Q. Do you attribute that mostly to the guys who were trying to
torpedo it?
A. It was a combination. That, and a limited marketing budget. And
my biggest mistake was that I set the wrong betting limits. I started with
a $5,000 maximum bet and in year two I dropped it to $2,500. I probably
would have made it $1,000 if I'd stayed.

Q. Why?
A. Because most of the players bet the minimum until the end,
essentially making it a five-hand tournament. By reducing the maximum bet,
people have to take chances earlier in the session.

Q. Who helped you pull this off over there?
A. Les Thacker was the tournament director and Joanne Villnow was
the tournament coordinator. They were both instrumental in ultimately
making it the best.

Q. It's generally regarded as the best public tourney in the world.
A. If I'd stayed there I had plans to grow the tournament and
increase the first prize as participation increased.

Q. Any suggestions for anyone who wants to put on a large tourney?
A. First of all, you have to be consistent in your operating
methodology.

Q. Sounds great. What's it mean?
A. You can't continually change the program. People like to get
what they expect, and if they fail to qualify in a monthly, the rules have
to be the same when they come back the next month. Also, fairness is key. A
number of people will always believe that bigger customers are getting some
kind of an advantage. There can be no sense of impropriety on the part of
the tournament operators.

Q. For instance?
A. Things such as the rigged drawing at the Venetian cast a specter
of suspicion on all of us. There's an inherent distrust from customers when
it comes to casinos anyway, and we need to do everything we can to
alleviate that perception.

Q. Sound advice for any operator.