An Honest Poker Room

Poker rooms should be more honest when it comes to releasing information on their websites.

It's sad but true for me to say this, but many poker rooms just refuse to practice honesty when it comes to revealing information on what games they spread for their customers. This irks the hell out of me and I suspect it upsets a lot of other people as well.

The Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio is a perfect example of what I am talking about. I made a recent trip by car to Columbus after looking up the Hollywood Casino's website on the Internet. I was planning to visit an old friend in Columbus and wanted to find out what games the casino was spreading.

I was thrilled with what I found.

Some public relations writer gushed over what the Hollywood Casino was offering to poker players. My favorites are limit Omaha High-Low, seven card stud high low and limit Texas Hold'em. I will also play other limit mixed games and according to what I read on their website, Hollywood offered all of these games.

They lied.

I arrived at the casino on a Sunday and a harried floor man who identified himself as the assistant poker room manager said the casino didn't spread Omaha High-Low. When I reminded him the casino was publicizing it on its website and that this constituted false advertising, he corrected himself and said they weren't offering the game that Sunday because of a $1,000 high hand promotion.

He lamely explained that the players would not be interested in playing Omaha High-Low because it would not qualify them for the high hand prize.

That got my dander up. In a cold voice...

...I informed him that I had driven a long way to play in his poker room and that I was strongly disappointed that the casino was not providing what it had promised.

Hollywood isn't the only casino guilty of this practice. Other casinos and poker rooms across the country advertise limit games like Omaha and seven-card high low and when you arrive there, they admit the games have not been spread in a while because the players are only interested in no-limit Texas Hold'em or Omaha high.

I realize...

...casinos need to provide the games that interest their customers. That is fine. But please include that information in their website information. Bait and switch is a practice of unscrupulous car dealers and other business owners who use fraudulent statements to pull in customers. In many states, it is against the law and people can be criminally prosecuted.

I am sure there are many poker players who are as disappointed as me. I am making this fight for them as well as myself.

To all poker room managers:

I beg you to be honest with the poker players who call for information on the games you spread and with the information you publish on your websites. Be specific on what games you are spreading and tell which games you do not spread.

I can guarantee you that poker players will love you for your honesty.

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 ).