Tables bustle with poker action

WHEELING, WV -- The sound of poker chips -- it's like the constant chirping of crickets.

Saunter down into the new poker room at Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center, close your eyes and that's all you'll hear. Dozens of poker chips scuffing against one another simultaneously.

Gathered around 20 tables are mostly men in sweatshirts and baseball caps looking intently at the cards they've been dealt. Some players are a bit more reserved at their table, nibbling on hot dogs and sipping sodas.

Since Wheeling Island opened up its poker room Oct. 19, players have lined up at the gaming facility for a taste of the popular card game.

The room, nestled in the lower level of the majestic-looking complex, is usually jam-packed on weekends with some people waiting up to two hours to jump into a game.

Even on a recent Sunday afternoon, about 12 tables are bustling with poker action. Folks on the waiting list are lounging outside the poker room in the bar area with flat-screen TVs showing NFL games.

Dan Womeldorff, 22, and a friend drove two hours from Columbus, Ohio, to check out the buzz in Wheeling.

Womeldorff, clutching onto a cup of cold beer, was waiting patiently to leap into a game of no-limit hold 'em, "the only real kind of poker there is," he said.

He had lost $100 at a poker table earlier in the day.

"I'm getting ready to lose a little bit more," he said jokingly.

Womeldorff said it was convenient having a legalized poker venue in the general vicinity, as Ohio is considered an unfriendly state for gambling. He's gone to Las Vegas and Indiana to gamble before, and said he's visited Wheeling Island several times to bet on the racetrack dogs.

He recalls going to the racetrack when he was as young as 8. His father lived in Wheeling.

Unlike Womeldorff and a majority of the poker players present, some appeared to take the game a bit too seriously.

A few men sat at their tables decked out in shades and hats.

Card dealer Jennifer Rob, one of 110 new employees hired for Wheeling Island's poker operation, says she adjusts her personality to fit the mood at the table.

"If they're joking around, you can be more friendly and talkative," she said. "But if they're serious, I lay low."

Dealers like Rob usually work eight-hour shifts and rotate tables every half-hour. She's seen the playing pot grow to as much as $2,000.

"It's fun," she said about her job. "I'd probably do it for free."

Wait staff walk around with food trays serving players hankering for a snack or two.

The room, well-lit and equipped with surveillance cameras concealed in glass domes in the ceiling, resembles one suited for conferences. The carpet has a colorful, tropical pattern.

To get there, you must wriggle your way through hundreds of video slots, cigarette machines and the eye-catching waterfall at the main entrance. A huge banner reading, "Poker Room: Now Open!" greets those heading down the escalators to the poker room.

The most popular brand of poker on this day seems to be Texas hold 'em. Also available are seven-card stud, Omaha, and other forms.

Peak times are typically between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m., said Bob Marshall, president and general manager of Wheeling Island. The casino is open 24 hours a day, meaning anyone can pop in anytime for a hand.

"It's succeeded our expectations so far," Marshall said about the addition of poker.

Along with Mountaineer Racetrack in Chester, Wheeling Island was the first facility to offer poker in West Virginia.

Wheeling Island has set Dec. 20 as the date when the whole gamut of table games will be available for play. Craps, roulette and blackjack will be among the 43 other table games offered later this month, Marshall said.

Altogether, the addition of table games will create more than 400 new jobs there.

New staff, including the card dealers, was trained at West Virginia Northern Community College. Dealers can dish out up to 40 hands an hour, said Wheeling Island spokeswoman Kim Florence.

Employees aren't allowed to play at the racetrack, though they can bet on the dogs.

Marshall admits he's not much of a gambler himself, anyway.

Despite the popularity of poker at the racetrack, Marshall still considers casinos in neighboring states to pose a threat to his business.

The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, located in southwestern Pennsylvania, has hurt Wheeling Island since it opened in June. Marshall said nearly 60 percent of his racetrack's customer base came from the Pittsburgh area.

The tracks are just a 30-minute drive apart. You'll even see billboards from both establishments along Interstate 70.

"They're a threat," Marshall said. "They've taken a lot of our business."

But Marshall touted Wheeling Island as a full-fledged casino resort with a 151-room hotel, Starbucks coffee shop and a handful of restaurants and eateries.

Pennsylvania has not legalized table games.

Marshall said even the slots have seen a slight boost since they've gone online with poker. He theorizes that table games customers bring with them friends and family who may be slots players instead.

Wheeling Island has more than 2,000 slot machines.

Several of the machines had been relocated to upper levels because the lower floor is in a flood plain.

The racetrack sits on an island in the middle of the Ohio River. The track sustained flood damage in September 2005 and January 2006.

Charleston Daily Mail

News Added: 10 December, 2007

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