Poker Interviews

Interview With Stan Baker
By Jan Fisher

Back in the dark ages of poker in Las Vegas, around 1978, I was a dealer at the El Cortez. This is where I first met Stan Baker. He was a player who had come to town from Lansing, Michigan, on a vacation and decided to stay.

Our paths crossed again several years later when we both worked as poker dealers at the Golden Nugget. I remember Stan well from those 20-odd years ago, but had never really gotten to know about him personally. Always an easy-going, nice guy, this interview was really the first time in many years that we had shared more than cordial hellos in passing. I realized that I had missed out on learning something about one of the poker industry nice guys who has some definite opinions on procedures and the like. Over an afternoon lunch, Baker and I reminisced and shared stories of the "good old days," and how things had changed.

Jan Fisher: Stan, I have known you for more than 20 years but never have asked about your family. Tell me a little about them and about your background, where you are from, and what you have done.

Stan Baker: Well, if you had asked about my wife and all, what you would have heard back in the Nugget days would have been different than today's answer! I have been married to Martha for eight years and I have two grown children and three grandkids. I am from the Midwest and was working for the Michigan Department of the Treasury when I moved to Las Vegas in about 1978. I played a little poker here and there and got a job working as a prop at the Western, where they taught me to deal. I am an avid coin collector, having begun that hobby when I was about 10, and I am on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Numismatic Society

JF: Wow, the only coins I collect are the ones that comprise my bankroll! Where have you worked in Las Vegas?

SB: Where haven't I worked? From 1978-1981 I held many different dealing jobs and also worked the tournament circuit. In '81 and '82 I worked for Johnny Moss and Chip Reese at the Dunes and from there went to work for Eric Drache at the Golden Nugget, where I stayed until 1988. I did a 10-year stint at the Horseshoe until 1998 and then I went to the Stratosphere. I was there until they closed the cardroom a few weeks ago. These all were dealing jobs except for the Stratosphere, where I worked the floor and then eventually became the cardroom manager.

JF: How did you like managing a poker room, and would you do it again?

ST: I really enjoyed that position and I would like the opportunity to run another room. I was really disappointed when they closed the room, as everyone had worked so hard and finally we were starting to show a profit. However, I do understand a casino's policy on poker so it didn't really surprise me It just saddened me. I think that the players really liked the tournaments that we offered. We gave a lot of bang for the buck: low buy-ins, lots of chips to start, and long limits. I always tried to stay in touch with the needs of my customers and offer the games that they wanted. Many cardrooms spread this game or that because that is what they always have. I tried to ask the players who patronized the room what it was that they wanted, and acted accordingly.

JF: Do you like to play poker? What games and where?

SB: I love to play! I doubt that I would have stayed in the industry this long if I didn't. My game of choice is Texas hold'em and I have always been a limit player. With the popularity of the no-limit tournaments that we spread at Stratosphere, we were able to have a baby no-limit game. This piqued my interest and I have since begun to play both no-limit and pot-limit. If I were a golfer, I would only barely be breaking 100, but that is why poker is so popular. You needn't be a Tiger Woods to play in a championship event, as was evidenced by the popularity of our WSOP no-limit warm-up tournaments.

JF: Interesting analogy! Who are your most admired industry leaders, and why?

SB: I could fill an entire page with names of those whom I admire... but I won't. The preeminent name that comes to mind is Linda Johnson. She is a world-class player who radiates class from the moment she sits at a table. I have never seen her get out of line in a game and that is rare.

JF: Guess you don't see her play as often as I do! Now, you know that I am kidding. Seriously, what has been your professional involvement with Linda over the years and what, if anything, have you learned from her?

SB: Linda was my boss many years ago at the Sundance, where the Fitzgerald's is now. She may have been the best boss I ever had. I didn't always agree with her, but I always respected her, and she respected me.

JF: You are not the only one who doesn't always agree with her! What are some of the things that you admired about her?

SB: Long before certain things that are taken for granted now became that way, Linda would campaign for many unpopular things. She was one of the first to discuss the nonsmoking issue, dealer and/or player abuse, toking in tournaments as well as in live games, and standardized rules. Most of these topics were taboo back in the early '80s, but that didn't stop her from openly addressing them. When she bought the Card Player, she promoted some of these things, much to the chagrin of some of her advertisers. I must say I commend her for sticking to her principals even when they were less than popular. Of course, times have changed and now all of those things are the current popular topics. She was truly ahead of the times.

