Gary Shenfeld

Terry Chiaradio is excited. She's telling me about the Mega Stack Challenge that she and her team recently implemented at Foxwoods. We held our first event last month," she said. "It's a $3,000 buy-in tournament, but we have satellites and a qualifier to make it affordable and allow as many players as possible to enter. Players can buy into a satellite for as little as $100 and win entry into a $400 buy-in qualifier. They can also buy in to the qualifier directly, or buy into the main event for $3,000. We paid $207,000 for first place.

DIRECTOR OF POKER OPERATIONS FOR THE SENECA CASINOS

Spencer Gauthier began his career in gaming in 1992 as a dealer at the Menominee Casino in Wisconsin. Since then he has worked in various casinos in Wisconsin, California and New York before rising to Poker Room Manager at the Seneca Casino Niagara last year. In October he presided over the expansion of the Niagara"s poker room and recently took time out from his busy schedule to answer questions from Poker Player"s Gary Shenfeld.

What a great setting for a poker room, just off the Boardwalk in Atlantic City and right next to valet parking! That's where you will find Tom Gitto, the Director of Poker for the Trump Taj Mahal. Gitto is a 26-year veteran of the Atlantic City casinos. He got his start where it all began: Resorts International, where he served 10 years. Then when the Taj Mahal opened, he walked across the street, supervising all games until 1993.