the colorado gambler 7-26-11
DESCRIPTION
The premiere source for gaming news in ColoradoTRANSCRIPT
GamblerCelebrating 20 Years Serving Colorado’s Gaming Communitywww.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler
yr
Volume 20 • Number 30
Black Hawk Sasquatch Casino
opens in Black HawkPage 8
Central CitySneek peek at Fortune Valley’s renovations
Central City Days, July 30-31 Page 9
Palisade Peach FestivalPeachy event set
for Aug. 18-21Pages 12 - 13
Looking Back The game of poker
Page 20
C O U P O N S • C O L O R A D O H I S T O R Y • C A S I N O G U I D E • G A M I N G • M A P • E N T E R T A I N M E N T
July 26 - August 8, 2011
help fund local youth programs
Sponsors Race WinnerCentury Casino
Best Dressed Fleet Golden
Mardi Gras Casino
Quack Trophy WinnerIGT
Race SponsorColorado Gambler
See ValuableCoupons on pages
2, 10 & 15
Duck Races
PAGE 2 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
Publisher’s Column
8933 E Union Ave, #230, Greenwood Village, CO 80111(303) 773-8313 • Fax: (303) 773-8456
Subscription rate is $60 per year
PublisherRobert Sweeney
V.P. MarketingSharon Sweeney [email protected]
To advertise call Sharon (303) 503-1388Managing Editor
Elizabeth [email protected]
ProductionTom McTighe
Jeffrey V. Smith [email protected]
Contributing Writers
www.coloradogambler.com
All articles and photos published in this newspaper belong to The Colorado Gambler and are not to be reprinted without our permission or consent.
Rosemary FetterCathleen Norman
Linda JonesRichard Harvey
Linda WommackAlan Krigman
Suzanne PaulmanDrew Chitiea
John BrokoppMargaret MalsamDorothy RosbyLarry JohnsonMike EikenberryRay LundinJan MacKellJeffrey Smith
www.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler
GamblerBy Robert Sweeney
New gaming panel a bad bet for Colorado
Gov. John Hickenlooper must just not understand the complexities of the gam-ing business and appointed committees. The state of Colorado collected $96.7 mil-lion in tax revenues from casino taxes in 2010. A tidy sum of money with virtually no investment by the state except approv-al by voters to allow legal gaming
He fired the entire gaming commis-sion, something that has rarely happened in Colorado history, if ever? He fired some of his appointees and a few Ritter holdovers. A chilling effect on all Colo-rado appointed commissions and perhaps illegal?
It would seem the gaming commission-ers knew best, had studied the issue giving the casinos a well-deserved 5 percent tax break, lower by 1 percentage point from 20 to 19 percent, hardly a huge discount to fire a volunteer board.
Considering the gaming industry as a whole has lost money; the last three years while still paying $167 million a year in taxes and fees to the state and local mu-
nicipalities. Most recently, in June, rev-enues dipped 3 percent to $60.2 million from $61.8 million in June 2010.
Part of the charge to the commission is “…to permit the licensed operator a reasonable profit after expenses…” and to “encourage business growth and invest-ment in the gaming industry.”
The commissioners studied the issues, set through hours of hearings and deter-mined what was in the best interest of Colorado and the gaming industry. They made the right decision and should be hailed as gaming heroes, not heels.
Gov. Hickenlooper made a bad mistake and should not make his new lackey ap-pointees just do his bidding and recon-sider the tax. He should let it go and let his commissions do what they see best for the state, that may not always be in agree-ment with the governor. Will he fire them all when he doesn’t like a decision?
In a time when the nation is attempting to put people back to work, the governor spent taxpayers’ money to attend the Clin-ton job fair in Chicago recently. He should recognize the 10,000 plus good jobs that the gaming industry has created in Colo-rado.
We would urge the new commissioners to let the ruling stand for this year and see where the gaming road winds during the remainder of the year.
Nevada taxes run a little more than 7 percent with some fees, why would Colo-rado expect to extract 20 percent from this tourist related industry.
Gaming has worked well for everyone and reinstating the tax and overturning the past commission’s decision would be unfair and unwise perhaps leading to legal actions challenging the governor’s author-ity to fire diligent commissioners without cause and some who were not his appoin-tees in the first place.
Should the new commission wish to revisit the taxation, they should start at the beginning and do the same homework done by their predecessors. However, knowing they will be fired by the governor if they come up with the same decision de-stroys the power and independence of all Colorado commissioners.
Hickenlooper, in addition to attempt-ing to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, has laid his own egg.
The chickens really have come home to roost in Denver.
1-800-GAM-BULLbullwhackers.comAUGUST
VISIT THE GUEST SERVICES CENTER FOR MORE DETAILS. Must be 21. Visit the Guest Services Center for complete details on all of the current promotions at Bullwhackers Casino.
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.
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111094_BULL_10.33x6.65_Gambler.indd 1 7/21/11 2:25 PM
Commission should never have been fired
PAGE 4 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
www.bullwhackers.com
$10K Mile High RollSaturdays, July 30, Aug. 6, 13 & 26 at 8 p.m., 10
contestants will be randomly selected each drawing day. The weekly “High Roller” will win $500 and a place in the Aug. 27 $100,000 Grand Prize dice roll. The nine other contestants each week win $100. Earn entries when you play with your Bullwhackers card all month long.
Increase Your Chances of Winning. Play on an Entry Multiplier Day. Sundays, Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22. Platinum members receive 5X Entries. Gold members receive 4X Entries. Lucky members receive 3X Entries. Video Poker excluded from this promotion. Visit Guest Services for details.
Bonus roll point multiplierSaturday, Aug. 27, drawings from 2 – 5 p.m.
Every hour, two randomly selected cardholders will roll our dice to determine their point multiplier for the remainder of the gaming day. You could earn up to 12X Points. Visit Guest Services for details.
$2,500 Birthday BashSaturday, Aug. 6, 2 – 6 p.m. Celebrating your
birthday in July, August or September? Then join us for cake and a chance to win your share of $2,500 Birthday Bash Cash. Visit Guest Services for details.
Red hot 777s Hot SeatsSundays in August, noon – 5 p.m. Platinum and
Gold cardholders can win a share of $1,000 Cash. Ten big winners every Sunday. Visit Guest Services for details.
Mystery MultiplierAll day, every Thursday in August swipe your
Lucky Bull Club card at any kiosk to find out how much your points will be multiplied on that day.
Earn up to 10X PointsVideo poker excluded from this promotion. Visit
Guest Services for details.
Spin into SummerFridays, Aug. 5, 12 & 19, 1 – 9 p.m. Three lucky
players each hour will spin our prize wheel for a chance to win a gas gift card, bonus points or up to $300 cash. Visit Guest Services for details.
Goin’ to the MoviesEvery Tuesday in August, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., you
could win 2 FREE movie tickets and candy for the show just by playing with your Lucky Bull Club card. Limit one box of candy and one set of movie tickets per person per day. Visit the Guest Service Center for details.
Silver ThrillsEvery Wednesday in August, noon – 8 p.m. guests
50+ will be randomly selected to win $100 Cash. Plus, enjoy special 2 for 1 dining or a 50% discount if dining alone. Visit Guest Services for details.
www.canyoncasino.com
3X Points Earn 3X points on all slots all day Friday and
Saturday in July.
Summer BlastWe’re having a Blast this summer and
giving you some cash. Come and play your favorite slots every Friday & Saturday between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. in July and be selected to play Summer Blast and win up to $500 instantly. Beginning at 7 p.m. we will select a lucky winner every 30 minutes to play Summer Blast.
2011 Camaro GiveawayEarn Entries daily to win a 2011 Camaro on
Aug. 31. Every 100 base points earned gets you one entry closer to driving away in a 2011 Camaro. We’re doubling your entries every Monday and Wednesday in August and earn 2 entries for every 100 base points earned. If you don’t have a Canyon Club card sign up for one today and get a free entry into the Camaro drawing.
Table Games Entertainment GiveawayWhile playing your favorite table games you can
earn entries for your chance to win one of 3 TV & Blue Ray Player packages. For every hour you play you earn one entry, plus earn extra entries if you are dealt a 777 or a 678 while playing blackjack or black switch, hit hard ways or a 2 or 12 while playing craps or even hit any number straight up on roulette. Drawing will take place beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.
Summer Fast CashEvery Saturday in August play on your Canyon
Club card and be selected to win $100 instantly. Every 15 minutes between 7 – 11 p.m. one lucky winner will receive $100 cash.
4X Points Earn 4X points on all slots all day Friday in August
and earn your rewards 4X Faster.
Connoisseur’s Club Prior to playing, register at Guest Services to
receive double points and 50% off at the Canyon Grille every Tuesday and Thursday.
$3.99 Canyon Grille SpecialsEvery Monday, Wednesday and Friday in August
choose from five different wraps. With choices like the buffalo chicken, gyro, Thai peanut chicken, southwest
chicken and the all American chicken wrap all for only $3.99 with your Canyon Club card.
Bus RewardsThe Canyon Casino is now redeeming your bus
coupons. Simply earn 200 points on your Canyon Club card and receive $15 cash back.
Self-Parking is available. Pull into our parking lot, take a right and you’ll
find close-in, self-parking spots. Canyon Casino also offers free valet parking 7 days a week.
Win a Cadillac Escalade Win a 2011 Cadillac Escalade Sept. 4 & 5 at the
Isle Black Hawk in the End of Summer Drive-away giveaway. Receive one free entry daily beginning Aug. 1, earn additional entries Fridays through Sundays and Sept. 5 for each set of 25 unadjusted points. One winner will drive away on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. and another on Monday Sept. 5 at 9 p.m. Visit IsleOne or Guest Services for details.
Spin to win up to $1,000Isle guests will have the chance to Spin to Win
up to $1,000 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in August, 5 – 11 p.m. Receive one free entry daily in August and earn additional entries for every 10 unadjusted points Fridays – Sundays. Be sure to activate each promotion day starting at 3 p.m.
Booth O’ Bucks Two winners every hour will get the chance to
grab cash in the Isle’s Booth O’ Bucks every Tuesday and Wednesday in August. Grab the “golden ticket” and double your winnings. Drawings will take place between 4 – 9 p.m.
$1,500 Thursday Slot TournamentsPlay every Thursday in August, 6 – 8 p.m., in
the $1,500 Thursday Slot Tournament. All players are allowed one free session and may register for additional sessions with a $10 buy-in. The top five scores WIN.
Paradise 50 Plus All guests age 50 or better can join the
NEW Paradise 50 Plus club Sundays through Thursdays. Take advantage of all the great benefits by registering at the guest service center prior to playing. You will receive 2X points on all slots and video poker games, a free soft serve ice cream and a Free Calypso’s Buffet for you and a friend after earning five unadjusted points.
New poker room Pull up a seat to experience the comfort and
all-in excitement at Black Hawk’s newest poker room. Something is going on daily in the poker room beginning with Sundays, play four hours
and receive a free dinner buffet. For complete information, visit the poker podium. Follow our poker room manager Matthew Dodd on Twitter @BlackHawkPoker.
