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.

GS: Spencer, tell me about the poker operation the Senecas run? How many poker rooms do you have, where are they, how many tables in each?
SG: Seneca Gaming and Entertainment operates three Poker Rooms in Western New York. Two are located in full-service casinos - Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY and Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, NY. The third is at our Irving Class II Gaming Center (Bingo, Class II video gaming machines) in Irving, NY. Irving has 8 tables, Niagara Falls has 24, and Salamanca has 16.

GS: What games do you spread?
SG: In our rooms we offer Texas Hold"em, Omaha, 7- Card Stud, Razz, and Crazy Pineapple.

GS: What games do your players prefer?
SG: Most of our players prefer to play No-Limit Texas Hold"em. It is the most popular game in the rooms at present.

GS: What is unique about your poker offerings?
SG: We are introducing a dealer"s choice game at our Irving facility, with the player on the dealer button choosing the game. I think it"ll be a great game and the players will have fun with it.

GS: What special tournaments do you run during the year?
SG: We host a Seneca Poker Circuit event each month at one of our locations. We have set up a rotation whereby each location hosts a Circuit event every three months. We also host "Queen of the River," an all-ladies circuit at our Niagara Falls location.

GS: What got you interested in poker in the first place?
SG: It was when I was in California, which was approximately the time that the movie "Rounders" was released. Poker seemed so "cool."

GS: What do you see as the future for poker?
SG: I see poker becoming more institutionalized. Comparable to the game of golf, it could be a place where a business deal is made - a poker game will be just as acceptable and become a norm in society. I see more technology being applied to poker - our players" online familiarity with poker and their ever-present mp3 players show that they are techsavvy and will embrace the new technologies that will arise in the industry. There are some companies doing exciting things with this, but it is in the early stages.

GS: Will we see poker continue to grow, or will new games arise?
SG: We are still riding the no-limit wave, but poker will continue to evolve as it always has - meeting the demands of our patrons.