New Poker Room at Trump Casino

There's no doubt that poker is about the hottest thing going right now, thanks largely to the success of the tournament poker telecasts on the Travel Channel and ESPN.

Despite the high public interest, there aren't a whole lot of places to play in Chicago-area casinos. Space is at a premium and more profitably used for slot machines. A poker room came and went in the last year at the Blue Chip casino in Michigan City, Ind. Until recently, that left Harrah's East Chicago and Hollywood in Aurora at the only casinos near Chicago with card rooms.

Now Trump Casino in Gary has moved to pick up some of the slack with a new 14-table card room opposite the deli on the top deck of the casino boat. Managed by Jerome Manuel, brought in from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, the Trump card room offers Texas hold-'em, seven-card stud and Omaha. The room opened with three televisions on the back wall, with more to follow.

Floor supervisor Mike Sigmundi says they'll offer just about any bet spread players want, down to $1-$5 on seven-card stud, $3-$6 on Texas hold-'em and $4-$8 on Omaha. When I was there, a $10-$20 hold-'em table was busy, and there will be bigger stakes games on demand.

Trump has big plans for the room. A local tournament is in the planning stages, perhaps with a trip to the Trump Taj Mahal for a bigger tournament going to the winner. Hosting a World Poker Tour event is a longer-term goal. Those are big dreams, but poker has hit the big time, and Trump is saying, "Deal me in."