Behnen: Dealers tried ‘absolute extortion’

Thursday, May 23, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

The owner of Binion's Horseshoe Club said World Series of Poker dealers who asked for more in tips tried to extort money from tournament organizers by threatening to quit minutes before the final event was to begin.

Becky Behnen said she was "hurt and disappointed" when a group of dealers said they would walk out if they weren't assured of getting 1.5 percent of the buy-in fees for one of the world's richest poker tournaments.

Twelve dealers were fired Tuesday following the dispute at the 33rd annual World Series, a 37-event tournament that brings thousands of spectators and players to the downtown Las Vegas casino.

"It was absolute extortion," Behnen said of a meeting dealers had with her and tournament director George Fisher on Monday, just before the start of the final $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold'em tournament.

Dealers who were dismissed had a different version of the firings, saying they were targeted by Binion's for raising the tip issue.

Manny Fortez, one of the fired dealers, said because the amount of tips had been running about half of what they were a year ago, dealers decided to approach tournament officials about getting more money, since many of them have out-of-pocket expenses for travel to Las Vegas just to deal at the World Series.

Another fired dealer, Pamela Shandel, said the dealers who were dismissed were more stunned than angry.

Shandel said some of the world's best dealers were among those dismissed and many of them had final-table experience at previous tournaments. Most of them, she said, were participating for the love of the game and "their love of the world of poker."

The three dealers who met with Behnen and Fisher said they left with a handshake deal to get 1.5 percent of the buy-in for tips -- $94,650, based on 631 entrants in the tournament. But on Tuesday, the 12 dealers were fired by tournament officials and 13 others walked out in support of their dismissed colleagues.

Binion's routinely needs extra dealers to handle the tournament and Behnen said more than 200 were hired this year. She also said it's routine to release dealers as the tournament comes to a close because there are fewer tables as more players fold.

"We eliminated 18 tables after the first day," Behnen said. "For the most part, the dealers have been great. There's a minute group that have caused some problems."

Behnen concurred that tips have been lower this year -- which she attributes to belt-tightening brought upon by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- but she said Binion's subsidized the tip pool. She did not say how much the casino put into the pool.

But Behnen is confident the winner of the tournament will be a big tipper.

"Someone who has just won $2 million is going to be generous," Behnen said. "Even the second-place winner is going to have more than $1 million and will also be generous."