GamblerCelebrating 20 Years Serving Colorado’s Gaming Communitywww.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler

yr

Volume 20 • Number 47

PROMOTIONSBlack Hawk & Central City

promos, giveawaysPages 6 & 10

POKER NEWSHPT prepares to top million-dollar

prize pool in Black Hawk Page 7

CASINO NEWSNew casino gets new

general manager Page 12

TRAIL’S ENDMilliners & millinery: What’s she

wearing on her head?Page 21

C O U P O N S • C O L O R A D O H I S T O R Y • C A S I N O G U I D E • G A M I N G • M A P • E N T E R T A I N M E N T

March 20 - April 2, 2012

Check Out

Valuable Coupons

on page 4

Buying gas instead of shoe leather

T his is a time of year for a pleasant drive up the canyon to watch the icy creek flowing

water from the spring snowmelt. Think about those early-day min-ers who made their way up to the mining towns without the benefit of roads, railroads or cars. It was a long, rocky walk or ride on horseback.

Today, we complain about the high price of gas; in the old days, they must’ve complained about the price of shoe leather.

The search for riches still continues today as we all seek games that can reward us with hard cash. No matter that the risk is high, the risk for making money has always been hard to achieve and most of the spoils have always gone to the bold and brave.

So we go in search of gain – be it playing the fabulous new slot machines or the old fashioned 10X pay machine, which is my fa-vorite, but becoming harder to find.

The Central City Parkway has had some re-

pair work, black asphalt lines the highway as erosion has cre-ated some minor cracks in that remarkable highway that leads gamblers and tourists along the mountain tops into famed Cen-

tral City.Main Street in Central City

has been completely repaired and casinos, new and old, are open and ready for your business. Parking is readily available in the Century/City garage and the Famous Bonan-za/Easy Street lot at the end of Main Street and gamers can spread out to Dostal Alley, Reserve Casino Hotel, Crystal Palace (hello Craig), Century, Famous Bonanza, Easy Street, Doc Holliday and Johnny Z’s.

The Central City Opera has announced their season schedule and the historic opera house constructed in 1865 by miners seeking refinement will open for another season fea-turing Oklahoma as one of the shows.

I stopped by Johnny Z’s to see their expan-sion last week. They moved the gaming tables

away from the breezy front door into a cozy parlor area with a nice bar and free cof-fee adjacent to the gaming

tables. Very friendly folks running that locally-owned gam-

ing house.Reserve Casino Hotel is fabulous and now

breathing some new life into the old Fortune Valley; the new carpet feels so good under the old feet. New customers are flocking into the casino to enjoy good food and fortune, with-out the valley. This new casino is very good for the Central City atmosphere and a good attraction for the entire city.

Look for lots of news and events coming up which are only featured in print media; we do the heavy lifting for the entire industry re-garding event publicity.

The Heartland Poker Tour is coming to Black Hawk at the Golden Gates Casino. As I am writing this column I am notified that An-nie Duke will not be playing in this event. Her replacements are poker icons Gavin Smith and Joe Seboc. Read more about this event on page 7 in this issue of the Gambler.

Let’s go make our fortune!

PAGE 2 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

www.coloradogambler.com coloradogambler cogambler

Gambler

eggcitingadvertise in our

Easter edition

Gambler

Send us your special events, happenings, promotions & other items timely for our April 3 Colorado Gambler.

For AdvErtiSinG ContACtSharon Sweeney303-503-1388

cogambler@mac.com

Seeking fortunesPublisher’s Column

By Robert Sweeney

http://www.canyoncasino.com

PAGE 4 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

One Coupon per guest, per day, Mon.-Fri. only - Expires 04/3/12

for readers of The Gambler

Here are some exciting coupons with valuable savings – compliments of these

leading Colorado Casinos!

dealsreal

Gambler

Looking

to

advertise?T h i s s p a ce co u l d b e yo u r s.Call us today! 303-773-8313 Ext. 305

Win a 60” LED TV!

Fridays in March 4:30pm – 9:00pm

One winner every half hour.Receive one free swipe each promotion day.

Earn additional entries each Friday for every 10 unadjusted points.

CAR AND CASH GIVEAWAYWin a CadillaC CTS® on april 21!

Beginning March 1, receive one free swipe per day and earn additional entries for every 30 unadjusted points earned.

Earn 25X entries every Tuesday.

Earn 100X entries March 1 & 17 and April 1!

1-800-THE-ISLE • www.theisleblackhawk.com © 2012 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 or older. Cadillac and their respective logos, emblems, slogans and vehicle model names and body designs are trademarks and/or service marks of GM, its subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors. Free swipes are not eligible for 25X and 100X entries. Actual color and features of car may vary from image shown. Rickenbaugh Cadillac-Volvo gave the Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk permission to use the Rickenbaugh logo and name as well as permission to use Cadillac CTS. Promotions subject to change or cancellation without notice. Please visit player’s club or cashier services for details. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

PAGE 6 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

www.black-hawk.isleofcapricasinos.com

Car and Cash GiveawayWin a 2012 Cadillac CTS in

the Just Your Style Car and Cash Giveaway on April 21. Player’s Club members will receive one free entry daily and can earn additional entries with each 30 unadjusted points earned. Multiply your earned entries every Tuesday by 25 and by 100 times on April 1. Then, be here on April 21, when all those entries will be included in the drawings for Cash and the Cadillac. Visit the Player’s Club or Cashier Services for complete details.

Flat Screen Frenzy Isle guests will have the

opportunity to win a 60” LED TV every Friday in March. Drawings will take place every half hour from 4:30 – 9 p.m. every Friday in March. Receive one free entry each promotion day and earn additional entries with every 10 unadjusted points earned. Winners will have the option to take $1,000 instead of the TV. Be sure to activate your entries each Friday beginning at 2:30 p.m.

$10,000 Jackpot Sweepstakes

Qualify now – March 24 to win up to $10,000 in the Jackpot Sweepstakes on Saturday, March 24. Guests of the Isle will receive one free drawing entry with each hand-paid taxable jackpot of $1,200 or more.

$10,000 Jackpot Sweepstakes No. 2 begins

Qualify March 28 – June 9 to win up to $10,000 in the Jackpot Sweepstakes No. 2 on Saturday, June 9. Guests of the Isle will receive one free drawing entry with each hand-paid taxable jackpot of $1,200 or more.

Bus Fare refundDo you ride the bus to Black

Hawk? The Isle will refund your bus fare up to $20. Earn 35 unadjusted points on your IsleOne card and present your return bus ticket to the Player’s Club or cashier services. Table games players will receive their bus fare back with four hours of consecutive play.

Paradise 50 Plus All guests age 50 or better

can join the new Paradise 50 Plus club Sundays and Mondays. You will receive 3X points on all slots, 2X points on video poker, a free soft serve ice cream and a Free Calypso’s Buffet after earning five unadjusted points. For complete details, visit the player’s club.

Fantastic 40 Plus All guests age 40 or better

can participate in the Fantastic 40 Plus club on Thursdays. Guests will receive 4X points on their favorite slots, 2X points on video poker, a free buffet after earning five unadjusted points or earn 50 unadjusted points and receive $40 to Farraddays’. Visit the player’s club.

April at the Isle Poker Room$100 High Hand –

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in April, 10 a.m. until noon, the high hand will receive $100. The first hand of three-of-a-kind or higher made by any player will be posted as the initial high hand. Poker game must start by 11 a.m. and have 6 players to qualify.

Friday Cash Squares – Players that are seated and playing in a live poker game by 3 p.m. on Saturdays will receive a square for cash drawings of $100 that will take place at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and then $200 at 11 p.m. The cash drawings are progressive, so if no winner is found at the drawing the $100 will roll to the drawing next Friday at the same time.

Saturday Cash Squares – Players that are seated and playing in a live poker game by 1 p.m. on Saturdays will receive a square for cash drawings of $100 that will take place at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and then $200 at 11 p.m. The cash drawings are progressive, so if no winner is found at the drawing the $100 will roll to the drawing next Saturday at the same time.

Big Sunday Freeroll Tournament - Qualify with just 5 hours of live play, Monday – Saturday, and play in the weekly Big Sunday Freeroll Tournament with up to $5,000 in prize money. The payout will be determined by the number of 10-hour qualifiers. The Big Sunday Freeroll Tournaments will take place every Sunday through April 29th at 3 p.m. Begin earning hours April 2.

Tournaments - Join in all the action on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. with the $45 Crazy Pineapple High/Lo tournament. On Thursdays at 10 a.m., there will be a $45 Omaha High/Low tournament. On Saturdays at noon sign up for the $150 No Limit Hold’em tournament with a $2,000 tourney bad beat. Registration for 10 a.m. tournaments begins at 9 a.m., sign up prior to 9:30 a.m. and receive a free buffet. In addition, all tournaments have a dealer appreciation bonus available.

www.fitzgeraldsbh.com

Delicious food at FitzgeraldsThe Shamrock Café has

delicious daily specials and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Experience the casual elegance of Don B’s Steakhouse open Thursday-Sunday. Don B’s has a special discount for each day they are open in March and April; Thursday receive 25 percent off your entire check, Friday receive half price on select bottles of wine, Saturday receive a free glass of wine with dinner and Sunday a free appetizer with entrée purchase.

4X points Every Friday, Saturday

Every Friday and Saturday in March all Key Rewards members will receive 4X points all day long on slots. Point multiplier does not apply to video poker or keno.

Slots of LuckJoin in on the fun and play

the $1,000 Slots of Luck Slot Tournament, Friday, March 23. Earn 50 base points and

register between 5 – 6:50 p.m. Tournament begins at 7 p.m. Top score wins $300, 2nd place $200, 3rd place $150 and 4th-10th place will win $50.

March Money MadnessWin up to $1,000 Saturdays,

March 24 and 31. Two winners will walk away $1,000 richer at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. and $500 richer at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. All Key Rewards member receive one free entry into the 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. drawing; earn additional entries with every 50 base points earned for the week. The deadline to register for the 10 p.m. drawing is 9:30 p.m. All you have to do to be eligible for the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. drawing is play with your Key Rewards Card in your favorite loose slot.

This or That Hot SeatSunday, March 25, from 2 –

6 p.m., one winner every hour will pocket up to $1,000 cash just by playing with your Key Rewards card in your favorite loose slot.

