Stepchildren Striking Back: Poker Players as Casino Customers

Conventional thinking in the casino industry goes something like this: Poker players are at, or very near, the bottom of the list of preferred customers. Sure, casinos tell us poker is important, and that it's an integral part of "gaming." But the fact is, most casino executives do not see poker as we do. They do not view poker as a venture that is particularly lucrative or beneficial to casinos. One poker manager I know even went so far as to argue that there is bias in corporate boardrooms against poker. In a candid conversation, he expressed to me his frustrations when dealing with upper management. He went into great detail about how casino executives often disregarded his ideas about promoting poker, leading him to conclude that "poker is the stepchild of the casino industry."

The "stepchild" tag is quite troubling. The question is, what do we do about it? Plenty. I'm here to challenge the notion that poker players contribute little in terms of profit and value to the overall operations of most casinos. In fact, I have irrefutable evidence to disprove that notion. My perspective is not based on corporate pie charts and bar graphs that steer the thinking of the casino industry. It is based on personal knowledge. The simple fact is this: I have contributed about $100,000 to casinos and poker rooms over the past 10 years.

That's right – $100,000. According to my records, I have paid six figures in time collections, rake charges, and other associated costs just to sit at poker tables. That means that casinos have realized a "drop" of an extra $100,000 over the last 10 years because of my presence – for one reason only: I am a poker player and I like to play poker.

Let's break down the numbers, shall we? Since 1991, I have averaged about 1,000 hours a year, more or less, playing poker. Some years, I played only about 500 hours. Other years, I played nearly 1,500 hours. About half the games were raked and the other half required a time collection. At the limits I played, I paid $10 to $14 an hour in time charges. Pots were usually raked at 5 percent or 10 percent – up to a maximum of $3 or $4. I estimate the cost of the rake at between $8 and $10 an hour. So, it easily cost me $10 per hour to play poker – and that's a conservative estimate. The actual figure may be closer to $12 per hour. Multiply $10 per hour by 10,000 hours of poker over 10 years, and that's at least $100,000 in the drop box. That's a lot of white chips. If tips to dealers and floor staff were added in, that would be another $2-$3 per hour. If all the money I've spent in casinos was added together – including hotel rooms, meals, and occasional table-game play – the actual figure would probably be in the $150,000-$160,000 range. That's from one poker player!

What's really remarkable is that my net worth to casinos is probably typical of most poker players who take the game seriously. Most of my poker comrades have forked over roughly the same benefit to the casino industry within a similar time frame. Some players have contributed even more than that. Consider that high-stakes players pay time collection charges that are significantly higher. Full-time pros (according to one definition, those who play 1,500 hours a year, or more) would account for 50 percent more in drop charges. Tournament players add even more money to the casino economy. A tournament pro may contribute as much as $15,000-$20,000 a year in poker costs and entry fees alone. Over 10 years, that's a couple of hundred thousand dollars going directly to the casinos and indirectly back to investors and corporate stockholders. So, while my experience is typical of what many semipros give back to casinos, it is by no means foremost in the economic pyramid.

I have a serious request for the casino executives out there who may be reading this: Please tell me another segment of the gambling public that contributes as much as poker players, when measured on an individual basis. Tell me – other than "whales" and "high rollers," who are understandably the lifeblood of casinos and deserve royal treatment – what other group of customers gives so much to the casino industry on such a consistent basis. Slot players? Roulette players? Blackjack players? Tourists? Sure, a few million tourists might pack the quarter slots or play blackjack and drop a C-note or two. According to one study, the average tourist spends about $50 a day in Atlantic City. The figure is just a bit higher for Las Vegas. But how many of these tourists or slot players have accounted for $100,000 in casino profits over the past decade? How many blackjack players have contributed half, or even a quarter, of that amount? Oddly enough, those customers are often afforded perks and incentives about which poker players can only dream. What was that comment again about "stepchildren"?

Of course, poker rooms do have expenses. It costs money to run a good poker room. Dealers and staff must be paid. There is maintenance and electricity, and so forth. All of that must be factored into the bottom line. But collectively and individually, over an extended period, the casino has no better customer than the poker player. That goes for low-limit players, too. Factor in low-limit games with a $4 drop charge per pot, and that means a player who averages 500 hours a year at the poker table contributes $5,000 in annual revenues.

The most remarkable thing of all is that these figures just scratch the surface. They don't even begin to tell the whole story. What about poker as a magnet that attracts additional casino business? When I travel, I often bring friends or family with me. In the last 10 years, I have brought my wife, mother, father, mother-in-law, distant relatives, and countless friends to casinos – who have all contributed to the profitability of the casino industry. I estimate that I have been directly responsible for at least a quarter of a million dollars in casino earnings. I'm not alone. Most poker players I know bring their friends and families to casinos. But one thing is certain: We almost never go to casinos that do not have a poker room.

Any customer who contributes $100,000 to an industry over any period of time would normally be thought of as a preferred customer. One would think executives would roll out the red carpet for us. Sadly, I do not always feel welcome when I enter every casino. Many casinos are indifferent to my needs – which are rather modest. My needs usually consist of a standard hotel room at an affordable rate, and perhaps a food comp every now and then. I suppose I'm really just asking for the same attention I see given to everyone else in the casino.

Aside from comps and special privileges, what is really troublesome is that we are not recognized for our contributions to the industry. While slot players have special VIP lounges and are afforded RFB privileges, the average poker player has to struggle to get a line pass in some places. Of course, some casinos are very generous toward poker players (awarding food comps and discount hotel rates), but we still remain the least comped group inside most casinos. After all, when was the last time you heard of a poker player getting full RFB at a casino? Dream on.

I'm not asking for freebies. I'm not interested in taking advantage of comps or getting things to which I am not entitled. I am a player – and I love to play poker! I come to the casino not to get things for free, but for one reason – to play poker. I think most of my fellow poker players feel the same way. It would sure be nice if we were given some consideration by casino executives. Better yet, it would be nice if poker management was given a bit more support within the industry by upper management when they have ideas to bring in new customers.

The time has come to refute the faulty notion of poker being the casino stepchild, when the fact is that we spend the most time inside casinos and are the most dependable customers -slot players aren't, poker players are.

We are loyal customers. Many of us have intense loyalties and strong feelings about cardrooms and the casinos where we play. Most of us agree never to set foot into or give any action to a casino that does not have poker. It's just a matter of principle. My point is – our dedication, time, and money means that we deserve some respect from the casinos where we play. I think we've earned it. I can think of a hundred thousand reasons why each one of us is entitled to it.