Poker Articles

Poker: How It Was, How It Is, & How It Should Be...
By Oklahoma Johnny

Part One: How It Was

I remember having many conversations with Benny Benion about the beginning of the World Series of Poker (take a look at my article about playing with him, "Back in the Saddle Again," in issue No. 6, Vol. 13 of Card Player). Benny was many things, including a bootlegger and illegal casino operator in Texas and LA. Benny spent time in prison for accepting stolen cattle up on his ranch in Montana, and as such he told me that he had to win the money twice because it was stolen from him the first time. Most of all Benny was a promoter and a showman.

The reason the Horseshoe was such a success with the players is because Benny was such a showman. He understood that sometimes people need a little extra, so he used to carry a bucket of coins around with him in the casino and throw them into the slot drop for his players. He would go to his blackjack and crap tables and tell the dealers to pay everybody double. He said, "I'm going to get the money anyway, so I just gave them a little play." Benny was a showman, that's how it was.

The times have changed, and the old showman is gone. Now we have the bean counters who wouldn't dream of giving anything away. I can remember the times at the old Stardust when Billy Smith was the cardroom manager. This was about the time that the movie Casino was made, and there was a lot of cheating going on. I had to dance between the raindrops, but I did and won all the time in a crooked game, no problem. You see, if a cheater has to use a crutch, he's not much of a player and rather easy to beat, as long as you know what he's doing and can stay out of the way.

In those days everything was comped. When I went to dinner, there was no limit on the comp amount, and I could take fifteen or twenty people to the show with me. The show tickets were only $4. Those were the good old days. Now they have the bean counters, and every square foot of the casino has to show a profit. There are no loss leaders like in a grocery store, where the merchant might lose money on coffee if he can get you to buy from his drug counter.

Now it's all different. I was at the (B) the other night and I saw something that I didn't think I'd live long enough to see. In a High-Low split poker game of Omaha, one player won half the pot and two other players were to split the other half, but the dealer made a mistake and mucked one of the players' hands after the player had turned it up. After a 10 minute delay, the house refused to correct its mistake and made the player mad enough to kill. It was a matter of about $12, but the house lost more than that on the drop during the delay.

In the old days, Benny would have said, "Pay them both double and get on with the game." But it's not so now, with the efficiency experts and the bean counters. It's the New West.

Until next time, stay lucky.