The Best Poker Player I Ever Met, Part 2

Card Player magazine once ran a feature that claimed Charlie Esslinger was the best poker player who ever lived. Though he may not be a household name, to me there is no doubt he was the greatest poker player I ever met.

He was not only an exceptional poker player, but he was also a great game strategist. He studied poker and other card games before computers and strategy books became the norm. But more importantly, he understood human nature. He could make you a bet on what time a guy would order a drink or what time he would quit the game or even on how much he would lose.

When I would kill time before a game, I would play gin with Charlie. After about the fifth card we drew, Charlie would say, “Let’s bunch the hand (a term where you both surrender) because it’s draw. Robert, you can’t win.” He could play any gin rummy hand to a draw and name all the cards in your hand. He thought it was funny to see the look on your face when he could tell you nine of the ten gin cards you were holding.

This demonstrated how he was aware of everything. I asked Charlie to explain his seemingly random hand selection. His answer surprised me. He said that cards ran in patterns, so he would observe the board for hours to see how the cards ran and played accordingly. Who was I to question one who never lost?

You have to remember that in those days most games were limit, and No Limit was hard to find. I tried, like so many people, to give Charlie a free bankroll to play higher, but he always told me, “It’s not the money; it’s the game. It can’t get any better than these Golden Nugget players. Why would I change?”

Once Charlie was waiting on a seat and playing $2/$4 limit. I said, “Charlie, how can you play so small?” He replied, “I play as hard here as any game. If I can beat this game, I can beat any game.”

A mutual friend of ours, Ray Hall, once told me over breakfast that he was ending his friendship with Charlie. I asked him why. Ray said, “When we are driving to the games, Charlie tells me what a great player I am. In the game, if I was losing, Charlie was the first one to offer me money. On the ride back, he would tell me I was the best player and I just got unlucky. Every morning I would take to his apartment the thousand or two that I borrowed in the game the night before. It took me twenty years to realize he was the best player, and I was his huckleberry.”

In later years, Charlie became very concerned that his mind was leaving him–a mind that could play any game with a genius IQ. The most studious poker player I ever met was now in his sixties and didn’t feel at the top of his game. He said the doctor said he had early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. His mother had died from it. He watched her suffer and did not want to go through that.

One night at a poker game Charlie asked if someone would find him a pill he could take and never wake up. He said he would pay them $5,000 dollars. Players started wondering if Charlie was ok.

In a motel in Alabama where they were playing poker four nights a week, Charlie played one night wearing only his pajamas, which was very strange for a person who always dressed to the nines. Charlie had rented an apartment to be near the game in Athens, Alabama.

It’s said he left the poker game and went to his apartment. After not showing up to the game for a few days, which was unusual, a couple of his friends went to his apartment and found his body and a gun along with $900,000.

I will never forget what a gentleman gambler he was. He was the first to stand up and pull out a chair for a lady. He always tried to keep the game under control. If there was a dispute over $5, he would throw in a $5 chip to settle it.

He was master at money management. He knew what every player’s worth was, what he could extract from the game and when it was no good, it was time to quit.

I don’t want him to be remembered for how he died, but how he lived. If there ever was a modern-day maverick, Charlie Esslinger would be it. I was honored to know him.

National Suicide Prevention Lifefline

1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Robert Turner is a legendary poker player and billiards/casino marketing expert. Robert is most well known for introducing the game of Omaha poker to Nevada in 1982 and to California in 1986. He created Legends of Poker for the Bicycle Casino in 1995 and Live at the Bike, the first live gaming site broadcast on the Internet in 2002.

He has over 30 years experience in casino marketing and player development. Find Robert on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thechipburner and on Twitter @thechipburner. He can also be reached at robertturnerpoker@gmail.com for consulting and teaching.

