Lucky Chances Casino: Growing With the Times

When asked what's the toughest decision he has had to make on the poker floor since he has been working at Lucky Chances, Dennis Callahan, swing shift floor supervisor, replied without hesitation and perhaps with tongue in cheek: "Barry Bonds, the World Poker Tour, or the stock market?" Callahan is referring to the daily decisions he makes concerning which programs to put on the poker room televisions – and where to hide the remote control!

Inasmuch as Lucky Chances is located just 30 miles north of Silicon Valley, the high-tech capital of the world, and five miles south of Pac Bell Park, the home of Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants, and it hosted one of the inaugural events of the World Poker Tour, it is easy to understand why this would be a difficult decision for the entire floor staff at Lucky Chances.

"Unnoticed to most, the demographics of poker seem to be shifting to younger players, both male and female, with diversified interests," stated Esteban Tahmazian, day shift supervisor. "But one thing many of our customers agree upon is that poker is entertainment, the same as going out to dinner or to the movies, and it is up to us to make it as pleasant an experience as possible."

"Our zero-tolerance policy, which basically states that we will not tolerate any abusive language or behavior, has been the backbone of Lucky Chances since our inception five years ago," stated Gene Ferreti, graveyard shift supervisor. "This allows our customers to play poker in a comfortable and congenial atmosphere."

Nick Kolich, who is in charge of tournaments and assists with promotions, stated, "Not only are the demographics of poker players changing, but a new breed of poker player has been created via the Internet. Originally, there was a fear that with the advent of online casinos and people being able to play poker in the comfort of their own living rooms, 'live' cardrooms would be negatively impacted. Frankly, I think just the opposite has happened. Since I took over this job five months ago, the attendance at our tournaments has increased dramatically. Of course, I would like to take credit for that increase, but I was lucky enough to have stepped into a situation in which the Travel Channel was just beginning to air the World Poker Tour, Chris Moneymaker was about to turn the poker world upside down by turning an online $40 satellite win into victory at the World Series of Poker, and literally millions of potential poker players were finding out they could learn how to play poker on the Internet. They no longer had to come into a cardroom and go through the somewhat embarrassing experience of playing at the 'beginners table.' They could learn how to play on the Internet, discover the nuances of playing poker by watching the World Poker Tour, and see how to become a millionaire by watching Chris Moneymaker in the World Series. Yes, I'd say it was pretty much a slam dunk that our business was going to increase, and most of the credit had to go to the founders and promoters of the aforementioned events."

Continuing its tradition of being a leader in this "poker frenzy," Lucky Chances added money not only to its primary jackpot, but also to its two backup jackpots, which are now $100,000 each. Lucky Chances is also gearing up for its annual Gold Rush tournament, which will start on Saturday, Nov. 8 and will run through Sunday, Nov. 16.

So, if you're planning a getaway, you certainly should consider the San Francisco Bay area. In the afternoon, you can take in a ballgame at beautiful Pac Bell Park, where you can watch perhaps the best player ever to put on a baseball uniform, and in the evening you can test your poker skills against some of the up-and-coming stars in the poker world in the friendly and comfortable surroundings that Lucky Chances has prided itself on since it opened its doors in 1998.

While there, you also might be able to observe some of the impact of the "Internet explosion" firsthand, as some of the new breed of online players pit their new computer-learned skills against the skills of the seasoned veterans who have graduated from the infamous school of experience and "hard knocks."

Whereas Antonio Esfandiari – the 25-year-old "Magic Man" on the World Poker Tour, a rising poker star, and a regular player in the high-limit games at Lucky Chances – might inform you that the odds of making a particular backdoor draw are 999-to-1 against, Amarillo Slim might look you straight in the eye and explain to you that the odds of making that same backdoor draw are 50-50: "Yer either gonna make it or you ain't."

Same statement, different era.