Images courtesy of Eric Ewing
The poker room is a sea of consistency in the middle of change while still sharing that vibe. Locals pride themselves on being Orleans’ players, including a family of twins and their mother, who seem almost like permanent fixtures, along with poker games, cocktail waitresses, and a dealer that’s one of the fastest I’ve ever seen.
Eric Ewing, Orleans’ Poker Room Manager, feels like a professor that’s just visiting town, with a quiet authority that he never has to broadcast. You could see him at a faculty dinner, or counseling a college student while wearing a jacket with patches on the elbow.
His mellow type of management is a sea of calm, where players, money, and ego can amp up situations, a commonality in poker. Eric feels like he can handle any of these situations calmly and with the people feeling better afterward.
He’s been with Boyd Gaming, the company that owns the Orleans, among other properties in town, for almost nine years.
I worked my way up from being a long-time dealer, to dual rate, then shift manager, and finally Poker Room Manager here at the Orleans.
This summer marks his “fourth anniversary of joining the Orleans team.”
They currently have “43 tables in the Orleans Poker Room but expand to 63 during the Orleans Summer Open,” which is held May 22 to July 12.
Eric grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and told me that when he was in college, he “saw they were opening a brand-new casino in downtown St. Louis. I applied and ended up being the youngest gaming-badged employee at 21 years old when they opened.”
I grew up during the heart of the no limit poker boom of the early 2000s. Before the boom, I truly didn’t know what poker was, let alone what working in a casino was like.
Before taking a leap and moving to Florida for three years, he’d only lived in St. Louis.
When the opportunity arose to venture out and open another new casino, I took the chance, moved halfway across the country, and dove in head first.
Eric decided to take another leap of faith and moved to Las Vegas when given the opportunity to expand his role and “try to do something special.”
When I was offered to stay within Boyd and pursue that goal, it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. It was hard leaving all my friends and family back home… at first, but I feel that Vegas has welcomed me with open arms.
He strives to separate the Orleans from the rest of the other poker rooms in Vegas by fostering a “neighborhood… spot for poker.” He adds that “we tend to see a lot of regulars in our tournaments, and I believe one reason is that we keep it affordable and fun.”
A part of Vegas that’s surprised him was that:
I had no idea there was so much nature close by to explore. I had only visited Vegas once before moving here.
His father had helped spur on his interest in cycling, which had grown to a passion in the past few years.
He has taught me a lot about the sport and has always been supportive of my adventures. It being one of his favorite hobbies certainly doesn’t hurt.
Cycling is just one of his outdoor interests. He likes doing “anything in nature. It started with hiking, then skiing, and now cycling.” He adds, “It’s a great, healthy way to relieve any stress, explore and push yourself to do things that you didn’t think you were capable of.”
Most of my off time is spent out in nature… There is something about being in the wilderness, underneath the sun or stars, and exploring places that don’t even look real that keeps pulling me back.
His day-to-day as a Poker Room Manager includes trying “to be in the poker room as much as possible when all my office work is done. This helps me put names to faces and hear any suggestions or concerns straight from the staff or players.”
I feel providing an outlet for guests and staff to voice their concerns or suggestions makes for a positive environment all around. If you don’t think outside of your own box, you may miss some great ideas that you never thought of.
When asked how he likes to engage with the poker community, he answered:
I try to engage our customers, while also growing our room, in every fashion. However, call me ‘old school’, but I think meeting and talking with customers face to face creates a bond that is hard to replicate online.
At the same time, he understands that “social media allows us to reach a wide group of people and stay in touch easier.” He continues “evolving in poker as poker seems to change almost daily.”
I try to connect with people who have vast knowledge about the industry to bounce ideas back and forth. However, as big as the poker world is, it also seems like a small circle at the same time.
This year, the event Eric is most looking forward to “is the Orleans Summer Open.”
We get to see people from all walks of life and from all over the world. While it’s higher pressure and long hours, there’s something special about pulling off such a huge event that you don’t get to see in other markets.
He reflects that “every year is different from the past, so it’s hard to be anything but excited.“