Get a GiftReceive your Fitzgeralds

logo T-shirt and hat Wednesday, March 21, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. or while supplies last. Earn 150 base points then come to the promotions area to receive your gift.

Sun Harley Party PitWin $1,000 every Saturday

at 10:30 p.m. All Key Rewards members receive one free entry; earn additional entries by playing in the Sun Harley Party Pit.

New to Fitzgeralds?Become a Key Rewards

member and get more than $40 in valuable coupons and a chance to win $1,000 Friday, March 30, at 8 p.m. Introduce a friend to our Key Rewards membership and get rewarded with 4X cash back on the day of enrollment and a chance to win $500 in our New Member Giveaway.

Spin to Win MarchSpin the Point Multiplier

Wheel every Thursday in March, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and you can multiply your cash back up to 10X. Be sure to stop by the host

stand to spin the wheel before you play. Not valid on video poker or keno, multiplier begins once wheel has been spun and multiplier is established.

Monday Mania Slot Tournament

Reel in the cash with our new Monday Mania Slot Tournament every Monday. It’s easy and only 50 base points to sign up, not to mention a ton of fun. Register between 11 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. and the tournament begins at 1 p.m. Top score wins $200 and the next five places all win $100.

Fitz 50 Fitz 50 is now even better,

with 4X points on slots and 3X on video poker and keno. Every Monday and Tuesday guests older than 50 will receive the point multiplier and a discounted menu at the Shamrock Cafe.

6X Points on penny slotsEarn 6X Points just by playing

penny slots at Fitzgeralds Monday-Thursday from 3 – 7 p.m. and Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Seven days a week in April.

Flower Power Bank Hot SeatSundays, April 1, 8, 22

and 29 from 2 – 6 p.m. Each hour we will conduct a random hot seat drawing and select a winner for $100, but if you are in the same slot bank as the winner you will also win up to $50.

Wild Wednesdays Slot Tournament

Win your share of $1,000 Wednesdays, April 4 and 18, during our Wild Wednesdays Slot Tournament. Earn 50 base points and register between 11 am. – 12:50 p.m. and the tournament starts at 1 p.m. Top 10 places take home cash.

www.canyoncasino.com

March’s Point Appreciation Fridays

When playing on a Canyon Club card every Friday in March all Canyon Club members will receive 3X points, VIP members receive 4X points and Platinum

members receive 5X points on all slots and video poker. Points will automatically multiply as you play.

100X Odds$1 craps is back at Canyon

Casino in March. Place multiple bets for only $1. Promotion runs through March, Monday – Thursday, 2 p.m. – midnight; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. – midnight.

March’s $15,000 Raining Riches

Play your favorite slots at Canyon Casino Saturday nights in March for a chance to win up to $3,000 playing $15,000 Raining Riches. Be one of seven lucky guests every Saturday night to pick a cash prize out of our Pot o’ Gold then have a chance to multiply your cash by spinning the wheel. Lucky winners will be selected at random times between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. To be eligible just make sure you’re playing you favorite slot or video poker with your Canyon Club card.

Canyon Grille March Specials

For just $8.99 enjoy your choice of a BBQ pulled pork sandwich served with homemade coleslaw and fries or try steak or chicken fajitas.

April’s Free Gift DayOn April 1, earn 100 base

points and pocket a Pocket Chair. Pick up your Pocket Chair between 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Supplies are limited so hurry in.

www.thewildcardsaloon.com

Silver PromoEvery Wednesday, Thursday

and Saturday we do drawings every half hour from noon to midnight. We draw two names and they get to pick a ticket, the tickets have many different dollar amounts all the way up to $1,000. There are also tickets with a coin on them and they will win a silver coin and get to draw again for a cash prize as well.

Must be 21 and a Key Rewards™ member. Membership is free. Management reserves the right to change or cancel promotions at any time. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. © 2012 The Majestic Star Casino, LLC.

Your Kind of Place • 101 MAIN STREET BLACK HAWK, CO • FITZGERALDS.COM

4X POInTS ALL DAYEvery Friday and Saturday in March! Not valid on video poker or Keno.

4X POInTS

March into Big WinningsWIn $1,000 CASh! Saturdays, 10:30PM• Key Rewards™ members receive one

free entry.

• Earn additional entries by playing in the Sun Harley Party Pit.

• See the Sun Harley party Pit for complete details.

WEDnESDAY, MARCh 21 11AM – 7PM While supplies last.

Earn 150 base points on the day of the giveaway to receive a logo hat and T-shirt.

MAKE ThE RIGhT ChOICE FOR uP TO $1,000!Sunday, March 25 • 2PM – 6PMTo be eligible, all you have to do is play your favorite loose slot with your Key Rewards™ card.

WIn uP TO$1,000 CASh!Saturdays, March 24 & 31 • 7PM – 11PM• Two winners each hour will take home

$1,000 at 7PM and 11PM. Earn entries for every 50 base points earned for the week.

• Two winners each hour will take home $500 at 8PM and 10PM. All you have to do is play your favorite loose slot and you could WIN!

• The deadline to register for the 11PM drawing is 10:30PM.

March 20 -April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 7

Casino News

Poker icons Sebok & Smith to play at Golden Gates Casino’s Poker Parlour

Submitted by HPT

A fter making headlines for delivering a million-dollar prize pool in October, the nationally-televised Heartland Pok-

er Tour anticipates breaking another record when it returns to Golden Gates Casino’s Poker Parlour in Black Hawk. A new, highly praised tournament structure with longer levels and re-entry availability is likely to draw more contenders for the nationally-televised event, April 9-22, building the Mile High prize pool to unprecedented heights.

A couple of contenders in the field will be notorious pros Gavin Smith and Joe Se-bok. The pair is well-acquainted through their work on Sebok’s Poker Road, which is currently on hiatus due to Black Friday. Widely-known for their antics and prop bets, Sebok and Smith promise to bring a fun en-ergy to the poker room and throughout the property.

“We’ve had a lot of fun with Gavin and Joe separately,” said HPT Producer and Commentator Fred Bevill. “Having them together in Black Hawk will likely be very

entertaining for everyone at Golden Gates.”

S e b o k played HPT at Golden Gates last fall and finished in the money. Gavin recently par-ticipated in an HPT stop in Oklahoma.

Attracting professional players and poker enthusiasts alike, HPT aims to award life-changing money at tour stops throughout the U.S., serving the mission, “Real People, Unreal Money.” HPT’s loyal following will notice an improvement to the tournament structure this season, such as more time per level, additional rounds and revised payouts. In addition, much-appreciated meal breaks are scheduled and payouts are more evenly distributed. Posted at HPTpoker.com, the new structure received critical praise from players, poker media, and industry insiders when it was announced late last year.

In October, Golden Gates Casino & Poker Parlour was selected as a test market for HPT’s new re-entry format, which was cred-ited for building the record prize pool. In

the upcom-ing tour-n a m e n t , players will again be al-lowed to re-enter the same flight if they are e l iminated

before the late registra- tion cut off and will receive a full starting stack dur-

ing the first three levels. Players are allowed to play additional Main Event flights if they bust and have no chips remaining in a previ-ous flight.

“Players traveling from out of market especially appreciate the opportunity to re-enter if necessary,” said HPT co-founder Greg Lang.

Records show players travel from at least 20 different states to play HPT at Golden Gates. The nationally-televised event is pro-jected to bring an excess of a million dollars to the area through travel, lodging, food, and gaming expenses.

No stranger to Golden Gates, 10 previ-ous HPT stops at the casino were hugely popular. In October, the aptly-named Craig Casino of Winfield, Ill., beat out a field of 668 contenders to claim the coveted record-

breaking championship for $293,270. “I would expect us to meet or exceed that

number again,” said Golden Gates General Manager Shannon Keel. “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t get asked about the next HPT event. Golden Gates Casino and Colorado is ready and waiting.”

The Colorado event will be produced into two one-hour episodes to air nationwide in July. Heartland Poker Tour is available on TV in more than 100 million U.S. house-holds, including multiple broadcasts each week in the Denver area. The Final Table can be seen live on HPTPoker.com on April 23.

Qualifying rounds start April 9 for those who hope to win their way into the Main Event. Players may also buy directly into the Main Event April 18-21, with play con-tinuing April 22 until the field is reduced to six. The remaining six players will return for television production April 23, with thirteen high-definition cameras capturing all of the action until a champion is named.

Structures and schedules for the upcom-ing televised event can be found at hptpoker.com. Details and promotions will be an-nounced through social media in the coming weeks. Follow @HPTPokerTour on Twitter and find HPT on Facebook/hptfans.

Gavin Smith

Joe Sebok

HPT prepares to top million-dollarprize pool in Black Hawk

PAGE 8 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

Letter to the editor

Your guide to live entertainment and events at Colorado’s casinos

Wha

t’s Ro

ckin’

www.reservecasinohotel.com

Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk

Crystal PalaceThe Lava Room entertainment – all concerts are free, doors open at

8:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).

March 23 – 24: Stereo CloneMarch 29: Comedy night hosted by Joe

Piscop and Comedy Works, 8 p.m.March 30: Jazz Band Hosted By Joe

Piscopo, 8 p.m.

March 31: Stray Cats Featuring Lee Rocker: To purchase tickets, visit www.ReserveCasinoHotel.com or the gift shop.

Reserve Casino HotelHot Lunch Band

Enjoy live entertainment on the Caribbean Cove bar stage each Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. – midnight.

March 22 –24: Hot Lunch Band (R&B, rock)March 30: Back in the Day (R&B)April 6-7: Counterfeit Music Co. (Rock and

Variety)April 13-14: Wide Open/Supernatural

(Santana Tribute and Variety)April 20-21: Pocketful of Soul (Soul and Funk)April 27-28: Back in the Day (R&B)

Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday, 6 – 10 p.m., by “one-man band” Greg Richards.

www.crystalpalacecasinocolorado.com

www.black-hawk.isleofcapricasinos.com

The anti-life mandateWhen the Obama administration’s health

care financing plan was signed into law, Pres-ident Obama and Congress promised that funds under the new law would not cover abortions.

This has now been proven to be empty rhetoric.

Why? Because the Department of Health and Human Services has mandated that un-der the health care law, private health insur-ance plans must cover the “full range of FDA approved contraception” in which category HHS explicitly included the abortion-induc-ing drug, Ella.