UFC fights at Orchid GardenNow watch all UFC fights at Orchid Garden.
Don’t miss the Evans vs. Ortiz fight, Saturday, Aug 6 at 7 p.m.
IsleOne club All new members of the IsleOne club will receive
$10 instantly after earning just 10 unadjusted points. Simply redeem at any of the cash redemption machines to collect.
Play and stay Play 30 unadjusted points on your IsleOne club
card on Mondays thru Thursdays, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. and stay the night on us! Check with Guest Services once you have earned your points to receive your hotel offer. This offer is valid only on the day the points are earned.
www.rivierablackhawk.comHeat Wave Hot Seats
The heat wave has come inside the Riviera Black Hawk Casino in August with our Heat Wave Hot Seats. If you are playing in the Hot Seat Friday’s and Saturday’s in August every half hour from 2 – 10 p.m. you will walk away with a cool $200. That is not where the wave of winning ends, if you are playing on the same side of the winning slot bank you will get splashed with $20 in cash. You will not want to miss this Heat Wave of winning in our Heat Wave Hot Seats this August!
Get things Cookin’August is when we Get Things Cookin’ at The Riv.
Play 500 points on your player’s card on Wednesday Aug. 17 and you can start cookin’ with a 3-piece frying pan set. The cookin’ doesn’t stop there. On Wednesday Aug. 31 you could receive a 3-piece cooking set for only 500 points! More winning, more action, most fun is so delicious here at The Riv.
Hot August EntertainmentAugust nights are just as hot at The Riv with our
Hot August Entertainment. Enjoy an unforgettable performance on The Riv casino floor Main Stage every weekend in August. August nights keep sizzling with a special Wednesday, Aug. 23 performance from Megan Burtt and The Cure for Love, on the casino floor main stage from 7 – 9 p.m. See page 14 for the complete entertainment lineup at The Riv.
Diamond DaysDiamond Days Sparkle at The Riv. If you are 50
or better get 4X points on slots, 2X points on video poker and a half price buffet. Diamond Days is just one more way to win at The Riv.
www.theisleblackhawk.com
401 Main Street, PO Box 777 • Black Hawk, CO 80422 1-800-THE-ISLE • www.theisleblackhawk.com© 2011 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21. Management reserves all rights. For complete details, please see the poker podium.
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.
August EVENtssuNdAys
Play four hours on Sunday and receive a free dinner buffet.
MoNdAys Super High Hand
Have the high hand for each qualifying period and win $200.
tuEsdAys Early Bird Hold ‘Em Tournament
10:00am, $40 buy-in + $5 entry fee, optional $10 dealer appreciation bonus.
High Hand of the Hour wins $100 2:00pm – 6:00pm
WEdNEsdAys Early Bird Hold ’Em Tournament
$60 buy-in + $5 entry fee, optional $10 dealer appreciation bonus.
High Hand of the Hour wins $100 2:00pm – 6:00pm
thursdAys Early Bird Omaha Hi-Lo
Poker Tournament 10:00am, $40 buy-in + $5 entry fee,
optional $10 dealer appreciation bonus. High Hand of the Hour wins $100
2:00pm – 6:00pm
FridAys Free Lunch Tournament
2:00pm, $70 buy-in + $5 entry fee, optional $10 dealer appreciation bonus.
Sign up before noon and receive a free lunch buffet.
sAturdAys Deep Stack Saturday
No Limit Hold ’Em Tournament noon, $80 buy in + $10 entry fee,
optional $10 dealer appreciation bonus.
suNdAy, sEptEMbEr 11, 2011 $10,000 Free Roll Tournament
First 80 players to reach 40 hours will qualify.
Earn hours August 1 – August 31, 2011
Start with 4,000 in tournament chips.
Earn 60 hours start with 8,000, 80 hours start with 12,000, 100 hours start with 16,000.
PAGE 6 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
Cover Story
By Linda JonesThe Golden Mardi Gras patio was the
happening place in Black Hawk on Saturday, July 16. The casino served a barbeque beside North Clear Creek, the Swine Flu band sang funny tropical lyrics to old favorites, and the Peak to Peak Rotary launched its 8th an-nual Peak to Creek Duck Race. Yellow and orange duck banners, balloons and crepe paper streamers drew attention to the tables of incredibly decorated duck fleets. (Believe it or not, an exhaustive search of Google dis-covered a group of ducks is properly called a fleet.)
The Rotary awards three eye-catching walnut and duck trophies to the casino win-ners in three categories. More than 200 votes were cast for the coveted Best Dressed Fleet trophy and the fishing ducks, complete with lures, hooks and several caught fish won.
The Quack Trophy, which honors creativ-ity, went to IGT for their detailed Star Wars characters. The actual Sponsors Race was won by Century Casino, with the Red Dolly duck floating in second and the Riviera duck receiving third. No decorated ducks actually go into the water; that would destroy hours of effort. Instead undecorated ducks with the casinos’ names on their bottoms are released for the Sponsors Race. Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk also was a major sponsor, but their duck fleet was undecorated.
The Citizens Race pitted the approxi-mately 700 ducks, which were adopted by
the public against each other in the waters of North
Clear Creek. Looks are deceiving – the creek looked docile but was running high and fast.
No Rotarians and/or their children manning the net stretched across the creek were lost, but several dozen small ducks were. Gary Ennor of Nederland adopted the winning duck and went home with the Grand Prize of $1,000. Joann Kerr’s adopted duck won the season ski pass for Eldora Resort.
The Peak to Peak Rotary deeply appreci-ates its nine major sponsors and the public who adopted ducks. The funds raised by the Peak to Creek Duck Race are dedicated to local youth projects of the club: an Interact Club sponsored by Rotary in the Gilpin High School, sending youth from Gilpin and Ned-
erland junior- and senior-high schools to week-long leadership camps, helping the schools’ sports teams buy needed equipment, awarding trophies for artistic merit in the two schools and two $1,000 scholarships, one to a senior in each high school.
Thanks again to our sponsors of the Eighth Annual Peak to Creek Duck Race in North Clear Creek alongside the Mardi Gras Casino are the Colorado Gambler, Red Dolly, Isle Casino Hotel, Mardi Gras, Johnny Z’s, Century, Fortune Valley, IGT and Riviera.
Peak to Creek Duck Race goes swimmingly
Fortune Valley had KISS and Madonna on their side.
The Riviera fleet was all dazzled up for the annual Peak to Creek Duck Race. The Riv placed third in the Sponsors Race. Johnny Z’s fleet was also a Star Wars hit.
Red Dolly decorated fleet included some of “Gilpin’s Most Wanted.” Their duck received second place in the Sponsors Race.
Photos by Linda Jones
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE7
By Linda Jones
J uly is designated National Ice Cream Month and on Sunday, July 17, Crook’s Palace made history by serving 1,001
flavors of homemade ice cream in an au-dacious attempt to put Black Hawk in the Guinness Book of World Records. The cur-rent record is a mere 500 flavors so our lo-cal restaurant should soon be certified the world-record holder when the final paper-work is completed in Black Hawk.
The parking area beside the restaurant was alive that fateful day as hundreds of ice cream lovers circled the serving areas. Canopies covered the three serving sta-tions; each station served two flavors at a time and although there were always lines in front of every station, they all moved quickly. As more people arrived, they were encouraged by those already in line to “just get in any line. You never know what flavor you’ll get. Get as many samples as you can eat.”
Mike and Matt Casarez, co-owners of Crook’s Palace, estimate that between 500-600 people stopped by and the fam-ily scooped about 5,000 scoops. The entire Casarez family – parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins - drove up from Pueblo to help scoop. One uncle, a bass player, brought his mariachi band to add to the celebration. After all, world records are not broken every day.
The brothers began planning this dar-ing attempt more than a year ago and were actively soliciting unusual flavors to add to their inventory. On Jan. 1, they began the arduous task of creating 1,001 quarts of dif-ferent flavors.
Our group of three gave our all to the valiant effort by consuming a wide variety of flavors: white chocolate cherry, pea-nut butter & marmalade, strawberry/ba-nana cheesecake, sweet potato, chocolate-covered popcorn, peanut butter coconut, monkeys uncle, super ginger and mango/avocado. We came nowhere close to the champion ice-cream eater that day. Grace Lloyd ate 201 scoops.
Some of the more imaginative flavors were potent peach with habanera pepper in it; the king, which mimicked Elvis’ favor-ite sandwich – banana, peanut butter and bacon; saffron, mint toothpick, asparagus, potpourri and olive-oil asparagus.
Three representatives from the Ameri-can Culinary Federation arrived in Black Hawk on Sunday morning to sample and count the quarts. Matt Casarez said the pri-ority of the judges was verifying that there really were 1,001 flavors and that each fla-vor was distinct and tasted like its name. They would look down the long list of num-bered flavors, call for one and taste-test it when it was brought to them. The cedar plank fascinated them and they tried to
wheedle out the secret process the broth-ers used in making it taste like cedar while also making it creamy and smooth with no bits of wood. The brothers’ secret stays safe in Black Hawk. Another mystifying flavor to the judges was the garden. Without any bits of frozen veggies in it, it has the definite taste of carrots, celery, green pepper and onion in it. The judges asked, “How do you do that?” They did not get an answer.
Several – well actually, a lot – of the 1,001 quarts were not opened at the cele-bration and the brothers plan to add a free ice cream dip to diners’ orders at Crook’s Palace. However, diners cannot request a flavor; they’ll be served whatever comes out of the freezer that day.
The Casarez brothers are to be com-mended for their hundreds of hours of work to put Black Hawk in the Guinness Book of World Records. It should be many years before any other restaurant dares to challenge their record.
Black Hawk
“The Champ – Grace Lloyd” eating only her 100th scoop. She maxed out at 201.
Photos by Linda Jones
Mike Casarez is wearing the World Record tee as he talks to his uncle, who plays bass in the mariachi band.
Crook’s Palace reaches for the recordBlack Hawk goes down in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’
PAGE 8 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
Black Hawk
Local couple opens Sasquatch Casino with big name, friendly atmosphereBy Jeffrey V. Smith
Sasquatch, the elusive ape-like subject of legends and folklore, has been found;
and he’s in Black Hawk’s newest casino helping bring good luck to slot players.
The Sasquatch Casino, the latest casino project from long-time Black Hawk locals Ed and Shirley Smith, has a big name for its intimate, friendly casi-no. It also has Harry, a 7-foot, 4-inch stuffed Bigfoot that greets visitors at the door.
“I think it’s a very appropri-ate animal for this section of the country, “ Ed Smith said. “This way people can see what one looks like.”
The new casino is the third project from the Smiths who also own the Wild Card Casino, Black Hawk’s first, and Black Hawk Station Casino, which
they purchased in 2004. The couple opened the Sas-
quatch Casino in early July in the same two-story building they ran
a laundromat and grocery before gaming came to town. The his-toric building is also the former home of Bronco Billy’s Casino and, more recently, an expan-sion of Bullwhackers which opt-ed not to renew its lease.
