Featured Articles Archive - Page 497

'Conrad on Casino Marketing' vital, packed with profitable ideas

Dennis Conrad, who penned Conrad's Corners -- Uncut and Uncensored in 2008, has now written Conrad on Casino Marketing (240 pages, hardbound, $49.95). The book contains seven major sections, with something for everyone, it seems, energetically packed with innovative, money-making ideas, which should be even more vitally important to the industry in today's economic setting. Conrad covers a wide variety of tangible and intangible subjects including dealing with customer superstitions, building relationships and furthering loyalty of customers through your own personnel fine-tuning customer interaction with every level of management and removing the intimidation of certain games through education. Native American casino management will benefit from the book's advice about how to find good employees, coming trends involving tribal casinos and what the industry can learn overall about community involvement and executive development. As he should, Conrad discusses casino culture and customer service, the worst mistakes casinos make (pet peeves of the author) in dealing with patrons ("It's not my station." or "You'll have to get your table games comps from the pit.") or scowling security personnel and improving the role of casino hosts. One of the most crucial sections examines how to listen to your customers and your own employees with examples of how to identify and reward your best workers. An industry veteran with more than three decades of experience, Conrad admits he isn't perfect...read more

I'm rooting against Tiffany Michelle in the Amazing Race

I have a confession to make. I like some reality shows. I get a kick out of "The Apprentice." I watch "Shark Tank" to see ruthless executives steamroll entrepreneurs. I'll even watch "America's Got Talent" occasionally to see what kind freaks -- err, talented people -- have decided to display their wares...read more

'Jovial Gent' steamrolls WCOOP final table

With two bracelet wins and 11 cashes already to his name in the 2009 World Championship of Online Poker, Daniel "djk123" Kelly held both the hot hand and the chip lead heading into the final table of the WCOOP Main Event's final table on Monday...read more

Analyst sees positive signs in Macau

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- One Wall Street researcher believes Macau could be the catalyst to spur a prolonged upswing in the share prices of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and MGM Mirage. JP Morgan gaming analyst Joe Greff said Macau has shown signs of recovering from its economic doldrums of the past 18 months...read more

Becky's BAC top 10

I may have a new boss and a new job with Calvin Ayre and Bodogbrand.com, but when it comes to industry entertainment, not much has changed...with the upcoming launch of CalvinAyre.com, and with Calvin's return to the public, it will only continue to get better...read more

Job seekers grateful CityCenter is now hiring

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Timothy C. Nyepanh left his job in housekeeping at the MGM Grand in February 2007 and moved to Georgia, where family could care for him after he underwent surgery. Little did he realize it would take more than two years to land another job in Las Vegas...read more

Top-10 most notable runner-up finishers at the WSOP Main Event

Nobody remembers second place. You've probably heard the expression before and, to some degree, it's true -- but not today. Because today we are going to make note of the players who fell just short of claiming the big prize at the World Series of Poker Main Event...read more

Wynn wants to raise $1.63 billion in Hong Kong

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Several news outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, are reporting this morning that Wynn Resorts has upped the size of its planned initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Las Vegas-based casino operator plans to raise $1.63 billion by selling 25 percent of its Macau casino assets, rather than 20 percent as initially planned...read more

Ground broken on Michigan casino

WAYLAND, Michigan -- A decade after initiating the idea and five years after Las Vegas-based Station Casinos became involved, a Michigan Indian tribe is a step closer to opening a gambling hall some 20 minutes outside the state's second-largest city. Ground was broken Thursday for the $157 million Gun Lake Casino, which will be owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians and operated by a Station Casinos affiliate under a management contract...read more

Playing It Smart: Veering away from "the book"

Playing blackjack "by the book" minimizes house advantage or edge in the game. For any given bettor's hand and dealer's upcard, Basic Strategy uses this criterion to decree when to hit, stand, double, split a pair, or surrender. The rule yields the highest long-term average or statistically expected gain for propitious combinations, and the lowest such loss in adverse situations. The data show that, for 6-3 versus 7, players are favored whether they hit or double...read more