The Best Poker Player I Ever Met

Charlie Esslinger, left, with Jeanette Suttle and long-time Las Vegas pro Harry Suttle

My father would always stop at a bait shop and small grocery store in Farley, Alabama, before we went fishing. One day he introduced me to a man he said was a professional gambler whose family owned the bait shop.

My dad told me never to play poker with that man. I was seven years old, and I never forgot his words.

Years later when I was the manager of a high-end men’s store, the owner said, “Robert, I want you to meet Mr. Esslinger. He wants us to order some suits and special white-on-white shirts.”

The man was the professional gambler my dad had introduced me to when I was seven. Charlie Esslinger ordered a dozen shirts and four suits by Hickey Freeman made of Italian wool and silk.

He looked more like a banker than a gambler.

About two months went by after he picked up his suits. He came back into the store and ordered the same items. I said, “Charlie, this is the same order as last time.” He said, “Yes. I left those suits in Las Vegas. I didn’t feel like packing.”

When I started hosting my own poker game, I asked Charlie to play. He said he lived in the same apartment complex, and he may stop over.

Thus began a long relationship with the man my dad said never play poker with.

Charlie would play every day. I was mesmerized by him; he never lost, not one time in the fifteen years I knew him. It got to a point where everyone thought he must be cheating, but I knew it was something else. Could he be the best limit poker player alive?

One night Charlie invited me over for a little party he was having at his place. Inside Charlie had about six girls dancing all over the apartment. During the festivities, Charlie dropped his wallet on the floor.

I told Charlie I kicked his wallet under the couch. He said, “Robert the girls will get it all anyways.” He was quite the philosopher.

Charlie then took me aside and said, “Robert you have to change the hustler crowd you’re hanging around with.”

Charlie continued, “Everyone likes you, and you have a gift for cards, but the guys you hang out with will get you in a lot of trouble.” I took his advice, and it changed my life.

Not long afterwards, the players all refused to play in my home game. I asked them why. They said unless I barred Charlie, they would never play at my place again.

I had to call Charlie and tell the one person who I considered my mentor and friend that he was barred from my game for no other reason than he was too good.

A few years later I was hosting a bigger game, and the players agreed to invite Charlie back. That lasted 30 days. They selected a spokesperson to tell me that they would never play with me if I didn’t bar Charlie. The live producer in the game said, “Charlie is my friend, but I can’t beat him at poker.”

Again I had to bar him for winning.

How does a man go twenty five years and never lose a day in his life until he decided to throw a party at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas? Charlie found a way, and he did it every year.

He would play his cards face up just to give back some of the money he beat the players out of every day. If he caught a pair, he would cap every bet, and then laugh if he drew out. He would lose around $10,000 just for fun.

During these times, he would get drunk and give the cocktail waitresses hundred dollar tips until finally Bill Boyd would have security take him to his room. The next day I would see him with a hangover in the poker room back to grinding away.

They had to change some poker rules just for Charlie. He would sit at the poker table listening to music on a transistor radio, and the players would complain. The Golden Nugget had to ban music at the table. The next day Charlie would read several newspapers, and the players complained again, so they instituted a no-reading rule at the poker table.

Charlie would sit there and not play a hand for hours, and then he would be in a massive pot. The board would read QQ772, and Charlie would show Q7. I tried for years to figure out how he did it. To this day, it is still a mystery.

In Part 2, I have more tales to tell about my mentor Charlie Esslinger.

Robert Turner is a legendary poker player and billiards/casino marketing expert. Robert is most well known for introducing the game of Omaha poker to Nevada in 1982 and to California in 1986. He created Legends of Poker for the Bicycle Casino in 1995 and Live at the Bike, the first live gaming site broadcast on the Internet in 2002.

He has over 30 years experience in casino marketing and player development. Find Robert on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thechipburner and on Twitter @thechipburner. He can also be reached at robertturnerpoker@gmail.com for consulting and teaching.