“There have been a lot of changes since we were last in here,” Smith said.
The new casino offers some-thing the other two don’t, Smith explained, “location, location, location.”
The Smiths, Colorado natives from Silt and New Castle, met at Colorado State University and later married. They have made a name for themselves in Black Hawk for running small casinos that really care for its custom-ers, offer popular promotions and home cooking.
The Wild Card Casino is also the only casino property in the region that meets the criteria for being a cigar bar and, there-fore, allows indoor smoking.
In keeping with its home-town, relaxed and friendly at-mosphere, the Sasquatch Casino features an arcade in the base-ment for non-gamers and chil-dren, breakfast all day and an 8 a.m - 2 a.m. operating schedule.
Gaming, however, is the property’s main focus and 74 slots machines fill the space that features Harry – which report-edly cost the Smith’s $8,700 – as the centerpiece. No table games are planned although an expansion is planned following a computer system upgrade.
The property is located at 125 Gregory St. at Main Street in Black Hawk in between Bullwhackers and Black Hawk Station
Players win BIG at Canyon Casino
Robert won a trip for two to Vegas on Canyon Casino’s Table Games Spin and Win ongoing through July.
Mike T of Denver is all smiles as he takes a seat in his new car. Mike was the lucky winner of the new 2011 Camaro during the giveaway, July 17.
Black Hawk gets new, intimate casino
Slot players can “Rub the Sasquatch butt for good luck.”
Sasquatch Casino Manager Dave Shuey stands beside Harry – the stuffed Sasquatch who greets visitors at the door. Photo by Sharon Sweeney
The Sasquatch Casino is located in the historic Jenkins McKay Hardware building in Black Hawk on Gregory Street. It is the former home of Bronco Billy’s and a Bullwhackers expansion.
Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE9
Central City
Taking modern fun to historic heights
Central City Opera invites you for an uncommon weekend of historic adven-tures in Central City - the pretty little 19th century mountain town that’s 45 minutes west of Denver, but a million miles away. Explore mines and museums, historic hikes and walking tours, back country mountain biking tours of ghost towns and cemeteries, casual family-friendly perfor-mances in the historic Williams Stables, random acts of opera and a taste of Colo-rado to please every palette.
Events run throughout the day each day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Trek through the city with tours of 19th century streets, mines and muse-ums. There will be family-friendly short performances in the historic Williams Stables. Take a backcountry bike through ghost towns and graveyards. There will also be nightly VIP win, mead and beer
tasting parties with live music in some of the historic venues.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit CentralCityOp-era.org/CentralCityDays.
Central City Days, July 30-31
taking modern fun to historic heights
a weekend celebrationof all that’s good + great
about our state
HISTORY, FLAVOR AND MOUNTAIN MAJESTY are on tap this summer in the stunning little town that's
about 45 min. west of Denver, but a million miles away!
CENTRAL CITY DAYS
7
DETAILS + DAY, WEEKEND AND VIP PASSES CentralCityOpera.org/centralcitydays
CUSTOM-CRAFT YOUR
UNCOMMON ADVENTURE
7 hiking | walking | wild foraging tours
7 Colorado wine | mead | beer tastings
7 historic mines + museums
7 scenic backcountry mountain biking
7 family performances
7 geocache trekking
7 opera performances + fringe festival
July 30 - 31
Summer Festival, car giveaway set for Aug. 7
By Jeffrey V. Smith
Central City’s Fortune Valley Casino is undergoing a more than $20 million renovation of its property and is pre-
paring for a change in branding. Original-ly planed for a July 1 debut, the new name will not be unveiled for several weeks when the extensive rock-music-themed renovations are complete.
The Fortune Valley property, whose owners filed for bankruptcy protection last year, was ultimately purchased by Luna Gaming Central City. The new own-ers, who also own a vineyard in Napa Val-ley and the Red Dolly Casino just down the street, took over the casino in January, and are now working hard to completely renovate and re-brand the property with a rock ‘n’ roll theme.
The new changes are immediately evi-dent upon entering the casino, which now features a sleek, boutique-style design. All over the casino, photos of performing rock musicians adorn walls, while music-relat-ed memorabilia is featured throughout the gaming area.
New additions to the 300,000-square-foot property include a 65-foot long gui-tar shaped bar featuring 14 slot machines,
and friendly bartenders; the more than 400-person capacity Las-Vegas-style Lava Bar nightclub with state-of-the-art sound system; a new Italian restaurant; a VIP me-dia room featuring five high-definition TVs; a new lobby, front desk and gift shop com-plete with Harley Davidson centerpiece; and multiple minor and major changes to décor. Continuing the music theme, the property’s 118 hotel rooms will also be
named after musical celebrities. The idea is provide an experience and theme that is distinctive from what other casinos in Cen-tral City and Black Hawk offer.
The exciting, Vegas-style renovations and additions to the casino are in good hands with Chief Operating Officer Dean DiLullo. The executive – who earned his MBA at University of Nevada-Las Vegas – has more than 24 years experience in the industry, and is the former COO of the celebrity-themed Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. He has also worked for Station Casinos, the Rio Resort and Casino and the Tropicana Resort and Casino, so he knows a thing or two about stimulating and com-pelling casino environments.
Luna Gaming’s principal owner, Tom Celani, named the new intimate restau-rant, Ardore, after his high-end wine from the Celani Family Vineyards. The restau-
rant entrance features a dazzling 500-bot-tle display of the family’s wine, and the rest of the restaurant’s wine-list offerings.
The casino is expected to eventually take the name of a music-themed national brand. The official re-branding and grand-re-opening have been put off at least until September, according to Advertising and PR Manager Kelly Miller, but the casino does plan to celebrate summer and its re-cent transformation with a Summer Festi-val event featuring the funk rock music of Denver’s Opie Gone Bad along with food and promotions – including a car giveaway – on top of its parking garage, Aug. 7.
Fortune Valley begins casino-wide renovations, brand transition
A new 65-foot guitar-shaped bar, featuring 14 slots machines, is one of the highlights of recent renovations. Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith
The Lava Bar and nightclub will eventually feature live music and accommodate more than 400 patrons.
The new celebrity bar on the first floor features a completely new, high-end look.
A new front desk area features a sleek design and photos of the Rolling Stones and Pat Benetar.
PAGE 10 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
www.famousbonanza.com
Miner’s MillionsWe are giving away over 5 million
points; prizes total nearly $30,000. Every 250 base points played earns an entry. Earn up to 20 entries per day. Bring your entries to one of our parties to strike pay dirt.
2X MondaysEarn 2X points all day on all ma-
chines, including video poker. One dol-lar equals one base point. That’s twice what many casinos offer.
40 and getting better? Wednesday is your day.
For our guests 40 and older, earn 2X points on all machines each Wednesday at Famous Bonanza. Earn 200 base points and receive half off one menu item at Millie’s restaurant.
Point saleGiant point sale on Thursdays in
July. Play any 25-cent slot and receive 3X points all day long.
Friday Bonanza BaseballHelp your team win $500. Join us
each Friday night, 8 p.m. – midnight to play Bonanza Baseball and win your share of more than $2,000 in cash.
New Players/BirthdaysEarn 2X points on your first visit to
the Famous Bonanza. Guests celebrat-ing their birthday with us also receive 2X points. Points already being dou-bled? We will make that 3X points on your initial visit or birthday.
Miner’s MillionsWe are giving away more than 5
million points; prizes total nearly $30,000. Every 250 base points played earns an entry. Earn up to 20 entries per day. Bring your entries to one of our parties to strike pay dirt.
2X MondaysEarn 2X points all day on all ma-
chines, including video poker. One dollar equals one base point. That’s twice what many casinos offer.
40 and getting better? Wednesday is your day
For our guests 40 and older, earn 2X points on all machines each Wednesday at Easy Street. Earn 200 base points and receive half off one menu item at Millie’s restaurant.
Point saleGiant point sale on Thursdays in
July. Play any 25-cent slot and receive 3X points all day long.
New Players/BirthdaysEarn 2X points on your first visit
to the Easy Street. Guests celebrat-ing their birthday with us also re-ceive 2X points. Points already be-ing doubled? We will make that 3X points on your initial visit or birth-day.
Fun for the Kids tooFor the convenience of our
guests, Easy Street offers a large ar-cade with more than 40 games for our guests younger than 21 years of age. Bring your children to the lower level of Easy Street Casino while you are playing at the Famous Bonanza and Easy Street. Children younger than the age of 13 must have adult supervision in the arcade. Parents must be present in the casino while children are in the arcade.
Central City Nuggets
Home for Sale
303-503-1388
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE11
Gilpin County
The little Bohemian Kingdom of Gilpin CountySubmitted by Nancy K. Prince
What do pilsner, Bud-weiser and U.B.S. have in common? They are all
beers with a Czech ancestry. And one of them was brewed in Black Hawk.
Colorado Territory never be-came a Mecca for Czechs, as did Iowa and other places. A handful of Bohemian families did come to Central City and Black Hawk before statehood in 1876 though, here to provide food, drink, mu-sic and good times.
Albert Selak was born in Pilsen, Bohemia, and came to America in 1849 where he worked as a baker for the railroad as it moved west. When news of Pikes Peak gold hit eastern Iowa, Albert and his brother Francis packed up. On May 6, 1859, they were among the first prospectors near Gregory’s diggings.
Albert’s load included one wagon full of mash for beer, care-fully maneuvered up the rocky canyon to the mining camp. He
operated the Union Brewery on Selak Street at Black Hawk Point for much of the 1860s. His motto, “You Bet On Selak,” was shortened to the U.B.S. logo stamped on each barrel of lager beer shipped to saloons in Cen-tral City, Golden and Denver. Af-ter giving the newspaper editors
a complimentary small barrel of his “best,” they declared it “actu-ally above scandal” and hinted that he ran a pretty fair gaming table at his establishment as well. In 1867, 10 cents would get you a glass of the “richest lager” at Wentzel Selak’s lunch counter.
Timothy Schlessinger came
from eastern Bohemia and spent a few years in Nebraska before coming to Black Hawk in 1864 where he started a wholesale li-quor and food business. Two years later, Joseph Dostal moved from Iowa to open a butcher shop in Central City and hired his brother-in-law, John Hamllik, as clerk. In 1869, Schlessinger’s brother Sebald came to Central and helped Timothy establish a lumberyard in the alley be-hind Dostal’s shop.
Sebald lived in Golden and was one of the v o l u n -teer fire f i g h t e r s who rode up Clear C r e e k Canyon to fight the big fire of 1873. The fire started at the rear of Dostal’s build-ing, rebuilt as the brick Dostal Block on Main Street in 1874. That year also brought Albert Lintz from Iowa to Central City. He and Sebald opened a saloon in the Register Block on Law-rence Street. They borrowed money from German brewer Jacob Mack and lawyer Henry
Teller used the bar fixtures as collateral: piano, ice box, heating stove, large mirror, four round tables, two dozen saloon chairs, glassware, a large clock and chan-deliers.
