MARK SLOTKIN
The Art of Invention Y
What do you do when you can’t find the games you want for your casino? Simple: invent them yourself! Matt Broughton talks to casino owner turned inventor, Mark Slotkin.
ou could say with some certainty (and quite some understatement) that casino owner Mark Slotkin has been gambling for most of his life. He’s happy to admit he’s been a gambler since the age of ten,
Operator, inventor, Mark Slotkin
wagering on anything from sports betting to rain drops on the window. However, being a bright spark it didn’t take Slotkin long to realize that he might be on the wrong side of the felt: “I looked for an opportunity to get on the House’s side,” explains Mark. “I found a ship in Florida that needed some work but was fairly new, and I bought it. I remodeled it to what it is now with a smoking and non-smoking deck, a virtual sports book and full Las Vegas action, and called it Jacks or Better.” Mark had been a big poker fan since his five-card
draw days and enjoyed the challenge of playing against better players (“They always seem to read my hands!”) but as the casino ship was too small to run a poker room he looked to bring poker table games to the ship. “I’ve always loved poker, and because it’s so hot I wanted to have it on board. I knew my casino needed a stimulus and revisited all the carnival games available.”
VEGAS BABY Mark set off for a 48-hour crash course to find
poker games in Las Vegas, playing every game available that had a poker format regardless of how diluted they were from Texas Hold‘em. “I spent the
weekend casino hopping, deciding which game I wanted to bring to the ship,” explains Mark. “Perhaps it was the length of time I spent with each game, but I couldn’t believe how boring they were and how badly I wanted to change to the next game. They lacked the competitive spirit, and of course a bet after the river was never involved.” “Three-card poker is immensely successful because
the card values that are inherent in poker are not lost. It works because it’s simple with not a lot of options and the player just hoping for better cards than the dealer. The edge to the house is high and if optimal strategy is not played the take is very high. There’s nothing wrong with that, except players will soon wise up. It’s been around now for a good amount of time and perhaps its popularity is waning.” Even with the more complex poker table games
such as Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Bonus Texas Hold’em and World Poker Tour 3X Texas Hold’em, Mark still felt they all lacked the punch he was looking for – very specifically in that none offered the player a chance to bet the river. “In Ultimate Texas Hold’em both the turn and the river are simultaneously revealed; this is not poker!” exclaims Mark. “In WPT the house develops its edge with a Qualifier; the player must bet 3x his ante or fold. Bonus Texas Hold’em is the most interesting format to play but it’s trending down and isn’t available in many of the LV casinos. It
50 APRIL 2012
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