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October 5 – 16

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Volume 20 • Number 32

MINING TODAYVictor – Cripple Creek gold

is boomingPage 2

BLACK HAWKBlack Hawk casinos offer great promos

Page 4

CENTRAL CITYGilpin Cemetery Crawl

set for Aug. 27Page 6

WESTERN FOOTPRINTSA Westerner, now

and foreverPage 16

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

August 23 - September 12, 2011

See Valuable

Coupons on page 7

SEE COVER STORY PAGES 10-11

PAGE 2 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

Publisher’s ColumnBy Robert Sweeney

AngloGold Ashanti moving mountains

A beautiful invitation arrived in the mail inviting me to a tour of the Victor/Cripple Creek gold mining firm of AngloGold Ashan-ti Corporation to celebrate 4 million ounces of gold produced by the Cripple Creek and Victory Mining Company. The company has been mining gold in that area since 1995 and has a successful worldwide gold mining com-pany headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the third largest gold mining firm in the world with 62,000 employees and the largest gold mining company in Africa with 10 different worldwide mining opera-tions.

AngloGold Ashanti has corporate offices in the Denver Tech Center and my invitation came from Marie Patterson, public affairs co-ordinator. She is a friend I met from a recent project of working to preserve the Boettcher mansion as the governor’s residence with private funding rather than state funds.

While current Gov. John Hickenlooper has chosen not to reside in the state-owned mansion, it still has to be maintained and managed with historic reverence and re-gard that the magnificent building deserves. The past two first ladies, Francis Owens and Jeanie Ritter, have all made significant im-provements in the structure and adjacent carriage house.

The gold tour was held on Aug. 13 com-mencing with a registration and breakfast at the Victor Elks Lodge in downtown Victor, site of recent main street paving making the town sparkle again.

The Elks Lodge numbered in the low 300’s in the world. Elkdom was built in the turn of the century and is a commanding two-story rambling brick structure with the large Elk ritualistic hall with the royal bull elk head adorned with glowing light bulbs. A long list of deceased Elk members covered a stained glass panel.

As a member of Craig Elks Lodge 1577, I felt right at home in this brotherly lodge.

And come to find out the new manager of the AngloGold mine is Ray DuBoise, the former manager of the Trapper Coal Mine in Craig, where I grew up.

ePatterson and DuBoise were both di-recting registration and displays for the 300 guests that would fill the hall during the morning and afternoon.

On display was a 75 pound gold ingot called a doré that is refined on site and con-tains some silver and copper ores, and is shipped to a Salt Lake smelter to become pure 24 ct. gold bullion. At today’s gold prices each 75 lb ingot is worth more than $1 million in value.

One was on display at the Elk’s Lodge and at the end of the mine tour we all saw a gold doré poured right in front of our eyes from a roaring gas furnace.

After boarding bus No. 3, it took us up the hill and into the mine site on the inside of the volcano eruption from millions of years ago that formed the gold veins in the famed Cripple Creek/Victor area.

To describe the mine, they move 300,000 tons of ore each day on at least 40 enormous trucks with gigantic tires that carry the huge loads of ore to the conveyor belt. Then it will reduce the ore to gravel size that is then leeched with a cyanide and water mixture.

The chemical liquid mixture is also treat-ed with carbon pellets in a water wash cycle and the metals adhere to the carbon and the final gold is obtained by heating the mix-ture and extracting the gold ore. It takes a great amount of expertise, skilled labor, heavy equipment, mining engineers, drivers, chemists, mining engineers and buildings to extract these precious ounces of gold.

Environmentally a state gold leadership participant, reclamation includes replacing the topsoil by planting the hillside with grass and trees. The water used in the leeching fields is recycled and released in a purified state back through a tunnel to a streambed suitable for drinking purposes. The water is purchased from the towns of Cripple Creek and Victor.

Safety is stressed by the company and participants had to wear safety helmets and eye protection on the tour. Skilled drivers that handle the gigantic 220 ton220-ton Cat-epillarCaterpillar trucks complete with XM satellite radio and a radio network, drive the huge trucks carefully.

Mining employees work 12-hour shifts at least five days or nights each week with the mine open and operating 24/7 through rain or snow.

The mine is non-union and pays well, ac-cording to the miners who said they like their jobs and the company. Employees are ea-ger to relate facts about good pay and work-ing conditions and are subject to regular and random drug testing. The tour guides said the mine is currently hiring qualified drivers

Victor – Cripple Creek gold is booming

Continued on page 8A prospective mining engineer examines real gold. Photo by Bob Sweeney

http://www.canyoncasino.com

PAGE 4 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

www.canyoncasino.com

August 20112011 Camaro GiveawayEarn Entries daily to win a 2011 Camaro on Aug. 31 Every 100 base points earned gets you one en-try closer to driving away in a 2011 Camaro. We’re doubling your entries every Monday and Wednesday in August; 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 ant number straight up on roulette. Draw-ing will take place beginning at 8:30 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.

$3.99 Canyon Grille SpecialsEvery Monday, Wednesday and Friday in August chose from 5 different wraps. With choices like the buffalo chicken, gyro, Thai peanut chicken, South-west chicken and the All American chicken wrap all for only $3.99 with your Canyon Club card.

September 2011Where’s the GoldBetween 6 – 10 p.m. contestants will be randomly selected to pick from the prize board and win up to $500 instantly. To be selected simply use your Can-yon Club card while playing your favorite slots.

Tables for TabletsWhile playing your favorite table games you can earn entries for a chance to win one of three iPad 2 tablets, plus two pairs of Hockey tickets. The drawings will take place on Friday, Sept. 30, beginning at 8 p.m.

Free hot dogsStop by the Canyon for a free hot dog on Monday, Sept. 5, from noon to 5 p.m.

4X Points Fridays, 2X Points SundaysEarn 4X Points every Friday and 2X Points every Sun-day in September all slots, all day.

Connoisseur’s Club Prior to playing, register at Guest Services to receive double points and 50 percent off at the Canyon Grille every Tuesday and Thursday.

www.theisleblackhawk.com Win a Cadillac EscaladeWin a 2011 Cadillac Escalade Sept. 4 and 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 lucky Isle winner will drive away on Sun-day, Sept. 4, at 10 p.m. and another on Monday, Sept. 5, at 9 p.m. Visit IsleOne or Guest Services for complete details.

Spin to Win up to $1,000Isle guests will have the chance to Spin to Win up to $1,000 every Fridays, Saturday and Sunday in August between 5 – 11 p.m. Receive one free entry daily in August and earn additional entries for every 10 unadjusted points Fridays through 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 be-tween 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 addi-tional 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 ad-vantage 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 roomPull 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 be-ginning with Sundays, play four hours and receive a free dinner buffet. For complete information, visit the poker podium. Follow our poker room manager Mat-thew Dodd on Twitter @BlackHawkPoker.

UFC fights at Orchid GardenNow watch all UFC fights at Orchid Garden. Don’t miss the world middleweight championship, Silva vs. Okami Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.

IsleOne ClubAll new members of the IsleOne club will receive $10 instantly after earning just 10 unadjusted points. Sim-ply redeem at any of the cash redemption machines to collect.

Play and stayPlay 30 unadjusted points on your IsleOne club card on Mondays thru Thursdays between 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. and stay the night on us. Check with Guest Ser-vices once you have earned your points to receive your hotel offer. This offer is valid only on the day the points are earned.

Bus fare refundDo you ride the bus to Black Hawk? The Isle will now refund your bus fare up to $20. Simply earn 35 unad-justed points on your IsleOne card and present your return bus ticket to the guest service center. Table Games players will receive bus fare back with four hours of consecutive play. This offer is available daily from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Table Games The Isle has all your favorite table games including black jack, three card poker, let it ride, bonus 6, Texas Hold’em bonus, roulette and craps with 10 times odds. The Isle will always have at least one Black Jack game with a $5 minimum bet.