Sebald managed a brass band in Golden and was in a similar band in Central City with John Hamllik and Albert Lintz. They provided “good music for all oc-casions” including dances, vol-unteer fire contest parades, even
d r u m m i n g up business for the lo-cal saloons and bawdy houses. T h o u g h
there were a lot more Cousin Jacks and I r i s h m e n , this little bit
of Bohemian culture added to the inter-esting ethnic mix of the early Kingdom of Gilpin, worth “Czeching out” next time you are in the area.
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Enjoy entertainment at The Riv every Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. – midnight, and Sunday’s, noon – 6 p.m.
Relax to live entertainment on the Caribbean Cove bar stage each Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. and Sunday from 5 – 9 p.m.
444 Main St., Black Hawk • 303-582-1000
401 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 • 1-800-THE-ISLE
www.rivierablackhawk.com
www.black-hawk.isleofcapricasinos.com
July 29 – 31:Boogie Machines (1970s)Aug. 5 – 7: Back in the Day (Classic Funk & Motown)Aug. 12 – 14: Walker Williams Band (Country)
Aug. 19 – 21: Hot Lunch (High energy and contemporary Funk)Aug. 26 – 28: Wide Open (Variety)Sept. 2 – 4: Phat Daddy (R & B, Rock)
Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk
Selak Street is referenced in newspapers as early as 1863. Albert Selak owned a large part of what was Black Hawk Point, Enterprise District.
After the fire of May 1873, Joseph O. Dostal built this brick building to house his butcher shop.
In 1863 Albert Selak sold a portion of his property to the Presbyterian Church. The
Black Hawk School was built in 1870on adjacent property.
Photos courtesy of Nancy K. Prince
July 29 – 31: Elvis and the SuperstarsAug. 5 – 7: Days of 8ight
Aug. 12 – 14: Naked CityAug. 19 – 21: Kari & Jerry
Aug. 23: Megan Burtt & The Cure for Love, 7 – 9 p.m.Aug. 26 – 28: The Hildees
Riviera Black Hawk Casino
By Darralee Mathews, PalisaDe triBune
F or a true orchard and gourmet ex-perience, Feast in the Fields din-ners are the ultimate events.
The dinners, one offered Friday and one Saturday, are elegant dining in an agrarian setting each offering some of the best local foods prepared by the best local chefs.
Visitors will learn firsthand how fruit, wine and Palisade’s farm products are grown from the ground up and then brought to the table. Guests will enjoy a wonderful evening where they will dine and enjoy great wine and music under the stars.
Reservations are required and there is limited seating because the dinners fill up fast. The cost is $95 per person.
For reservation, contact the Palisade Chamber of Commerce at 970-464-7458 or email [email protected].
The dinners are fundraisers for the Palisade Chamber of Commerce.
Friday nightZ’s Orchard, catered by il Bistro Italiano
MenuAppetizers: Peach quesadillas,
grilled peaches wrapped in pancetta, seared ahi loin with peach chutneySit down, family-style dinner• Chilled beet soup with dill flavored
fresh cream• Handmade gorgonzola cheese ravi-
oli with peach and prosciutto di Parma sauce
• Grilled peach salad with fresh horse-radish vinaigrette
• Roasted rosemary and garlic natural Colorado chicken
• Juniper flavored grilled lamb chops
• New potatoes and roasted tomatoes medley
• Palisade peach cheesecake with ama-retto sauce
• The meal is served with local Palisade wines.
Z’s Orchard is a family run farm where they grow more than peaches, cherries, apricots, apples, plums and raspberries. The farm raises heirloom tomatoes, gar-lic, chard, squash, pumpkins and a huge variety of produce, herbs and flowers. They are well known for their friendliness and quality at many local farm markets, where they offer not only produce, but also homemade, vintage style aprons. Owners Carol Zadrozny and her hus-band, Richard Skaer, are retired teachers and you will always find books and other interesting things for sale at their market booths.
il Bistro Italiano opened in August 1998; their focus is on bringing a com-bination of traditional Italian dishes to-
gether with some innovative ones created within the boundaries of modern Italian cuisine.
Their pastas, breads, sauces and des-serts are all made at the restaurant from fresh ingredients. Whenever possible, il Bistro uses local ingredients in the kitch-en of their restaurant.
Owner Brunella Gualerzi was born and raised in Bibbiano, Italy. Gualerzi came to this country in 1990 and attend-ed Mesa State College in Grand Junction. After her graduation in 1994, she worked in Grand Junction until she opened the Bistro in 1998.
On the first day the restaurant opened, Gualerzi met Ronald Hall. They married one year later and Hall joined her at the Bistro in the year 2000. Hall has a long history in the restaurant in-dustry in Grand Junction. Hall and Gualerzi now run the Bistro with the help of their capable administrative manager, Lori Smith.
Saturday NightHigh Country Orchards and Vineyards catered by Bin 707 Foodbar
Menu1st Course: Blistered Shishito Pep-
pers with smoked paprika and High Country Orchards Peach Honey and Colorado made cheeses and cured meats from Boulder’s Haystack Farms and Den-ver’s Il Mondo Vecchio with High Coun-try Orchards Cherry and Vidalia Onion Marmalade, and High Country Orchard Palisade Peach Mustard
2nd Course: Grilled High Country Orchards Peach and Watermelon Radish Salad: Frisee, white balsamic vinaigrette, crispy La Quercia prosciutto, smoked Haystack Mtn. goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds
3rd Course: Braised Wagyu Beef Shortribs with High Country Orchards Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salsa, High Country Orchards Cherry Gastrique, Creamed Olathe Sweet Corn and Grits
4th Course: Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Pie with High Country Orchards Cherry Ice Cream
High Country Orchards Cherry Bread Pudding with peach whiskey toffee and whipped cream.
High Country Orchards and Vineyard is family owned and operated by Scott and Theresa High, their daughter Katie and two sons Matthew and Keenan of Denver.
Scott is a native of Colorado and since his childhood growing up in Denver he remembers those juicy, delicious peaches from Palisade that would hit the fruit stands every August. Between Scott and Theresa, they have almost 50 years of sales, management and marketing expe-rience.
They harvest 15 to 20 different va-rieties of tree-ripened peaches, Bing, Lambert and Rainier sweet cherries, and cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot vitits vinifera red wine grape varieties.
They now make wine under their own label “Colterris” which means “from the Colorado land.” Their Cabernet Sauvi-gnon is an award winner.
BIN707 Foodbar Owner Josh Niern-berg calls the cuisine “seasonal Ameri-can food” with a focus on doing classic favorites with fresh, local ingredients wherever possible. “We are doing all of our own baking, and serving fresh, squeezed juices,” he said. Niernberg, 36, has worked in the industry for 21 years and has opened more than 15 res-taurants.
PAGE 12 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years – July 26 - August 8, 2011 PAGE 13
By Darralee Mathews, Palisade Tribune
Peaches are what made us what we are in the east end of the Grand Valley.
Our founding fathers were peach farmers. All their attention and intentions were directed at growing the best peaches any-where and letting the world know about them.
We have fewer orchards than a hundred years ago, but we have more varieties, a much longer season and our own festival to cel-ebrate our preeminent crop. Even so, the valley is still beautiful, peaceful and fruitful – our own Garden of Eden, and we are happy to share it with you.
The 43rd annual Palisade Peach Festival is set for Aug. 18-21. New this year are longer hours, extending the festival to Sunday, a carnival as part of the events in Riverbend Park, more music, a Fi-ber Expo and Cowboy Church.
Information on all these events is available online at Palisade Chamber of Commerce or email to [email protected], check out the Peach Festival website at
www.palisadepeach festival.com or
call 970-464-7458.
Lots of p e a c h y events
A g r i -tours are offered by 28 farms and busi-n e s s e s . A g r i t o u r -ism is a great
new way to learn about how fruit,
wine and related products are grown, har-
vested and processed. We have peach, pear, apple and cher-
ry orchards; the vineyards grow many varieties of grapes and pro-duce white, red, sweet, dry, and fruit wines and mead. Newer to the area are alpaca and lavender farms. There is a brewery and a distillery that makes vodka, bran-dy and whiskey. Visit the Palisade Chamber of Commerce website to download a tour map, which will not only guide you on your way, but give you information and op-tions for the tour.
Peach Cuisine with Colo-rado Chefs – At Riverbend Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday cooking demos will be offered.
Peach food and products – Lots of booths will be offering peach pie, peach ice cream, “vir-gin” peach daiquiris and other peach drinks. You can purchase boxes of peaches, peach jam and dried peaches.
Peach Recipe Contest – Think you have the best peach recipe ever? Then enter the peach recipe contest; categories include: pies and tarts, miscellaneous re-frigerated, miscellaneous non-refrigerated, home canned with ball brand preserving products. See the Peach Festival website for details and an entry form.
Feast in the Fields – There will be two “Feasts” offered this year. One on Friday night at Z’s Orchard catered by il Bistro Ital-iano and one Saturday at High Country Orchards catered by Bin 707 Foodbar. The Feast in the Fields events are exclusive five course dinners catered at the or-chard. Seating is limited and res-ervations are required.
Peach Eating Contest – A favorite of festival goers: This event on Saturday afternoon is great for fun and photos.
History of Peach Growers – The Palisade Historical Soci-ety will be on hand in the park to show a video of the peach history and talk with anyone interested in Palisade’s unique history.
A Carnival for the first time – Crabtree Amusements carnival will be open on the Riv-
erbend Park grounds offering lots of fun for kids of all ages including a Ferris wheel, train rides, bounce house, bungee tramp, pony rides, games of skill including darts and balloons. The carnival will be open the same hours as the park.
It all starts Thursday, Aug. 18 The fun begins Thursday night
with an Ice Cream Social and Street Dance sponsored by the Town of Palisade. The Peach Queen and her court are crowned and the Palisade Town Grouch is anointed. Enjoy peaches and ice cream and dance the evening away on Third Street. Riverbend Park opens Fri-day
At 1 p.m. Riverbend Park opens with booths, the carnival and all the other attractions men-tioned above. On Saturday
Start your day at the Palisade Lions Club Pancake Break-fast in Memorial Park between Main and Kluge on 8th St. For $5 you can get all you can eat of pan-cakes, eggs, ham, peaches, orange juice, coffee and milk. The break-fast runs from 7 – 10 a.m. You will be supporting one of our best organizations that have donated much time and money to our com-munity for more that 80 years.
Palisade 3 and 5 Miler Race begins at 8 a.m. at Taylor Elementary and follows the Colo-rado River.
Don’t miss the Peach Fes-tival Parade that starts down-
town Palisade at 10 a.m. on Sat-urday.
Festival to continue on Sun-day
This year the Palisade Cham-ber of Commerce has added park events on Sunday to the line up.
All the booths and carnival will be open. At 11 a.m. in the park you can give thanks and sing praise at the Cowboy Church Service.
The Pedal, Paddle, Pedal Race will begin at 8 a.m. in Riv-erbend Park and includes a 20-mile mountain bike ride, 8-mile watercraft section and 20-mile road race. The race cost $40 for an individual and $80 for a team.
