Poker News

Jim Delorto, Director of Poker at Binion’s

Jim Delorto was raised in Chicago, Illinois and left in 1978 for Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Jim was hired by Del Webb to deal poker at Park Tahoe and within six months he was promoted to shift manager. In 1981 he was transferred to Reno to workat the Sahara as a floorperson/dealer. Del Webb transferred him back to Lake Tahoe in 1983 to assume a shift boss position at the Sahara Tahoe. In 1984 he was transferred to the Mint in Las Vegas as Poker, Keno and Bingo Manager.

In 1988 Jim left the Del Webb organization to start his own consulting business. His consulting took him to Durango, Colorado, Deadwood, South Dakota and Clinton, Iowa setting up new poker rooms.

In 1990 he gave up his consulting business for a permanent position with the Cotton Club in Greenville, Mississippi. He was assigned to train the dealers and set up the procedures for their new poker room. In 1995 Jim took on the task of opening the new poker room at Bally’s in Tunica.

In 1996 he was hired on to run the Treasure Bay poker room in Tunica and Biloxi, Mississippi.

In 2001 Jim was appointed Director of Surveillance for MRT, the corporation that owns Binion’s Gambling Hall. In June of 2005 he was appointed Director of Poker for Binion’s.

DB: Now that you are the new Director of Poker Operations will you be instituting any changes in the poker room at Binion’s?

JD: Yes, right after the filming of the finals of the main event of the World Series of Poker we will be turning Benny’s Bull Pen into a 50 table tournament area.

DB: Is this in anticipation of a major event in the near future?

JD: We are in the planning stages of a major event to be held in 2006, but we’re not ready to announce the particulars at the moment but we will make that announcement this year. Are plan is to make the room available to businesses that would like to host private poker tournaments when we are not using it for one of our own events.

DB: Who in particular is responsible for all the support you receive?

JD: Upper management is poker, poker, poker. They are strictly poker and our General Manager, Brian Eby is very supportive of bringing poker back to Binion’s. Expect to see bigger and better things in the near future, this is where it all started and it’s back.

DB: How are Binion’s daily tournaments doing?

JD: They are doing really well, the tournaments are drawing 10-15 tables on a daily basis. We host four tournaments per day, 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 8 p.m., and 2 a.m. All of the events are no-limit with a $60 buyin during the week and a $125 buy-in Friday through Sunday. All first place winners of our daily events are invited back on the first Sunday of every month at 10 a.m. to play in a $10,000 freeroll. Each freeroll will have approximately 120 players from the previous month.

DB: Are there any other special events taking place at Binion’s?

JD: We just held a ladies super satellite for a $1,000 seat at the WSOP. The event was sponsored by the Ladies International Poker Series (Lips) with Lupe Soto, founder and Director at the helm, and GamingClub. com. The event drew 159 ladies and paid 20 places. While we’re on the subject I’d like to congratulate Ellen Schmidt on her win.

DB: How many poker tables does Binion’s have at the moment?

JD: We are set up for 75 tournament tables and 23 live tables. We are in the process of building a special platform with a special table to host our daily final table events and monthly freerolls. The new table will be situated on the main floor in an area that will give spectators the opportunity to watch the action.

DB: What live action poker is offered at Binion’s?

JD: We spread limit and no-limit hold’em. Our limit games are usually $2-$4 and $4-$8 and our no-limit games are run with $1-$2 blinds. We are starting to spread a no-limit game with $2-$5 blinds.

DB: What preparations are being done to accommodate the finals of the WSOP?

JD: The finals will be held in Benny’s Bull Pen with plenty of room for spectators. We also expect plenty of live action during the final days of the WSOP. Binion’s is where it all started and we expect the poker players will be pleased to come back to finish out the event in the old tradition.

Filed under: Poker News