Jack Binion World Poker Open - Gold Strike in the South

By: Rick Fuller

The largest river in North America flows just outside the back door, temperatures are sub-freezing, cotton fields stretch as far as the eye can see, and a southern gospel singer is performing a pre-tournament rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. One thing is obvious: we’re not in Vegas any more!

The sixth annual Jack Binion World Poker Open kicked off the start of the 2005 poker tournament year with record fields. More than 8,700 players competed for $12.3 million dollars in prize money throughout 19 events, making this tournament the largest ever held outside the city of Las Vegas . The setting was Tunica County, Mississippi , a place where deer stroll through casino parking lots, nightlife applies only to armadillos, and the nearest commercial airport isn’t even in the same state.

Before 1992, Tunica was one of the poorest counties in the country. Unemployment and poverty were rife, and cotton was essentially the only industry. State authorities had approved gambling along the Mississippi River two years previously, and, in October 1992, Tunica County built its first casino, Splash. The casino did indeed make a splash, and before long the casino industry was in robust health, thanks mainly to clientele from the Memphis community, 30 minutes to the north.

Mississippi law states that all casinos must be on boats permanently docked to the shore of the Mississippi river . Apparently, if you dig a trench 100 feet in from the bank of the river and then build a 50,000 square foot casino, attached to a 31- story hotel with 1200 rooms, Mississippi officials will interpret that as a boat. The Gold Strike Casino, venue for the World Poker Open, resembles a boat about as closely as Martha Stewart resembles an honest stock trader. They must have fooled the Mississippi Gaming Commission, though, because business is thriving.

Jack Binion always insisted upon keeping his customers happy, and the current organizers have continued to do so too. Every day, all day, a fabulous buffet was spread, free to all players of both the tournaments and the live games. The courteous staff bordered on harassment in their attempts to ensure that everybody got whatever they needed. Ken Lambert, the poker room manager at the Horseshoe, and his wife Carole, did their typically magnificent job making sure that all the players were personally taken care of throughout the event. The entire experience was wonderfully enjoyable.

In fact, the only thing missing from making Tunica truly memorable is life outside of the casinos. To find that, you have to make the drive to Memphis . This trip is a must if you find yourself stuck in Tunica for three weeks, as I did. Atour of the fabulous Peabody Hotel, where you can watch the ducks do their nightly march, a carriage ride through the beautiful downtown parks, and dinner at the world famous Rendezvous Restaurant, where the ribs are so good they ship them around the world, make a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the casino. Top this off with a trip to Beal Street to take in some jazz at BB King’s or one of the many other jazz clubs on the strip, and you will find yourself relaxed and ready to play poker again.

At the start of the main event, in addition to the completely unexpected and unprecedented singing of The Star Spangled Banner, last year’s winner, Barry Greenstein, kicked things off with a short speech generously revealing the secret of his success last year: win every time you go all in. Apparently Barry failed to follow his own advice, however, and was out of the contest on day one.

Someone who definitely did follow Greenstein’s advice was the winner, John Stolzmann. In a classic underdog story, the previously unknown Stolzmann, a 23-year old law school student from Wisconsin , defeated what will probably be considered the toughest final table yet at a World Poker Tour event. Three well-known pros were at the final table of six and Stolzmann, with his short stack of chips, was truly a dark horse. Scotty Nguyen, Chau Giang, and Daniel Negreanu were all unable to knock off this whiz kid who played brilliantly, got lucky when he needed to, and walked away with the cash and the bracelet.

With its record attendance, gigantic prize pool, and its standing room only crowd of observers, the Jack Binion World Poker Open continued the trend of explosive growth that is fast becoming the norm in the poker world today. Although I missed Las Vegas, with its 24-hour a day action and excitement, abundant nightlife, and throngs of beautiful women, I already find myself looking forward, with more than a little anticipation, to returning here again next year.

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