Farraddays’ Farraddays’ has a new menu that you simply must try. Many favorites from the old menu return this spring and Chef David Oliveri has added new original and delicious selections as well. Farraddays’ offers exceptional quality for a great value. Farraddays’ is open at 5 p.m. nightly. Reservations are recommend-ed and can be made by phoning 303-998-7777.

New menu at TradewindsTradewinds at the Isle has a new menu that features delicious burgers. Whether you try the classics, a green chile and chipotle, the black & blue or mush-room and Swiss burger you will not be disappointed. Tradewinds even offers a mouthwatering cheese-burger burrito. So the next time you are hungry for a great burger, visit Tradewinds at the Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk

Pet friendly hotelThe Isle Hotel has Pet Friendly rooms available for a small fee. Furry friends less than 50 pounds can enjoy a stay at the Isle with you. Pet friendly rooms will offer your pet use of a doggie bed, food and water bowls and a fenced doggie area. Disposable litter boxes will be available for feline guests. For reservations in a pet friendly room please call 303-998-7777. Rooms are subject to availability.

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 cogambler@me.com

To advertise call Sharon (303) 503-1388Managing Editor

Elizabeth Dentongambler@villagerpublishing.com

ProductionTom McTighe

Jeffrey V. Smith production@villagerpublishing.com

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

Gambler

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE5

Central City Nuggets

www.famousbonanza.com

2X MondaysEarn 2X points all day on all machines, including video poker. One dollar equals one base point.

40 and getting better? For our guests 40 and older, earn 2X points all day on all machines every Wednesday at Famous Bonanza. $1= 1 point. Earn 200 base points and receive half off one menu item at Millie’s Restaurant.

Bonanza BaseballJoin us from 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. every Friday night to play Bonanza Baseball and win your share of more than $2,000 in cash.

New Players/BirthdaysEarn 2X points all day on all machines on your first visit or the day of your birthday! If you choose to come in Monday or Wednesday, you could earn 3X points. $1 = 1 Point

The ParlourLocated on the second floor of the Famous Bonanza

Casino, we offer 2 Deck pitch blackjack, roulette and 3-card poker. $5 minimum to $100 maximum on 2 Deck pitch blackjack and $3 minimum and all shoe games. The Parlour also offers pool and darts!

2X MondaysEarn 2X points all day on all machines, includ-ing video poker. $1 = 1 point

40 and getting better? For our guests 40 and older, earn 2X points all day on all machines every Wednesday. $1 = 1 point. Earn 200 base points and receive half off one menu item at Millie’s Restaurant.

New Players/BirthdaysEarn 2X points all day on all machines on your first visit or the day of your birthday! If you choose to come in Monday or Wednesday, you could earn 3x points. $1 = 1 Point

Fun for the Kids tooBring your children to the lower level of the casino to enjoy a wide variety of arcade games for our younger than 21 guests.

Visit us online:www.coloradogambler.com

and follow us on Twitter :COGambler

Gambler

PAGE 6 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

Central City

GCAA opens fall exhibit, sale afterwards  Submitted by GCHS

Visitors can enjoy a fun-filled day discovering the wonders of the past and the beauty of art in the present on Aug. 27 in Central City. The Gilpin County Histori-cal Society and the Gilpin County Arts Association are partnering for the second time this year to present the 23rd Annual Ceme-tery Crawl, followed by the open-ing of the 2011 Fall GCAA Mem-bers Art Exhibit and Sale at the Gilpin County Arts Association Gallery. The Cemetery Crawl kicks off the festivities at 2 p.m. with a tour of the Bald Moun-tain Cemetery in Central City, followed at 4 p.m. by the public opening of the Fall GCAA Mem-bers Art Exhibit and Sale at the GCAA Gallery located in Wash-ington Hall at 117 Eureka St. Free shuttles will be provided from the Central City Opera parking lot on Eureka St. to the Bald Mountain Cemetery and back starting at 1 p.m. All ages are welcome.

The 23rd Annual Cemetery Crawl is from 2 – 4 p.m. and begins with a brief introduction, followed by small group tours led by costumed guides. Each group then follows a different path to see a dozen costumed actors reenact the lives of pioneers buried in this hilltop location, all with entertaining stories of pioneer life. Tickets for the Gilpin County Historical Society’s 23rd An-nual Cemetery Crawl are $12 for adults ($10 in advance) and free for children 12 and younger. Both checks and credit cards are accepted and tickets can be purchased at the gate or in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, call or email either the Gilpin County Historical Society at 303-582-5283 or gchs@wispertel.net, or the Gilpin County Arts Association at 303-582-5952.

Following the Cemetery Crawl, at-tendees are then invited to visit the Gil-pin County Arts Association’s Central City Gallery at Washington Hall across from the Opera House to enjoy live bluegrass music provided by The Bold-er County Boys, along with food, beer and wine in celebration of the opening of GCAA’s Fall Members Art Exhibit & Sale. The opening starts at 4 p.m. and

continues until 7 p.m. The art being ex-hibited includes a broad range of media from jewelry to fabrics, photography to oils, and a vast selection of functional and decorative pottery and glass. In addition to a range of media, the work also represents an array of subject mat-ter from that capturing the Central City historic mining era to contemporary pieces.

The show features artists from an open membership base in the expanded region of the Rocky Mountain West in-cluding Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. All artwork is available for purchase at various price levels. The exhibition runs through Oct. 1.

A 45-minute drive from Denver on the four lane Central City Parkway, a visit to Central City this time of year of-fers prime viewing of the fall colors. The Gallery is open Friday-Sunday, noon – 6 p.m. at 117 Eureka Street, Central City. Call 303-582-5952 or visit www.gilpinarts.org.

The Gilpin County Historical Soci-ety’s mission is to collect, preserve and interpret Gilpin County’s unique ultural heritage for present and future gen-erations. For additional information, call 303-582-5283 or visit www.gilpin history.org.

Cemetery tours will be given by costumed guides who will direct patrons during the 23rd annual Cemetery Crawl on Aug. 27 in Central City.

Take a stroll during Cemetery Crawl, Aug. 27

The current sched-ule from Colorado Mills, offering multiple daily departures to Black Hawk / Central City, operated since De-cember 27, 2010, con-tinues to be run with financial losses that can no longer be sustained. Despite recent attempts at reduced schedules, alternate vehicle types, and increased casino employee fares, passenger counts / revenue volume has not reached levels necessary to continue operating this service.

For the many loyal casino employ-ees who rode and the gaming custom-ers as well who discovered the “Ramb-lin Express difference,” the company is forever grateful. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful in getting the “numbers” anticipated.

Ramblin Express will work with the HR Departments at casinos who have participated in the Casino Employee Pass benefit program, as well as any in-dividuals who may have pre-purchased passes directly from Ramblin. Refunds will be offered on any pre-purchased employee passes that are returned be-fore Sept. 30, 2011.

In continued partnership with casi-nos, Ramblin Express will continue to provide group charter programs, and in-formation related to special casino trips, packages and offerings will be available online, at www.CasinoShuttle.com. Fur-ther, Ramblin Express will continue to offer scheduled Casino Shuttle service from Colorado Springs and Pueblo, to casinos in Cripple Creek.

The deluxe Motorcoaches used in the service from Colorado Mills will go back into the diversified charter fleet of more than 50 vehicles, where they will con-tinue to serve corporate groups, schools, churches, the military and sports teams both locally and nationwide.

Comments and questions are welcome at info@casinoshuttle.com or 303-572-8687 ext. 100.

Ramblin Express discontinues service at Colorado Mills Service continues from Springs, Pueblo to Cripple Creek

News

Photo by Jim Prochaska, courtesy of Gilpin Historical Society

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE7

RISK FREE SLOT PLAYPlay $5 - Win $100

or Get $5 Back!Present coupon at cage for rules and details.

BLACK HAWK STATION141 Gregory Street • 303-582-5582

Bring In This Coupon

realJames won $1,363 playing a Wicked Winnings machine at Canyon Casino.

Vicki won $1,939 playing a Roman Tribune ma-chine at Canyon Casino.

Ronald won $1,200 playing Double Blackjack at Canyon Casino.

