Poker site adds touch of distinction to Turning Stone Casino

In today’s increasingly complex gaming marketplace, casino resorts are constantly looking for services and products so that you can set them apart within the eyes of the shopper. Turning Stone Resort Casino, a Verona, N.Y.-based four-season resort owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, has tapped its state-of-the-art poker site to perform this task.

A frequent host of CBS Sports’ “Poker Night in America,” Turning Stone is attracting celebrities and major players to its 37-table poker room, that's equipped with 12 big screen televisions, table-side food service and a educated and friendly staff. Some of the noteworthy recently pulling up a chair on the facility were Phil Hellmuth, a 13-time winner at the World Series of Poker tour, former major league baseball player Jose Conseco, Academy Award nominee Jennifer Tilly and film critic Richard Roeper.

But the influx of celebrities and professional players isn’t the one thing attracting customers and bringing them back for more. With a $250,000 jackpot at the line, growing by a couple of $1,000 each day, the poker site at Turning Stone—which is open 24 hours a day, ONE YEAR a year—is a haven for local college and amateur players, drawn not just to the massive jackpot but to the low buy-ins and $20 minimum bet tables. The poker site also offers a can-hit-any-second bad beat jackpot, that is awarded to the player with a hand that sometimes must have won, but lost to an unlikely stronger hand. Turning Stone encourages players to bring their house games to the resort to allow them to make the most of the bad beat option.

Catering to customers and numerous promotions that keep things interesting has resulted in the casino’s success. “Anytime you have a look at a customer support industry I BELIEVE the most productive measure of success is the feedback you get out of your players and the way often they arrive back,” said Jason Dibenedetto, director of poker for the casino. “For us it’s having good rapport with players, taking note of what they want, taking note of what they’re requesting and what they need, and seeking to deliver that to them. To me that’s what makes a successful room.”

Players aren’t just sticking to the poker site either. “We have just a little a mix,” Dibenedetto said. “There’s players with a view to are available here and should be looking forward to a seat to open, so that they will wander on out to the ground. A few of them wish to play the table games, some could also be craps players, they are a blackjack player, and others will venture out and play the slot machines. So we definitely do have a cross over.” 

Read More... [Source: Gaming Industry News]