides a series of captivating and entertaining situations. These include:

• The masterful opening scene in the California Club, culminating in a fight between Charlie and a belligerent opponent (played by Walsh’s older brother, Ed)
• Charlie and Bill drunkenly betting on being able to remember the names of all seven dwarves
• Bill’s confrontation with his bookie, Sparkie (played by Walsh himself), to whom he owes a significant debt
• Charlie hustling younger kids in a pick-up basketball game
• Charlie’s hilarious sequence of reads on players in the Reno game (where real-life poker celebrity “Amarillo Slim” Preston makes a cameo)

Those who have seen the film remember all of these scenes. Those who haven’t can look forward to enjoying them.

Meanwhile, here are some highlights from my conversation with Walsh about the film.

Friendships and gambling: The day Joey went 14-0-1

In real life, Walsh has always been more Charlie than Bill. A dedicated gambler, the 83-year-old has always loved being “in action.” Meanwhile, Gould, who plays Charlie is actually much more like Bill, at least when it comes to gambling.

Walsh knows this because he and Gould have been lifelong friends, having met as teenagers when schoolmates in New York City in the early 1950s. Gambling played a part in their friendship from the start, with the risk-loving Walsh often taking the lead in their betting adventures.

“I convinced Elliott I was the greatest handicapper known to man,” laughs Walsh. “Somehow I had an antenna, boy. I could pick football games. I just knew who would win. I told Elliott to give me $60 and I had $91. I told him I didn’t know how any one of my 15 college games can lose.”

Walsh found a bookie and put the pair’s money down on a series of parlays involving those 15 games. As it turned out, Walsh was almost right. He was on the right side of 14 games (against the spread!), with the 15th ending in a push! They’d turned their $151 into around $1,500.

“Elliott is looking at me like ‘my friend is a freak of nature… Joey is spooky as it gets!’” Walsh remembers. It goes without saying the pair were never able to recreate such a streak again, but that didn’t stop them from trying.

The streak does make kind of a reappearance, however, in California Split. I’m referring to the Reno sequence at the end of the film that cleverly mixes humor and suspense as Bill gambles with the pair’s money (and keeps winning) while Charlie watches from the rail.

I’ll avoid spoilers, but it’s safe to say Split does not exactly feature a typical “Hollywood ending.” That’s not Walsh’s style. In fact, the ending is one reason why I believe the film has endured so well.

Forget the romance, ‘Split’ offers a realistic view of gambling

“The film will never be dated,” Walsh agrees. “It’s not going to be dated because I took anything that would be dated out of it.”

It’s true that even decades later, the series of episodes involving Charlie and Bill still speak directly to the gambling experience.

California Split depicts many different types of gambling. There’s poker, blackjack, roulette, and craps. The characters also wager on horse races, boxing, and make those aforementioned bets on Snow White characters and pick-up basketball.

The movie also presents an incredible variety of relatable emotions related to gambling, from the rush of winning to the crush of losing and everything in between.

Viewers who do gamble recognize and identify with the frustration, excitement, boredom, and pleasure the characters experience while gambling. The film even depicts the sort of existential self-doubt that can rise up and cause a gambler to question the purpose of constantly taking risks and seeking rewards.

The point was to “keep it honest,” says Walsh of his depiction of gambling. As he puts it, he did not want “to glamorize it or make it more ‘movie-ish.’”

It is fair to say that Walsh primarily wrote the film for gamblers, or at least with an intention to present gambling in a way that gamblers would recognize as truthful. Put another way, Walsh didn’t write California Split for those who excitedly watch others gamble and who possess all sorts of erroneous conclusions about what they think they are witnessing.

By way of contrast, Walsh brings up The Cincinnati Kid, the 1965 film starring Steve McQueen that like California Split often appears on “best ever” lists of poker and/or gambling movies.

“I like The Cincinnati Kid, too,” says Walsh, though he adds that while the film is dramatic and engaging, it’s not necessarily the most realistic representation of gambling.

Walsh had to fight some significant behind-the-scenes battles in order to avoid letting California Split be transformed into a different kind of movie. In fact, such battles included at one point having to consider casting the Cincinnati Kid himself, Steve McQueen, in Split (a possibility never realized, likely for the better).

“I didn’t cater to anything,” he insists, noting how he avoided the temptation to embellish or make gambling seem more romantic than it really is.

“Every time there was a precious line that would have sounded so f***ing smart, I said get rid of it,” Walsh laughs. “If you remain true [to your characters and subject], you don’t over-intellectualize it,” he adds. “You can see the real feeling and emotion of gambling.”

