by Ashley Adams
I had a wonderful poker playing odyssey, combining a visit to my poker-playing brother in Minnesota, with some stops in poker rooms to and fro. I was pleased to learn that poker is thriving in our nation’s midsection. In my last column I expounded on my delicious trip to Pittsburgh where I played at the relatively new rooms in the Pittsburgh area, the Meadows and the Rivers. In this article I’ll give you a taste of four other rooms I played in during the rest of my trip: Running Aces in Columbus, Minnesota; The Horseshoe in Hammond, Indiana, The Four Winds Casino, right over the Michigan border in New Buffalo, and Firekeepers Casino, 100 miles east in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Running Aces is a two year old room about 45 minutes north of Minneapolis. It’s a harness track that was built to support a poker room. The comps for players are the best I have ever seen. You earn $5 per hour for live play at all cash games. And the comps can be redeemed not just for food, but for cash. The room is also beautifully appointed, excellently run with extraordinarily friendly staff, and it’s action-filled. They don’t allow no limit in Minnesota, so Running Aces has the next best thing—a widely spread, spreadlimit game. Specifically, in addition to the regular limit games, they spread a $2-$60 spread limit game. There’s also a full schedule of tournaments. What’s not to like? Check them out at: www. runningacesharness.com, 651.925.4600.
I left Minnesota and drove back through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. I didn’t pass any open rooms during the early hours I was in Wisconsin. My first opportunity to play came when I drove out of Chicago and into Hammond, Indiana on route 90, seeing signs for the Horseshoe. This is a busy room, with 34 tables, of which four were $1-$2 with a $200 maximum buy-in, and one $2-$5 no-limit tables were going when I stopped in at 11:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. They also offer $100, $200, and $500 weekly tournaments that I didn’t have the time to sample during this stop. Even so, with three tight regulars in my game, and four or five players who didn’t seem to know what they were doing, it was a profitable stop for me—and very conveniently located right off the interstate. You can find out more about them at www.horseshoehammond.com. 219.473.7000.
My next stops were in Michigan, first at the Four Winds Casino and then at Fireseekers. These were each impressive rooms in their own way. Four Winds, located in New Buffalo, right off I-94 at the first exit in Michigan, is a beautiful and expansive place—an entertainment compound, really. As I drove up I saw signs that said “Your life changing jackpot awaits you ahead.” Ah, if only… Even so, a great poker room did await me. They had recently converted from an automated PokerPro machine room with no live
dealers to a fully serviced poker room complete with the requisite dealer, chips, and cards. The eight machines are still set up for the regular tournaments and occasional heads up action. There was only one cash game going when I arrived at about 3 p.m., but it was a good one, with friendly, tight, and passive players filling up the other seats. After a profitable hour or so I drove on to Firekeeper’s Casino in Battle Creek, about an hour and a half east, where I had another profitable session against a lineup of the friendliest players I had yet encountered. Friendly and transparent, I should add—as they played with smiles and little guile.
The playing conditions of this poker room were as nice as I have encountered—not particularly fancy but new felt, new cards, excellent lighting, comfortable chairs, and very well-spaced tables. If you’re an experienced or otherwise skilled player looking for a profitable room, these two Michigan rooms are made for you. I recommend them highly. Four Winds: www.fourwindscasino. com. 269.926.4500; Firekeepers: www.firekeeperscasino.com. 877.352.8777.
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