Park Place Entertainment Features Southern-Style Poker Action

Park Place Entertainment serves up healthy portions of Southern-style poker action in its four Mississippi casinos.

Grand Casino Biloxi

The largest poker room in the South is located at the Grand Casino Biloxi on the top floor of the casino. The main focus of this spacious 21-table room is comfort and guest services. Games spread daily include $1-$5 stud, $4-$8 hold'em and Omaha, and other games with limits as high as $30-$60, including two or three hold'em games at the $10-$20 level. The room is known for being the only one in the South that spreads a daily $20-$40 stud game. Tournaments are run on a regular basis each week. A monthly $100 buy-in event with an optional rebuy is offered, and it always fills up and has great live action afterward. All tournaments start at noon with the exception of the $15 buy-in ladies-only stud tournament each Monday at 7 p.m. Jackpots are doubled from 7 p.m. to midnight on Wednesdays, up to the first $10,000.

The room also hosts its annual high-limit Southern Classic Weekend hold'em tournament and the annual MARGE (Mississippi Autumn Recreational Gaming Excursion) convention for Internet enthusiasts. The room features several TV sports monitors, liberal comps, and a free self-service snack bar with beverages, brewed coffee, and cappuccino. A monthly mailing of special activities, tournaments, and cash giveaways is available for players who wish to be notified. The casino features 10 restaurants ranging from two oriental cuisine venues to the top-rated LB's restaurant. In addition, the casino offers the amenities of the Bellissimo Spa and Salon, along with a beautiful 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.

Grand Casino Gulfport

Grand Casino Gulfport's promotion- and tournament-oriented 15-table room is located on the third floor of the casino. Inexpensive noon tournaments with guaranteed prize pools are part of its regular schedule. Also, a constant flow of activities is the norm for the room. Among poker games spread are $1-$5 seven-card stud, $4-$8 hold'em, and several combinations of Omaha. On Mondays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Fridays from 7 p.m. to midnight, double jackpots up to the first $10,000 are featured. Manager Ted Vaughan is proud of his friendly and hospitable staff. The room offers a free self-service snack bar, complete with hot dogs, cookies, brewed coffee, and a cappuccino machine. Vaughan has been the poker room manager for two years, and constantly strives to enhance the quality of service to his guests. The full-service Bellissimo Spa and Salon, a complete selection of excellent restaurants, including first-class dining in LB's Steakhouse, and the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course (shared with Grand Casino Biloxi) are just a few of the fine features of this casino. In an effort to move forward with the rest of the country, the Grand Casino Gulfport poker room will become the first nonsmoking room in the South on June 29.

Grand Casino Tunica

Located on the second floor of Grand Casino Tunica is Tunica's largest poker room, which features 14 tables in a glass-enclosed environment. The room spreads a variety of games of Omaha, stud, and hold'em up to the $10-$20 level. Regular tournaments are offered several days a week that feature either added prize money or guaranteed prize pools. All tournaments start at noon and generally include rebuys. The poker room hosts a $55 buy-in, one rebuy hold'em event on the second Saturday of each month, and it always sells out. A constant array of promotions and innovative activities are part of the attraction of this friendly room. Lisa Crompton has been managing the room for two years, and her friendliness and guest service dedication shows by the team that she has assembled and their guest services. Crompton offers players a room with complimentary snacks, brewed coffee, cappuccino, and sodas. The room is liberal with comps and offers poker players who play five hours or more a $25 room rate at the Veranda Hotel Sunday through Thursday, and a $35 rate on Fridays and Saturdays. The property offers an excellent variety of eateries ranging from snack and sandwich restaurants to the award-winning LB's Steakhouse. Also available are RV hookups, great spa facilities, a shooting range, and the beautiful 18-hole Hale Irwin-designed golf course.

Bally's Tunica

The poker room at Bally's Tunica has four tables spreading $1-$5 stud and $4-$8 hold'em. Occasional tournaments and ongoing promotions, such as high-hand cash giveaways and a stud bad-beat jackpot, are part of this friendly poker room's offerings. The room is glass-enclosed for noise reduction, and is located next to a snack bar that has an excellent array of sandwiches and snacks that may be brought into the room. Poker Room Manager Linda Windsor has such a great personality and people skills that although the room is small, it continues to be successful.

Tony Collins

Tony Collins, vice president of Mississippi poker rooms, oversees poker operations for Park Place Entertainment's Mid-South Region. Collins began his gaming career in Las Vegas and opened Grand Casino Gulfport's operation in 1993. He then transferred to open the Grand Casino Biloxi poker room in 1994 and was promoted to his present position of vice president in 1998. He attributes his success to high-quality staffing, guest services, and continual promotional activities. Collins believes that being a leader in no-abuse policies and having a philosophy that poker etiquette is essential to guests enjoying a positive, social poker-playing experience are important for a quality poker room. Collins' office is based at the Grand Casino Biloxi poker room. Gary Douglas, Biloxi's poker lead shift manager, is the acting manager when Collins is involved in company poker projects.