YOUR ENTERTAINMENT HERE

Advertise Today!

Advertise your entertainment in this space the second and fourth issue of

every month. Call Sharon at 303-503-1388 for pricing.

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.

401 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 1-800-THE-ISLE

www.black-hawk.isleofcapricasinos.com

Aug. 26 – 28: Wide Open (Variety)Sept. 2 – 4: Phat Daddy (R & B, Rock)Sept. 9 – 11: Hot Lunch (High energy and contemporary Funk)

Sept. 16 – 18: Ashley Buchart Band (Country)Sept. 23 – 25: JV3 (Pop and Rock)Sept. 30 – Oct. 1: Boogie Machine (1970s)

Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk

deals

for the heavy equipment. DuBoise told the audience that there are

430 employees dedicated to extracting more than 4 million ounces of gold since the op-eration began in 1995. This is the largest employer in Teller County. During the gold rush of 1890, the miners produced 21 million ounces through the deep shaft mines.

DuBoise explained that the mining licens-es run until 2016 and that work was being completed on filing for active mining exten-sions for another seven to 10 years beyond.

DuBoise introduced his predecessor Ron Largent who greeted old friends in the com-munity as he was promoted to executive vice president of the Americas Region.

Largent related the strict adherence to state, federal and local mining regulations and the recognition by the Colorado Public Health and Environment as a Gold Leader in environmental stewardship, the first in Colo-rado to reach that standard.

Cripple Creek was once considered to be the state capital of Colorado and early day miners and merchants made fortunes.

Legalized gambling came back to Crip-ple Creek 20 years ago and created another boom that is continuing to the present day.

It was very pleasant to see mining at work and a very successful international company providing good paying jobs to 430 employ-ees along with thousands of dollars in local, state and federal tax revenues.

Creating jobs is the goal of the nation and a top priority for politicians, many were pres-ent on Saturday and a clear message was sent that Colorado is open for business and that

this mining company is well operated, mak-ing a profit for stockholders and taking good care of employees.

It doesn’t get much better than Anglo-Gold Ashanti, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol ADR.

PAGE 8 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

Continued from Page 2

Victor – Cripple Creek gold is booming | AngloGold Ashanti moving mountains

Gold is being poured into a mold to form a doré that weights 75 lbs and is worth more than $1 million.

This crater open mining pit is using heavy equipment to mine millions of tons of low-grade gold containing ore. Photos by Bob Sweeney

An old furnace from the 1890s stands as a reminder of the early day mining pioneers.

Publisher Robert Sweeney stands beside one of the gigantic trucks used to transport more than 300 million tons of rock each day. Forty trucks work around the clock moving vast amounts of rock containing low concentrations of gold ore to a mill.

http://www.fortunevalleycasino.com/

PAGE 10 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

Poker room offers all amenities desired by a serious poker player, with a few extrasBy Jeffrey V. Smith

T he Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk hopes its new pok-er room will become your

favorite. The 24-hour facility opened April 12 with 11 tables, exceptionally comfortable chairs and amenities designed to appeal to the serious poker player. The room ultimately sets itself apart from its competition with a high level of customer service, and a poker manager who sees things from a player’s point of view.

“We spent considerable time and effort to create a poker room designed with players in mind,” newly recruited Poker Manager Matthew Dodd said.

Manager focuses on customersThe personable and friendly

Dodd, who “tries hard to make a difference with customer ser-vice,” is a long-time poker player from southern California, but has worked in poker rooms at casinos across the country.

Prior to his Black Hawk posi-tion, Dodd saw plenty of card-playing action as poker manager at Isle of Capri Casino in Lake Charles, La. Before that, he was table games floor supervisor at Horseshoe Casino and an on-air

host for a televised poker show at Fox Broadcasting. He has also served as senior table games floor supervisor at Pala Casino Spa and Resort, poker shift man-ager at Lucky Lady Card Room, poker room supervisor at Spa Resort Casino, poker dealer at San Manuel Band of Mission In-dians, poker shift manager and poker dealer at Oceanview Card

Room. Dodd is now “excited” to be working in Colorado, where he used to visit for pleasure prior to being hired to bring poker to The Isle in Black Hawk.

“Just like many folks in this industry, I started out as a poker player, and so I try to do everything with that prospec-tive in mind. ‘What would a player like,’ is frequently what goes through my head when de-signing a promo-tion, tournament or rules for the room,” Dodd said. “We try to keep the interests of our players at the forefront of our decision process.”

Poker added in AprilPoker was added to the gam-

ing mix at The Isle Casino Hotel in April after it was determined the property should offer every-thing in one place, from all types of games and slots to a wide-ar-ray of restaurants, hotel rooms and other amenities. Until this

year, the casino figured the six poker tables in its attached sister property, the Lady Luck Casino (formerly Colorado Central Sta-tion Casino), were enough.

“We wanted to offer it all with everything in one place,”

Dodd said.Once the casino

decided it wanted to do poker, it decid-ed to do it right, and went all-in. The Isle Casino Hotel removed

slot machines from a second-floor gam-

ing area, and created the region’s newest poker room. The large space features large

windows – tinted to reduce glare – and views of the mountainside as well as a contemporary, yet comfortable, design made special for the serious player, but accom-modating to anyone interested in the game.

In addition to top-of-the-line, brand new tables, mem-ory foam chairs and a poker room separated from slot machines and casino noise,

the new space has numerousflat-screen TVs, a full bar with video poker and staff dedicated to the room, nearby bathrooms and a newly constructed smoker’s pa-tio within steps of the action.

There are even a few extras for active players, compliments of Dodd and his southern Cali-fornia upbringing, including free smoothies and milk shakes – like the staff favorite, “Elvis,” with chocolate, peanut butter and ba-nana. A variety of food, including Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine from the adjacent Orchid Garden restaurant, can be ordered table-side. Small, rolling tables are pro-vided to any player who gets hun-gry in the midst of a game.

Poker perksDodd explained The Isle’s

poker room has a bad beat (a po-tentially underdog poker hand that beats a heavily-favored hand) jackpot “that is different from any other in the market, of-fering three ways to win and all of the money in a single pool.” In the long run, he said it would lead to higher jackpots and more win-ners, more often. So far, the low-est tier of the jackpot has hit six times for $10,000 each time.

Additionally, The Isle Casino Hotel encourages its poker play-ers to stay overnight in one of its hotel rooms by offering them a room for $29 after two hours of play, and after six hours giv-ing them a free one on Sundays through Thursdays. Numerous weekly tournaments and a variety of poker games keep the room’s action exciting and distinctive.

In September, poker players are eligible for the “High Hand Promotion” Monday through Friday, which rewards the player with the hour’s highest hand, or the nuts, with $100. Also in Sep-tember, early-bird tournaments are Tuesday through Friday at 10 a.m. On Tuesdays and Wednes-day it’s a Hold’em tournament, on Thursdays its Omaha Hi-Lo and on Fridays it’s the No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Each ear-ly-bird event includes a free buf-fet if players register by 9 a.m.

Whatever the reason, the play-ers who have come to The Isle

Black Hawk’s newest poker room at The Isle is a winnerCover Story

The Isle’s new poker manager, Matthew Dodd, tries to keep the players in mind with his poker room’s offerings. Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith

The new poker room at The Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk features brand new tables, comfy chairs and a contemporary design. Continued next page

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE11

Cover Story

Black Hawk casino offers new food, loads of promos in September

By Jeffrey V. Smith

Poker players are not the only patrons to The Isle Casino Hotel who have special privileges. The Isle Casino has plenty of new promo-

tions, and a new restaurant option, for players to enjoy in September.

Orchid GardenThe new, and highly acclaimed Orchid Garden

restaurant, located in the skywalk between The Isle and Lady Luck casinos, offers a wide selection of au-thentic Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine.

The restaurant features dishes one might expect to find on an Asian menu, including appetizers like spring rolls, wontons, pot stickers and a Dim Sum sampler. Firecracker Shrimp and Wrapped Prawn Rolls offer a little spice to the pre-entrée options.

