A Family Reunion
by Lucy Kim
I had been told frequently by women poker players that if there’s one event I absolutely had to attend, it was Oceans Eleven’s California State Ladies Poker Championship (CSLPC). Now that I’ve participated in the four-day Championship weekend activities, I see what the fuss is all about.
“Oceans Eleven always pulls out all the stops for this event. Women travel in from several other states for this,” commented Lupe Soto, founder of Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS Tour) and PokerChix.com. “Oceans Eleven has been a front runner in women’s poker for years. In fact, Oceans Eleven was the host casino of our very first tour stop three years ago. They were very receptive to the idea of LIPS Tour partnering with their Championship weekend back then, and now they embrace us even more. We work well together to make this event as special as possible.”
Soto continued, “The title of California State Ladies Poker Champion is a prestigious one, and with it comes many opportunities for more tournament play. The winner represents Oceans Eleven at several ladies’ competitions around the state of California, as well as the LIPS Championship and the Ladies’ World Series of Poker in Vegas. For me personally, it’s an opportunity to have fun with my poker-playing friends.”
The CSLPC was the brainchild of Oceans Eleven’s Partner and General Manager Bob Moyer, who had the California State Ladies Poker Championship name registered. However, it was poker legend Billie Brown who ran with the idea, giving more women a chance to participate in poker games.
Friends for a very long time, Moyer first met Brown when she played poker at the Stardust Casino in Vegas in the late 70’s. It was Brown who ran the first “Go-For-The-Gold” million-dollar Low-Ball tournament at the Riviera. “Billie Brown was a pioneer in women’s poker and a pioneer in bringing women to the poker table,” Moyer stated, a reason Brown was chosen to coordinate the inaugural CSLPC tournaments.
Crystal Osgood, Co-Founder of the LadiesPokerAssociation.com, has been playing poker at Oceans Eleven for many years, and knew Brown personally. “She taught me much of what I know about poker today,” said Osgood. “She was the original activist for ladies’ poker. Many of her ideas are behind the mission of the Ladies Poker Association. She really was an amazing woman.”
Wall mural at Ocean's 11 of the original owners of the Casino.
Oceans Eleven has hosted nine Championship weekends, each with a different theme. This year’s was a country hoe-down; in previous years, themes included beach and yacht parties. On each tournament day, guests are treated to a gourmet meal and entertainment put on by the Oceans Eleven employees.
“With the State Championship weekend, Oceans Eleven sets the bar very high for women’s events,” remarked professional poker player Jan Fisher. “It’s not just about poker; it’s about camaraderie and bonding. It’s an experience . . . they feed us, shower us with gifts and take good care of us (tournament participants). It’s nice to play in a casino where the employees genuinely love their jobs. This says something about the management.”
Ivey Ranch Park Association, an educational and recreational center for disabled children, is one of Oceans Eleven’s designated charities. Day Three of the CSLPC weekend was dedicated to raising money for Ivey Ranch, and Fisher, who won the Day Three NLHE open tournament said, “When Linda Johnson and I visited Ivey Ranch, we were touched by what we saw there, so I am particularly honored to win a tournament that benefits Ivey Ranch.”
Included in Fisher’s tournament prize package was a luxurious spa certificate, which she cashed in for $500 and donated to Ivey Ranch. “This is not the first year Jan and Linda have not been generous to us—they are always generous,” stated Tonya Danielly, Executive Director of Ivey Ranch. “Every year, they donate above and beyond what the casino donates through the charity events.” Regarding Fisher’s action, Danielly added, “For Jan to be outwardly generous sets a huge precedence and gives us great exposure. She is endorsing us, and that’s very important.”
Including half of the tournament buy-ins and generous individual donations like Fisher’s, Oceans Eleven was able to raise $11,000 for Ivey Ranch in just one day this year.
Danielly also mentioned Oceans Eleven’s generosity during the Holiday season. “Most of the Ivey Ranch families are low-income, and that’s where Oceans Eleven steps in. If it were not for them and their staff, Christmas would not be what you and I imagine it to be.” Dan J. Dreger, Partner and Manager of Oceans Eleven, explained to me what happens every Christmas. “Each child at Ivey Ranch and another favorite charity, St. Claire’s Home (for underprivileged children), makes a wish list, and each Oceans Eleven staff buys a gift for each of those children. We have an 80% participation to the tune of 500 Christmas gifts each year,” Dreger proudly said.
