Casino Arizona – A Great Success Story

Casino Arizona, located at 92nd and McKellips, off Highway 101 in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the ultimate poker success story. Mark Preston, chief gaming officer, has an extensive background in poker, which was instrumental in his conceptualizing the future for the cardroom. Personalized marketing techniques and strategic planning paved the way for an active 50-table poker room.

The personal touch was continued when Kent Odekirk was hired as the poker room manager. Kent, an Iowa native, had an established background in the bar industry. The casino's "people-oriented" philosophy was successfully employed by Kent, resulting in a player-friendly environment.

Linda Alexander, a regular player, typifies the attitude among the poker players at Casino Arizona. When asked why she selected the room as her place to play, she responded by saying it's because of the great people, the selection and quality of games, the numerous jackpots and promotions, and its location. Sal Fortunato, originally from Brooklyn, New York, but now living in Arizona, cited almost identical reasons for playing at Casino Arizona. Sal's favorite game is stud, and he claims the availability of games at a variety of limits is very appealing. Supporting his claim is the fact that games are spread from $1-$4 all the way up to $75-$150 on a daily basis.

At this time, there is a plan to expand the room in the near future. Ongoing promotions include jackpots, sports pools, keno specials, table drawings, and jackpot bonus cards, all of which contribute to making the room very busy.

Odekirk is a natural in recognizing the value of poker in the gaming industry. Both he and Preston commented that poker players are the greatest of "cross gamblers," meaning that poker players are the most likely to venture into the racebook, or play video poker or other casino games. This is critical in today's era of player tracking by marketing personnel. In addition, Preston and Odekirk recognize the intangibles, like a companion or spouse playing casino games other than poker while the poker player is enjoying his game.

Currently, the casino hosts tournaments every other Saturday morning that feature $10,000 added prize money. They are limited to 300 players, and the first one was a sellout! For this first tournament, Odekirk announced that a $500 bounty would be placed on a visiting "celebrity," Rich Korbin. The number of players heard responding "Who?" was indicative of an owl convention. Local criminal defense attorney Bud Moore went on to claim $10,000 in first-place prize money, as well as a free round-trip Costa Rica poker vacation package.

Five miles north on Highway 101, at the Indian Bend exit, the casino's other location sports a five-table room that features promotions and free lessons.

Under the capable, friendly guidance of Kent Odekirk, the poker room at Casino Arizona enjoys the status of being one of the premier rooms in the country.