Industry Insiders: Grand Falls Poker Room Manager Renee Thomas
Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort was granted an operator's license for a casino in May of 2010, which followed the passage of a referendum approving a gaming structure by the citizens of Lyon County, Iowa in September of 2008. Since then, the property has won a number of awards including Midwest Gaming and Destination Magazine 2016 Readers�� Choice Awards for ��Best Amenities,�� ��Best Golf Course,�� and ��Best Casino Personnel.��
It also ranked as the second-best overall property in Iowa, second-best for amenities in the entire Midwest, and having the best golf course in the entire Midwest! As far as poker at Grand Falls is concerned, Renee Thomas, a mother of three and grandmother of two (not to mention her 3 lbs. Chihuahua that she claims runs the show at her house), is the woman spearheading the team that makes the action happen.
��I��ve been in the casino industry for 26 years in three states,�� Thomas tells MSPT Magazine. ��I started out dealing
blackjack in South Dakota for a year before transferring to poker as a dealer. I became a supervisor there and then managed the room for three and a half years. After 10 years, I moved to Colorado and followed the same path of dealing, supervising and then managing the Lady Luck poker room for six years.��
After Lady Luck, a sister property to Golden Gates Poker Renee Thomas Parlour (another MSPT stop) just down the street, Thomas set her sights on returning to the Midwest.
��As much as I loved Colorado, I knew that I would eventually want to move back closer to my family,�� Thomas explains. ��A friend had told me about a casino possibly being built in Larchwood, Iowa so I started paying attention when the state was doing impact studies. When Grand Falls was hiring I came on board before the casino opened as a supervisor and assisted the poker manager in training poker dealers. I was promoted to poker room manager three and a half years ago.��
Once in the driver��s seat, Thomas helped bring one of the country��s premier poker tours to the property.
��Our players look forward to the $1,100 MSPT every year,�� she says excitedly. ��It��s a great way for our local players to have the opportunity to satellite into a large tournament without having to travel. Because of our location we bring in players from multiple states and because of our amenities, many of them treat it like a mini vacation with their spouse.��
Of course there��s a lot of poker action to be had even when the MSPT isn��t in town.
��Along with running the MSPT every August, our poker room runs three different tournament events each year as
well as low limit weekly tournaments,�� says Thomas. ��We have the Fall Poker Series in November, our Poker Championship in March and our Summer Poker Challenge in June. I know every manager says that their poker room is friendly but ours truly is! We have such a great staff of supervisors, duals and dealers here at Grand Falls and we do our very best to take care of our player��s needs from getting you a Resort Club card to calling the Big Drop to order your dinner.��
While a strong player base from nearby Sioux Falls and experienced staff help make poker at Grand Falls a success, Thomas is also quick to credit the resort itself.
��Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort has so much to offer our guests and it��s a great destination for a mini vacation,�� she says. ��You can relax at the spa or pool, play golf, shop in our boutique and then have dinner at Ruthie��s, Robert��s Buffet or the Big Drop.��
*This post originally appeared in MSPT Magazine and is republished here with permission from the MSPT.