Also on Sunday the Palisade Sunday Market takes place in downtown Palisade from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Third and Main Streets in Palisade. Booths featur-ing unique Palisade items, fruit, produce and food. Meet the lo-cals, visit or shops.
Downtown PalisadeMusic will be playing in the
Town Center Plaza all weekend. A perfect spot to get away from the crowds and get to know Palisade.
Downtown Palisade offers some unique shops including A Peachful Place, The Lavender Lady and Friends, The Blue Pig Gallery, Rapid Creek Cycles, Pali-sade Peddler, Down to Earth and PalisadePC.net. Visit some of the great restaurants, including The Red Rose, the Palisade Café and Grill, Mumzel’s Cups and Cones, and “Slice O’Life Bakery.
Alfresco dining in the orchards at its bestLEFT: High Country Orchards - Mt. Garfield stands like a sentinel in the sunset at High Country Orchard and Vineyards, one of the two sites of the 2011 Peach Festival Feast in the Fields. BELOW: Z’s Orchard - The table is set and the theme is on the table ready for the guests at Z’s Orchard Feast in the Fields. Photos by Jim Cox
Thursday, Aug. 1810 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tours: Orchards;
Vineyards/Wineries; Brewery and Distillery; Alpacas; Bike Tours and Colorado River Float Trips; Limo & Van Tours. Palisade Area
4 – 7 p.m., “Old Times Again” Family Festival Games. Independent Park
6 – 9 p.m., Ice Cream Social and Street Dance. Downtown Palisade
Friday, Aug. 1910 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tours: Orchards;
Vineyards/Wineries; Brewery and Distillery; Alpacas; Bike Tours & Colorado River Float Trips; Limo & Van Tours Palisade Area
6 – 9 p.m., Live Entertainment, Downtown Palisade
6 – 10 p.m., “Feast in the Fields” (Reservations Required) Sponsored by US Bank at Z’s Orchard
1 to 9 p.m. Peach Festival Events at Riverbend Park
1 – 9 p.m., More than 100 Vendors, Fiber Expo, Carnival: Ferris Wheel, Adult & Children Fun Rides
2 – 7 p.m., Peach Cuisine with Colorado Chefs, Sponsored by Dos Hombres/Clifton
Live Music/Entertainment Sponsored by Grand Junction Subaru
6 p.m., “Peach Pit Pull”: Local High School Football Teams
Saturday, Aug. 207 – 10 a.m., Lions Club Pancake Breakfast
Palisade Memorial Park7:30 – 9 a.m., Recipe Contest Check-in
Palisade Memorial Park8 a.m., Peach Fest 3 – 5 Mile Run, Taylor
Elementary9 a.m. – 6 p.m., “Just 4 Fun” Car Show,
Peach Bowl Park9 a.m., Peach Festival Parade, Sponsored
by Grand Junction Subaru, Downtown Palisade
9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Palisade Library Book Sale, Palisade Library
10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tours: Orchards; Vineyards/Wineries; Brewery and Distillery; Alpacas; Bike Tours and Colorado River Float Trips; Limo & Van Tours, Palisade Area
11 a.m., Recipe Contest: Announcement of Winners and Sample Sales, Palisade
Memorial ParkAll day, Live Entertainment, Downtown
Palisade 6 – 10 p.m., Feast in the Fields
(reservations required) Sponsored by U.S. Bank, High Country Orchards
10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Peach Festival Events at Riverbend Park
6 – 10 p.m., More than 100 Vendors, Fiber Expo, Carnival: Ferris Wheel, Adult & Children Fun Rides
11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Peach Cuisine with Colorado Chefs, Sponsored by Dos Hombres/Clifton
11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Live Music/Entertainment Sponso red by Grand Junction Subaru
2 p.m., Peach Eating Contest, Sponsored by American National Bank
Sunday, Aug. 218 a.m., Peach Fest Pedal, Paddle, Pedal,
Riverbend Park10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tours: Orchards;
Vineyards/Wineries; Brewery and Distillery; Alpacas; Bike Tours & Colorado River Float Trips; Limo & Van Tours, Palisade Area
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Palisade Sunday Market, Downtown Palisade
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Peach Festival Events at Riverbend Park
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Fiber Expo11 a.m. – Noon Cowboy Church11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Over 100 Vendors 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Carnival: Ferris Wheel,
Adult & Children Fun Rides11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Live Music/
Entertainment Sponsored by Grand Junction Subaru
Music Schedule at Palisade Peach Festival Friday, Aug. 19
6 – 6:45 p.m., Centennial Band7 – 9 p.m., Stray GrassSaturday, Aug. 201 – 2:30 p.m., Tony Rosario3 – 4:45 p.m., Tomasina Brown Project5 – 7 p.m., Vintage Voltage7:30 – 9 p.m., The AllstarsSunday, Aug. 211 – 2:30 p.m., The Warblers – Tony and
Miss Emily3 – 4:30 p.m., Exit 42
www.palisadepeachfest.com
2011 Palisade PeachFestival Events Schedule
Palisade has 2,000 friendly people, and one grouch, who campaigns, sets out jars around town for votes, and whoever collects the most money wins. It is a fundraiser for the Palisade Chamber of Commerce.
Selling fresh peaches, jams, and aprons, Z’s Orchard is a popular stop at Peach Festival.
One of the favorite events at Peach Festival is the Peach Eating Contest. The fastest peach eater wins!
PAGE14 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July26-August8,2011
Summertime Fun
Nederland
set for July 30-31
By Suzanne Paulman
Want to see history come alive in July? Visit Ned-erland on the scenic
Peak-to-Peak Highway (CO 119) for the town’s annual Ol’ Timers and Miners’ Days celebration at the Guerico baseball field on Sat-urday and Sunday, July 30-31.
The fun actually begins on Friday night with arm wrestling and live music at the Pioneer Inn restaurant in Ned. Proceeds from this and other events throughout the weekend benefit the Neder-land Area Historical Society, the primary sponsor of Miners’ Days.
Show your spirit by cheering for your favorite fierce competi-tor in the tough—very tough—hard rock mining competitions demonstrating the mining skills of yore this weekend.
Saturday features Spike Driv-ing, Mucking, Jack Leg and Sin-gle Jack competitions. What’s a Jack Leg? It’s a pneumatic or compressed-air drill that bores steadily into rock. Real rock. It requires a lot of strength from the competitor to handle this tool as it’s known for its great torque, vibration and ear-splitting noise.
Sunday features Bow Sawing, Log Splitting, Double Jack and Team Jack Leg. The best part of Log Splitting is that the winner gets to keep the wood—a good thing with winter around the cor-ner in the mountains. The Double Jack competition requires two team partners, one to hold and rotate a hand drill or steel on the
rock while the other partner rap-idly hammers the steel into the rock. That’s a good demonstra-tion of trust between partners.
Most of the competitions have divisions for men, women and ju-nior participants. All of the adult competitions are timed with the best time of each event winning a cash prize.
Kids have fun, too, with kids events like spike driving, muck-ing, relay races, tug-of-war and a gold hunt, being offered during Miners’ Days weekend. A parade takes place at noon on Saturday.
Check out the full events
schedule at the historical soci-ety’s website, www.nederland-museums.org. Be sure to stop by and visit the one-of-a-kind ol’ Bucyrus 50-B steam shovel at the Nederland Mining Museum. The museum is located in the historic County Stone Garage at the traffic circle intersection of CO Highway 119 and CO High-way 72.
Come to the competitions for some historical education and entertainment, and enjoy a beau-tiful Colorado day outdoors by the Barker Reservoir and its rec-reation area in Nederland.
Competitor Tom Hendricks (real life mine owner and operator)
This woman competitor tries her hand at Single Jack.
Men prepare for the Mucking competition (most guys don’t wear shirts, you can see why).
Miner’s Days
July 26- August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE15
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“We currently offer great on-floor drink service, but we are looking forward to improving the guest’s experience with slot-side food service,” said Tom Teesdale, vice president of Operations. “Guests will be very impressed with the level of service they receive at Bullwhackers.”
All menu items at the Casino Café are available through slot-side service. Items include freshly-prepared pizza, Italian sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, brats and much more. Every Bullwhackers employee may offer slot-side service to guests.
Weekly specials are also available at the Casino Café. Recent specials have included golden fried chicken, French dip sandwich served on a hoagie with au jus and patty melt served on rye bread. Most weekly specials are served with french fries. Onion rings may now be substituted for french fries for an additional charge.
The Casino Café is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. There is a limited menu available from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Item prices start at $1.99.
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Located in Black Hawk, Bullwhackers Casino has been in operation since Colorado gaming began in 1992. The property includes more than 300 exciting slot machines, the popular Casino Café, and a parking area that can accommodate nearly 400 vehicles. Black Hawk is 35 miles west of downtown Denver and readily accessible from many of Colorado’s major highways.
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PAGE 16 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 12 - 25, 2011
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE17
CRIPPLE CREEK
Casino•Guide
This information is subject to change without notice.
CENTRAL CITY
BLACK HAWKAmeristar - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP over 1400 536 rooms B, D, SD, Starbucks free valet and self parking 720-946-4000/.ameristar.com/Black_Hawk.aspx
Black Hawk Station VP 120 No SD,SB city lot 303-582-5582/ blackhawkstationcasino.net
Bull Durham VP 188 No SB city lot 303-582-0810/.bulldurhamcasino.com
Bullwhacker’s - 24/7 Fri/Sat VP 400 No SD free valet and self parking 1-800-GAM-BULL/bullwhackers.com
Canyon - 24/7 Fri/Sat BJ, C, R, VP 415 No SD, SB free valet and self parking 303-777-1111/canyoncasino.com
Fitzgeralds - 24/7 Fri/Sat BJ, C, R, VP 700 No SD, SB on weekends free covered valet 303-582-6100 (1-800-538-LUCK)/fitzgeraldsbh.com
Gilpin - 24/7 BJ, C, R, P, VP 460 No SD free valet across the street 303-582-1133/thegilpincasino.com
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Golden Gulch VP 140 No V free self/free valet 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com
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Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk - 24/7 BJ, C, P, R, VP 1308 238 B,D,SD free valet and self parking 1-800-The-Isle/theisleblackhawk.com
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Red Dolly VP 149 No SD free self parking 303-582-1100/reddollycasino.net
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Wildcard VP 220 No D city lot 303-582-3412/thewildcardsaloon.com
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Doc Holliday VP 178 No SD free city lot 303-582-1400/dochollidaycasino.net
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Casino Table Slots Lodging Food Parking Contact Games
Table Games Key
BJ - Blackjack, P-Poker, C-Craps, R-Roulette, TH - Texas Holdem’, VP-Video Poker
Food Key
B-Buffet, D-Deli, SD-Sitdown, SB-Snackbar, V-Vending Machine
PAGE18 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July26-August8,2011
Gaming
Readers write in for some advice
Observations from the World Series of Poker – Part I
“At blackjack, my soft 18 play is to stand against a dealer’s 7 or 8, double against 2 through 6, and hit against a 9, 10, and ace. Agree?”
