Poker News

Oklahoma Johnny Hale

It was at the Mecca of poker-The Golden Nugget Poker Room-in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Everything changes-but sometimes they comes full circle and they change back-I remember a few years ago before there was a poker room at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtownLas Vegas, that a lot of the high level poker action was at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now this was before the Mirage and the Belliago and some of the other big poker rooms were ever built out on the strip.

It was unbelievable that the poker room was to be closed and the game moved across the street from The Golden Nugget to the Horseshoe. I was there the night they closed the room and I played and won the last hand played at the old Golden Nugget card room.

I remember chatting with Eric Drache, the legendary poker director of the world famous World Series of Poker and card room manager of the Golden Nugget and Bobby Baldwin. We talked about why they would think of closing the poker room at the Golden Nugget. The Golden Nugget card room was such a good poker room and every poker player in the world knew about it and loved to play poker in the room.

It was said that if a poker player played in the poker room long enough, the chances were really good that every poker player that they had ever played poker with, or that they had ever heard of would be there someday to play with them. They moved the poker room all around the casino floor but when it closed, it was up front by the door to what is now the Fremont Street Experience.

I guess nowadays that I should call him Mr. Baldwin, but I just can’t. Forgive me, Bobby.

You see I knew that Bobby loved poker, and I have known and played poker and gin rummy with Bobby since he was about 12 years old, back in our old hometown in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mr. Baldwin was in charge of the Golden Nugget at that time-and now is THE MAN at several other casinos here in Las Vegas, and for that matter in the World.

I asked Bobby, why would he want to close the best known poker room in the world. And I reminded him that it was the Mecca of the world for all poker players. Bobby told me, “Just look around, Johnny, you see all of those slots? They are busy and I need this poker room location to put in some more higher-limit slots!”

Since the closing of the Golden Nugget poker room, many, many, other poker rooms have had to give way to make room for the slot machines. I hate change, and I hated to see my favorite poker room close. But I understood why-The slots were and still are a very big part of the bottom line of the casino business.

But the Poker Gods have once again smiled on the game of poker. The new Poker God-Television-has spoken, and lo and behold! We have once again come full circle.

And all of those casinos that had taken out the poker rooms and put in more slots are now moving the slots over just a little! Oh, sure they are going to keep the slots. But they have listened to the new poker god-Television-and have just built a lot more casino space so that they could reinvent the Poker Wheel. The casinos have put their poker rooms back as one of the main attractions of all the games.

Carol and I went to the grand reopening of the old (no, the NEW) Golden Nugget poker room, and Yes!-I played and won the first hand ever played in the new poker room at the new Golden Nugget.

Until next time, remember to STAY LUCKY!!!

Editor?s Notes: You may play poker LIVE, ONLINE with Johnny, Carol and Sarah at www.seniorpoker.com. Johnny?s book, ?The Gentleman Gambler,? is in its third printing. contact Johnny for your copy.

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