This mandate includes a so-called “reli-gious employer exemption,” yet the exemp-tion is so narrowly defined that most religious schools, colleges, hospitals and charitable or-ganizations serving the public do not qualify. Even an expanded definition of “religious em-ployer” would fail to protect non-religiously affiliated organizations, individuals and even religiously affiliated health insurers whose pro-life consciences are nonetheless violated.

This is an unprecedented attack on the freedom of conscience of millions of Ameri-cans, eviscerating their freedom of choice to purchase private insurance that does not violate their ethical, moral or religious ob-jections. I hope all readers will contact their elected representatives in Washington, D.C., and voice outrage over this anti-life mandate.

Mary WilsonLittleton

Visit us online:www.coloradogambler.com

and follow us onTwitter : COGambler

and facebook.com :coloradogambler

Gambler

6350 SHERIDAN BLVD ARVADA 800039731 W 58TH AVE ARVADA 800021575 W 84TH AVE FEDERAL HEIGHTS 8022112350 W 64TH AVE ARVADA 8000415200 W 64TH AVE ARVADA 800078055 SHERIDAN BLVD ARVADA 800033400 YOUNGFIELD ST WHEAT RIDGE 800331555 QUAIL ST LAKEWOOD 8021517171 S GOLDEN RD GOLDEN 8040111747 W KEN CARYL AVE LITTLETON 801271927 S WADSWORTH BLVD LAKEWOOD 8022712043 W ALAMEDA PKWY LAKEWOOD 802286760 S PIERCE ST LITTLETON 801289800 W BELLEVIEW AVE LITTLETON 801231545 S KIPLING ST LAKEWOOD 802321173 BERGEN PARK EVERGREEN 804398126 S WADSWORTH BLVD LITTLETON 8012825637 CONIFER RD CONIFER 804337984 W ALAMEDA AVE LAKEWOOD 802265050 S FEDERAL BLVD ENGLEWOOD 801102205 WILDCAT RESERVE PKWY HIGHLANDS RANCH 801299551 S UNIVERSITY BLVD HIGHLANDS RANCH 801265050 E ARAPAHOE RD CENTENNIAL 801227575 S UNIVERSITY BLVD CENTENNIAL 801228200 S HOLLY ST CENTENNIAL 80122101 ENGLEWOOD PKWY ENGLEWOOD 80110100 W LITTLETON BLVD LITTLETON 801204000 RED CEDAR DR HIGHLANDS RANCH 801268673 S QUEBEC ST HIGHLANDS RANCH 801267901 S BROADWAY LITTLETON 80122

15250 E. MISSISSIPPI AVE AURORA 800121155 S. HAVANA ST AURORA 800123190 S. PARKER RD AURORA 8001417000 E. ILIFF AVE AURORA 8001318211 E. HAMPDEN AVE AURORA 800132355 W. 136TH AVE BROOMFIELD 80023750 E. 104TH AVE THORNTON 802299983 WADSWORTH BLVD BROOMFIELD 8003010351 FEDERAL BLVD WESTMINSTER 802603801 E. 120TH AVE THORNTON 8023312167 SHERIDAN BLVD BROOMFIELD 800201150 HIGHWAY 287 BROOMFIELD 8002013700 COLORADO BLVD THORNTON 80602

RED = NEW LOCATIONS

PAGE 10 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

www.reservecasinohotel.com

$100,000 Cash Reserve Earn entries until April 1. Every 200 points

gets an entry. Drawings are every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. There will be 21 winners each night, which means 42 win-ners every weekend. More than $5,000 in cash will be awarded every week-end. There will be a $25,000 cash winner on Sunday, April 1.

Slot TournamentsJoin in the fun at the Reserve

Casino Hotel on Tuesdays and Thursdays in March in the Celebrity Zone for slot tournaments, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., daily; win cash at 5 p.m. See Player’s Club for complete details and rules.

Free BingoPlay bingo for free in the Lava Room every

Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Table games promotionsWe are giving away two free 32-inch flat

screen TVs each Friday and Saturday night in March at 10 p.m. Earn entries on all games. Mondays through Fridays, double all entries be-fore 6 p.m. See table games area for details.

Poker parties every FridayPoker Parties every Friday at Reserve

Casino Hotel.

Reserve Grand Opening Week, March 26 – April 1

Celebrate the official grand opening of Reserve Casino Hotel, March 26 – April 1, with grand master of ceremonies Joe Piscopo.

www.crystalpalacecasinocolorado.com

3X pointsEarn 3X points, Monday through Thursday, all

day at Crystal Palace.

2X pointsEarn 2X points, Friday through Sunday, all

day.

$3,000 Hot Seat RewardsFridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. – midnight and

Sundays, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Must be a Player’s Club member and use your club card to be eligible.

$5,500 Palace Putt for Cash

M o n d a y through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., must be a player’s club member and use your player’s club card to be eligible.

March Birthdays

Player’s Club members with birthdays in March may receive 1,000 base points on their Player’s Club account or a Crystal Palace logo T-shirt or a Crystal Palace logo coffee cup (while supplies last).

New food on the menuTry out new food items, which include deli

sandwiches, chili, hot dogs, soups, nachos and more.

Food specialsTuesdays through Thursdays, player’s club

members get a half sandwich and bowl of soup for only $1.99.

www.central-city.cnty.com

Spring Bankroll BoostWe’ll fill up your pockets this March with the

Spring Bankroll Boost. Earn weekly entries for

cash drawings for just 150 base points each starting Feb. 26. Every Friday and Saturday starting March 2, boost your bankroll with hourly drawings for big cash prizes. Fridays - $250 prizes from 4-9 p.m., $500 at 10 & 11 p.m. Saturdays - $250 prizes from 2-9 p.m., $500 at 10 & 11 p.m.

Earn a trip to ArubaYou can earn a free trip to the 15-acre

Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa in Palm Beach, Aruba. Play at Century Casino Central City and earn 450,000 base points from now through July, and you’ll receive the trip for yourself and a guest as our gift to you. This fantastic package includes airfare for two, hotel, $500 spending cash for five days and four nights in this Caribbean paradise. Earn 10,000 base points now through July, and you’ll receive a discount rate for a hotel stay at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino, and Spa in Palm Beach, Aruba. Full details of the discounted rate available at the Century Casino Central City Player’s Club.

Party Cart The Party Cart is here, every Tuesday, from

noon to 8 p.m., at a random time within each hour, we’ll pick a lucky winner with a Hot Seat drawing, and before they know it we will roll up to them with the Party Cart, rockin’ and rollin’ with celebration music. Our lucky winner will spin the prize wheel on the cart, and win comp dollars, mystery prizes or even up to $250 cash.

Senior Celebration, Tuesday, Wednesday, plus bingo Thursday

Guests aged 50 or better can enroll at the club to receive 2X points on their play all day, 8 a.m. – 4 a.m., plus 50 percent off purchases (up to $25 in one day) at the Retro Deli or Mid City Grill. 50 percent discount will apply to purchases made with Insta-Comp too. Plus, Century Casino offers Bingo every Thursday, with a $100 PRIZE for each game starting at 11 a.m., running through 7 p.m. Players can pick up their bingo card at the Player’s Club one hour before each game.

118 Main St. • Central City 720-253-1669

CoMe Play

2x PointS Fri - Sun all Day3x PointS Mon - thurs all Day

SPeCial $1.99 Half Sandwich& Soup tues-thurs

new FooD iteMSGlitzieSt CaSinoCentral City’s

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March 20 - April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 11

EntertainmentCCO partners with local arts organizations on

Teller House

Britten’s The Turn of the Screw is set for several showings coming up by the Central

City Opera.

n addition to its 2012 Festival pro-ductions, Central City Opera an-nounced additional events that will engage and entertain.

Celebrating the company’s 2012 productions of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and Menotti’s The Medium, CCO has partnered with The OtherSide paranormal investigators, Ballet Nouveau Colorado, Denver Art Museum, Curious Theatre, Denver Public Library’s Fresh City Life, Lan-nie’s Clocktower Cabaret and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver to pres-ent paranormal happenings starting this spring and continuing through the 2012 Summer Festival.

CCO’s Paranormal Project dares attendees to take a trip to the other side with events including:

• Night with the Spirits - April 21, 7-11 p.m. (Must be 21+): Held at the Teller House next to the Central City Opera House, attendees will spend a spooky-fun night with the spirits that haunt this historic hotel. The Other-Side investigators (www.theotherside investigations.com) will lead a hunt for paranormal activity. Attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy spir-its and indulge in treats. Tickets are just $30; $5 off for The Scene members (CCO’s Young Professionals group). Denver Public Library›s Fresh City Life

• A Taste of Britten: Scones and Singers - June 2, 2 p.m.: A free event, attendees will sip Ceylon Tea and nib-ble on tasty scones during an intimate sneak peek at Central City Opera’s 2012 Festival offerings, including Brit-ten’s The Turn of the Screw. The event will be held at the DPL Schlessman Branch, 100 Poplar Street, Denver.

• Unveil the Mysteries of Opera - June 20, 6 p.m.: Attendees will be treated to tea from Teatulia and uncov-er the mysteries of opera with CCO! The event will be held at the DPL Ross-Cherry Creek Branch, 304 Mil-waukee St., Denver.• Central City Road Trip! - June

23, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.: A free event, peo-ple can join the hosts of Fresh City Life of DPL and head up the hill for a behind-the-scenes glimpse as Central City Opera gears up for the 2012 Fes-tival (June 30-Aug. 12). Participants will sit in on diction and stage-fight-ing classes and the “Sitz” rehearsal of Oklahoma! Meeting location is the Central City Opera House Garden.

• Film Night - July 10, 6-9 p.m.: This free event includes a screening of the classic film The Innocents, starring Deborah Kerr, followed by selections from Central City Op-era’s 2012 Summer Festival, featur-ing Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. The event will be held at the Central Library, 10 W 14th Ave, Downtown

Denver in the B2 Conference Room.Fresh City Life- My Branch and

Central Events are free. Registration at denverlibrary.org/fresh or 720-865-1206 is encouraged.

Central City Opera presents

• The Turn of the Screw - July 14 and Aug. 4 at 8 p.m., July 18, 21, 25 and 29 at 2:30 p.m.: Mystery and ap-paritions come to the stage in this new production of Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Based on the novella by Henry James, the chamber opera set in an English country home during the mid-nineteenth century tells the story of a governess who keeps watch over two children, Miles and Flora. The sto-ry quickly unfolds as the governess’s seemingly simple job becomes a fight to protect the troubled children from the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel, the former servant and governess. Tickets start at $20. Ticket buyers can add Turn of the ScrewFest for $30.

