The new poker room in the Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Wind was literally open for five minutes when Bruce Dixon wiped the sweat running down his forehead and took a deep breath. Nervous poker players, the first to get help in their new rooms, were rushing toward him in all directions, asking for help to take their seats. The two lines of the register were already as many as 20 people, as were our four windows where the players were buying chips. Meanwhile, Dixon, the casino’s new poker room director, held a clipboard in his hand, doing everything he could to satisfy their needs.
“I expected it to be busy,” said Dixon with a smile on his face. “But this is unbelievable.” The day began with a short tribal blessing and an opening statement from Bruce “Two Dogs” Bosom, the president of the Mohegan Tribe. Then, the president and CEO of the Mohegan Sun, Mitchell Etes, called for the huge white curtains hidden inside the new casino to fall. U2’s “Beautiful Day” song went off from loudspeakers and hundreds of devoted supporters rushed into the casino.
What they saw when they entered was the first major step in the Mohegan Line’s $925 million expansion. The Casino in the Wind, with its 64,000-square-foot standout decor, includes a kaleidoscope of water and air, measuring 35 by 50 feet for the first time. For the game, 650 new slot machines are scattered throughout the room, while there are 28 tables housing blackjacks, craps, and roulette. In front of each chair is a 30-seat center bar complete with a large-screen TV and a video poker terminal, as well as a walk-up, quick-service restaurant named Chief’s Deli.
Behind a giant glass wall was another new restaurant, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 29. The festive spot is the second-floor cathedral of the passionate 16,000-square-foot “Parrot Heads.” When a restaurant like Marina opens, a tequila simulation bottle falls into the middle of the restaurant, featuring live music, retail stores, tiki cottages, palm trees, sailboats, and a giant 8-foot blender. It also has a terrace overlooking the scenic Thames River, which will be the only spot on the Mohegan Line with waterfront and outdoor seating. However, as the Casino of the Wind opened, Live Poker triumphantly returned to the Mohegan Line. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
“We never regretted the fact that it was gone because we know it was the right decision at the time, but there’s no doubt that getting poker back would benefit us,” said Etis, who was delighted to report that 350 new permanent jobs were created for the “Casino of the Wind” as well as more than 850 construction jobs. “It’s the most beautiful poker room in everywhere. And Bruce Dixon has done an amazing job of deploying amazing staff. It’s poker, which does things the way we like to. We’re very excited about it.”
“Tournament is a common part of poker marketing, so we’re going to see a lot of these types of events going forward,” Etess added. The nearby Foxwood Resort Casino, which opened a new MGM Grand in Foxwood in March, has been strangling the local poker market for the past five years with its expanded 100-table World Poker Tour Poker Room. But Dixon, who previously helped open poker rooms in Tropicana and Borgata in Atlantic City, promised that the staff’s customer service and the room’s stellar decor would immediately begin to draw all kinds of players to the Mohegan line.
“We are ready to meet all expectations and impress the entire nation,” Dixon said about an hour after the room opened and almost all tables were fully occupied. “The players will love us for our service and you won’t find a better-looking place than this poker room. We are excited that the opening day has come. It is going to be a great day.” The entire project Horizon is expected to be completed in 2010, adding more than 1.4 million square feet to the Mohegan Line’s existing structure. Besides the Casino of the Wind, there are also 261 House of Blues themed rooms, plus 920 rooms with members-only House of Blues Foundation rooms, additional retail, and restaurant space. The first major expansion of the Mohegan Line was completed in 2001, bringing Casino of the Sky, The Shops at Mohegan Line, and a hotel with 1,200 rooms on the 34th floor.