“That will never go out of style. The film has a life that’s been unbelievable. It’s been incredible.”

A ‘California Split’ TV series?

As if to prove even more conclusively the continued appeal of California Split, few know about it but there was an earnest effort made recently to create a big-budget Showtime series based on the film. Walsh shared a few behind-the-scenes details of that story during our conversation.

The project was to have involved director Todd Phillips and his company, Green Hat Films. The director of Old School and The Hangover trilogy worked for several months with Showtime to create a series inspired by the film, to be titled California Split.

The negotiations were quite exciting for Walsh. There would be a conspicuous credit for him at the start of every episode. And not least importantly, a handsome payday as well.

“This would have been a bonzana for me,” says Walsh. “It was all set. They wanted to do it. They were nice enough to send the screenplays to me. It was a nice job, especially the first episode. They kept the characters, and were doing a lot of scenes from California Split.”

Walsh mentions one example, the woman superstitiously switching seats at the California Club poker game, as a detail from the film reappearing in the TV script.

A number of rewrites followed. There was even talk of Walsh being called upon to write an episode, perhaps during the second season.

“That would have been nice,” says Walsh. “I think I have a wonderful episode in me.”

Alas, a last-minute disagreement (not involving Walsh) thwarted the project. Phillips was suddenly gone, having moved on to direct the award-winning Joker and to pursue other projects.

The way Walsh tells the story, it was as though he had been on the verge of collecting a massive pot when his opponent unexpectedly rivered a one-outer.

“It all blew up. I couldn’t believe it. It was one of those where you knew you were 98 percent, 99 percent,” he chuckles.

Coming from someone else it might have sounded like a bad beat story. But a lifetime of bets won and lost prevents Walsh from succumbing to anything resembling self-pity, even where it might be deserved.

“That knocked me on my ass for 10 days. But somehow after 10 days, I said okay… what’s on the other side of this? Are you going to let this crush you?”

The answer was no, and among other things during the years since Walsh wrote and has now published his hilarious Hollywood memoir, Who Says It’s Over.

“I’m in the win column, already,” says Walsh, characteristically accepting that which he cannot control.

As California Split well shows, you win some and you lose some. It’s how you handle those wins and losses that matters most.

The post Revisiting the Classic Gambling Film ‘California Split’ With Writer Joseph Walsh appeared first on Play CA.

The partypoker US Network recently announced a World Poker Tour event is heading to New Jersey in late December. However, plenty of action kicks this week as well.

Party kicks off the fall Online Series on Nov. 29 with 11 events running through Dec. 6. Buy-ins range from $109 to $535 and the series features $185,000 guaranteed in a fun week’s worth of action.

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A look at the partypoker schedule

The entire series is available to partypoker players in NJ as well as the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins. All events are in No Limit Hold’em but there are a few bounty events to add to the excitement.

The Online Series comes out firing on Nov. 29 with a $215 Sunday No Limit Hold’em event with $100,000 guaranteed. Other series highlights include:

• $535 Progressive Knockout 6-Max (Event 7) – This $25,000 guaranteed event on Dec. 3 features bounties starting at $250 a person and keep growing throughout the tournament. One bounty late in the tournament could help a player make a profit. 
• $215 NLHE (Event 10) – Another big Sunday major on Dec. 6 with players battling for a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. 

Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

Partypoker US Network Online Series fall 2020

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Promotions and special events planned

Partypoker is cranking out some big promotions over the next few weeks in New Jersey. With the lack of live tournaments taking place, players can stay in the action throughout the holidays.

Free $215 Online Series ticket

Players have a chance to claim a free $215 entry into the $100,000 guaranteed event on Nov. 29. Players who played in two or more Sunday $35,000 guaranteed tournaments Nov. 1-22 earn a free buy-in. 

Black Friday for $50,000

Generally Black Friday means finding some of the best deals on the Internet and partypoker is no different. The site is offering a free ticket into the Black Friday $50,000 guaranteed tournament, which is set for Nov 27.

Players simply must play in four or more $10,000 guaranteed tournaments from Nov. 16-26. Complete that mission and a Black Friday tournament ticket is secured.

WPT returns to NJ in December

The WPT is also back in the Garden State at partypoker in December. The $3,500 WPT Online Poker Open Main Event runs Dec. 27-29 with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool.

Just like a live WPT event, the winner also has his or her name etched on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. The champ also secures a $15,000 entry into the Tournament of Champions. Look out for satellites coming to Partypoker soon. 

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The post DELIGHTFUL DECEMBER: Partypoker Goes Big With Online Series, Black Friday, WPT appeared first on .