• Turn of the ScrewFest - July 21 and 29 (following the matinee performance): On two dates this summer, at-tendees enjoy a 2:30 p.m. per-formance of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw before partaking in Turn of the ScrewFest, an epic night of paranormal activities at Central City Opera’s historic Teller House. A highly sensory experience, attendees take a trip to the other side with ghost stories, mind reading, intimate performances by Lannie’s Clocktower Cab-aret and Ballet Nouveau Colorado, and para-normal investiga-tions with the OtherSide. S p i r i t s and a b r e w

from Dostal Alley Casino and Brew-pub will be offered along with de-lectable British pub fare. Turn of the ScrewFest is sponsored in part by the City of Glendale. Tickets are $60, which includes the opera The Turn of the Screw and Turn of the ScrewFest.

• The Medium - July 28 and Aug. 4, 6 p.m.: Held at the historic Williams’ Stables in Central City, people can en-joy a one-hour dramatic opera starring renowned artist Joyce Castle about a fake psychic whose surprise encounter with the unknown leads to murder and

mayhem. Tickets are $20; $15 for CCO subscribers.

ArtsX PassOn sale now through April 9,

ages 21 to 45 can purchase an ArtsX Pass, a one-of-kind pass to the para-normal and to the hottest arts happen-ings in Denver for a song. For $70, Pass holders can treat themselves to three out-this-world performances by Ballet Nouveau Colorado, Curious Theatre and Central City Opera PLUS two trips to Denver’s coolest muse-ums around, Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. For more information or to purchase the ArtsX Pass go to www.

centralcityopera.org/artsxpass or call the Central City Opera Box

Office at 303-292-6700. Re-strictions Apply. Changes must be made with the indi-vidual box offices of ArtsX Pass participants after ticket purchase.

Events on the Pass in-clude:

• Garrett Ammon’s ROCK BALLETS by Ballet Nouveau Colora-do – April 15, 2 p.m.: Cel-

ebrate the British setting of CCO’s The Turn of the Screw

with spirited contemporary dance set to the music of British

rockers Queen and David Bowie along with INXS. The event

will be held at the Perform-ing Arts Complex at Pin-

nacle Charter School, 1001 W. 84th

Ave., Denver. Visit bnc-

d a n c e .c o m

o r

email eadair@bncdance.com for more information.

• Untitled #46 “Cipher” at Den-ver Art Museum - April 27, 6-10 p.m.: Untitled turns the final Fridays of the month into offbeat encounters with art. Cipher takes a look at Mad-eline Albright’s cryptic collection in Read My Pins, along with artists’ hidden meanings, codes and the good old-fashioned puzzle. Catch Central City Opera in Concerts in the Corner during for paranormal opera snippits. Attendees will also have an opportu-nity to meet CCO’s Ensemble Art-ists and solve the mysteries of opera. The DAM is located at 100 W. 14th Ave., Denver. Visit untitled.denverart museum.org for more information.

• Curious Theatre’s Regional Premiere of John Logan’s RED - May 31, 8 p.m.: RED is an intense portrait of the troubled and brilliant mind of painter Mark Rothko, a master painter keenly aware of the precari-ous balance of his artistic crown, seen through the eyes of the artist into the painting. RED is set in the late 1950s as renowned painter Mark Rothko strug-gles to complete his commissioned Seagram Murals for the Four Seasons in New York City. RED invites attend-ees to look into the art and the sacrifice, feel the exhilaration of the act, experi-ence a captivating expression of ideas, and dares onlookers to leave unmoved. RED will be performed at Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. in Denver. Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

MCA Denver is a paranormal fo-rum for out-of-this-world art that in-spires and challenges all audiences, creating understanding and dialog about art of our time. With the ArtsX Pass, people can enjoy free admission for one to the MCA Denver, located at 1485 Delgany Street in downtown Denver. Go to www.mcadenver.org to see current and upcoming exhibits.

• CCO’s The Turn of the Screw - Saturday, July 21, 2:30 p.m., Central City Opera House – ArtsX Pass hold-ers can add Turn of the ScrewFest for $30.

Festival tickets on sale nowFestival subscriptions include the

options of a two-pack of Oklahoma! and La Bohème or a three-pack includ-ing The Turn of the Screw. Subscrip-tions are on sale now starting at just $30. Single tickets, starting at $20, go on sale April 1. In addition to its slate of operas for 2012, CCO will con-tinue to present exciting new Festival events and enhancements. For more information or to purchase tickets for 2012, visit www.centralcityopera.org or call 303-292-6700.

PAGES 12-13 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

R eserve Casino Hotel is pulling out all the stops for its week-long grand opening celebration Monday, March 26 through Sunday, April 1. The week will

ramp up with live performances by co-median Joe Piscopo and culminate with an intimate concert by national favorite, The Stray Cats, featuring Lee Rocker, on Saturday, March 31, and $30,000 cash giveaway on Sunday, April 1.

Guests are encouraged to visit Cen-tral City’s newest casino all week long to maximize the free special events taking place, ranging from amped up bingo, poker and blackjack events to VIP din-ners and cash giveaways of more than $35,000. Events are scheduled every day of the week, building up to a grand finale concert with Stray Cats, featuring Lee Rocker, on Saturday, March 31, in Lava Room. Reserved seats are sold out for this concert, but a limited number of

general admission tickets are available for $10 at the gift shop. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Comedian of Saturday Night Live fame and singer, Joe Piscopo, will host multiple events from Wednesday through Sunday as master of ceremo-nies, with a FREE jazz performance Fri-day, March 30, at 8 p.m. in Lava Room. On April 1, the casino will host a cash drawing where one person will walk away with $25,000.

General manager Robert Risdon said, “We are extremely excited to be bringing top-notch entertainment to Central City and Gilpin County, with the appearances of Joe Piscopo and The Stray Cats featuring Lee Rocker. Since the day we arrived we’ve always felt that entertainment options outside of gaming would be a great addition to the amenities we offer our guests at Reserve Casino Hotel. Grand Opening

weekend will merely be our kicking off point, with more great shows planned for the rest of the year.”

The $10 million renovation to Re-serve includes new slots and table games, a fine-dining Tuscan steak-house called Ardore, and Market Street, an all-new fast-casual concept. Hotel rooms have been completely remod-eled with rock ‘n’ roll themes and other new amenities include the Guitar Bar, a 65-foot-long bar shaped like an electric guitar and Lava Room, a 300-person live-entertainment space that features national and local acts on the weekends. The Zone is a 12-person VIP multimedia room with five high-definition TVs and theater seating.

Be a part of the actionFor details about Reserve Casino Hotel

grand opening week, visit www.ReserveCasinoHotel.com.

Events highlight Joe Piscopo, Stray Cats featuring Lee Rocker, special gaming events, $30K Cash Drawing

Live music in the Lava Room

Have a seat at the Guitar Bar

Modern louges, great views

Goes BIG for Grand Opening Week March 26 – April 1

Cover Story

New casino gets new general managerRisdon excited about Reserve Casino Hotel remodel, things to come

By Linda Jones

There are hardly words in the English language to describe the transformation

of the dowdy, matronly Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino into the at-tractive, lively Reserve Casino Hotel. This total remodel has to be seen to be believed; there are fresh new colors, new eye-catching lighting, a memorable guitar bar and an appeal-ing food service area. All are enticing. The fine-dining Ardore Restaurant is entered through their fine-wine stor-age, creating a striking entrance.

New General Manager Robert Ris-don of Reserve Casino Hotel has been along for the entire bumpy transfor-mation; he came onboard on Nov. 7. He shared Dean DiLullo’s, chief oper-ating officer of Reserve Casino Hotel, vision from the beginning. Risdon is deservedly proud of the transforma-tion and that it was accomplished within the budget.

Risdon’s path to Central City was a twisting one. He grew up in Los Angeles and attended college in Cali-

fornia for a while. As the accounting major’s college career advanced, Ris-don discovered there was a waiting list at his university for the classes he needed. He then decided to look at

the out of state insti-tutions that had sent him letters of accep-tance. One of those universities was the University of Ne-vada, Las Vegas, so he transferred and graduated from the school.

That led Risdon to a job with Deloitte & Touche account-ing firm, whose cli-ents in Las Vegas

were, quite naturally, large casino/hotel businesses. He sidestepped into the casino business, first working for Station Casinos as a staff accountant and moving up to supervisor, con-troller and finally director. He left the casino business briefly and then returned to work for Binions. This lured Risdon back to Station Casinos, but this time as a director of Finance over eight properties. He spent the fi-nal three years of his Station Casinos career in operations.

Risdon prefers being a general manager of one property “over the accounting side because I’m working with a wider range of people. I enjoy working with our guests.”

Several years removed from high school, Risdon married, in January, a woman he went to high school with.

“I know I got a late start. We kept in touch for those 19 years. It’s a first marriage for both of us. Neither of us had ever really been to Colorado and we both have absolutely fallen in love with the state. We love Denver and love Colorado,” Risdon said.

Risdon is eager to try snowboard-ing and kayaking. A Lakewood neigh-bor gave them passes that include everything to do in Winter Park as a wedding gift, so he’s heading for the snowy slopes soon.

Reserve Casino Hotel is hosting a Grand Opening from March 26 – April 1, but the property’s transfor-mation is not yet complete. Risdon says they’re continuously working on the food. They’re aware that the previous casino was notorious for bad food and they’re working hard to contradict that image.

“I know we have to provide superi-or amenities for our guests,” he said.

The “we” in the previous para-graph refers to the multiple owners of the Reserve. Contrary to popular knowledge, the casino is not owned entirely by Luna Entertainment, but rather by multiple owners. The long-term goal of the ownership is to build the Reserve brand into multiple properties, all distinguished by out-standing service.

RobertRisdon

New look, new gaming

Cover Story

PAGE 14 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

Scott hit a jackpot for $9,000 on the Triple Cash Slot Machine at Fitzgeralds.

Donald won $9,000 playing a Triple Double Strike $1 slot machine at Fitzgeralds Casino Black Hawk.

Dorothy won $1,440 playing a $1 Triple Double Stars machine at Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk.

