Rolling Across America

There are few things I enjoy more than packing my car and driving across the great American heartland.

America is an incredibly diverse country filled with:

grass valleys, mountains, lakes and the deserts of the Great Southwest. My favorite highway used to be Route 66, nicknamed America's Sweetheart Highway. It was made famous quite a few years ago by musician songwriter actor Bobby Troupe who wrote a best-selling song, 'I Get My Kicks on Route 66.'

It was recorded by Nat King Cole and sold millions of copies. The song was so popular it made Troupe, an ex-Marine, and his wife, sultry vocalist Julie London, into millionaires.

Last week I packed my bags and left Phoenix, AZ. on the first leg of a 2,400-mile journey back to my home state of Pennsylvania. My plans were to spend some time with my brother, Legs, in my hometown of Sutersville, PA. I also planned to visit several casinos on the way to assess how poker was doing in the U.S.A.

I was stunned at what I discovered. More about that later.

I left the Valley of the Sun and headed north on Black Canyon Highway toward Flagstaff. The weather was perfect in the 80s as I passed the Petrified National Forest, the Meteor Crater and the Grand Canyon. The scenery was spectacular as I crossed the state line into New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment.

In my earlier years as a journalist, I had worked on different newspapers in Las Cruces, Roswell, Hobbs, Clovis and Tucumcari where I had started my newspaper career.

It was easy to fall in love with New Mexico

The mesas, prairie country, mountains, turquoise skies and people drew me in like a magnet. The Spanish influence in the Land of Enchantment is still powerful and the Indian fried bread and Mexican dishes sold in adobe restaurants and Indian campgrounds across the state make my taste buds tingle just thinking about it.

I planned to stop in Albuquerque, one of my favorite cities. It is home of the annual hot air balloon races. Albuquerque sits at the base of the Sandia Mountains and has several casinos including Sandia, one of my favorites.

Sandia may be one of the best casinos...

in America for limit poker players like me. It has 15 poker tables with a variety of games ranging from $3l-6 Texas Holdem to $4-8 Omaha High-low as well as the no limit games.

After valet parking my car, I entered the poker room and signed up bot the limit Holdem and Omaha games. Then I ordered an Indian taco on fried bread and it was delicious.

I started playing around 9 p.m. and stayed at the table for two hours, winning about $100. I found a room at a motel two miles away, had a restful nights sleep and returned the next day to play some Omaha High-Low. That game proved profitable as well and I left the casino around 3 p.m. $300 richer.

Tucumcari was 220 miles away and I arrived there just before sundown. As the sun fell behind Tucumcari Mountain, I walked into Del's Restaurant. It has been owned by the same ranching family for many years and the food has not lost its quality.

A Mistake

My next casino stop was St. Louis and the Luminara and now wish i didn't. The poker room did not have any limit games and could only offer no-limit. That was disappointing and I expressed my disappointment to the poker room manager. He agreed with me.

There was only one no limit table operating on a weekend night and I told him the reason was probably the fact that they were only offering no limit to the players.

He shrugged. 'What can I say?', he declared. 'I couldn't agree with you more.'

I kept driving and made it to Joplin, MO. Downstream Casino was the same as the St. Louis casino, with four tables operating and all of them no-limit. Management told me it was what the players wanted.

I reminded them that the late Benny Binion was one of the most successful casino owners who ever lived and that he made it a practice of having 10 limit poker tables for every no limit one. Only four tables had players.

I didn't say it but I was thinking, 'You people don't realize it but you are helping destroy your base.'

Now I am back in Pennsylvania. It's good to be home but I am hoping I will find a different Poker scene at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and the Meadow in Washington, PA.

Don't Limit the Limit

We need limit poker to stay alive and grow! Binion knew that and it's time today's casino management understands that principle. Otherwise, I am afraid more poker rooms will be closing and that will not be good for the game.

My advice to poker players, especially the limit ones, is go to the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque. Avoid St. Louis and Downstream Casino.

Enough said.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).