The menu includes options for pho, a traditional soup served with rice noodles and choice of protein; rice plates; noodle bowls and entrées that include specialties like sesame chicken, Pad Thai, Phalae-nopsis chicken or beef and Singapore-style noodles. Mussels, striped bass, Dungeness crab and a whole Maine lobster are also offered for seafood fans. Veg-etarians can opt for tofu and vegetable dishes.

Casino patrons can dine in the restaurant Mon-days – Thursdays from 5-11 p.m.; Fridays and Sat-urdays from 11 a.m. – midnight; and Sundays from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Escalade giveawayWhile gaming, or eating, at The Isle be sure to en-

ter to win one of two 2011 Cadillac Escalades – con-sidered the standard by which all other luxury SUVs are measured – which will be given away on Sept. 4 and 5. Casino patrons can receive one free entry daily and earn additional entries Fridays through

Sundays and Sept. 5 for each set of 25 unadjusted points earned. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 10 p.m., and will get to drive away with a brand new Escalade, currently valued at more than $63,000. Another winner gets to do the same on Monday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m.

$50,000 Balance for BucksBeginning Sept. 9, The Isle patrons can play the

$50,000 Balance for Bucks game on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 – 10 p.m. Players who can bal-ance the scale correctly will win up to $1,000. One free entry is available daily while additional entries are earned for every 10 unadjusted points earned on Fridays and Saturdays.

Rollin’ for Riches Yet another September promotion, Rollin’ for

Riches, will be held at The Isle Tuesdays, Wednes-days and Thursdays from 4 – 9 p.m. beginning Sept. 6. Patrons who “roll a winning combination” can win up to $500.

Visit IsleOne or guest services inside the casino for complete details on any of these, and other, special promotions or offers at The Isle.

New restaurant, promotions await patrons to The Isle

Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith

Two lucky winners will go home in a new Cadillac Escalade SUV, Sept. 4 and 5.

Orchid Garden restaurant is located in the skywalk between The Isle and Lady Luck Casino.

Casino Hotel leave happy and, most importantly, return. “The players that play here, come back here,” Dodd explained.

Although the room is still working to get the word out to at-tract players in a well-established market, the word is getting out. “It was slow at first,” Dodd ad-mitted, but says the casino is now ready to take the next step in at-tracting players. Part of the plan to draw attention, was landing the World Poker Tour, which is coming to Colorado, and The Isle, for the first time.

World Poker TourThe World Poker Tour – one

of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in tournaments, tele-vision, online and mobile – is holding a regional tournament in Colorado for the first time this Oc-tober. The tournament will be at The Isle Casino Hotel as the final three-day event of the WPT Colo-rado Deep Stacks series that runs from Oct. 5-16. The casino will

host up to 200 players at a time leading up to the finals when 400 players will be on the casino floor.

Satellites games begin in the poker room, Sept. 1, with two types of single-table satellites of-fered daily all month and multi-table satellites on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays through Oct. 4.

While the new focus on adding poker to the facility’s gaming mix helped draw the event to town, The Isle’s poker room will remain open for normal poker play dur-ing the tournament. Many times, players that don’t buy-in to the tournament do not have an oppor-tunity to play. No so at The Isle. Slot machines will be removed from space on the lower level of the casino to allow for 20 more poker tables during the event.

With the outstanding ame-nities and customer service; brand-new equipment; a friend-ly, responsive staff; great food and drink options; and an atmo-sphere focused on poker instead of slot machines, The Isle’s new poker room is sure to become a local favorite.

The Isle attracts international poker tournament

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE13

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

Golden Gates - 24/7 BJ, P, C, VP 280 No D free valet and covered self parking 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

Golden Gulch VP 140 No V free self/free valet 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

Golden Mardi Gras - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 680 No SD,SB,D free valet and covered self parking 303-582-5600/goldenmardigras.com

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

Lady Luck - 24/7 BJ, P,C, R, VP 500 164 SD,SB free covered valet and self parking 1-888-Lady-Luck/ladyluckblackhawk.com

Lodge - 24/7 BJ, C, R, P, VP 975 50 B, D, SD, SB free valet parking 303-582-1771/thelodgecasino.com

Red Dolly VP 149 No SD free self parking 303-582-1100/reddollycasino.net

Riviera - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 766 No B free valet and self parking 303-582-1000/rivierablackhawk.com

Wildcard VP 220 No D city lot 303-582-3412/thewildcardsaloon.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 520 26 SD,D free covered self parking 303-582-5050/cnty.com

Doc Holliday VP 178 No SD free city lot 303-582-1400/dochollidaycasino.net

Dostal Alley - 24/7 VP 64 No SD free self parking 303-582-1610/dostalalley.net

Easy Street VP 205 No SD free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Famous Bonanza BJ, P, R, VP 244 No SD , D free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Fortune Valley - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 665 118 SD free valet and self parking 1-800-924-6646/fortunevalleycasino.com

Johnny Z’s BJ, C, R, VP 219 No SD, D free covered parking 303-582-5623/johnnyzscasino.com

The Brass Ass - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 250 No SD free covered self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasino.com

Bronco & Buffalo Billy’s - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 750 23 SD free self parking 877-989-2142/broncobillyscasino.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 437 21 SD free self parking 719-689-0333/cnty.com/casinos/cripplecreek

Colorado Grande - 24/7 BJ, R, VP 211 5 SD, SB free self parking 877-244-9469/coloradogrande.com

Double Eagle & Gold Creek - 24/7 BJ, P ,C, R, VP 700+ 158 SD, SB free valet and covered self parking 800-711-7234/decasino.com

Johnny Nolon’s - 24/7 VP 255 No SD free self parking w/validation 719-689-2080/johnnynolons.com

J.P. McGill’s - 24/7 Fri/Sat VP 300 40 SD validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Midnight Rose - 24/7 P, VP 400 19 SD, B validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Wildwood Casino- 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP, TH 530 68 SD, D Climate controlled self parking 877-945-3963/playwildwood.com

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

PAGE14 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August23-September12,2011

Gaming

Whenever I’m asked for advice from recreational gamblers about the best casino table game to play, it’s difficult not to put blackjack at the top of the list. Simple basic strategy keeps the house advantage attrac-tive (1.5 percent or lower) plus there’s the added advantage of the game’s unique skill (card tracking) factor.

However, when the question is: “Which is the best and the most fun?” my vote al-ways goes to craps as the hands-down win-ner.

Craps was the first community gaming experience and has always afforded astute players “time on device” whereas slot ma-chine manufacturers were slow to empha-size those trends in new product develop-ment.

The game is the ultimate interactive gambling opportunity. The players them-selves have the power to create the synergy that comes with a “hot roll,” oftentimes making a craps table the sensory focal point of the casino floor.

The dealers may very well run a craps game, but it’s the players who are in con-trol. Each wagering decision rests literally in the palm of the shooter’s hand. In fact, it’s only the fleeting seconds between when the dice are sent flying to when they come to rest on the layout that the players aren’t in charge.

Craps cannot be compared to blackjack on a skill level as it applies to playing deci-sions, however the game more than makes

up for its deficiencies in that department with its myriad of wagering options and the knowledge required to take best advan-tage of the freedom and flexibility of play.

One of the biggest advantages of the game is the fact you can play at your own pace. You can feel comfortable not having money at risk on every roll, unlike black-jack where if you sit out a hand you always draw attention from the other players.

The rules of the game permit you to in-crease or decrease your wagers at any time, even take them down entirely if you so de-sire. There’s even the option of calling your bets off for a roll or two. It’s strictly up to the player.

Deriving the best value from your craps-playing experience is simply a matter of avoiding the game’s bad bets, such as many of the gimmicky one-roll propositions, and concentrating instead on what are the very best bets you’ll find in any casino, such as betting on the Pass Line and exercising an option known as “taking the odds.”

You bet the Pass Line at the start of a new roll. A 7 or 11 is a natural winner and you’re paid even money. Craps (2, 3 or 12) is a loser. Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) establishes the point which the shooter must roll again before a 7 in order for the dice to “pass” and for you to collect even money on your bet.