JF: Are there any rule changes you would like to see and did you have any unique rules at Stratosphere?

SB: Funny you should ask that, as I did adopt a rather unique rule. And just like many rule changes, initially it was met with resistance but as the players began to become more aware of its purpose, it became accepted and even popular. In April 1999, we began using the rule where no player could ask to see another hand unless the holder of that hand had shown his cards to another player. The exact reading of the rule stated "If a player wished to relinquish all rights to the pot by throwing his hand away face down, no one may ask to see his hand. Should a player request to see a hand, the dealer will keep the hand from being mucked and call the floorperson. The floorperson will look at the hand to decide if there's any collusion." This was the rule in the Stratosphere until we closed in March of 2001. This was the policy in all live and tournament games with the exception of the final table of a tournament. It came up many times and, at first, most players didn't like it. After an explanation, most players did like it. I believe that there are many rules in poker that we follow because "it has always been that way" and in my opinion that is not a good enough reason to have a rule!

JF: What about the smoking issue?

SB: I am a nonsmoker and most smokers don't bother me too much. I am probably as bothered by the nonsmokers who have zero-tolerance for others and instead of politely asking a smoker to move an ashtray or whatever, get very rude and aggressive. Most smokers are considerate, but it is the few who are not who make the biggest impact. It is the same thing with nonsmokers. Everyone wants to blame the smokers but with today's technology, a casino could easily install one of the new state-of-the-art filtration systems and improve the air quality for everyone. This may be hard to do in the older establishments, but surely it would be of benefit to the new mega resorts. In Las Vegas, we had a nonsmoking casino and cardroom and unfortunately it failed miserably. They weren't even supported by the nonsmokers! I think that the smoke-free tournaments are great as players have no option to change seats, but in ring play, nonsmokers are able to move and I would like to see the rights of everyone protected. There are a lot of things in the cardroom that I find much more offensive than smoking. Players who haven't bathed or brushed their teeth have a far worse odor. And how about the guys who take off their shoes when they play?

JF: Geez, don't hold back Stan, tell me how you really feel! How about the abuse penalty system and zero-tolerance?

SB: Abuse in any form, to any person, for any reason, is wrong. However, it is not only the players who can get abusive. I think of it as abuse when a dealer makes an error due to inattention or idle chat. I find it abusive when a dealer gets into someone else's conversation across the table. I think that it really works both ways. Of course, I know what you mean and I have always taken a tough stance on abuse. When I am forced to counsel a player about his behavior, I have a system that I go through. First and most important, is to speak to him away from the table. It should be private and one-on-one. I will explain what it was that he did and why that behavior is unacceptable. Whether it was abuse towards a dealer, player, foul language, or drunkenness, I will access the situation and try to appease everyone but protect the masses. Often, I will ask the offended to take a break and sometimes I will even offer him a comp to go get a meal and cool off.

JF: Sounds like a cool, fair, and logical approach to a problem. That is a good way of handling a situation where you are less likely to lose a customer. How are you able to keep employees motivated?

SB: It has always been my intention to show my employees by example. I always let them know when they are doing a good job so that when I have to counsel them, it is less adversarial. I know managers who only talk to their staff when there are problems. I always have felt that this was a tough way to earn respect and be taken seriously by your crew. When I do have to discuss a problem with an employee, I always tell him something good about his job performance first, that way it helps to keep the negative in perspective. If an employee enjoys his job and his coworkers, he will strive to do a good job.

JF: If you could change one thing in the industry, what would it be?

SB: I would like to see cardroom and tournament management constantly monitor the quality of their personnel. It takes as much effort to be a good employee as it does to be a bad one. Tom Bowling, at the Las Vegas Hilton back in the late '80s, used to have training classes for his staff and he had one of the finest cardrooms ever. His dealers were great and the consistency from shift to shift was great. These are all things that I would like to see more management do.

JF: Stan, if you could do it all again, what would you do?

SB: I wouldn't have waited so long to get into the poker industry and I would have worked harder at it from day one.

JF: This from a guy who works all the time? Wow, impressive. It is nice to meet with someone who is happy with the career choice that he has made. I have lots more questions for you but I hear your name being called for your seat and I remember that you love to play. Go get 'em Stan.