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Gulfstream Poker Challenge revives the sit-and-go
A new car promotion and players’ leaderboard have revived a poker room option: one-table tournaments.
Gulfstream Casino and Racing began the “Mercedes-Benz Poker Challenge” in October.
Players collect points by playing in tournaments, and the top 50 vie for free for a Mercedes-Benz C Class at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Casinos usually have promotions to develop loyalty with slot players, but poker – which is less profitable – offers little, if any, incentive to choose one venue over another.
Gulfstream poker room manager Scott Poole said the Poker Challenge has changed that. Casinos in the western United States have run such promotions before, but it’s the first to come to South Florida, partially because to be worthwhile, the casino has to make enough money to cover the cost of the car. In this case, the Mercedes lists at $32,000.
“It has worked out incredibly well,” Poole said. The casino’s tournament revenue went from $8,500 in September to $32,098 in October to $54,600 in November. Non-tournament revenue also has increased, as players eliminated from the tournaments head over to cash games.
The $55, $60 and $100 multi-table tournaments reward about 230 points for winners, through about 70 points for 10th. But players receive up to 57 points in a one-table tournament – known in poker lingo as a “sit-and-go.”
Sit-and-goes were popular at casinos until July 1, 2007, when the state upped non-tournament buy-ins from $4 to $100. So players shifted to non-tournament, “cash” games.
Now, with the points incentive, sit-and-goes have been revived at Gulfstream, Poole said. The casino has about 15 a day, up from about one per day in recent months.
“As soon as one sit-and-go ends, there are players lined up to play another,” he said.
Poole said the casino will begin another poker leaderboard promotion in January, with a prize TBA.
NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, early training for his...