Those are indeed the correct plays when holding a soft 18 (A/7), but many times those unfamiliar with basic strategy will give players who make those plays icy glances because they look at the hand as 18 and nothing to mess with.
On the contrary, it’s a prime opportunity to take advantage of a weak dealer up-card, or attempt to make a good hand even better and go for a win. If you assume the dealer has a 10 in the hole, you should stand against a 7 or 8, because you’re either going to win or push the hand.
Doubling down against a 2 through 6 means by taking a hit you cannot bust and quite possibly can make a nice little score. If the dealer has a 9, 10, or Ace you are on the defensive. Once again you can’t bust with a hit, and an ace, deuce or trey is going to set you up for a possible win.
“I am probably the No. 1 video poker fan in the world. The random number generators are totally baloney. Random only refers to the
cards you receive when you are in a winning or losing mode. IGT and all you writers call that random. I do not. Random number gen-erators are random in separate modes.”
The very foundation of the gaming indus-try is based upon the integrity of the games. Before being introduced on casino floors, the games are thoroughly tested by independent laboratories for randomness and re-tested by individual state regulators.
Take my word for it. The video poker games developed by IGT assure that every hand you are dealt and every card you draw is as random as a computer program will allow and as close to shuffling and dealing from your own 52-card deck at the kitchen table as technology will allow.
A virtual deck is constantly “shuffling” between plays. When you hit the deal button, the shuffling stops and five cards are dealt from the top of the deck, popping up left to right on the screen. While you are deciding which cards you want to hold, the remaining 47 cards are shuffling. After you decide and hit the draw button, the cards stop shuffling and the x-number of cards you need to fill your draw hand come off the top one by one and fill in the vacated spots left to right.
Whereas the payback percentages of video and reel slots are a closely guarded casino secret, those of video poker are an open book for educated players. Casinos make their money on the pay tables which are there for everyone to see. Some pay ta-bles are “tighter” than others, so that’s why it pays to shop around.
Finally, the randomness of a playing a nickel or quarter video poker game as op-posed to a dollar or five dollar game does not
change. The games will have identical return percentages given the same pay table.
“Do you know where I can buy Four Card Keno or 20 Card Keno on a DVD?”
You can play slots, blackjack, poker, rou-lette, craps, you name it, on DVD but un-
fortunately, my search for the product you are looking for turned up empty. There are books written about keno but I could not lo-cate a DVD. An Internet search leads to sites promoting online gambling which I would stay away from.
The World Se-ries of Poker at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas just finished a six-week run that ended with the Main Event ($10,000 entry per person with 6,865 players and $8.7 million first place). The final nine players will return in Novem-
ber to play off until a champion is crowned. Each of the nine players will reap at least a million in prize money.
What was different this year?The event was televised live on ESPN 2
and 3. This certainly gave observers a better feel for the overall event.
The average player was younger and much more aggressive than a few years
ago. Ninety-five percent of the hands were brought in with a raise with many hands be-ing 3, 4 or 5 bet. Players were much more willing to bet light (with a weak hand).
Since Internet poker was made illegal in the U.S. on Black Friday, fewer players could qualify in advance online as in previ-ous years.
Many more players are making calls by using math. Many players were not giving position enough consideration in their play. Older pro players are finding the new play-ers tougher and thus harder to beat. The old saying, that “poker is a tough way to make an easy living” was never truer.
Very few walks were given to the big blinds.
The average first raise was usually 2-21/2 times the big blind. A few years ago it was 3-4 times the big blind.
Between hands many players were tex-ting and “tweeting” their thoughts on many different things.
J u s t in case a n y o n e – having lived un-der a rock for more than half a century – hasn’t heard of
“Murphy’s Law,” allow me to enlighten said troglodytes. Captain Edward A. Mur-phy, Jr. (1917 – 1987) was a test engineer at Muroc Army Air Corps Base (now Ed-wards AFB) participating in human ac-celeration tests for the budding supersonic flight test program.
After a particularly dramatic test – Ma-jor John Stapp endured 40 times the force of gravity for 1.7 seconds and lived – the engineers checked the 16 accelerometers. Each and every one read zero. It was dis-covered that all the pickups attached to Ma-jor Stapp had been applied backwards! In exasperation, Captain Murphy exclaimed:
“If there are two ways to do something, and one of those ways will cause a catas-trophe, some idiot will do it that way!”
The project manager quickly wrote this pithy saying down and later appended the title “Murphy’s Law” to it. Later, the Flight Safety Foundation published an abbrevi-ated version now known to all:
“If something can go wrong, it will go wrong.”
Murphy’s Law then made the rounds of various aviation and technical ventures; in 1958 it was given immortality when in-cluded in Webster’s Dictionary (Murphy’s Laws of Combat by Col. Marion F. Sturkey, USMC, ret.). Great, you might say, what has this to do with poker? Anyone who has played for more than one sitting will real-ize that invited or not, Murphy always sits down and deals himself into the game.
Submitted for your consideration: You have flopped top two pair with a backdoor flush draw. The turn card now gives you the nut flush draw and straight draw (for those who need an example; you hold A-K suited and flop A-K-x, the x being your suit. The river is the Jack of your suit. All you need is a ten or any other card of your suit and you have a monster.). The river is an off-suit 9 and you lose to someone’s Q-10
off-suit…their double gutshot straight beats your two pair. It has been said that, in times like those, you had so many outs you must have been drawing dead. In reality, you have just been dosed with the effects of Murphy’s Law.
One corollary to Murphy’s Law is, “If things can possibly go wrong, they will do so at the worst possible moment.” This is evidenced during poker tournaments when one has played well for the entire duration, the money is right around the corner and then one bubbles (or worse, double-bub-bles) out of the match when some Bozo catches a two-outer to send you to the rail.
Another corollary, somewhat relating to that above, reads:
“Anything that begins well, ends badly. Anything that begins badly, ends worse. And after going from bad to worse, the cycle will repeat itself.”
Anyone experienced long durations of missing catches they often used to make? Anyone gone through long stretches of card deadness? Walked away from the ca-sino more than once shaking one’s head wondering when things are going to turn around? Blame Murphy. You didn’t invite him, but there he is.
So you decide to get back to basics, maybe reread a few poker books, simu-late some challenging hands, run a com-puter program, watch Caro’s video on tells again. There are many methods one may employ in attempts – vain attempts by the way – to correct said problems. Because when you look over your shoulder there Murphy is, grinning that s***-eating grin at you. Because you forgot:
“Each problem solved breeds new and more complex problems. All complex problems have easy-to-understand wrong answers. Sure-fire solutions to complex problems won’t work.”
So there you are, knee-deep in it and sinking fast. You have studied, practiced, played and practiced some more. Why aren’t things getting better? Why doesn’t this cycle of despair cease and desist? When are things going to change for the better? The answer to the last question is: Never.
“Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not study history will find other ways to mess up.”
All this courtesy of Murphy.
How Murphy’s Law affects everything, even poker
FULLHOUSEBy Drew Chitiea
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 19
Gaming
Some casino aficio-nados find leisurely ac-tion tedious, if not bor-ing, and prefer games that proceed at a rapid clip. Many, however, fail to recognize the cost inherent in a high deci-sion rate.
Players’ fate follows from the joint influence of edge and volatility characteristic of every wager.
• Edge, a small fraction of each bet, arises because players earn less for each win than the odds fought to achieve it; casinos therefore reap more than they sow netted over many rounds and players collec-tively lose. Money edge represents flows only one way, from bettors to bosses.
• Volatility describes bankroll jumps as players win or lose deci-sions. The size may be either a frac-tion or a multiple of each bet. It’s a fraction, typically large, of wagers more likely to win than lose but which pay less than what’s at risk. It equals or exceeds the amount up for grabs on wagers that pay at or over 1-to-1 but are more apt to lose than win. Volatility is bidirectional; the
money moves either way depending on whether a bet flies or flops. In a sense, volatility accounts for luck – the good kind soaring and the bad sink-ing.
On a single round ba-sis, volatility overwhelms edge. Say, for instance, you make a Place bet on the nine at craps. The payoff is 7-to-5 for odds
against winning of 7.5-to-5. With a $5 bet, one “standard deviation” – a quantity the math mavens use to gauge volatility – is $5.88. Edge has a monetary value of $0.20. Essen-tially nobody notices they’ve been shortchanged by $0.20 when they rack up their $7 profit or lament their $5 loss.
Bankroll erosion caused by edge accumulates steadily as play contin-ues. The impact of volatility on a for-tune also grows as action proceeds. However, the effect of volatility can be up or down so standard devia-tion represents a range within which outcomes can be expected to occur. Further, because the jumps up and down tend to be somewhat self-can-celing, the extent of the range is not proportional to the number of deci-
sions as with edge but is moderated. The impact of volatility accordingly grows more slowly than that of edge and eventu-ally gets overtaken.
After 25 decisions on the nine, edge is equivalent to 25 x $0.20 or $5; after 100 decisions, it’s 100 x $0.20 or $20, after 2,500 decisions it’s 2,500 x $0.20 or $500, and after 10,000 decisions it’s 10,000 x $0.20 or $2,000. The cumulative effect of one standard deviation defines a range expected to cover 68 percent of all cases. The range attributable to volatility alone, as measured by one standard deviation, is between minus and plus 5 x $5.88 or $29.40 after 25 decisions, 10 x $5.88 or $58.80 after 10 decisions, 50 x $5.88 or $294.00 after 2,500 deci-sions, and 100 x $5.88 or $588.00 after 10,000 decisions. The point at which the expected range for the combined influences of edge and volatility tops off at break-even in 68 percent of all cases is 865 bets. The ranges for other emblematic num-bers of resolutions are shown in the accompanying table.
Effects of edge and volatility for various numbers of resolved $5 Place bets on nine at craps.
The table shows that casino patrons can win when the volatil-ity of the games after the number of rounds played has a monetary value greater than that of the edge for the same action. The table also highlights the dark underbelly of volatility. If the net volatility swing is down they can lose far more than the edge would suggest.
As the pace of a game increases, more bets are resolved during ses-sions of any duration. Losses due to edge therefore catch up with possible gains due to volatility, and may eventually become large enough to virtually preclude an overall profit.
In principle making bets with higher volatility can forestall the drop-dead situation. But this ap-proach can be perilous because volatility can works in both di-rections and can send solid citi-zens to the showers as well as keep them ahead of the steam-roller. Playing with the lowest possible edge through choice of games or strategies is one a more effective way to circumvent this condition. As an illustration,
for a $5 bet at blackjack played according to strict Basic Strategy, edge only represents a penalty of 2.5 cents while one standard de-viation is $5.65. With these pa-rameters, the crossover is beyond 51,000 rounds. For reference, at a table with two other players bet-ting one hand each, you’ll average about 100 rounds per hour. At this rate, 51,000 rounds is 510 hours. At three hours per session, this will be 170 sessions. Not all that many, in the grand scheme of things. An observation that did not escape the poet, Sumner A Ingmark, as is evi-dent from his couplet:
The dominance of edge is se-quent,
For those whose play is fast and frequent.
