Poker, Mississippi Style

It was a great pleasure for me to be able to spend three days recently at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The third annual MARGE (Mississippi Autumn Rec. Gambling Excursion) was being held there and I was the featured speaker.

Never having attended an "ARGE" event, I expected to be speaking to a group of 25-year-old math nerds. Wrong. This group could have been the typical poker players from your average casino, except they were all on the high end of being pleasant, generous, and fun-loving. In other words, they were a perfect group of people to play poker with. It's no wonder Grand Casino keeps inviting them back annually.

Speaking of Grand Casino, its poker room could be the friendliest I have ever seen. In three days of playing there, I never saw one card thrown, or heard any abuse from any player or caustic remarks from any dealer. And there's a very good reason for that. Tony Collins, vice president of all three of Grand Casino's Mississippi poker rooms, runs the rooms as if they were private supper clubs. He makes it very clear how welcome everybody is, and that they are expected to behave in his rooms.

Hot dogs, donuts, celery and carrots, and hot and cold beverages are available for the taking 24 hours a day. Tony makes it very easy to spend lots of time in the poker room, and people come back again and again.

Tony, a genuinely affable gentleman, told me that he has never seen a troublemaker bring people into a poker room. That makes sense to me.

Of course, it is not at all surprising that Tony credits his staff for virtually everything. To a person, they are well-trained, well-mannered, and friendly.

In order to make the MARGErs feel even more welcome, the staff prepared a variety of hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail party that were more akin to a full-blown dinner affair.

Hopefully, I will be able to attend again next year.