The Bicycle Casino - A Great Place toPlay in L.A.!

The face of gaming is clearly changing, and nowhere is it more apparent than at the legendary Bicycle Casino. This mainstay of card room entertainment has withstood the test of time and is coming into a new era of glory.

If you haven't noticed (and how could you not, with all of the construction!), The Bicycle Casino has been undergoing a great deal of renovation over the past year. This substantive remodeling project includes a beautiful new entry and lobby, an expanded Plaza for high-limit games, and two new restaurants, The Bicycle Grill and the newly unveiled Bike Deli, an eatery of distinction that serves as a portal to transport you to another place, another time, if only for a quick bite to eat. A new No-Bust Blackjack section has been added, along with the Jade Court, a new section in the Pavilion specializing in high-limit Asian games. Under the artistic eye of Special Projects Manager Sinan Sinanyan, the old Bike has a new and lighter feel, intimating to anyone who's worked or played there in days gone by that hard times are over and only good times lie ahead.

But there's more happening at the Bike than just a change in its outward appearance. This business is about people, and according to Managing Partner Haig Kelegian, people are what count most at The Bicycle Casino. With the current owners Haig Kelegian and Robert Carter, and a blended management team consisting of the Bike's seasoned veteran management members and the new, innovative management professionals brought on board now at the helm, an interesting transition is taking place, and it's happening in the best way, from the inside out.

Chief Operations Officer Hashem Minaiy stated, "It is my absolute belief that with any new direction you choose to take a business, you must include your entire team. At The Bicycle Casino, we don't have employees; we have team members. Every member of every department in the casino is important to the success of our business, so each must be included in the new plan."

Managing Partner Haig Kelegian seconds that approach. "We are not simply a business with faceless employees. We are a family of families. Each team member is a contributing factor to our overall success and the presentation we choose to make to the public." Kelegian has been long known for his family approach at Ocean's Eleven Casino in Oceanside, California, and has carried his philosophy to The Bicycle Casino. Continuing, Kelegian said, "We have many times had two or three members of the same family working with us at any given time, creating a sense of generational commitment. We want our families to feel a sense of home and belonging with us."

The Bicycle Casino's Marketing Director Kelley O'Hara also believes strongly in that vision, and has made that commitment to team camaraderie a major element of the Bike's marketing plan. "You can utilize all of the print, radio, and television media you like, and you can put together the best promotions to get the customer through the doors, but if you don't have your employees there to greet and cater to your clientele, there's no point. You've lost the most important part of the marketing equation: customer retention. Inviting new customers to play is one thing, keeping them is the crucial element. It is quality customer care that sets any business apart from another, especially this business. That comes only when your team feels that it's part of the 'importance quotient' of the business' success."

Although it is continually an ongoing process, The Bicycle Casino has made a special effort to get its team members involved and connected – to each other, to the customers, and ultimately to something greater than themselves. With management's encouragement, the Vision Committee was formed. It is a group of dynamic volunteers from several departments who joined together to take on the task of uplifting company morale and bridging the communication gap. It has evolved into a combination steering committee and cheerleading squad, emboldening team members to share their ideas for improvement in their areas of responsibility, encouraging participation in company events, and ultimately focusing on uplifting the overall spirit of the Bike. The casino has held several special events designed to create a new experience and an opportunity for employees to interact with not only each other, but with the customers they serve. The Bike's owners threw a "Bike Day at the Beach" party, bussing more than 1,000 delighted team members and their families to Huntington Beach for the day and into the night, and the ultimate results of that were evident in an enthusiastic surge of energy that was felt throughout the casino, which could best be described as contagious. More importantly, the team has become involved in a long-term effort to send Bicycle Casino employees' kids to college through fundraising participation the fun way – together! "The Bike Sends Kids to College", a scholarship program, has been established to give team members the opportunity to raise money, $1-$5 at a time, through bake sales, special employee drawings, purchasing fun merchandise themed for each company event, and so on. In a very short period of time, team members have seen the fund grow through their own efforts combined with management's support. Lastly, the Bike has found new and creative ways to get its players and team members to experience each other in a different light. Customers have been personally invited by invitation to be employees' special guests, giving everyone a chance to interact in a fun and positive way away from the tables. "The results were phenomenal," stated Eveliene Dullaart, casino operations administrator. "Immediately, the atmosphere on the floor improved and there was a 'personal touch' experience happening both ways."

In addition, part of The Bicycle Casino's marketing plan includes spearheading a substantial mass marketing effort with other major L.A.-area casinos. Kelegian, always an innovator, understands and promotes the value of combining marketing dollars to create a greater impact for this industry in the marketplace. "Ninety percent of L.A. doesn't know that recreational gaming even exists. That's because clubs continue to market to existing players, never successfully targeting new players. As a consortium, we have a greater opportunity to create awareness and to expand our player base. We have our work cut out for us, but if we join together, we all win." This fledgling group has already embarked on a major Internet advertising venture with AOL Time Warner, and extensive plans are under way for later this year.

Speaking of Internet advertising, The Bicycle Casino's website underwent a substantial facelift of its own. The casino's webmaster, Kim Washburn, takes the following approach: "Keeping a website current and fresh is a challenge for many businesses. However, if you're going to make the site beautiful, it should also be fun and informative every day, not just once every six months or so. With this in mind, it is our goal to consistently maintain the site and provide our customers with new, fun, and innovative information that is current and up-to-date!" You can check out the "new look" at www.thebicyclecasino.com.

The Bicycle Casino is the home of this year's $500,000 World's Largest Freeroll, literally the biggest freeroll worldwide. This promotion, in conjunction with the launch of the new Bicycle Casino Classic Club membership card, has experienced phenomenal success. Rick Cloward, poker operations manager and 16-year veteran of the Bike stated, "This has been an extremely successful promotion for us, and it has generated a great deal of excitement at the Bike and within the California gaming industry. We've created hundreds of players who now think of the Bike as their home."

As always, The Bicycle Casino employs a highly skilled staff of experienced professionals. From the floor personnel to the service staff, the Bike team can handle anything and everything, and frequently does, from driving one of its elderly patrons home after dark to attending funerals and throwing baby showers. The Bike is there to give the best customer care and quality experience to its guests. Players can find games at all limits at its 130 tables. For those players who are interested in tournaments, The Bicycle Casino is a great place to play in L.A. The Bike offers some of the best tournament action in Southern California, including renowned events such as Winnin' of the Green, Big Poker Oktober, and the Mini Series of Poker. Its most prestigious event, Legends of Poker, which is scheduled Aug. 2-28 this year, is world-famous, and once again will prove to be a premier poker happening, with more than $2 million in prize and cash money being awarded. With its seasoned and energetic tournament staff anxious to meet every player's needs, no one should forget this one.

All of these efforts are yielding the most substantial results, including better connection between players and team members, ultimately resulting in better customer service and player loyalty. COO Hashem Minaiy and his team are dedicated to improving and supporting employee morale and creating a friendlier atmosphere for everyone to play in. Add to that a well-established open-door policy for both customers and team members alike, and everyone's a winner. In the end, it's all about people, and people are the Bike!