Jose won $3,000 in Economic Relief at Fitzgeralds Casino Black Hawk.

Tom won $1,500 in the Cash Reserve Drawing, along with four other lucky cash winners at Reserve Casino Hotel.

Mary won $5,005 playing a $1 Game King Keno machine at Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk.

I t’s no April Fools’ joke. No fooling – going “green” and being thrifty is

not a new thing even though now it’s an ad-mired way to live. Our grandmothers knew that thrifty was nifty – even if they didn’t realize that they were helping to save our environment. They

knew how to recycle things and avoid waste in their households.

I’m an Oklahoma farmer’s daughter who has been married 50+ years and has always been “green.” My husband and I have raised four children and sent them all to college on a limited income. How did we do it? We found creative green ways to save bucks, which I am going to share with you in my new Thrifty is Nifty column. Here are a few green tips for this spring and summer.

Camping green waysWhen we camped with our small children,

we discovered economical ways to recycle pie tins, coffee cans and empty plastic containers to save money and clean-up time. We didn’t buy disposable containers or cookware. In-

stead of buying Styrofoam drinking cups, which are very unkind to the environment, I bought six tin cups with handles at an Army surplus story. I used a permanent felt tip marker to put each of our names on a cup. In-stead of buying a large water tank for drinking water, I cleaned empty gallon bleach bottles and filled them with water. We refilled them with safe drinking water as we traveled.

I packed empty coffee cans with complete pancake mix and snapped on the plastic lid. To make and pour pancakes, I added water and then bent the can to make a spout. When cooking on a Coleman camp stove, I used recy-cled aluminum pie tins for lids on my cooking kettles to keep our food hot. These tins and re-cycled plastic containers also were great serv-

ing dishes. I bought individual serving cereal boxes, which we used instead of plastic bowls. We carried big plastic trash bags with us so we would never lit-ter the environment. When it rained we made slits in the top for our heads and slits on the sides for our arms to make instant raincoats.

Green gardening tipsThe cost of watering sometimes does not

make raising a garden profitable. My husband figured out how to save both on our water bill and to add extra growing power to the gar-den. He fastened plastic black pipes together to extend from our washing machine to the garden. When I washed clothes, I inserted the washing machine hose into this long black plastic pipe instead of the drain. I was concerned about what detergent to use that would not harm our garden, so I consulted my chemical engineer son. I feared I would have to buy some expensive detergents. He told me all basic detergents have safe phosphates that will actually fertilize the garden, so I used my same low-priced detergents. My son warned

me never to use washing machine water that had bleach in it on the garden, so I never did. Wow, how our garden grew with recycled green washing machine water.

To grow healthy tomatoes without those nasty green worms eating them, we planted marigolds around the tomatoes. Amazingly, the worms never bothered our tomatoes and we did not have to use insecticides. When ants started forming dens in cracks in our side-walks or concrete driveways, I discovered a green remedy. I poured boiling water on them a couple of times, and no more ant dens.

To share your green tips with other read-ers, email me at grandwriterCO@msn.com.

No fooling — our grandmothers were ‘green’

T he power went out one stormy evening last summer. There

was nothing for me to do, but put a candle on the coffee table and lay on the couch with a flashlight propped be-hind me while I tried to read. The flash-light beam made a perfect circle of light,

and I could read surprisingly well – as long as what I was reading was in that circle. But I had to keep moving my book to keep it that way. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m a pretty fast reader. I must have looked like a cartoon character eat-ing corn on the cob.

Next time the power goes out, things will be different. For my last birthday, my family gave me an e-book reader, which is used for reading digital books – or letting everyone think you’re reading digital books while you’re playing Angry Birds. I could have read with ease that night last summer if I’d had it – and if I’d remembered to charge it.

You never have to charge a paperback. But

you can’t read it when the lights go out either, except when there’s a bolt of lightening and those are so unreliable.

If you’re considering an e-book reader your-self, you may be wondering if you’re – how can I say this diplomatically – smart enough to use one. Trust me; you are. How do I know? Be-cause I am. Below is my handy grading system for technology:

Level 3: I will never be able to operate this thing even if I do read the instructions, which is unlikely. An example would be a nuclear mag-netic resonance spectrometer. I have trouble with those.

Level 2: I could catch on with some coaching. Examples include my cell phone, digital cam-era, battery-operated toothbrush and fingernail clippers. KIDDING! I don’t need help with the clippers.

Level 1: Even I, a confirmed technophobe, am able to use this without supervision. An ex-ample would be a spoon.

My e-reader is a level 1½, only because I had help from a patient librarian when I down-loaded library books for the first time. Other than that, it’s easy to use, though not as easy as a paperback. Those are Level 1. At least the ones I read are.

My reader is not much bigger than a paper-back, so I can read it anywhere except the bath-tub. I prefer showers anyway, but I probably shouldn’t read it there either.

As small as it is, my reader can hold more than 1,000 books. That means if I’m ever trapped on a desert island, I’ll have plenty to read, assuming there’s somewhere to charge my e-book reader. But I don’t think I can assume that.

I can expand the text size on my reader. That’s handy when I misplace my reading glass-es. And I love that I can highlight favorite pas-sages. I’ve always done that in books I own. But with my reader, I can even highlight passages in digital books I check out from the library, some-thing they frown on with traditional books.

I used my e-reader’s built-in dictionary last night when I came across the word “indo-lent.” Had I been reading a paperback, I wouldn’t have had the ambition to drag myself up off the couch to hunt down the dictionary. I didn’t have to with my e-reader. I just clicked on the word and up popped the meaning: “Indolent: Hav-ing or showing a disposition to avoid exertion;

slothful.” Oh.I also like the search feature. Say I can’t re-

member the name of a character, but I know he had a moustache. In the old days, I’d thumb through my book, counting on my photographic memory to recall approximately where I’d read about the character. It wasn’t long into my search that I’d remember, “Oh ya. I don’t have a photographic memory.”

With my e-reader, I type the word mous-tache into the search, and the passage talking about the character and his moustache appears. It’s easy, even for someone with a preference for Level 1 technology and a disposition to avoid exertion.

By Dorothy Rosbydrosby@rushmore.com

Contact drosby@rushmore.com or see www.dorothyrosby.com.

March 20 - April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 15

The many levels of TechNology fuN

By Margaret Malsam

grandwriterCO@msn.com

Thrifty is Nifty

Humor

CRIPPLE CREEK

Casino•Guide

CENTRAL CITY

BLACK HAWK

This information is subject to change without notice.

Ameristar - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP over 1400 536 rooms B, D, SD, Starbucks free valet and self parking 720-946-4000/.ameristar.com/Black_Hawk.aspx

Black Hawk Station VP 120 No SD,SB city lot 303-582-5582/ blackhawkstationcasino.net

Bull Durham VP 188 No SB city lot 303-582-0810/.bulldurhamcasino.com

Bullwhackers - 24/7 Fri/Sat VP 400 No SD free valet and self parking 1-800-GAM-BULL/bullwhackers.com

Canyon - 24/7 Fri/Sat BJ, C, R, VP 415 No SD, SB free valet and self parking 303-777-1111/canyoncasino.com

Fitzgeralds - 24/7 Fri/Sat BJ, C, R, VP 700 No SD, SB on weekends free covered valet 303-582-6100 (1-800-538-LUCK)/fitzgeraldsbh.com

Gilpin - 24/7 BJ, C, R, P, VP 460 No SD free valet across the street 303-582-1133/thegilpincasino.com

Golden Gates - 24/7 BJ, P, C, VP 280 No D free valet and covered self parking 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

Golden Gulch VP 140 No V free self/free valet 303-582-5600/thegoldengatescasino.com

Golden Mardi Gras - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 680 No SD,SB,D free valet and covered self parking 303-582-5600/goldenmardigras.com

Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk - 24/7 BJ, C, P, R, VP 1308 238 B,D,SD free valet and self parking 1-800-The-Isle/theisleblackhawk.com

Lady Luck - 24/7 BJ, P,C, R, VP 500 164 SD,SB free covered valet and self parking 1-888-Lady-Luck/ladyluckblackhawk.com

Lodge - 24/7 BJ, C, R, P, VP 975 50 B, D, SD, SB free valet parking 303-582-1771/thelodgecasino.com

Red Dolly VP 149 No SD free self parking 303-582-1100/reddollycasino.net

Riviera - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 766 No B free valet and self parking 303-582-1000/rivierablackhawk.com

Sasquatch No 70 No D No 720-880-1616

Wildcard VP 220 No D city lot 303-582-3412/thewildcardsaloon.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 520 26 SD,D free covered self parking 303-582-5050/cnty.com

Crystal Palace VP 101 No D free city lot 720-253-1669

Doc Holliday VP 178 No SD free city lot 303-582-1400/dochollidaycasino.net

Dostal Alley - 24/7 VP 64 No SD free self parking 303-582-1610/dostalalley.net

Easy Street VP 205 No SD free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Famous Bonanza BJ, P, R, VP 244 No SD , D free self parking 303-582-5914/famousbonanza.com

Johnny Z’s BJ, C, R, VP 288 No SD, D free covered parking 303-582-5623/johnnyzscasino.com

Reserve Casino Hotel - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 700 118 SD free valet and self parking 1-800-924-6646/reservecasinohotel.com

The Brass Ass - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 250 No SD free covered self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasino.com

Bronco & Buffalo Billy’s - 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP 750 23 SD free self parking 877-989-2142/broncobillyscasino.com

Century Casino - 24/7 BJ, C, R, VP 437 21 SD free self parking 719-689-0333/cnty.com/casinos/cripplecreek

Colorado Grande - 24/7 BJ, R, VP 211 5 SD, SB free self parking 877-244-9469/coloradogrande.com

Double Eagle & Gold Creek - 24/7 BJ, P ,C, R, VP 700+ 158 SD, SB free valet and covered self parking 800-711-7234/decasino.com

Johnny Nolon’s - 24/7 VP 255 No SD free self parking w/validation 719-689-2080/johnnynolons.com

J.P. McGill’s - 24/7 Fri/Sat VP 300 40 SD validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Midnight Rose - 24/7 P, VP 400 19 SD, B validated self parking 800-635-LUCK/triplecrowncasinos.com

Wildwood Casino- 24/7 BJ, P, C, R, VP, TH 530 68 SD, D Climate controlled self parking 877-945-3963/playwildwood.com

Casino Table Slots Lodging Food Parking Contact Games

Table Games Key

BJ - Blackjack, P-Poker, C-Craps, R-Roulette, TH - Texas Holdem’, VP-Video Poker

Food Key

B-Buffet, D-Deli, SD-Sitdown, SB-Snackbar, V-Vending Machine

PAGE 18 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

W alk into any casino in the country today and you’ll find a gaming floor that’s

dominated by slots that bear little resemblance to the machines that were there a decade and more ago.