Decades ago when I first started looking into blackjack as a viable ca-reer, I read every book I could get my hands on. I’d taken theoretical math, statistics and computer science in col-lege and so I was able to test the bet-ting systems of what I now call the old school systems on the computer.
None worked well. In fact, some were great ways to lose a lot of mon-ey. With table-maximum-bets recom-mended at times when the player ad-vantage was either slim or negative.
So I launched into more than 10 years of research into blackjack bet-ting and card strategy techniques, shuffling, casino card handling and card behavior among other things. One of my goals was to learn how to time bets to when the cards were fa-vorable.
While many of today’s blackjack writers seem to forget this, even the grandfather of the old school meth-ods, Edward Thorp, admitted that the favorability of the cards varied de-
pending on the card mix. As we now know, however, he did not develop a good way of dealing with that fact.
He spoke of large downswings using his betting methods and large losses he incurred. Fortunately, he had a wealthy sponsor with him during the 30 hours of blackjack he played, Manny Kimmel, to fund his large downswings and not go broke. His readers did not have such a sugar daddy to help them through the mis-takes in his betting system.
He recommended, by the way, that players bring $7,000 to the table in order to play his system. That was in 1961 dollars. Do the math. That sum is incredible. According to dol-lartimes.com, that would be equiva-lent to $51,485. And I’m not even sure that’s correct. How much were homes going for in 1961 vs. today? Or cars?
So...if you want a risky system with admittedly large downswings that requires that you bring at least 51 grand to the table, then the old school way, written about by most of today’s blackjack writers, is for you.
If not, read on.The old school systems, all imi-
tations of the one Thorp unveiled in the early 1960s, used imprecise in-dicators to control player bets and became overly optimistic when their fuzzy systems supposedly uncovered
a minuscule player advantage going into the next round. Perhaps that why one of the MIT blackjack teams’ lead-ers, Semyon Dukach, reportedly lost all of the $150,000 he’d brought to the table in 10 rounds one day, using the Hi-Lo card counting system. And why he and his former colleagues no longer play blackjack today.
(FYI: They felt the Hi-Lo’s im-precision required that they bring $150,000 to the table, to hope to make a good profit. Today, using dol-lartimes.com’s inflation calculator, that minimum requirement would be nearly $261,000.)
Without a good betting system, the fact is that you can go broke.
Fortunately, in the course of my research, I was successful in iden-tifying a number of good indicators of future player success or failure. I developed solid betting approaches based upon solid scientific and math-ematical principles based upon what my research uncovered.
Later, in sharing my discoveries with others in my books, I designed three levels of betting methods, for the beginner, intermediate and ad-vanced player - just as I’d seen done for the game of Bridge. The fact is beginners, whose skills are only na-scent, cannot pull off what more knowledgeable players can. So this three-tiered method approach makes
perfect sense.But here’s what you need to know
about state-of-the-art betting: To play blackjack the smart way, today’s ad-vantage players can and should, using my methods, keep track of long-term and short-term trends.
That is, due to the repeating na-ture of the cards, as my research revealed (a concept I introduced nearly 10 years ago in Cutting Edge Blackjack), and the long-term trends unveiled by my studies into winning and losing cycles, we can now raise and lower our bets intelligently based upon the quality of cards at the table. And, more precisely, the quality of the cards the repeating cycles tend to deliver to our one particular betting spot.
Or, sometimes, we can choose to either leave the table or move to a different betting smart if we are at a bad spot or table. The truth is that some card mixes are killers; horrible for players (as I’ve demon-strated at my seminars). You can-not win against some of them. So even the best betting system would not work well against those cards. My betting system warns you away from those situations. That’s some-thing any cutting edge betting sys-tem should do.
My Precision Betting System, in-troduced in the Third Edition of Cut-
ting Edge Blackjack, is, to my knowl-edge, the world’s most precise way of adjusting your wagers to your likeli-hood of winning or losing in the next round. That’s too complex to go into here.
But you need to know that today we have the means to know when to intelligently raise our bets and accu-rately know by how much. You ide-ally should only raise your bet (when that’s appropriate) to reflect your precision likelihood of winning in the next round. If your likelihood of win-ning is three times your normal prob-ability, for instance, you should raise your bet threefold.
The truth is that each of the 10 types of blackjack cards affects your future in a different way. This is what my research uncovered. So intelligent card analysis can now tell you what the card imbalance at the end of any pre-shuffle round portends in terms of your precise likelihood of winning in the next round.
And the beauty part is that you can use my methods successfully no mat-ter what your bankroll is.
It took me years to simplify the betting method I use personally to responsibly share it with others. It is now available to you. And you can take that to the bank.
For more info see http://www.blackjacktoday.com
The peril of faster action at the casino, how to forestall it
Blackjack betting – the smart way
No ofdecisions
Effect of edge ($)
Effect ofvolatility ($)
Combinedeffects ($)
25 -5.00 -29.40 to +29.40 -34.40 to +24.40
100 -20.00 -58.80 to +58.80 -78.80 to + 38.80
2,500 -500.00 -294.00 to +294.00 -794.00 to - 206.00
10,000 -2,000.00 -588.00 to +588.00
-2,588.00 to - 1,412.00
By Richard Harvey
PAGE 20 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
By Rosemary Fetter
Like craps, poker evolved from reli-gious divinations and amusements some of which date back to the Stone
Age. The ancient Chinese were probably the first to use some form of playing cards, which Venetian and Genoese traders subse-quently introduced to Western Europe.
According to historians, the betting games of games of gleek, cribbage, lanterloo and bragg, played during the Renaissance, all had wager-ing aspects to them. Primero, a Spanish game for three players, and the German pochen, where players bet the best combination of cards, are both considered antecedents to poker.
According to David Schwartz in Roll the Bones, a popular history of gambling, the French introduced the first recognizable pok-er game called piquet, later poqué, which was played as early as the 1400s and became the national card game by the 16th century. The French also can be credited with standardiz-ing the suits and face cards still used today.
French cards won out over others because they were easier to mass produce and sim-pler to understand than complicated decks used Spain, Italy and Germany. Like today’s playing cards, the French decks were divid-ed into four suits – spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds – with the first two black and the second two red. The reversible court cards and the corner index were added later.
The design is generally attributed to a French knight named Etienne de Vignoles, nicknamed La Hire, who also has been cred-ited by admirers with the invention of poker. It may be that the addition of the queen to the deck can be attributed to his respect for Joan of Arc, with whom he fought and defeated the English, during the Hundred Years War. Although La Hire is the front runner, others sometimes credited with design of the French deck include Etienne Chevalier, royal secretary and treasurer, and Jacques Coeur, a merchant.
No matter who designed the deck, it hasn’t changed much in the past 700 years. The histori-cal or allegorical personalities that peopled the deck tended to shift during the early days, but most of the characters remained fairly constant:
HEARTSThe King: Charles I, or Charlemagne,
the legendary conqueror born in 768, who
A gentleman’s game of poker,
circa early 1920s.
created a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe.
The Queen: Judith, the biblical figure of the Old Testament, a pious and beautiful woman who infiltrated the palace of her As-syrian enemy, seducing the powerful com-mander Holofernes and beheading him, thereby saving the Jewish people.
The Knight: La Hire, or Hero, a knight mentioned above as the designer of the French deck.
SPADESThe King: David of the Old Testament,
who slew the giant Goliath.The Queen: Athena, goddess of the war in
Greek mythology.The Knight: Hogier, cousin and friend to
Charlemange.
DIAMONDSThe King: Julius Caesar, Roman con-
queror.The Queen: Rachel, Old Testament char-
acter whose son, Joseph, became the leader of Israel’s tribe.
The Knight: Roland, a character in medi-eval and Renaissance literature and the chief paladin of Charlemagne. Later, for reasons unknown, he was replaced by another myth-ical figure, Hector de Maris, a knight of the Round Table.
CLUBSThe King: Alexander the Great, world
conqueror.The Queen: Argine, unknown, possible
anagram for regina.
The Knight: Sir Lancelot of the Round TableWith the face cards intact, poker, or
poqué, emerged as the most popular of French games sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries, mentioned by the French writer Rabelais and in the Book of Chance, the first real treatise on gambling. Like many others, the game soon made its way into England, where it was played with two players and a 36-card deck and re-christened “cent.”
In the late 1700s, the French played po-qué with a 20 card deck, A-K-Q-J-10. Four players were dealt five cards each, with one round of betting allowed and no discarding or drawing.
The game made its way to America via the French Colony of Louisiana, where it began to evolve into the poker we recognize today. After the Louisiana Purchase, some time between 1810 and 1825, the name “po-qué” evolved into “poker,” partly because Americans weren’t too proficient in their French pronunciation. The game was played much like the French version: winners were a pair, triplets, full house, four of a kind, four aces or four kings and ace.
Sometime between 1830 – and 1850, the era of the Mississippi riverboat gambler, a 52 card deck became standard, partly to al-low more people to play. Flushes were added as winners, soon to be followed by straights. The draw was added mid-century, possi-bly as a nod to the concept of the “second chance” many took as they traveled West.
As jackpots were added, players were pro-hibited from opening unless they had jacks or better, making it impossible for players to bluff, at least in the first hand. During the
Civil War variations emerged, including five-card stud poker The wild card was introduced around 1875, lowball and split-pot poker around 1900. High-Low Poker, in which the pot is divided equally between the high-est and the lowest hands, debuted sometime around 1903 and community card games like Texas Hold ‘Em around 1925.
With the crackdown on gambling in the early decades of the 20th century, poker went underground, restricted to private games in locked rooms. The game re-emerged with the rise of the Nevada casinos during the late 1940s and early 1950s and reigned as the favorite Las Vegas casino game, only to be supplanted by blackjack in the 1970s – 1980s.
Video poker became the rage after casino owners found it possible (and profitable) to combine a TV monitor with a central pro-cessing unit. The earliest models, clunkers by modern standards, appeared along with the first personal computers in the mid-1970s.
Modern tournament play also began with the first World Series of Poker in 1970, which was broadcast around the country within the next ten years. The latest innova-tion, the introduction of Internet casinos in mid-1990s, allows people to play the game online at any time.
For many players, however, the true fun of poker is in the action, the face-to-face contest between players looking to make a big win, or at least enough to buy grocer-ies for the week. It’s Brett Maverick or Bat Masterson against the house, albeit in mod-ern dress and minus the six-shooters, a thrill the machines will never replace.
The game of poker
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE21
Trail’s End
From bull riding to the county fair, annual rodeo has it all
By Cathleen Norman
Summer is in full swing, and that means it’s time for the rodeo. The sport
is cherished in the rural West, a symbol of the ranching heri-tage that helped settle the wide-open spaces of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. The annual summer event joins generations of people who’ve made their living off the land. The rodeo often accompanies the county fair – the annual community gathering that showcases the area’s best livestock, poultry and produce.