When you take odds you place a supple-mental wager behind your Pass Line bet in varying multiples depending on the house rules. This is THE very best bet you can make in a casino, the only one that has no house advantage. You’re paid at true odds (2 to 1 on the 4 and 10; 3 to 2 on the 5 and 9; 6 to 5 on the 6 and 8).

A Pass Line bet combined with odds keeps the house edge miniscule. When you take double odds the edge is just 0.6 percent. Five-times odds brings it down to 0.3 percent, and at casinos which offer 100-times odds, you’re playing the house almost dead even at 0.02 percent.

Observations from the World Series of Poker – Part IIIThe tourna-

ment started with a re-match of two of the most excit-ing and many would say, the most influen-tial heads up matches in Main Event history. Many credit the start of the poker

boom with these two matches.The first grudge rematch was between

Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan recre-

ating their early 1980’s final table duel that saw Chan lose to Hellmuth in his bid for three main event titles in a row and Hellmuth showing that youth would soon take over the poker world.

In this rematch it felt to me that Chan played the better cards, but all of sud-den Helmuth had Chan all-in and down to two outs on the river (roughly a 20-1 dog). But in this match Chan was not to be denied. He hit one of his two outs and never looked back.

In the second Grudge Rematch it was Sammy Farha trying to turn the tables on Chris Moneymaker. But Chris beat Sammy in the best of three and the 2011 tournament was off and running.

I went to the local Pokertori-um the oth-er day to try my hand at one of the daily tour-n a m e n t s . Where I go has four

each day with varying buy-in amounts, chip stacks and round durations. I decided on a noon tournament costing all of $60 to enter; $5 more for dealer appreciation – something I am completely in favor of – got me another 2,000 chips for a beginning stack of 5,000. Twenty-minute rounds were OK for stacks that size and expected duration of the tourney was maybe 4 hours with four tables in the event.

The event was not quite sold out at 40 players (10 per table) and it quickly be-came evident any pre-game strategy I had devised (and I do think about that prior to any tourney) was going the way of the Doo-Doo. That means it quickly became extinct. Dead. Non-viable. Wasn’t working. There was/is a ‘Rule of Combat’ that states, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Well, that’s what happened.

Before the second round ended I was down to a very short stack. I had been beaten down by gut-shot draws getting there, open-ended draws coming in, flush draws receiving a miracle card and so forth. Frankly, I was expecting a meteor through the roof at any second to put me out of my misery. I was down to four big blinds remaining after the last beat and saw the blinds homing in on me. When I looked down at two red Queens my only move was, of course, the all-in. I got one caller and at the dealer’s command we turned our cards face up. He had pocket Jacks and for the briefest of moments I thought I had a chance of survival. A Jack right out of the chute ended my participatory opportuni-ties in that tournament.

So I had to ask myself: Whatcha Gon-na Do? There were no live games avail-able as everyone was in the tournament. The next tournament was a little over two hours away. I could wander up the street checking on live games somewhere else or

(desperation time) I could head home and finish up some chores. Or…I could buy an open stack and re-enter the tournament. Well, it’s only $60 plus $5 and the stack I’d get would be down only a few blinds. So I re-bought into the tournament and fortu-nately got a seat at a different table.

It was like night and day; I tightened up when I had to and avoided traps and get-ting slammed by better hands. I loosened up when appropriate and picked up blinds and dead money. By the time of the first break – after four rounds – I had double the original starting stack. In essence, I had all the chips I would have had after two full buy-ins. Things were looking up, and it wasn’t for any loose interstellar space rock arriving at my locale anytime soon. (Whew! I was sweating that one out.)

For the rest of the tournament, the planned strategy I had developed for this tournament turned – amazingly – into ac-tuality. I was able to connect on a number of draws when my opponents disbelieved I held what my betting represented. I was able to play strong hands properly and even had Pocket Aces hold up after I slow-played them before the flop (By the way, don’t ever do this. I just happened to be in the absolutely right position and had good reads on my opponents. Normally, it’s best to protect Pocket Rockets like they were your first-born child). I was even able to make a player lay down a better hand by a well-timed check-raise.

We all agreed to a save for the Bubble, who busted out a few hands later. The fourth-place finisher went out a few hands after that. The remaining three looked at each other: Two of us were nearly equal in chip stacks and the chip leader had 30,000 more than our average. A deal was agreed upon and for a total of $130 for my two buy-ins I netted $550 minus the save for the Bubble. Not too bad for four hours work. We also toked the dealers for their work, something I advise every tournament cash-er to be generous about, for those people indeed work hard for their money and de-serve every dollar we give them.

I figure I did well in correctly answering the question “Whatcha Gonna Do? after the first bust-out. I only wish all answers to that question turn out as successfully as that.

Thinking About Poker: Whatcha gonna do?

FULLHOUSEBy Drew Chitiea

Virtues of craps often overlooked

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 15

Gaming

An Atlantic City blackjack buff won $4 million from Caesars, $5 million from Bor-gata, and $6 million from Tropicana – all in about six months. His net was less, about $12 million, owing to $3 million in losing ven-tures along the way.

The player told the Press of Atlantic City that all three of the casinos courted his action by agreeing to return up to 20 percent of anything he lost on a visit. (They’re no longer mak-ing this offer!) Since the bosses are proficient at spotting card counters, it’s fair to assume they wouldn’t have wooed his business in this manner or let him bet up to $100,000 per hand if they thought he was one of them. So presumably this person pretty much followed Basic Strategy.

The promise of 20 percent re-bate on losses undoubtedly mod-erated his setbacks on the losing forays. But, this type of deal has broader implications and helps winning gamblers, too.

Pretend a casino says it’ll refund 20 percent of the loss on your first wager. Say your game is double-zero roulette and you bet $100 on a 12-number column. Your chances are nor-mally 12 out of 38 to pick up $200 and 26 out of 38 to drop $100. The edge has a dollar value of $200x(12/38)

- $100x(26/38); this equals -$200/38 or -$5.26, the mi-nus sign showing that the house has the advantage. The discount doesn’t affect the probabilities but puts you up to collect the $200 against a possible setback of just $80. The monetary equivalent of edge for the one spin becomes $200x(12/38) - $80x(26/38); this equals +$320/38 or +$8.42. The advantage is not only with you, it’s 1.6 times greater than the amount the casino normally has over rou-lette aficionados.

Suppose, as is actually how this incentive works, you’re to get back 20 percent of any net shortfall – as opposed to each round-by-round

loss – over multiple spins. Effec-tive edge starts at +8.42 percent in your favor and gradually shifts to-ward the house as you continue to play. This, because your rebate isn’t based on the sum of your round-by-round losses, but on the net of your losses minus your wins. For column bets at double zero rou-lette, the casino regains the edge after five spins. The house advan-tage increases as the number of coups rises beyond five and gradu-ally approaches 0.8 x -0.526 or -4.21 percent, which is 80 percent of the nominal value.

Imagine, instead of $100 on a column, you bet the money on a single spot. Your chances are normally one out of 38 to win $3,500 and 37 out of 38 to lose $100. The dollar value of the edge is $3,500x(1/38) - $100x(37/38), which again equals -$200/38 or -$5.26 for the house. With 20 percent forgiven on a loss, the formula becomes $3,500x(1/38) - $80x(37/38) which gives you a whopping +$14.21 dollar equiva-lent per spin. If you keep going, the house doesn’t regain the edge on the gross wager until the 99th spin,

after which it again begins to ap-proach -4.21 percent.

The player who won the $12 million in Atlantic City with the guaranteed 20 percent rebate on net losses had even sweeter situ-ation because of the characteris-tics of blackjack. Standard rules in the establishments in question confront high limit bettors with a nominal house advantage as low as the range between -0.35 and -0.40 percent. The precise figure varies with options such as availability of late surrender, number of hands to which pairs can be resplit, ability to resplit aces, and how closely play-ers adhere to the nuances of com-position-dependent Basic Strategy.