Handles have long since been rendered window dressing by push-button play, drop-in coin slots were covered up once ticket-in/ticket-out technology was introduced, and the enticing jingle-jangle of to-kens cascading into trays has been replaced with electronically gener-ated noise.

Three-reel spinning games such as International Game Tech-nology’s Double Diamond, Triple Diamond, and Red, White & Blue 7’s, and Bally’s Blazing 7’s, among others, once upon a time were the essence of what playing slots was all about.

They’re still around, but today the old stalwarts are overshadowed by a sea of video slots in a wide va-riety of entertaining themes avail-able in penny, two-cent, three-cent and nickel formats in which multi-line/multi-coin capabilities make it possible to bet upwards of five dol-lars on every spin.

Making an ever-increasing presence as well are multiple-reel spinning slots available in low-de-nomination play.

The handwriting is on casino walls. Little energy is devoted to developing new 3-reel product lines. The accent is on four and five-reel spinners with bonus fea-tures, multiple pay lines and tiered progressives. How soon will it be before your favorite two-coin dol-lar Double Diamond machine be-comes extinct?

The demand for reel-spinning slots continues, but the new games that are being introduced reflect a trend away from the 3-reel spin-ners, which ultimately means once the games in those formats have run their course they’ll not be re-placed with like versions.

Even though IGT slots are equipped with multi-denomination capabilities, some of the other man-ufacturers offer games only in one denomination. This helps preserve the casino floor dynamic of offer-ing games in dedicated amounts, but my guess is that traditional reel-spinning dollar slots are an endan-gered species.

Casino operators know that players in ever-increasing num-bers are wagering dollars per spin on penny games that have a higher “hold” (casino win) than dedi-cated quarter, half-dollar and dol-lar games. Gamblers identified as “dollar players” are beginning to earn that reputation-playing penny and nickel games.

Gaming industry dynamics as they apply to slot machine play have changed dramatically, not necessarily to the benefit of players but certainly to increased profit-ability for casino owners.

Thinking About Poker: The value of raising

After going through some older poker books in order to recall some of poker’s basics (see Back

to Basics series in the last few issues of the Gambler), I came up with another pointer com-monly called – in my busi-ness – a BFO. That stands for a “Blinding Flash of the Obvi-ous.” Something that by its very nature should stand out on its own merits and be recognized for the brilliant observation it is. Trouble is, many of these BFO’s get camouflaged by the detritus surrounding and inter-fering with solid poker think-ing. One of these serves as the title to this piece: The value of raising.

When one raises in poker, it generally is for one of several reasons; first, because one is holding a monster hand there is the desire to get as much mon-ey into the pot as possible for a great “payday” at the hand’s end. The normal hand for such a move would be “Pocket Rock-ets” (A-A) or Pocket Kings for a prior-to-the-flop move. Post-flop might include flopping the nut flush or the top straight having no flush possibilities or

even a Full House. A post-flop hand like these may require betting right out or setting up for a check-raise, depending on the table dynamics.

The second reason for rais-ing is to use the raise to help define where your hand stands relative to others. You might have Pocket 10’s so rather than just calling the blind(s), you elect to raise. Anyone who calls will most likely have premi-um – or playable – cards; now you can decide how to proceed post-flop. This also leads us into reason No. 3 for raising; that being to get better hands to fold. Judiciously used, this semi-bluff (meaning you have a respectable hand but not the best hand) can be utilized to make a player holding a better hand than your throw it away.

The fourth reason for rais-ing is to get others hands – who ordinarily might limp in by call-ing only the blind(s) – to fold and thereby eliminate their chances of drawing out on you. Your raise, forcing them to muck their cards after calling the blind(s), also leaves dead money in the pot with fewer active players competing for it. The odds (I’ve found that 9 out of 8 people do not understand odds) of your winning the pot now somewhat dramatically go up.

What prompted this article was observing the following two hands while engaging in a night of poker frivolity at the local Pokertorium. One player who was dealt Pocket Aces limped

in from early position with five others calling the blinds for a six-handed game. Long story short, his Aces did not improve and they fell to another player who picked up two pair on the turn. He lamented the fact his Aces “never hold up” and I mentally responded, “Not when you play them that way.” He should have protected those cards like his first-born child and raised right then and there. He had never heard the often true saying that Pocket Aces will win you a small pot or lose you a big one. He lost a big one by not raising right off the bat.

The next hand contribut-ing to this diatribe was held by yours truly; I had Q – J suited in early position and when it was my turn I knew I should raise, but my hands disobeyed and threw in a limping call. The flop came J – 2 – 2 and I ulti-mately lost the hand to another player who limped in with; get this, 2 – 3 offsuit! If my hands had obeyed my head and raised when I should have, the “gee-nee-us” most likely would have had to fold, thereby eliminating him from contention and ulti-mately me taking down the pot. An early raise would ultimately cost me less than continually betting into a ‘calling station’ that wouldn’t have been there had I raised in the first place.

Oh, well…live and learn. Or is it “Live and Don’t Learn?” I never can remember which…

Could dollar slots do a disappearing act?

FULLHOUSEBy Drew Chitiea

Gaming

O ne of t h e m a j o r differ-

ences between blackjack and most other casino games

is its nonrandom nature. Yet the Old School blackjack pundits pontificate like professors using random number generated data and computer simulations based upon it.

So they can talk about what phony black-jack would be like if it were random and dealt by a random number generator. But that’s not how the cards play out at the casino.

First of all, a random number genera-tor would have no problem dealing this se-quence: A, A, A, A, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4 and so on.

Statistically speaking, that would be ex-tremely improbable if not impossible to pro-duce with standardized casino card shuffling in the real game. Real shuffling at the casino with real cards produces identifiable phe-nomenon.

For instance, in my single-deck blackjack studies, seven card hands were virtually non-existent. Therefore I never expect to see them at single-deck tables. In fact, I’ve never seen one at an honest casino.

Yet in Beat The Dealer, the book that mys-teriously sold everyone on Old School black-jack methods in 1962, Edward Thorp talks of having been dealt this hand: A, 2, 2, 3, 6, A, 6.

He thrills over getting a “seven-card 21,” which he claims “happens once per several

thousand hands.”Really? You can see that this is totally

wrong by dealing thousands of hands of blackjack at home. You don’t need to drive yourself crazy doing a scientific survey. Just deal hands of blackjack at home – maybe while you’re watching TV – for as many months as you can stand it. Don’t take re-cords. Just look for a seven-card hand.

It won’t happen.So this is one major way guys who’ve used

random number-generated blackjack simula-tions as data go wrong as players. They don’t understand the fundamentals of a card-driv-en game or the true likelihood of anything occurring because their data misleads them.

If I ever saw a seven-card hand at a single deck game at a casino, I wouldn’t be celebrat-ing. I’d leave. Such an event is that rare. I wouldn’t necessarily put it down to cheating (although based upon Thorp’s complete ac-count in Beat The Dealer, it was apparent to me he was being cheated and, had he used real card data, I believe he would have real-ized it). But I’d leave nonetheless, to err on the side of caution.

Another way real blackjack differs from phony blackjack (computer simulations) is that the cards have a bias or personality. That is, once new cards have been brought into the game and given their first shuffling pro-cedure (including a “washing,” which only occurs at that time), they tend to exhibit re-peating phenomenon. My 10-year card study proved this beyond a doubt (for stunning details, read Cutting Edge Blackjack). This is the last thing you’d see in phony blackjack,

the kind used by the Old School researchers and writers. So they’re totally unaware of it.

This, too, is something you can see at home if you are able to emulate the exacting kind of shuffling done at the casino. Here’s how you’d test this out:

Go to your favorite casino and really study how they first shuffle new cards, and then how they shuffle the cards in every round fol-lowing the new cards’ introduction. Watch also how they deal the cards and how they collect them (busted hands, for example, be-ing taken off the table as they happen, before the round is over, etc.). Notice too where they put the reshuffle card (most place it so it lets the dealer deal about 60 percent of the cards before it appears as a signal to reshuffle after the current round).

Then go home and try and repeat this kind of procedure as you play round after round of blackjack, with four or more players (the preferred situations for you to play a good game). Carefully record all the action - every card that’s hit the table, player by player. And when I say every card, I mean by number (or kind) and suit.

You can use a spreadsheet if you like, in your computer, to keep track of things.

Also make a vertical list of how the cards were dealt, in order.

Then, after painstakingly dealing, collect-ing and shuffling the cards as your favorite casino does it, over the course of hundreds of rounds (no need for you to emulate my 10-year study - I’m sure you don’t have the time!), look for hands that repeat exactly, dealer up cards and hole cards that repeat

from shuffle to shuffle, cards that stay near each other or next to each other from shuffle to shuffle, etc.

Even though you might not be able to shuffle with the exactitude a real dealer does it(hence the reason I hired real dealers for my studies), you can still pick up on the repeating phenomenon I discovered many years ago in studying card behavior in the real game.

Then you’ll realize why anyone (such as myself) who seeks to create more effective blackjack methods should always study real blackjack action and not simulations.

This is why, too, why people like Edward Thorp spoke of playing at tables where the cards were “unfavorable” instead of leaving them immediately upon recognizing an un-favorable pattern. It’s also why he spoke of “violent swings” in his financial fortunes at the table.

No good blackjack method should set you up for “violent” downswings in fortune. It should be obvious that if a blackjack re-searcher has truly figured out the game, his methods should teach you how to win consis-tently and avoid “violent” losses.

Richard Harvey is a nationally-ac-claimed blackjack strategies innovator, ex-pert player, blackjack coach and bestselling author of Blackjack The SMART Way, Cut-ting Edge Blackjack, NEW Ways To Win MORE at Blackjack and Richard Harvey’s Blackjack PowerPrep Session. Have black-jack questions? Send them to rharvey2121@netscape.net. For more info see http://www.blackjacktoday.com.

