Outside the Poker Room at Caesar’s
I stepped outside of the poker room to take a break from the action when I noticed an elderly gentleman trying his luck at one of the new WSOP poker machines that were recently installed. The man had on a fishnet hat and really represented the average customer at Caesar’s IN that you’ll find on video poker games. He looked like he came from a blue collar family; possibly a UAW member or an operator at UPS, but one thing was for certain: he was determined to beat the WSOP game in front of him.
For those of you not familiar with the game, the WSOP video “slot machine” installed at Caesars is an attempt by Harrah’s to allow people who do not want to play live poker in the poker room to still have a chance to partake in this nationwide poker craze by playing against a machine that happens to be programmed so that 10 cents of every dollar inserted into the game goes to the house. Essentially, the casino is slowing robbing the customer, just like it does with every other house game they have from slots to blackjack to craps to Caribbean Stud. You get the point.
Anyway, back to my man in the fishnet hat. This man was really into the game and focused on the high-tech electronics that were displayed before his eyes. The way the game works is that you play just like your standard video poker games, but with a twist IF you should be lucky enough to get a pair of jacks or better. IF this happens, then you earn the right to play in what I call the Virtual World Series of Poker, or VWSOP for short.
In the VWSOP, you play against the machine in a heads up game and get extra money based on how far you advance in the virtual tournament. There are digital characters with cards that represent your digital competition, full of facial expressions and all.
Well, a few minutes into the “action”, he qualified for the VWSOP with JJ, so I sat there and watched him play the tourney. He won the first hand with his wired JJ vs. his opponent’s ATo as the machine was unable to connect on the Ace. The machine then congratulated the man on his “win”, shooting out the phrase “You’re in the Catbird’s seat now!” (whatever the hell that means) as it pushed on to the second round of the tournament.
In the next hand, he had a 68s and made a diamond flush to beat the machine again, and the machine congratulated him with a “You’re one step closer to the bracelet!!!!” I was laughing to myself after that one, because I knew there was really no physical bracelet to be won.
The man finally “busted out” in the virtual world as his 79o lost to two black tens, and even though I could tell he was disappointed, at least he had some extra quarters added to his slot account for finishing 7th.
So you might be thinking to yourself, “Aaron, what is the point of this article?” and here is my answer.
1. I think it is pretty damn entertaining
2. I am warning you of another mechanism that Harrah’s is using to have you, the customer, pay a voluntary tax to their business. Just like blackjack, it is fun and exciting when things are going well, but in the end, THEY WILL BREAK YOU.
3. Stay in the “real” poker room, where, if you are patient and prepared, you can be a long-term winner
