A Poker War has begun in Las Vegas. With over 50 poker rooms competing to attract players the freerolls, promotions and gimmicks are on the rise.
Since the conclusion of the 2007 World Series of Poker this summer, the number of players interested in poker in Las Vegas has fallen dramatically. Overall gaming revenues are down across the board and poker rooms have been hit particularly hard. Unlike slot machines, poker rooms are not all the same and players who spend long hours seated in the various rooms are beginning to see more and more incentives to keep them in that seat.
Freerolls have always been a way to "reward" players for loyalty to a room. Not only are more rooms running freerolls, some are realizing that a monthly freeroll seat means nothing to a poker playing tourist in town for a long weekend. So now we are seeing weekly freerolls in some card rooms.
Comps are on the increase for poker players and so are outright giveaways. The Bad Beat Jackpots are growing, even though these come directly out of pot at the table, the more unique High Hand and Bad Beat Jackpots are just more signs that the casinos know they are in a war for the poker players bankroll.
The Poker Shrink will be doing the rounds of the rooms here in Las Vegas, checking on the new and old gimmicks to lure poker players into a room. I will be reporting to you here on all new incentives to our very old game.