At -0.35 percent nominal edge, the player would start with an edge of +9.68 percent and stay the fa-vorite for about 650 decisions; thereafter, advantage would flip to the house and creep up toward 0.8 x -0.35 or -0.28 percent. At the -0.40 percent level, the bettor would be in the catbird seat for close to 500 hands, starting with an edge of +9.64 percent; beyond this, the casino would have an edge that slowly approached 0.8 x -0.40 or

-0.32 percent. A joint might be willing to risk

losing big bucks to high rollers, and this can happen – give-back on losses or not. But gaming execu-tives who’ve done their homework – or know enough to hire some-one who has – add constraints so solid citizens don’t have an edge. It doesn’t make sense for casinos to pursue heavy action the laws of math predict will be stacked against them.

Properly conceived rebate-on-loss programs therefore have strings attached requiring bettors to participate in at least a stated minimum number of coups to qualify for the refund. The number depends on the edge and volatil-ity of the games in question and on the fraction of the net losses to be rebated. And that minimum is, or should be, well above the point where edge flips from the player to the house. It’s as the punter’s poet-izing pundit, Sumner A Ingmark, pronounced:

Sometimes lucky guesses un-derlie successes,

Oft, though, it’s laborious to emerge victorious.

I get an interesting question at most of my seminars which is:

What do you do if there’s a bad player at the table? Don’t they louse up the card action?

The first part of my answer goes like this:

I have to laugh. Because, to me, at my level, I perceive most players to be bad players. (Even the ones ask-ing the questions, I’ll find, are in that category.)

So, first: It’s a matter of per-spective. If I left every table where I found players who were mak-ing bad moves, who were clearly not analyzing the cards properly, I wouldn’t have many tables left at

which I could play.What am I talking about? Every

day I see players who:• Split Aces every time they get

them, even when low cards are over-due and likely to fall upon each split Ace in situations where the dealer is likely to achieve a score and not bust.

• Split 8s every time, even when it’s in a vastly losing situation and this assures that they will now lose two or more times their initial in-vestment (few players seem to re-alize that splitting 8s is a big-time losing move, for instance, versus the dealer’s 9, 10 and Ace)

• Raise their bets into losing situ-ations, while getting bad hand after bad hand (indicating either a bad re-peating pattern or bad cards) as the dealer beats most if not all the play-ers round after round (which should set off a red flag) - often with the comment that, “I think my luck is about to change” (not realizing that luck has little to do with it)

• Hit bustable hands when the dealer is highly likely to bust (not

knowing how to analyze the cards) - and I’m not talking about the faulty basic strategy idea that the dealer’s low up cards are likely to bust (be-cause, over time, none of them busts more than a maximum 43 percent of the time - meaning the dealer has an overall 3:2 likelihood of scoring against them)

• Have no clue as to how to bet (this is a recipe for disaster)

• Are following the dictates of the highly faulty and ineffective (losing) basic strategy method, not realizing that it’s a proven loser - especially against multi-deck games

• Are playing according to 1963’s Hi-Lo card counting method, not realizing how large an investment that requires if you want to profit even a little from it (the MIT teams of the early 1990s figured it’d take $150,000 per session to make it work, with the assumption that it gave them only a 2 percent edge - that minimum amount would now be $260,720.46 according to the dollartimes.com inflation calculator)

• Are giving themselves away as card counters (are you wearing a baseball hat, glum, talking to no one and intensely looking at all the cards as they’re dealt? - bingo), not real-izing this increases their chances of being targeted for countermeasures or being barred

...And so on. The second part of my answer,

though, comes to this:If a player annoys me for any

reason (and it takes a lot to do that), I’ll leave the table. If someone is dis-turbing your concentration or mak-ing you angry, you have no choice but to find a different table. You’ll be unable to think properly and you’ll make costly mistakes.

The other major problem play-ers might pose is if I’m at a pitch game table (single or double deck) where the cards are placed face-down when standing (that is, most of these games) and there’s a player making absolutely irrational moves. Stupid players who are un-predictable will louse up my abil-

ity to predict what their facedown cards are. And if I can’t tell what cards are on the table (using my methods to identify the facedown cards), I lose some of my edge on the house. That will cause me to get up and leave a table.

But there are very few totally ir-rational players - especially at higher stakes tables.

So overall answer: I don’t find the need to leave the table very of-ten due to bad players. And unless you’re using my methods to identify the facedown cards at pitch games where players must place their first two cards facedown on the table when standing, you shouldn’t worry too much (unless, as I say, you’re getting angry, which is clouding your mind).

If bad players loused up the cards, most every blackjack table would have loused up cards.

Have blackjack questions? Send them to rharvey2121@netscape.net. For more info see www.black jacktoday.com

A rebate on losses gives players the edge ... up to a point

Do bad players louse up a table?

By Richard Harvey

Visit us online:www.coloradogambler.com

and follow us on Twitter :COGamblerGambler

vorite. All that was mixed in with western activities. We attended the rodeo, took riding lessons, and had our own in camp rodeo, or gymkhana. Of course west-ern saddles were the norm, but I spied one English saddle in the tack room. Turning my New England nose right up in the air, I insisted that it was mine. That was fine until we went on a pack trip for several days. I quickly learned the value of a more com-fortable saddle. After the pack trip, they took us to the local hot springs to unkink. I must have been the kinkiest one of all and was very grateful for the sooth-ing hot waters.

The end of the summer I joined my family at our new home in Denver. Much later I asked my mother how she had flown across the country with four young chil-dren, includ-ing an infant, with out any help. Her answer ... “Green syr-up.” I was afraid to ask more. I think that I had a better deal eating hot dogs.

Summers at Perry Mansfield Camp continued for several years and enriched my life in several ways. The highlight of my experience there was playing the role of Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The play is set on an island, and the large multi-level terrace outside the camp’s main lodge became that island. As the sprite Ariel, I would leap from lev-el to level as I encountered various characters. I remember shedding tears of joy when the play was suc-

cessfully completed. Ever since, there has been a theatrical bent to my nature.

The other very special result of my time at Perry Mansfield was my friendship with another camper. She lived on a ranch near Carbondale that had a beautiful view of Mt. Sopris. I was invited to stay at the ranch for several weeks each summer until I was about 13 years old. Those visits sold me on a Colorado way of life.

Being young, we were given only minimal chores to do, and I experienced a wonderful kind of freedom that I had not known be-fore. How great it was to go horse-back riding ... not in an arena or corral and not on a trail ride look-ing at the rear of the horse in front of you. Sometimes we brought

picnics on our rides, or we had a breakfast cookout, wrap-ping our eggs in newspaper to protect them. Once I scram-bled my eggs in the lid to the orange juice thermos. While waiting for my turn to use the skillet, I got thirsty and took a swig of what

looked like orange juice. It was so bad that I haven’t forgotten it in all these years.

Another time we got wild and chased some of the cattle on horseback. We had fun, but got in trouble for that one.

An interesting place to visit in the vicinity was the old marble quarry across the Crystal River and a hike uphill from the crumbling town of Marble. Beautiful white

Yule marble was mined there, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is made of Yule marble. We would stand on the then unfenced edge looking down into the depths of the quarry with water at the bottom, a rickety wooden stairway hanging there, barely attached. Our knees would turn to Jello.

Another beautiful spot was part of their ranch that was at Snowmass. It is hardly recogniz-able now that the area has become a large ski resort. It was a privilege to know it in its earlier pristine beauty.

At 13, my friend talked of growing up to become a nurse in the city and marrying a doctor. I dreamed of growing up and mar-rying a rancher (preferably my friend’s older brother). Today, she and her husband are ranchers, and I live in the city married to an investment advisor, and writing, studying history, and dreaming about the West.

I love my life in Colorado. To me it is “the center of the uni-verse.”

PAGE 16 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August 23 - September 12, 2011

By Anna Lee Ames Frohlich, Researcher, Western Historian, Writer, Presenter / Speaker

I n 1952 I considered myself a pioneer, the first in my imme-diate family to move West. It

was much later that I would learn that I was by no means the first in my family to “go West.” My fam-ily, though few actually lived here in the 1800s, had a lasting influ-ence on the history of the West.