March 20 - April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 19

P robabilities in most casino games don’t fluctuate from

round to round. The chance a pair of dice will land with a total of five is four out of 36, regardless of what’s been thrown since the onset of recorded time. Analogously at

double-zero roulette, the prospects the ball will come to rest in a red groove on the wheel are 18 out of 38 on every spin. Similarly at the slots, say three reels on a certain machine each have 20 “stops.” The chance of any particular three stops is 1/20 multiplied by itself three times, or one out of 8,000. Make believe that on this machine, Clowns appear at five stops on reel 1, four on reel 2, and one on reel 3. The likelihood of a row of clowns is (5/20) x (4/20) x (1/20) or 20 out of 8,000 – which equals one out of 400. In some cases like these, the nature of the game or the way it’s played may affect your prospects during a round. However, the chances are always the same when you com-mit yourself to the gamble by making your bet.

Games involving “withdrawal without re-placement” are different. Most notably in blackjack, baccarat, and their derivatives, cards are dealt from a shoe during a round,

then set aside. As a result they’re unavailable for subsequent rounds, at least until they’re gathered and shuffled to form a new shoe. The composition of the source from which the cards are drawn, and the consequent prob-abilities, accordingly change from round to round. The effect is especially noticeable – and exploitable – in blackjack because of a corre-lation between the probabilities that cards of various ranks will be dealt and bettors’ out-look for upcoming hands. In particular, an ex-cess of high values tend to favor players and of low values the house.

The house’s edge arises in blackjack be-cause dealers act last and win when they and the players both bust. In an otherwise bal-anced game, this edge would be about 5.5 percent. The actual edge against strict basic strategy players at eight-deck tables with fairly liberal rules is only 0.45 percent. The reduc-tion is caused by two factors. 1) Players have options that dealers don’t, including choice of standing on low totals and doubling down or splitting pairs. 2) Uncontested blackjacks pay players 1.5-to-1 but only get the house the amount of the wager; the extra half-bet payoff shifts the edge toward the bettors by half the probability of a blackjack being dealt.

The nominal 0.45 percent edge cited ap-plies to a “neutral shoe” having the original proportions of ranks. It’s valid “off the top” of a shoe, and also as an average over large

numbers of shoes from which cards are with-drawn and not replaced during the course of the action. Because 0.45 percent is relatively low, small changes in edge that accompany shifts in probability as a game progresses can shift the advantage to the player. Solid citizens who count the cards withdrawn and no longer available, and therefore know when what re-mains to be dealt rich in high ranks raise their bets to exploit rounds in which they have an advantage. Conversely when the residual shoe is neutral or rich in twos through sixes, they lower their bets or leave the game.

The influence of shoe composition chang-es on edge are most readily demonstrated in terms of the benefit afforded by the 1.5-to-1 blackjack payoff. In a neutral shoe, the prob-ability of a blackjack is 4.75 percent. This re-duces what would otherwise be the edge in the game by 4.75/2 or 2.38 percent. Assume you’re about to start a round with a freshly shuffled shoe. The distribution of ranks is neutral ex-cept that the dealer “burns” the first card. In most casinos, the dealer will show you this card if you ask. Assuming it’s other than an ace or 10, the probability of being dealt a blackjack in that first round rises to 4.77 percent, shav-ing the house advantage by (4.77 - 4.75)/2 or 0.01 percent. If an ace happens to be burned, the probability of a blackjack falls to 4.62 per-cent, raising the advantage for the house by (4.75 - 4.62)/2 or 0.065 percent. Alternately,

when the burn card is a 10, the probability of a blackjack on the first round is 4.73 percent so the house advantage goes up by (4.75 -4.73)/2 or 0.01 percent. These changes are admittedly small. But we’re only talking about taking one card out of contention.

Instead of just one card being gone, pre-tend that 52 have been withdrawn. Were the 52 to comprise the statistically correct propor-tion of 16 10s, four aces, and 32 other ranks, the probability of a blackjack would remain at 4.75 percent and the house’s edge at 0.45 percent. Were the 52 withdrawn cards to in-clude 20 10s and six aces, the probability of a blackjack drops to 4.25 percent. House advan-tage then jumps up by (4.75 - 4.25)/2 or 0.25 percent, bringing the edge against players up to 0.7 percent. Conversely, if the 52 with-drawals include six 10s, one ace, and 45 other ranks, the probability of a blackjack would be 5.72 percent, reducing edge by (5.72 - 4.75)/2 or 0.97 percent, giving the player an advan-tage of 0.97 - 0.45 or 0.52 percent. If you’ve been thinking the 1.5-to-1 blackjack payoff is a nice little bonus but no great shakes in the scheme of things, think again. It’s effect on edge is large – and can shift the balance as a shoe gets depleted. Something the poet, Sum-ner A Ingmark, urged punters to ponder when he penned:

Phenomena dismissed as worthless,May hide a value ‘neath the surface.

Cards do not play out randomly in blackjack

Why and how edge at blackjack changes during the course of a shoe

By Richard Harvey

Gaming

By Anna lee Ames Frohlichwesternfootprints@comcast.net

C ollectors of 19th century Texan art bemoan the fact that, after my great grandfather Thomas

Allen, Jr.’s visits there from 1877-1879, he never again used his paint-ing skills to capture the essence of that period in Texan history. Nei-ther did he do any other paintings that captured the heart and history of a place as he had done there.

He continued to receive acclaim for his painting, but, from then on his subjects were more pastoral in nature, beautiful and well ex-ecuted, but not a match for the rare

quality of his work in Texas.This is Thomas Allen’s story of

love and loss, which I feel accounts for the change in his subjects and his style.

Every year between 1877 and 1879 he had been going back and forth between his family homes in Missouri and Massachusetts, the towns of Galveston and San Anto-nio, Texas, and his adopted home of Ecouen, France, where he lived in a colony of artists.

Since he first left to study in the Prussian city of Dusseldorf, it had been his habit to make the Atlantic voyage possibly once a year. On one such voyage, maybe on his return from painting in San Antonio in the winter of 1879, he met the love of his life, Eleanor Goddard Whitney.

Eleanor was the daughter of Jo-siah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896), a scientist from Massachusetts. In 1864, while Whitney was the State Geologist of California, he measured the highest peak in the contiguous United States (14,494 feet), which was named after him, Mount Whitney. The members of the California Geological Survey also named the Whitney Glacier, the first confirmed glacier in the United States, after him. From 1874 until the end of his life, he was a professor of geology at Harvard.

Whitney carried on a corre-spondence with the Baron Ferdi-

nand von Richthofen (1833-1905) with whom he shared a friendship and many scientific interests. (The Baron was the uncle of the later fa-mous Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron.) The story of Thomas Allen and Eleanor Whitney is told in part through the letters Whitney wrote to the Baron.

CAMBRIDGE, Feb. 9, 1880 to the Baron: “From the Rhine we went to Paris, where we stayed some time, and my daughter be-came engaged to an American art-ist, living for the time at Ecouen, a few miles away. The marriage is expected to be here (Cambridge) next June (1880), and the young couple to return to Ecouen in the fall.” “We were head over heels in excitement.”

CAMBRIDGE, June 9, 1882 to The Baron: In the letter Whitney describes how his daughter El-eanor had lived in Germany and had learned lo love the country and its ways, something that she shared with her husband. “She was married to a man, whom we all soon learned to love, a young artist, son of a very noble and in-fluential man, Thomas Allen of St. Louis, one of the finest types of an American. In the autumn of 1880, my daughter and her husband re-turned to Europe and took up took up their residence at Ecouen, near

Paris, a favorite resort of land-scape painters. Here just a year ago, we found them living in idyllic happiness, every possible blessing seeming to have been showered upon them. Together we visited the Channel Islands, where they spent July and August; and thence went to London where mother and daughter parted, never again to meet in this world ....”

A l l e n ’ s f a t h e r , Thomas Al-len, Sr., died in Washing-ton, D.C., on April 8, 1882, while serving as a U.S. Rep-resentative to Congress. He was 69 years old.

Eleanor Whitney Allen was born to Thomas and Eleanor Allen in Ecouen, France on April 18, 1882.

(Louisa Whitney) “died on the thirteenth (May 1882), without having suffered much pain or hav-ing had any clear idea that her end was so near. Only two days before her death, my wife told the doctor how happy she was in feeling that Eleanor had everything that could be asked for, and that her cup of happiness was full to overflow-ing.”

(Then) “came a telegram that

my daughter was in the gravest danger; and she, dear, lovely girl, followed her mother only a few hours later neither having known anything of the other’s condition.”

Eleanor Goddard Whitney died May 14, 1882, of complications fol-lowing childbirth.

“My wife was buried at Northampton (NH) one of the

loveliest spots in the world where Eleanor and I were born; and there the dear child will be laid to rest, beside her mother, prob-ably on the second anniversary of her

marriage. And I am alone nothing left of my own family but a little granddaughter, six weeks old ...”

Josiah Whitney lost his wife and daughter less than a day apart. Thomas Allen lost his father and wife just over a month apart. The remaining bond between the men was their daughter and grand-daughter, Eleanor Whitney Allen. Both men continued their work.

Thomas Allen married again and had more children. He was a leader in the art world in Boston, heading numerous organizations. Finally he became the president of the prestigious Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

PAGE 20 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

Josiah Dwight Whitney, Thomas

Allen and Eleanor Whitney

Allen (1883). Father, husband, and daughter of

Eleanor Goddard Whitney Allen.

Eleanor Goddard Whitney Allen, summer 1881, in the British Channel Islands by Thomas Allen, Jr

“All that’s bright must fade —The brightest still the fleetest;

All that’s sweet was madeBut to be lost when sweetest.”

-Thomas Moore

Thomas Allen, Jr. his lady Eleanor

Trail’s End

March 20 - April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 21

One hundred years ago, a person felt

naked not wearing a hat. Ladies, gentlemen, working class folks, children – all wore a hat in public.

High fashion dictated hats for every season in a variety of styles. Women’s hats and hairstyles followed fashion trends. During the 19th-century Victorian period of corsets, crinolines and bustles, a small fancy hat trimmed in ruffles or feathers perched upon a lady’s head. With the highly popular pompadour of the early 1900s Gibson Girl look, hats had to be anchored to a towering pouf of hair. Hats grew larger, wider and more elaborate. The ultimate was the picture hat, very broad-brimmed and laden with fancy decorations, swathed in filmy chiffon and festooned with feathers.

