Playground recognized on world stage
Playground snagged its first international award last weekend, after fans nominated it for having the best poker room in the industry.
Martin Lamer, director of the poker room, and Ryan Bevens, vice-president of gaming at Playground, were both there to accept the award given out at the sixth annual Global Poker Awards in Las Vegas. It’s now proudly on display in the 44-table poker room, located on Playground’s third floor.
“For me, it’s a big deal because I’ve been here since day one, when Playground opened in 2010,” Lamer said. “We really have a good customer base. We practically know all of them by their first name, so I think that’s what differentiates us from other poker rooms. We actually treat our customers like friends.”
Playground’s poker room was among three others shortlisted for the accolade following an online vote held at the end of January. The Aria Resort & Casino, which hosted the award ceremony last Saturday, and poker rooms based in Taiwan and the Czech Republic, were also nominated for the title.
“First, I’ve got to thank all our players at Playground. They nominated us, they put us on the map. We have crazy loyalty,” Bevens said as took to the mic to accept the award. “Who would have thought Kahnawake, just south of Montreal, would house the best poker club globally? That is insane.”
He went on to thank his family for their support over the years.
“Poker is about patience, and our families have a lot of it to put up with what we do in this industry,” Bevans said, before going on to congratulate the staff that run the poker room.
“You provide top notch service. It’s incredible,” he said. “This is for all of them.”
The 24/7 poker room spans roughly 20,000 square feet and employs hundreds, including upward of 200 card dealers, in addition to many others like their waitstaff and masseuses.
It started with just 21 tables when it first opened back in 2010, Lamar said. It’s since gone on to host international tournaments, like World Series of Poker Circuit and the World Poker Tour, both hosted there as recently as last year.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on providing the best poker experience from top down to the moment people arrive to the moment they leave,” Lamar said. “The loyalty of our customers for the last 14 years was encapsulated in us winning that.”
The last time Playground’s poker room was recognized with an award was in 2017, when it won an American Poker Award for hosting the best event of the year.
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“We have our guests, our poker players, to thank. We have our staff to thank,” co-licensee Mackenzie Kirby told The Eastern Door.
He also gave a shout out to the community at large.
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do had it not been for the jurisdiction (we assert over gaming), our self determination to be sovereign, our ability to conduct the gaming how we see fit,” Kirby said. “So we definitely have to thank our community, because without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
