the Roaring 20's

The age of glamour, jazz, speakeasy's, fashion, crime and sometimes known as the Golden Twenties is a perfect theme for a Casino Night .

Last night event was a Roaring success. All of the guests dressed to the "nine's"; ladies in flapper attire, guys as gangsters, entertainers and bootleggers.  The music was a mix of era's which added to the wonderful atmosphere and the four gaming tables (Craps, two blackjack and a three card poker) were busy all night.   
 
The organization had a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, several "winners" in the casino and a live auction with included an 8 foot gorgeous billiard table and a week in a mountain cabin in North Carolina.  This Brandon Parrish (who wish to remain anonymous) raised more money than ever expected, had more fun than most had had in years and have committed to doing this again next year.

So, when it comes to your next event, think about a Casino Night Theme and the Roaring Twenties; everyone will enjoy ! 

Blackjack Tournament

Many of you are familiar with a Texas Hold'em (poker) tournament, where players pay a fee and play until one player has all the chips.  Typically a tournament can last upwards of three or four hours (depending on the number of players and how the blinds are structured).  A big question that is asked at ALL of these tournaments is what do the players do once they are eliminated.  Many times side games are developed and other times players just leave.

CASINO NIGHTS can arrange for either the traditional Texas Hold'em tournament or assist you in planning a Blackjack Tournament.

A BLACKJACK Tournament is run rather differently, can be more FUN and exciting for more players and your organization can actually raise MORE money.  Here is how this works.

1) you need fewer tables than poker; if you expect 100 players you only need four blackjack tables (10-12 if it is poker) saving you hundreds of dollars

2)  the same buy-in concept works as in Texas Hold'em; though only seven (7) players play at each table

3) each round of play consists of TEN blackjack hands only ! Takes about fifteen minutes and the person with the most chips at the end of ten hands is the winner of that round.

4) Numerous rounds are played, allowing more players to play more often.

5) the winners of each round are posted on a board.  Many players can opt to play in several rounds (buying in again to play).  For instance, $ 10 dollars gets one round, $ 25 gets three, $ 50 gets seven etc

6) after a couple of hours and many many "winners", a playoff begins (no buy in required); all previous winners will then play against each other to determine a final winner.

7) prizes can be awarded to the top players, raffle tickets can be issued, or just a winner take all as in poker

8) with this system; the excitement lasts the entire event for more players, play is constant and quick and because each round only takes about fifteen minutes, the timing of your event is more structured.

For more FUN for more guests and potentially MORE MONEY for your organization, a Blackjack Tournament is an option to explore for your next CASINO NIGHTS event.

Fringe Benefits

We all have fringe benefits of "work".

Some of you get extra vacation time, country club memberships, dental insurance, stock options, casual fridays, free lunches, day care for your kids or even a health club on the grounds of your work place.  Others just get a weekly paycheck and that is deemed a benefit in itself.

For me . . . well I get to dress up in a tuxedo and stand for three hours behind a blackjack or craps table (sometimes I get to deal poker and that means sitting for three hours).  But seriously, the fringe benefits of my "work" is sometimes having my picture taken with the big winner of the evening.

Yes indeed this young lady won "big" at the craps table.  This was at a birthday party for one of her friends.  She had never played craps before and within a few minutes was raking it in (thanks to my strategies and instruction).

Thanks to Amanda, the fringe benefits of my work are the best of all.

the First Myth

There are many myths surrounding the misconceptions in planning a casino themed party or poker tournament. 

The first Myth is that these events are ILLEGAL.  While statewide gambling is only "legal" in three states (Las Vegas, New Jersey and now Pennsylvania); Casino Nights events are conducted very differently.

The main difference is that at ALL our events we use chips with NO denomination printed on them.  There is NO CASH allowed on any of our tables.  There are several ways to handle this seemingly odd concept.

I guess it is fair to say right now that if you have ever attended a casino themed party or Las Vegas night event you understand what I mean, for others who are new to this concept let me explain a little further.

The exchange of cash is done at a central location, entrance area of your event and is only used as a "donation" to your event.  Because we also use non-denominational chips at our tables, the amount they receive at the gaming tables have no connection to the donation.  Depending on your fund-raising goals that fee will vary greatly.  For example, you may ask each guest to pay $ 50.00 for a token to be taken to any of the gaming tables for exchange for a value of 5000 in chips. 

If your event is strictly for FUN, then all guests receive chips at every table to play as they wish.  Many times we utilize raffle tickets at the end of an event to "reward" those that have accumulated the most chips, or prizes that have been donated.

Poker or Blackjack tournaments are run the same way.  Individuals will pay to enter the tournament, all players recieve the same amount of chips and play begins.  Winners are usually given prizes for their efforts, either provided by us or the host (donations are obviously advised).

So, there you have it.  Casino Nights parties are LEGAL, FUN, and can be PROFITABLE for your organization.

Where, when, how it all started

The question most people ask me is "How did I get started dealing" ? The short answer is that I took a Blackjack class a couple of years ago at a school called The East Coast Gaming Institute in Tampa Florida.

I have always been good with numbers, have done my fair share of gambling and thought this would be a "fun" class to take.

The class was fun but also hard work. Six weeks and 120 hours of cutting cheques (pronounced checks though non casino people call them chips), "sizing in", shuffling cards "the right way", walking my game, using my left and right hands "correctly" and calculating the most unusual payoffs for blackjack; I graduated tops in my class. Ok, yes there were only four of us, so stop laughing.

From there I was invited to take the most challenging of classes; CRAPS ! That class was brutal ! Fourteen of us started the class and only five graduated, including me. That will be another story for another time.

During the gap from ending Blackjack and beginning Craps, I was taught how to deal Texas Hold'em by a former WSOP (World Series of Poker) dealer; for both tournamnet and "cash" style games. Along the way, a Blackjack tournament was introduced and now that is my new favorite.

I shall discuss the merits of a Blackjack tournament for your next event in a subsequent post as well.

So, with my official state license in hand, many years of organizing and planning events such as a the Checker Challenge, BG Days in Buffalo Grove Illinois, numerous fundraisers for the United Way and Rotary International and so many birthday parties for my daughter I decided to merge all my talents and join forces with CASINO NIGHTS

Casino Nights has been around for about 20 years in providing the gulf coast of Florida with the most FUN in Las Vegas style events. We also have in our arsenal the largest selection of video and pinball games, air hockey and foosball tables, including over fifty gaming tables to maximize your fund-raising efforts.

So, that is my story and here I am. The next party you consider, make it a CASINO NIGHTS event.

Welcome to Casino Nights

This blog will be your ongoing resource guide in how to put on a Casino Nights party or Las Vegas style FUN night. We are located in Southwest Florida (just south of Tampa Bay) with over 50 table games; including all your favorites from blackjack, roulette, Texas Hold'em, three card poker, Let it Ride and our specialty craps.

We also have the largest selection of video games, pinball games, foos ball, air hockey, ping pong and billiard tables for your event rental as well.

Throughout our posts we will continually provide you with insight in how to MAXIMIZE your profits for your organization or simply have the MOST FUN for your friends or work associates as you plan your next event.

The professional dealers associated with CASINO NIGHTS will also give you pointers on how to play your favorite table game with a better chance of losing less (or optimistically speaking, winning more) when you actually do travel to a "real" casino.

We at CASINO NIGHTS will be your resource for everything related to having FUN at a gaming table and help you plan your next successful Las Vegas style evening.

Whether it be with "funny money" at a local tournament, fund-raising event, a corporate outing or holiday party and even when you adventure on to your next gambling vacation, we at CASINO NIGHTS are committed to helping you have more FUN.