No poker player likes to see a poker room close. But that is what seems to be happening at Ft. McDowell Casino in Arizona.
I haven't played at the Ft. McDowell Casino in years. When I did play there, the place had a lot of action. It also had a poor reputation because of its security officers who seemed to have unchecked authority over the customers.
I heard some horror stories from a couple of players who said they were abused verbally by security officers and even threatened physically because they had been drinking.
My poker playing friends are avoiding Ft. McDowell in lieu of Talking Stick and Wild Horse Pass casinos which, they say, have much better atmospheres to play in.
Abe, who is a regular at Talking Stick, put it bluntly.
'Nobody goes to Ft. McDowell anymore,' he declared. 'I will never play poker at that casino.
'A while back my table hit a $15,000 bad beat jackpot when my four queens were beaten by a royal flush, but they refused to pay the jackpot. They claimed I had shown my hand to the other players. I turned my cards up after the hand was over but they said I had violated the rules.
'I wanted to see the videotape and they refused me. They said only Indians could view the tape.'
I decided to see how many poker tables were operating at Ft. McDowell which is located on the highway to Globe, AZ. about 30 miles east of Phoenix. I called the poker room on a Friday night around 11 p.m., a time when the poker rooms at Talking Stick and Wild Horse Pass are generally filled to capacity.
The poker room manager at Ft. McDowell said two tables were operating. That's the sign of an empty house.
Abe's story about being stiffed out of a bad beat jackpot got our table talking about Ft. McDowell. Even the dealer got into the conversation. He said a while back he had applied at the casino for the job of poker room manager. He was interviewed by the manager of the blackjack tables.
'He knew nothing about poker,' said the dealer. 'All he was interested in was the blackjack tables. The interview didn't go very well and I left and never returned.'
Several players at our table told of going to the Ft. McDowell Casino in the past, but none of them expressed interest in going back again.
'I don't think their poker room can get any games going,' said Abe. 'If they have to shut down their poker room, they brought it on themselves.'
Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.
(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).
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