It was in Deer Trail on July 4, 1869, that the first official rodeo in the world took place. In the dusty new town 50 miles east of Denver, buckaroos flocked to the “in-ter-camp cowboy competition,” matching their round-up and ranching skills for the grand prize – a suit of clothes. The sport has expanded considerably since then.
Rodeo, the only sport that originated in the American West, is also the only sport rooted in working traditions. The first cowboy contests showcased roping and riding skills needed for cattle drives and ranch operations. Then, Buffalo Bill’s flamboyant and enormously popular Wild West Shows enhanced the appeal of the rough and rowdy, dirty and dangerous sport.
By the early 1900s, they called the cowboy tournaments rodeos - Spanish for round up. Impromptu cowboy con-tests with outlaw horses and belligerent bulls evolved into full-blown sporting events with rules and regulations and special equipment that helped safeguard contestants and livestock and the audi-ence. Timed events, just seconds long, involved individuals and pairs, events such as Saddle Bronc, Bareback Bronc, Calf Roping and Barrel Racing. Stock contractors got involved, helping or-ganize rodeos and raising the “rough
stock” – the wild and crazy bron-cos and bulls that give the toughest ride.
Prizes im-proved. Riders and ropers com-peted for saddles and belt buckles but especially for cash. Large purs-
es lured cowboys into rodeo competitions as full-time professionals, who finance their own equipment and travel as they toured from rodeo to rodeo.
Soon, associations emerged to organize and oversee the rodeo circuit. The first, and today’s larg-est, was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associa-tion founded in 1936 and headquartered in Colorado
Springs since 1979. PRCA riders from the U.S. and Canada compete for large prizes, working their way toward the National Finals Rodeo held each December in Las Vegas. Several PRCA rodeos have been going strong for decades in Colorado, including Steamboat Springs over Fourth of July weekend (1899), Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison in early J u l y (1900), G r e e l e y Stampede over Fourth of July week-end (1922), Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo in mid-July (1926), Evergreen Ro-deo in mid-June (1935) and Colo-rado Springs’ Pikes Peak or Bust in mid-July (1940). (So many PRCA rodeos take place over Fourth of July weekend, the holiday is nicknamed “Cow-boy Christmas.”)
Meanwhile, the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association was founded in 1975 to promote a more profes-sionally oriented rodeo circuit within Colorado. It sanctions 30 rodeos a year in Colorado and co-sanctions dozens of other rodeos with rodeo associations in bordering states, especially Wyoming. In June and July, CPRA rodeos took place at Walden,
Meeker, Brush, Colbran, Westcliffe, Au-rora, Norwood, Durango and Las Animas, as well as the 90th annual Collegiate Peaks Stampede in Buena Vista. Over Labor Day weekend, 130 or so riders and ropers will compete for $60,000 in prize money at the CPRA State Finals at the Mesa County Fairgrounds in Grand Junction.
Upcoming CPRA rodeos include Mid-dle Fork Fair & Rodeo in Kremmling (Aug. 7), Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo in Hugo (Aug. 12-13), Arkansas Valley Fair & Rodeo in Rocky Ford (Aug. 19-20), Jef-fco Fair Roundup Rodeo in Golden (Aug. 13), Deer Trail Rodeo (Aug. 20-21), Ca-ñon City Round-Up Rodeo (Aug. 20-21), Ouray County Fair & Rodeo (Sept. 4-5) and Kiowa County Fair & Rodeo in Eads (Sept. 9-10).
Excluding rodeo professionals, the Working Ranch Cowboys Association founded in 1995 has competitions for ranch workers on active ranches. WRCA Rodeo proceeds go to help ranch families in times of need. Hugo in mid-June and Castle Rock in mid-August are two Colorado
locations for WRCA rodeo events.
In a cat-egory all by
itself, bull riding has emerged as an
extreme sport called “the toughest sport on earth”
with a following of its own. Headquartered in Pueblo, the Professional Bull Riders, Inc., has 800 members inter-
nationally. PBR competitions, called “the most dangerous
eight seconds in sports” come to four Colorado
towns this summer – the Elizabeth Stam-pede on June 3, the
Evergreen Rodeo on June 17, Rifle Rodeo
on Aug. 4 and the Rocky Mountain Bull Bash in Steamboat Springs on
Sept. 4.Many rodeo
cowboys start-ed the sport as youngsters in organizat ions ,
such as the National Little Britches Rodeo Association, begun in
1952 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in Littleton and named for the infinitely popular book by Colorado author Ralph Moody. Likely the oldest continuous youth rodeo organization in the country, it is headquartered in Colorado Springs. Little Britches Rodeos take place in doz-
ens of Colorado towns from Alamosa and Brush to Westcliffe and Yuma. The Na-tional Little Britches Finals Rodeo held each year in late July at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo features more than 3,000 rides and runs taking place over six day.
The Colorado State High School Rodeo Association provides youthful riders the chance to win college scholarship prices. The CSHRA is active in about 20 Colorado towns with state finals mid-summer in Craig that attracts 100 riders and ropers. Cortez, Gunnison and Hotchkiss are three locations of CSHRA competitions this September. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association begun in 1948 in Texas is big in the West. Colorado State Univer-sity, Lamar Community College and the Air Force Academy all have rodeo teams.
So, you have plenty of opportunities to experience this spectacular sport. Home-town rodeos continue into mid-September, as well the 51st annual State Fair Aug. 26-30 in Pueblo. In many Colorado counties, a ro-deo accompanies the traditional county fair with its competitions and exhibits of live-stock, produce and domestic handiwork.
Fun for everyone, the rodeo event has no shortage of festivities and activi-ties. Rodeo Weekend would not be com-plete without Saturday morning pancake breakfast sponsored by the Elks or Rotary Club, the glittering rodeo parade, a heel-kicking dance on Saturday night, corona-tion of rodeo royalty and Sunday morning cowboy breakfast. Cowboy Church servic-es are often held in a barn with hay-bale seats and gospel bluegrass. Mutton Bus-tin’ gives the little kids a chance to ride. Street fairs, carnivals, barbecues, horse shows, dog shows, petting zoos, Dutch-oven cook offs, shooting sports, demoli-tion derbies – even a Rocky Mountain oyster feast and cowboy poetry readings – have become new traditions that sur-round the hometown rodeos.
Each reflects the flavor of the area. The Douglas County Fair & Rodeo Aug. 4-7 in Castle Rock features a Ranch Rodeo where four-member teams of local ranchers and cowboys compete in branding, doctoring, trailer loading, sorting and a trail course. In its 107th year, the Adams County Fair & Rodeo Aug 4-7 in Brighton includes an appearance by the Denver Broncos cheer-leaders, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, concerts by popular Denver bands and a Sunday morning Mariachi Mass. The Tell-er County Fair & Rodeo Aug. 4-7 in Cripple Creek also includes an Equipment Rodeo and a Fashion Revue & Ice Cream Social.
For more information on rodeo in Col-orado, Colorado’s Rodeo Roots to Mod-ern-Day Cowboys by Kathryn Ordway tells the story.
Hometown Rodeos
By Cathleen Norman
PAGE 22 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years July 26 - August 8, 2011
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LEO - (July 23 - Aug 22)Your knowledge or authority will be sought out. You may also get the results of a test or will get some information that aids you. Help comes from or is given to a child. You will be asked to do a favor but will also receive extra support from a male. Your work load becomes heavier but you’ll receive just returns. Lucky Numbers: 2, 12, 38, 46, 55, 73
VIRGO - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 23)Things haven’t been easy for you and extra attention must be given to your diet and you need to rest. You may find yourself in an “orphan” mood and think that people just don’t care enough to lend you a helping hand or moment of time. Remind yourself you’re never alone and the “force” is always with you. Lucky Numbers: 8, 10, 20, 36, 42, 53
LIBRA - (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)Money stresses may cause conflict in your intimate relations or at work. A sudden realization will advance your understanding or fill in a missing piece of information. The middle of the week may have you particularly busy. There is a gathering of women or a public event that heats the gossip channels up. Lucky Numbers: 17, 23, 35, 44, 55, 72
SCORPIO - (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)A contact from afar, training or an idea will stimulate a great amount of activity and will help you form plans that will significantly change your life in the future. Your life may also be greatly changed by an event or affecting a great number of people - like a change in work rules or financial covenants. Lucky Numbers: 5, 16, 33, 37, 49, 68
SAGITTARIUS - (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)A contact with a male or a liaison from a group may have a great affect on your destiny. Money matters come to the forefront and may help gel events and finally clear up some uncertainty in your life. Someone may try to dissuade you from some of the choices you need to make. Stay on course. Lucky Numbers: 7, 13, 24, 47, 52, 61
CAPRICORN - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)This period will help bring you some major changes. Your philosophy and view of life and work should change and you may see some major changes for your parents. For those that have been studying hard, some of your dreams are about to come true. There’s always a rainbow tinge to life. Lucky Numbers: 6, 19, 30, 43, 58, 67
AQUARIUS - (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)Dissent is always part of life. It is part of the friction that creates the catalysts needed for life to change. There are collective changes bringing a renewal of hope and will help reestablish your dreams. A new love or romance will be stimulated, change or be more charged. You may be becoming a leader. Lucky Numbers: 3, 18, 22, 37, 48, 59
PISCES - (Feb. 20 - March 20)Keeping things stable may be your main message from the stars now. For many Pisces things are changing so rapidly all you can do is hang on. The stars are showing major changes at work and home. There’s a change in your circle of friends. No troubles, you’ll just make new ones because of your kindness. Lucky Numbers: 14, 25, 34, 50, 66, 74
ARIES - (March 21 - April 20)You’ve entered into a period that will make you more sensitive to the words and thoughts of others. This will make for misunderstandings and outbursts as the physical world cannot withstand the greater force of the psyche. Cooperation is a must. A whole new world is about to bloom for you. Lucky Numbers: 9, 26, 32, 45, 51, 65
TAURUS - (April 21 - May 21)A sense of being mischievous may have you creating some interesting situations. A surprise awaits those that have been kind or generous. You should be in a middle of a project or coming to a solution of a problem that has had you stumped. The weekend brings social events. Be a bridge builder. Lucky Numbers: 1, 15, 27, 31, 60, 69
GEMINI - (May 22 - June 21)You may get propositioned or hear from someone you love dearly. A short journey may exactly be what you need or plans for a trip may be made. There’s time spent with children, or a new introduction or business contact will advance your standing or good will. Watch the budget; children may need help. Lucky Numbers: 4, 27, 39, 48, 57, 75
CANCER - (June 22 - July 22)There will be a change of mind and a trip will be put off or delayed. You may be on auto-pilot and expending huge amounts of energy. Consciously take the time to recharge yourself. There may be a return of a person you’ve recently separated from. The actions of a woman at work creates havoc. Lucky Numbers: 11, 21, 46, 53, 62, 70
Horoscope
Contact Mary Nightstar at [email protected] and type “horoscope” in the subject line.
July 26 - August 8, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE23
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