Atlantis looks for poker boost from TV show

A new poker series to be hosted by the Atlantis in March and filmed entirely in Reno was designed in part to bring exposure to the Atlantis' poker room and build that gaming segment, says David Farahi, executive director of gaming operations for the Atlantis.

The Atlantis All In Poker Series spans over 10 days with 19 events, including a high-stakes cash game and a main event with a $1,060 buy-in.

The tournament runs from March 18-26, and the main event will be filmed by Red Deck Productions and split into two televised episodes that will air on an outlet yet to be determined. Farahi expects the main event to draw about 200 players, which determines the size of the prize pool.

Farahi also expects eight to 10 well-known poker professionals to enter the invitation-only cash game, which will be filmed by Red Deck in the casino steakhouse. The high-stakes cash game, with its $25,000 buy-in, will consist of 13 episodes and will air under the High Stakes Hold'em brand created by Red Deck. The Scottsdale, Ariz. film company is headed by Eric Ullis.

"We are really excited to get those people on property and to have that kind of action," he says. "It is really rare for any place in Reno to have that kind of action in a room."

The majority of the other events have buy-ins ranging from $100 to $200. Some of the tournaments serve as qualifiers for the main event.

The primary goal of hosting the tournament, Farahi says, is to increase exposure of the Atlantis poker facilities and help increase its standing as a regional poker destination. The 2,179-square-foot room has nine tables, and tournament business has doubled with the September addition of Poker Room Manager Bee Estes, a longtime gaming industry veteran.

"We have become a regional poker destination because of what (our poker) room offers, and we just want to further that exposure," Farahi says. "We have by far the most attractive and comfortable room in our market, and we need to get the word out.

"It will be the first time a poker show is 100 percent filmed in Reno," Farahi adds.

It also will be the first time a television show will be filmed at the Atlantis. The property hopes to draw players and teams from card rooms in neighboring states and will offer special rates for tournament players. The casino also will kick in $5,000 in "bounties" for main event players who eliminate a number of designated well-known players.

"It is a new sub-business," Farahi says. "Ultimately we are a hotel resort casino and spa. A poker room is not a huge revenue driver when it comes to the big picture. But we have doubled our tournament business, and the next part of that evolution is to have a major tournament series."

Farahi promises that the show will be filmed with a much "edgier" look than traditional televised poker shows, which are typically filmed in a casino ballroom or convention space.