Another charitable-minded CSLPC weekend participant is Roni Taylor, dealer coordinator at the Bicycle Casino, who finished in fifth place in Day One’s Limit tournament. During that weekend, Taylor challenged her poker gal pals to donate 10% of their winnings to another poker player, Kathleen Tucker of www.kidstalk.org, a Southern California nonprofit organization which acts as a vehicle to allow our youth to “have a voice.”
Tucker plays poker for fun, and donates 100% of her winnings to an African orphanage program sponsored by KidsTalk. London Gallagher, a final tablist in the same tournament, was one of the many who proudly met Taylor’s challenge. “I’m so happy to be surrounded by such giving souls,” Gallagher exclaimed. Her statement also encompasses the generous gesture of Fisher and Johnson, both of whom—this year and in previous years—have donated their CSLPC winnings to the Oceans Eleven tournament dealers.
When I asked participants what they liked the best about the weekend, I always got the same answers: the food, entertainment, dancing, the player-friendly tournament structure, and all the goodies given away at each of the four tournaments. Jacqueline Britton, owner of both Pocket JJacks (poker fashionware) and Minx Fashion Shoppe, contributes gift packages to many of the women’s poker tournaments, including the CSLPC.
This year, Britton’s tailor-made gift packages for each of the four tournament winners totaled approximately $900.00. “I was happy to contribute. I was grateful for the venue and for the staff’s huge efforts to make the weekend special for the ladies. I think Oceans Eleven did an amazing job . . . it couldn’t have gone more smoothly and more fun!”
Wall mural at Ocean's 11 of the original Rat Pack.
An additional reason for the fun is that Oceans Eleven treats its guests like they do on the TV show “Cheers,” analogized Fisher. Taylor agreed, “I came here this time, not as a representative of a competing casino, but as ‘Roni’: I came here for me. Oceans Eleven treats us guests wonderfully, like we’re a family member. Also, Oceans Eleven really listens to what their tournament players say. They gave us so much more play this year. I really liked this year’s tournament structure.”
Oceans Eleven is currently collecting suggestions for next year’s CSLPC weekend theme. No matter what the theme is, Linda Johnson predicts that it will be another fun and exciting event. More than that, she feels the tournament participants will also have an opportunity to gain a sense of ownership and pride through a project she and Fisher are coordinating. In addition to their prior financial donations, both poker professionals would like to contribute sweat equity in 2007. “It’s easy to write a check, but we would like to give Ivey Ranch our time, as well,” offered Fisher.
Johnson agreed that their presence and their effort to recruit as many helping hands as possible for this project “to do some gardening, painting or other physical work can make a difference.” Johnson’s goal is to recruit up to twenty poker players and friends to spend one CSLPC weekend afternoon on this hands-on beautification project at Ivey Ranch.
As you can see, the plans for next year’s CSLPC weekend are already in the works, and LIPS Tour’s Soto has begun to roll up her sleeves: “We look forward to adding to the ladies’ events with the introduction of other games, such as Stud, Omaha and Razz. Before No-Limit Hold ‘Em was all the craze, the State Championship included other games, and it’s time to go back to the State Champion being a well-rounded poker player.”
Soto summarized the essence of the CSLPC weekend with, “The staff really pulls together to create memories for all the participants. This event is like a huge family reunion . . . with poker! Women come for poker; but they come back for fun!”
To look up dates for the 2007 California State Ladies Poker Championship and other upcoming ladies’ events, visit www.lipstour.com and www.ladiespokerassociation.com.
Lucy Kim, a former special events and marketing pro, is a freelance writer and senior columnist for LadiesPokerAssociation.com. She also serves as a consultant to various nonprofit groups. Nicknamed “Floppy” by her poker pals, Lucy resides in Northern California, where she continues to drag the occasional pot. Contact her at TheF_L_O_P@hotmail.com
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