Poker is alive and well in Wendover, Nevada, about 110 miles from Salt Lake City on the Nevada border. The Rainbow Spectrum of Poker is going on through December 19th. Jan Fisher and I, two members of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, are hosting the tournament series and giving entrants a complimentary seminar on December 18th at Noon local time prior to the start of the $500 buy-in Main Event. The casino is adding money to each tournament, including $5,000 for the Main Event. A list of the schedule of events can be found at WendoverFun.com.
Jody Russell is the Poker Manager for the Wendover Rainbow and Montego Bay Casino Resorts and has been in Wendover since June, having come from the Peppermill in Reno. I interviewed Jody about poker in Wendover.
Linda Johnson: Tell us about some of the special promotions available at the Rainbow and Montego Bay card rooms.
Jody Russell, We have lots of promotions for our players including Football Squares on Sunday and Monday nights, with a $100 winner for every score made. Squares are awarded to players who make any full house of jacks or better. The Quadzilla promotion awards $25 to anyone who gets quads and an additional $500 is given if the same player gets quads twice in 24 hours.
Thursday nights feature a Nifty 50 bonus from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. With two hours of play, players who bought in for at least $50 receive an extra bonus dollar for every year they are older than 50. The Set Cracked Jackpot awards $100 from 1:00am to 4:00am to anyone who flops a set using a pocket pair and gets beat.
Linda Johnson: Who is your major clientele?
Jody Russell: The bulk of our players drive from Salt Lake City. Local players consist mainly of gold miners, casino workers, and retirees. We also have flyaway packages from many cities in the United States that include roundtrip air and a three-night stay in a deluxe room at the Rainbow, Peppermill, or Montego Bay Resorts.
Linda Johnson: Why would someone come play poker in Wendover?
Jody Russell: We have a very player-friendly atmosphere and great poker action. We track players and give room and food comps based on the amount of their play. In addition to the promotions above, we also add money to many of our tournaments and have Royal Flush, Bad Beat, and Full House Jackpots. I think our players enjoy the fun and games they get here. For the Rainbow Spectrum of Poker, we are offering a $25 room rate on weekdays and a $65 room rate on the weekends. Everyone who enters one of the events also receives a free buffet ticket.
Linda Johnson: Thanks for taking time to talk with me Jody and congratulations on getting 215 players in your first event. I’ve only been here 24 hours, but I’m having a great time and you’re definitely right about the great action in the games!