Bellagio Introduces Newly Designed Poker Chip

In light of recent events and tournament player concerns, tournament director Jack McClelland and executives of the Bellagio Hotel Casino in Las Vegas are fulfilling patrons' needs by implementing changes to enhance security and integrity. McClelland and his expert staff already have a world-class reputation for running the most organized and buttoned-downed events, but they constantly strive to do better, and two specific changes are an example. One is a procedural change, addressing tournament player redraw procedures. The other focuses on inventory accountability, specifically tournament chips.

In the past, measures were taken to avoid "issues" when it came to redraws at every payout level, and the response from players was met with mixed results. So, tournament staff put their heads together and produced redraw rules that began when an event reached nine tables, or 90 players. Though it might have been the best approach to preventing player collusion, it also impeded the legitimate players' game. Such drastic measures have since been modified.

Players will now be assigned new seats when the number of paid participants hits the magic numbers 54, 45, 36, 27, 18, and 10. The breakdown represents different cash awards and their value. For instance, players, in a very populated tournament that awards 54 prizes, will begin redrawing when they're down to 54 participants. The prizemoney changes for players 37-45, 28-36, 19-27, and so on. For all tournaments, including the lesser-populated ones, breakage will occur as usual, with players redrawing when their numbers are reduced to 27, 18, and 10, regardless of the payout structure. This is also true for daily tournaments and supersatellite events.

The purpose is clear for most tournament players, as they embrace the idea of event elements being random on every level. Frankly, it would be difficult for players to collude at the Bellagio. The tournament staff keep their eyes and ears open while constantly addressing issues that may arise, along with player concerns.

With chip accountability becoming a larger issue this year, Jack McClelland and his staff ratcheted up security by designing two more series of tournament chips. One of these sets was recently introduced at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, though the exclusive set is reserved for the championship. (We got a peek, and took a few photos for our readers.)

Tournaments with a $1,000 buy-in or less will continue to use the familiar daily tournament chips. The qualifying events will use generic solid-colored plastic variations. For tournaments with a $1,500 to $5,000 buy-in, a special set of T25, T100, T500, T1000, T5000, and T10000 has been developed. Championship events, or tournaments with a buy-in of $10,000 or higher, will utilize a special set of chips at the Bellagio.

"We're doing what we can to increase the security and integrity of tournament poker at the Bellagio," said McClelland. "We take the concerns of our players very serious."

Bellagio continues to raise the bar and set the standard when it comes to tournament procedures. And it's no wonder the World Poker Tour trusts the casino to conduct some of its most prestigious events.

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