During Colorado’s earliest years, the Main Street of most towns and cities had a millinery shop that specialized in fashionable female headwear. Swiftly changing styles created a fashion swirl, and women strived to keep up with hat trends. Sometimes, hat styles changed a dozen times during a two-year period.

In early Colorado, pioneer women hungered for news of eastern fashions, and gobbled up magazines like Godeys’ Ladies Book and Ladies’ Home Journal that guided style and taste. The milliner came to the rescue, creating confections and concoctions that capped a woman’s elaborate outfit. The milliner knew how to stretch velvet or brocade over the stiff hat frame and how to apply bountiful decoration. She beautified the hats with lavish artificial flowers, Bird of Paradise plumes, yards of lace, streams of ribbon. Sometimes a bird’s wing or even the whole bird – stuffed and mounted – adorned the chapeaux.

The milliner’s tools of trade were pins, needles, scissors and measuring tape; and her thimble never left her finger. An

entrepreneur, she knew how to promote the latest look and priced her creations accordingly: “I’m here to tempt your eye and empty your pocketbook” seemed to be her motto.

Before long, Sears Roebuck catalogues, efficient railroad freight

and department stores aided women in purchasing ready-made hats. Nevertheless, milliners remained in demand, fashioning fancy handmade hats for special occasions like weddings, dress-up balls and festive holidays. Their clientele included middle- and upper-class wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of business owners, bankers, doctors, lawyers, tradesmen and shopkeepers, women who aspired to the utmost in headwear.

The millinery industry was itself significant because it offered a genteel and respectable livelihood to women, especially for single females. Some milliners worked in their homes while raising their families. Many became merchants on Main Street. A successful milliner typically leased a storefront, hung out a prominent sign and advertised in the local newspaper. Savvy in business and skilled in the intricacies of hat making, she also must know everything about fashion. The most sought-after milliners traveled to trade shows in New York City or Paris to get a glimpse of new designs and bring back styles for Colorado clients.

Custom hat making flourished in the early 1900s. Thirteen milliners advertised in the Colorado Springs Business Directory in 1913: six women, two men and five department

stores, most of which were located in the Tejon Street business district. These included two single females, Miss Vivian Fuquah and Miss Beulah McGothnic.

The need for the milliner and her handmade hats diminished during the 1920s. Women’s hats got smaller and sassier: most popular was the fitted, bell-shaped cloche hat that flattered the Flapper’s short “bobbed” hairstyle. The 1930s saw the rise of Hollywood glamour that called for wispy confections and novel

hat shapes. The 1940s and World War II spawned feminine versions of tailored masculine styles, such as fedoras. The pillbox hat worn by First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the early 1960s was one of the last stylish hats of renown.

Meanwhile, the church hat gained momentum, especially among black congregations. The fashion trend coincided with blacks’ northern migration from the rural South in the 1920s, according to headwear historian Dr. Beverly Chico. Black women

in urban areas began donning evermore elaborate hats to wear to Sunday worship.

Church hats became fashionable style statements, a dressing ritual that was (and is) fun, reverent and classy. Some women owned dozens of church hats in different styles, colors and shapes.

“The hats got bigger and bigger and taller and wider,” said Chico, who is a nationally-recognized expert on hats and history. “Wearing large, eye-catching hats became an expression of the women’s independence after emancipation... some called it ‘hattitude.’

“The hat industry was a big industry. They had straw-hat day... The song and musical In Your

Easter Bonnet marketed hats in the springtime.”

Today, hat fashions still sprout in springtime, especially the traditional Easter hat. Hats become the focus at Denver society events, garden parties and polo tournaments.

And then there is the Kentucky Derby hat tradition. Held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., this 1.25 mile race for three-year-old thoroughbreds is as famous for its the exotic hats as it is for horses. Known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and the “Run for the Roses,” the Kentucky Derby attracts approximately 150,000 spectators to enjoy the race and the spectacle of the elaborate hats. Even Kentucky Derby partygoers watching the race via television dress up in fancy hats.

If you are in the mood for an Easter bonnet, you yourself can create a “millinery masterpiece” with the help of the historic fashion experts at the Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania St.. A March 31 workshop provides the hat, materials and refreshments (cost $55; registration required). The Museum’s Carriage House gift store also sells ready-made, Victorian-style touring hats – large brimmed and decorated with feathers, birds, tulle, ribbon and feaux flowers. Call 303-832-4092 or visit www.mollybrown.org.

If you desire something contemporary or classic, you can go to Go Go Chapeaux in Cherry Creek North, perhaps the only hat boutique in Denver. The shop features the creations of milliner Erin Saboe, perfect for teas, baptism, polo matches and, yes, Easter Sunday.

By Cathleen Normancatnorman@earthlink.net

What,s she wearing

on her head?

In 1908, these ladies dressed up for an outing in Palmer Lake in a variety of shapely hats, including a picture hat (far left). Photo courtesy of Palmer Lake Historical Society

Women in hats were picturesque subjects for portrait painters like the internationally famous John Singer Sargent’s Morning Walk.

PAGE 22 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years March 20 - April 2, 2012

Horoscope

Contact Mary Nightstar at marynightstar@yahoo.com and type “horoscope” in the subject line.

ARIES - (March 21 - April 20)The New Moon in Aries this week will give you an energetic boost to your already outgoing personality. You will shine when you walk into a room. There is nothing shy about you. You may butt heads with your employer, but all and all, you are seen as a go getter and a self-starter. Lucky Numbers: 4, 9, 15, 19, 44, 49 TAURUS - (April 21 - May 21)Creative and unique ideas that have been floating around in your head begin to come to fruition; time to take a risk from the everyday routine of your life. Taking a big step can offer big rewards. Family and social gatherings increase this month. You are in high demand. Laughter is guaranteed.  Lucky Numbers: 1, 3, 6, 11, 13, 16 GEMINI - (May 22 - June 21)You are inclined to think about your goals and expectations in life right now. Ask yourself are your goals really your own or someone else’s. Talking over your problems or even new ideas with friends will be especially helpful in reaching an objective viewpoint. Children continue to surprise you. Lucky Numbers: 11, 30, 35, 50, 55, 61 CANCER - (June 22 - July 22)Questions arise concerning your professional life and where you want to be. Think about where you are and where you want to be.  You may feel a little sensitive about your private life being too much out there. Do not blur the distinction between professional and personal relationships. Lucky Numbers: 2, 3, 4, 5, 22, 24

 LEO - (July 23 - Aug 22)The New Moon this week may leave you with a strong urge to get away from your daily routine. There is a restlessness about you. Maybe a day trip somewhere can release this energy in a positive way. If boredom becomes too much, a new study or mental journey may be the ticket. Lucky Numbers: 1, 2, 4, 41, 42, 46 VIRGO - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 23)You may experience moods and feelings that are quite different from your “normal” self. Psychologically you are drawn to intense people and situations. Avoid any unhealthy attachments to people or things. Focus on expressing your individuality within your relationships.Lucky Numbers: 3, 6, 7, 36, 36, 58 LIBRA - (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)Your most personal relationships come to the forefront. It becomes important to you to express what you think and feel. Guard against possessiveness or jealousy. See the as an opportunity to learn about yourself. You are only becoming stronger and more aware through your relations with others. Lucky Numbers: 11, 13, 16, 31, 33, 36

SCORPIO - (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)You may find an element of contradiction going on within yourself. You may be inclined to put your emotional needs ahead of the necessities of life. Find balance by working within your creative realm or reorganizing the personal aspects of your life; time for a healthy lifestyle change. Lucky Numbers: 22, 26, 27, 35, 37, 48

SAGITTARIUS - (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)You find it hard to conceal your feelings from other people, and by no means you shouldn’t try to. You are more protective and nurturing right now, and have a strong desire to take care of someone. You may become the alpha when delegating care over a family member.Lucky Numbers: 10, 12, 13, 31, 32, 42 CAPRICORN - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)This may be a good time to retreat, regroup and redefine what you want to accomplish in your life right now. The outside world will survive without you, time to recharge. If you need to travel, go over your itinerary carefully. You don’t want any glitches to get in the way. Delegate responsibilities when needed. Lucky Numbers: 10, 30, 33, 36, 46, 49 AQUARIUS - (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)You are in touch with your gut instincts. Do not ignore the ‘big red truck” that stands in your way. Communicate what you are feeling, even though it feels emotional. You are not your past. Create the person you truly want to be, today. Avoid emotional spending. You may be returning things next week. Lucky Numbers: 11, 16, 17, 19, 32, 33 PISCES (Feb 20 - March 20)Avoid emotional excitement and irritation right now. Little things may bug you, when normally they wouldn’t. Focus on organizing personal responsibilities. This could be financial goals to clearing out closets. Get lost in a fantasy or science fiction book or movie. Stimulate your imagination. Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 13, 14, 16, 43

Lila Taylor StrattonLila Taylor from Stratton, Colo.,

sends in a recipe to the Gambler this week. She said a friend of hers sends a copy of the paper to her home each week.

“The first thing I look at and enjoy is your recipe column,” she said.

Lila sends in a banana pudding cake recipe and said, “This cake is easy to mix up, tastes good and stays moist. After a cousin ‘discovered’ this cake, the recipe went from one person to another.”

Send usyour recipes!

To be featured in Rollin’ in the Dough: Send us a recipe, your name, a little about yourself, why you chose that recipe, a little about your cooking style, and of course your phone number in case we have questions. Email gambler@villagerpublishing.com or mail to 8933 E Union Ave., Suite 230, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Questions? Call Sharon at 303-503-1388.

Banana Pudding Cake

1 box cake mix – yellow or white2 bananas mashed1 pkg. instant Pudding (vanilla or banana – 3.5 oz.)4 eggs

1 cup water¼ cup oil½ cup chopped nuts – (optional)

Heat oven to 350°. Using electric mixer, blend all ingredients together at medium speed. Bake in greased Bundt pan or angel food cake pan. Bake 60 to 65 minutes. After 55 minutes, stick in toothpick to see if it is done; toothpick should come out clean if done. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Rollin’ Dough

March 20 - April 2, 2012 THE COLORADO GAMBLER – Celebrating 20 Years PAGE 23

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•Spectacular views of the continental divide

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• Ceiling fans in all bedrooms

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washer/dryer hook-ups• Fitness center• Business center• Hot tub

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