The rest of my family would be following, but I was being sent ahead to go to Perry Mansfield Camp in Steamboat Springs. My father picked me up at my grandparents’ summer home in Massachusetts and drove me into Boston where I was able to get a view of my newborn broth-er as mother held him up to the hospital window.

Dad then drove me to Grand Central Station in New York to board a train to the Wild West. He gave all my money for the summer to the representative of the camp assuming that she would be chap-eroning on the same train. She was not. That was how, at 8 years old, I traveled west without a dime in my pocket. The kind porters took care of me, keeping me fed with hot dogs and Coke.

Perry Mansfield was a won-derful camp with much variety in their program. They had a liberal dose of the arts: music, dance, visual arts and theatre, my fa-

WESTERN FOOTPRINTSBy Anna Lee Ames Frohlich

My family’s stories lurked in the recesses of my con-sciousness until I became friends with Sam Arnold, creator and proprietor of The Fort Restaurant in Morrison. Sam, the great raconteur, and I used to sit and tell each other stories from our pasts and the histories of our fami-lies.

He said to me, “You have to tell these stories.”

In my first column I shared a story that my grandmother wrote about growing up in Wyoming and her trips in the Union Pacific Railroad. This week I will tell about my own experiences moving to the West as a child.

Next I will tell WHY our family moved west. After that I will take my readers back to 1804 when the first of my an-cestors began moving west-ward. I am fortunate to have many western family stories to tell.

My thanks go to my moth-er, Betty Allen, an avid ge-nealogist whose work forms the backbone of my research (and fills a 9 X 9 room in our basement).

A Westerner now and forever

In 1955 Snowmass, was part of the

cattle ranch. A Westerner

Anna Lee at Perry Mansfield camp, Steamboat Springs, in 1952

This horse at the Trading Post on Lookout Mountain had many rid-ers, along with Anna Lee c. 1955.

The quarry for Yule marble above Marble, c. 1955.

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE17

Trail’s End

In the very year Colorado be-came a state,

1876, a new rush to the Rocky Moun-tains was on. Sil-ver! The entire area swarmed almost overnight with miners in a frenzy to strike it rich. Before the year was out, $100,000 worth of silver came out of the first developed mine in California Gulch, and a new town was incorporated closer to the major mining claims. They called it Leadville.

Since 1859, Colorado’s first gold rush, a tried and true ‘59er, Horace A.W. Tabor, had been prospecting for gold riches up and down the northern Colorado Rocky Moun-tains. Now, after 16 years of prospecting and living on a dream, Tabor found his spirits lifting with this new discovery. He immediately moved his wife Augusta and infant son to Leadville. There, he set up a new store for Augusta to run, and became postmaster, which allowed time for back-slapping with businessmen, and a new venture – politics. Tabor became the first mayor of Leadville on Jan. 26, 1878.

Instead of prospecting for himself, Tabor occasionally “grubstaked” miners. The ar-rangement being that Tabor would agree to

supply the miner with the equipment and needed supplies, in return for one-third of any silver dis-covery. In May 1878, two miners looking for a grub-stake, walked into Tabor’s store and he obliged. For nearly 30 days, August Rische and George Hook dug in the hills above Leadville when they struck a massive lode of silver. They immediately filed the claim, with Tabor’s name included and called it the “The Little Pittsburg.”

In April 1878, Tabor received one third of the

richest silver strike to date in the state. The riches poured from the mine and soon Tabor bought out Rische and Hook for a song. With overnight riches, Tabor couldn’t spend mon-ey fast enough. He bought up mining stakes all over the gulch, and all turned profits, mak-ing Tabor the richest man in Colorado. Min-ers and investors came to Leadville and soon, more and more mines became incredible suc-cesses, including Tabor’s legendary Match-less Mine. By the 1880s, Leadville literally was shining in silver.

Among those who arrived in Leadville to make their fortune were the Callaway broth-ers. Successful Denver merchants, John, George and William, all agreed Leadville was the place to be. The three brothers estab-lished a mercantile business on Harrison Av-enue. In 1884, the Callaway brothers bought the corner lot of 7th Street and Harrison Av-enue, the intention being to build Leadville’s finest hotel. They christened it the Delaware Hotel in honor of their home state.

The preeminent architect of Leadville, George E. King, was hired in late 1885 to de-sign the Delaware Hotel. King had designed and built most of Leadville’s finest buildings, including the 1880 Leadville Court House, the post office building, both the Central High School and the 9th Street School, as well as the 1885 Tabor Grand Hotel at 700 Harrison Ave. King built his (and Leadville’s) Victorian crown jewel, the Delaware, directly across the street, at 701 Harrison Ave.

Completed in October 1886, at a cost of $80,000, the three-story hotel was elegance personified. The angled corner recessed en-trance lent to the ornate French style which King favored throughout his career. The central tower extends the three stories with fanciful segmented-arched windows. The cornice is crowned by the mansard roof, sectioned with sheet metal and ornamental ironwork topping the engraved nameplate. The red brick building in the Queen-Anne style contained offices and businesses on the ground floor, on both the Harrison and 7th Street sides. The top two stories contained 50 guest rooms graced by the beautiful 6-foot windows. Inside, steam heat kept the guests warm, while gaslights brightened ev-ery room. Each room had all the amenities of the day, and a few even had water closets. In general, six bathrooms, three on each floor, were available for the guests. The Delaware opened in October 1886 to rave reviews.

The Herald Democrat reported on April 19, 1897, “A noticeable improvement has taken place in the character of Leadville in the past year. During the year just ended the Delaware block has been added to the busi-ness portion of community, and it is by all odds the finest block in the city.”

The Victorian charm of Leadville’s mining days is evident in every room of the Delaware Hotel. From the elegant lobby to the Calla-way Restaurant, and from the stairway to the guest rooms above, staying at the Delaware is like going back in time. One of the more popular events is the Murder Mystery. The

tour guide relates the story of a horrific mur-der, with a twist, that occurred at the hotel in 1889.

John and Mary Coffey and their two young children, moved to Leadville from Idaho just a year earlier. John Coffey soon gained a reputation for his drunken brawls about town and the couple was often seen quarrel-ing in public. Coffey had his wife arrested for adultery, but later dropped the charge. Then, Mrs. Coffey had her husband arrested for as-sault. Police officer John Morgan served the warrant on Coffey, who responded by shoot-ing the officer twice. Coffey was immediately arrested, and Mrs. Coffey took a room with her children at the Delaware Hotel. On Nov. 4, 1889, Mary Coffey entered her room at the hotel to find her estranged husband waiting with the same loaded gun he had used on the police officer. With words to the effect he had been waiting to do this, he shot his wife in the back – twice. The Leadville Police managed to grab Coffey before he got out of the hotel. Paralyzed with two bullets in her spine, Mary Coffey died three days later. Her spirit roams the hotel to this day, although guests and staff report she is only seen from the waist up.

Another often told story is that of the leg-endary Baby Doe Tabor, a somewhat tragic figure. Living alone and in seclusion at the famed Matchless Mine above Leadville, Baby Doe would occasionally walk to town with her feet wrapped in gunnysacks for warmth. She would often visit the hotel, and seat herself at the desk in Mr. Callaway’s office where she would write her letters.

The legendary stories and history of the famed Leadville hotel are being celebrated during the 125th anniversary of the Delaware Hotel through September. Victorian elegance is experienced with the afternoon teas, story-telling, tours and entertainment.

A special Molly Brown weekend, begin-ning Sept. 2, features the history and stories of this famed Colorado legend’s life in Lead-ville, topped with an appearance of her de-scendent, Maggie Brown.

For more information, contact the Dela-ware Hotel at 719-486-1418 or visit www.delawarehotel.com.

The hotel history is an excerpt of Linda Wommack’s new book, Colorado’s Historic Landmark Hotels.

By Linda Wommacklwomm3258@aol.com

Historic hotel celebrating 125 years through September

Baby Doe Tabor often walked to the Dela-ware Hotel with her feet wrapped in burlap.

