By Chuck Darrow
As a rule, poker is no longer what it was in Atlantic City in the 1990s and 2000s, when most of the then-12 casinos offered it at one time or another. Today, only three casinos still “shuffle up and deal:” Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Tropicana Atlantic City and Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. But it’s the latter that is the big deal when it comes to the game.
Consider that the bayside pleasure dome’s sprawling card parlor boasts 73 tables—more than double the combined amount of the other two. And more to the point, the Big B continues to host major, multi-million-dollar tournaments, the next one being the 14-day Spring Poker Open.
By the time the final hand is dealt on May 13, the Open, which kicks off April 30, will have seen a total of 22 separate contests (not including on-site and online qualifying events) with a combined prize pool guaranteed to be at least $4 million. This includes the Borgata Poker Open Championship (May 9-13), which carries a $2,700 entry fee and boasts a guaranteed prize pool of at least $2 million.
Borgata officials have particularly high hopes for the Spring Open in light of the success of January’s Winter Open. “We crushed it,” offered Kellie Decelis, the gambling den’s director of poker operations. “We had over 19,000 entries. We did a $10 million overall guarantee on the 22 main events. I think we had over 15 million in prize-pool payouts, which was fantastic.”
According to Decelis, who stands as the first woman to ever run an AyCee casino’s poker operation, the January competition was an important milestone for Borgata, as it was the first such post-pandemic undertaking and, logically, no one was sure how it would go. Beyond the sheer numbers involved, she offered, the Winter Open provided a roadmap for her and her team going forward.
For instance, she noted that the Winter Open stretched out over 24 days, which proved to not necessarily be optimum for many people. “It’s a lot easier for our player base to be able to take off the two weeks to come and play with us [as opposed to] taking 24 days off from work. What we saw at Winter Poker Open was one established group of players in the first two weeks and then a completely different group of players in the second two weeks.
“What we really want to do is give players an opportunity and a reason to come and stay with us for those full two weeks. And so we’ve consolidated and narrowed it down; I think the events that we have for Spring Poker Open are going to be the perfect solution for that.”
Another difference between the Winter and Spring Opens is the pricing: The tab won’t be as steep this time. For instance, explained Decelis, last time, the “Mystery Bounty” tournament carried a $2,200 buy-in, while the Championship event cost $5,300 to enter. Now, would-be Phil Helmuths are looking at $900 and $2,700 respectively.
“We think $2,700 is much more comfortable for our recreational players, but still high enough to make that prize pool worth it for the pros,” she reasoned.
Of course, there are those players who’d like to participate, but whose budgets may not be able to accommodate the admission price for the Championship and other contests, whose buy-ins range between $200 and $1,500. The Spring Open also includes a full slate of “qualifiers”—events wherein players compete for entry into the actual tournaments.
“We’ve been able to partner with BetMGM Poker [the online operation of Borgata corporate parent, MGM Resorts],” advised Decelis. “You can win your seat online for as little as $2.” She added that April 29 “is completely dedicated to [on-site] qualifiers. We have four that day [for various contests including the Championship]—and more throughout the series.”
If you’d like to try your hand (pun intended) in the Spring Poker Open, but aren’t able to, don’t worry: Another Borgata Poker Open is in the cards (sorry!). “Right now,” said Decelis, “we’re working on our Borgata Poker Open in September.”
For more on the Spring Poker Open, go to borgata.mgmresorts.com.
Bally’s marks 45 years
The folks at Bally’s Atlantic City aren’t letting the property’s 45th anniversary pass quietly. The third legal casino ever opened outside Nevada (on Dec. 30, 1979) will celebrate in a number of ways:
Particulary exciting is the word that Guy Fieri’s Chophouse, the beefeteria that has been run by restaurateur-TV personality Guy Fieri the past 10 years, will re-open as Park Place Prime. Old-timers may recall that was the original name of the dining room that overlooks Park Place, the Claridge Hotel and (sadly) the empty lot on which stood the much-missed Sands Hotel & Casino.
No opening date has been announced; just that it is expected to be up-and-running this summer.
Also on the 45th-birthday agenda at the midtown adult playpen are a new high-limit slot parlor and a new Bally’s Rewards Center designed to make things more convenient and efficient for players.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