Finding the Edge in Poker and in Life: Part 2

At the end of the movie Casino, Ace, the Robert De Niro character, laments the passing of the old Las Vegas. “In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played.” I miss the old days, too, but if you are to survive today, you have to adapt to the changing landscape. In Part 1, I touched on the subject of finding the edge in poker if you want to survive. I would like to expand on that idea and show poker players how they have the power to improve their playing conditions and even elevate the game itself.

Poker players may not realize how valuable they are. A player supporting a card room could be worth up to $50,000 a year to that casino. If your favorite casino provides all the right deals, you will become loyal and very valuable to them because you support their games with all the hours you play. I have always preached you can’t produce revenue if the players are not coming through the door. Whether you are a professional or recreational poker player, as a group we are worth millions to the gaming industry.

Casinos should understand a high limit poker game is worth over a $1 million in real money per year. When you factor in the money from their friends and other income they bring in, that is the X factor. This is an intangible number the bean counters miss on their spreadsheets, and that’s when you see perks start to disappear. The casinos have a bottom line, but you have to operate your poker business and manage your bottom line above all else.

However, some casinos do understand your worth and really reach out to their players. Many casinos are now adding extra perks for the poker players. They have rakeback up to $6 per hour and even free transportation to and from the casinos. That’s important as players search for the best return on their investment.

One of the casinos that is listening to their players is Pechanga Resort and Casino around 90 minutes outside of Los Angeles. They offer high hand money every hour beginning at noon, a free roundtrip bus ride and $10 in free play for patronizing their casino on certain days. The drop is $1 cheaper per hand than other casinos in Southern California. That alone is a reason to consider playing there. The $50 they give away every hour in high hand money for the Omaha game and $250 per hour for hold’em games is an added bonus. The fact they are adding that much money back to the table really helps a poker player’s bottom line.

Where you spend your valuable time and money is a very important decision that affects not only you, but the entire gaming industry. It’s time for players to take a stand and not just accept the status quo. Express your opinion to upper management. As someone who has spent many years on the tables and in boardrooms, I can say that the higher the decision maker the more receptive they are to suggestions. They did not get to the top without the ability to listen and adapt.

If they don’t listen, play somewhere else. It’s that simple. This is the only way things will improve. The casinos are all vying for your time and money. Take the time to find the best deals and patronize those places that cater to their players and avoid the ones that provide no added value.

Speaking of added value, it’s long overdue for tournaments to add money for the players. In the old days tournament players would say, “That was a great tournament. They treated us so well. I can’t wait for the next year.” Nowadays I often hear players grumbling about the fees, the structure and all the other things they don’t like about the tournaments, yet they continue to play them. Instead of complaining to each other, wouldn’t it be more productive to take grievances to the decision makers who can change it?

At the end of Casino, as the images of the old casinos being imploded are shown, Ace says, “The town will never be the same….Today it’s like checking into an airport.” In the old days, everyone knew your name. Now registering for a tournament does feel like checking into an airport. The accountants have taken over, and casinos can sometimes feel like cold, sterile places. But there are still some places that remain dedicated to their players; it’s our jobs to find and support them.

Remember you are the most powerful weapon. Your choices matter, whether it’s in poker or in life. That’s the greatest edge of all.

Robert Turner is a legendary poker player and casino marketing expert. Robert is most well- known for introducing the game of Omaha poker to Nevada in 1982 and to California in 1986. He created Legends of Poker for the Bicycle Casino and the National Championship of Poker for Hollywood Park Casino both in 1995. He also helped create Live at the Bike, the first live gaming site broadcast on the Internet in 2002.

In the year 2000, he created World Team Poker, the first professional league for poker. He has spent over 30 years in casino marketing and player development and has served as an executive host at the Bicycle Casino and MGM. He is currently working with his new companies Crown Digital Games developing mobile apps and Vision Poker, a poker marketing and managing group.

Follow Robert on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thechipburner and on Twitter @thechipburner. Robert Turner can also be reached at robertturnerpoker@gmail.com for consulting, marketing and teaching.