Photo courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

Photo by Linda Jones

The Victorian Delaware Hotel today.Photo by Linda Jones

PAGE18 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years August23-September12,2011

 VIRGO - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 23)Your charm is magnetic to those around you, and your self-confidence is strong and sexy. Someone is working behind the scenes to get things rolling for you on the work front. Thoughts and desires of time on the beach and sand give you a feeling of peace. Organizing your finances help keep your bank account stable. Lucky Numbers: 1, 3, 10, 20, 21, 32

LIBRA - (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)Someone from the past may surface to stir things up. It doesn’t have to get complicated. They may have needed to complete the relationship within themselves by just connecting with you in some way. Workload remains a challenge, but if you are looking for work, something is about to surface. New shoes would set the stage. vLucky Numbers: 14, 15, 31, 34, 35, 49

SCORPIO - (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)Feelings about the past may resurface and stir up your head and heart. If you can’t seem to get a song out of your head, try listening to something else; use positive affirmations to replace worn out and useless patterns in your life. Meeting someone new could happen while attending a social gathering. Someone’s eyes are upon you. Lucky Numbers: 2, 6, 19, 28, 33, 41 SAGITTARIUS - (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)Social and family gatherings are highlighted over the next couple weeks. Even though finances continue to be a challenge, you can focus on cost effective entertaining. Love can find its way in the work area. You’re shinning and full of light when on stage. Future goals require you to take a different look; shift your focus. Lucky Numbers: 20, 23, 27, 32, 37, 70

CAPRICORN - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)If you are being too hard on yourself, lighten up. Life is fun and exciting and the world is charged while you are here. Your partner or business associate is walking the path of the warrior. Look at things logically and rationally. Keep your energy focused on the creativity and laughter in life around you. Lucky Numbers: 1, 6, 11, 16, 19, 20

AQUARIUS - (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)The veil is lifting. Situations are becoming clearer and clearer. A major and on going drama is ready to end. You will have reason to celebrate. Automobiles may be a real pain for you. You just may need to trade it in on a newer model. Love and romance is plentiful. All eyes are on you when you walk into a room. Enjoy your life right now. Lucky Numbers: 12, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 PISCES (Feb 20 - March 20)You may seek and need comfort from the demands of the outside world, and a pleasant relaxing time at home is probably the best way to accomplish this. You are learning a lot about yourself through intimate one-on-one encounters with others. You will benefit from working or interacting with others now. Avoid going it alone. Lucky Numbers: 2, 11, 24, 25, 36, 38

ARIES - (March 21 - April 20)You may need to make a few changes concerning home and friends in order to tweak your life the way you want it to be. Financial success occurs when you free yourself from the limitations you may have placed upon yourself. You will have a number of creative financial opportunities that come up this year. Pay attention. Lucky Numbers: 4, 7, 20, 47, 51, 54 

TAURUS - (April 21 - May 21)An opportunity for financial growth can come about from something you’ve done in the past, or an old associate approaches you for your expertise. The older you get the wiser you become, the more you have to share with humanity. Personal expansion of the self is peaking, but one must watch there waist line as well. Lucky Numbers: 1, 2, 7, 17, 18, 20, 37

GEMINI - (May 22 - June 21)You could be a little sensitive over the next week. Past emotional feelings resurface and it is important not to project them on those around you. You will get through this, as you always do. You are charged with energy to re-do something in your home. Consider different color schemes and ideas to keep it under cost control. Lucky Numbers: 2, 6, 9, 16, 18, 29

CANCER - (June 22 - July 22)You really need space this week. Seek out a quiet spot within your home or a mountain top to contemplate life and the feelings that have risen. All is good in the world and you are the one that can bring happiness to many others. A time will come soon when you can stop worrying about the material and move to the spiritual.  Lucky Numbers: 22, 25, 26, 29, 52, 59 LEO - (July 23 – Aug 22)You are invited to meet and mingle with new groups of like mind. You have an arena in which you can share your gifts. Laughter is around you and life is good. Your energy may still be low for a short time. By Sept you are roaring once again like the true Lion you are. Avoid foot in mouth syndrome. You are pretty vocal right now. Lucky Numbers: 2, 5, 22, 23, 25, 28

Horoscope

Contact Mary Nightstar at marynightstar@yahoo.com and type “horoscope” in the subject line.

Rollin’ Doughin the

Klaus Krebs has been the executive chef at The Isle Casino Black Hawk for the past five years. Originally from

Austria, he worked for one of Europe’s finest hotels, The Arlberg Hospiz, for three years. He held various cooking jobs around Europe, including one on a cruise ship before landing a job as a cook at a small restaurant on Rehoboth Beach, Del. Chef Klaus had also worked at The Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island and The Wildflower Restaurant at The Lodge in Vail before  opening his own small restaurant in Florida. He has also worked as the banquet chef at The Soaring Eagle Hotel and Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minn., where he fed crowds of up to 5,000 people.

Klaus credits his education in Europe for teaching him the fundamentals of cooking, but feels he has been exposed

to a larger variety of cuisines and more exotic ingredients in the United States.

“It was while on a trip to Washington, D.C., when I had sushi for the first time,” Klaus said, “and I was given my first tamale from a friend while working in Vail.”

Klaus enjoys preparing many different cuisines but his favorite is Asian, especially Thai and Vietnamese.

“But if I could eat only one for the rest of my life it would be Italian,” he said.

Klaus likes to partner with local businesses and use local produce, sourcing ingredients that are Colorado Proud whenever possible.

Chef Klaus is an active member of the American Culinary Federation Colorado Chefs Association and has participated in many of their events around Denver. He is looking forward to co-hosting the annual Colorado

Cattle Crawl, an event to be held  in Black Hawk on Thursday, Oct. 6.

During his free time he enjoys skiing with his wife in Summit County, trying to golf, and checking out new restaurants and food trends.

Klaus Krebs ExEcutivE chEf

islE casino Black hawk

Kaiserschmarm 

250 ml organic milk (8.5 oz.)4-5 eggs150 g all-purpose flour (5.3 oz.)4 tbsp. granulated sugar

Pinch of salt1 oz. raisins (or more if you really like them)4 oz. butter (1 stick)Powdered sugar - optional

Send us your recipes!To be featured in Rollin’ in the Dough: Send us a recipe, your name, a little about yourself, why you chose that recipe, a little about your cooking style, and of course your phone number in case we have questions. Email gambler@villagerpublishing.com or mail to 8933 E Union Ave., Suite 230, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Questions? Call Sharon at 303-503-1388.

Make the batter: Combine flour, 2 tbsp. sugar and salt and incorporate into the milk until it becomes a light batter. Reserve 2 tbsp. of sugar for later. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and carefully fold (don’t whip) it into the batter. Cooking procedures: In a 12 inch non-stick sauté pan, on medium heat, melt 2 oz. of butter and sauté raisins until they swell up and the butter is lightly browned. Add batter and cook until the sides are getting lightly brown. Using a heat resistant spatula, flip the “Schmarrn” and cook on the other side until done. Don’t worry about breaking it while turning; the “Schmarrn” will be cut into pieces anyways. Once dessert is cooked all the way, cut it into 1-inch pieces with two metal spatulas. At this point, add another 2 oz. of butter and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp. of sugar set aside and caramelize lightly. Place on a plate, add some powder sugar to the top if you wish and serve with your favorite fruit sauce or preserve. Chef’s hint: For additional flavor, soak raisins in your favorite rum for at least two hours.

Translates to “Emperor’s Mishmash” – a traditional Austrian dessertPreparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 8 minutes • Do not: Count Calories

August 23 - September 12, 2011 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE19

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401 Main Street, PO Box 777 • Black Hawk, CO 80422 1-800-THE-ISLE • www.theisleblackhawk.com© 2011 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. WPT, World Poker Tour and Card Designs are trademarks of WPT Enterprises, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Must be 21. Management reserves all rights. For complete details, please visit the poker podium.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. www.theisleblackhawk.com

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