His name is Bob Barnes, Table Games Manager at Choctaw Casino. He is one of many who prepare for the entire World Poker Tour Festival, including the Main Event and 72 other poker tournaments, seeing it through to the end. He does it every year in addition to his regular day job of overseeing all table games across more than 218,000 square feet of casino space.
Barnes is not one for the spotlight. It’s common to find him walking the floor, talking to staff, or sitting on the sidelines taking in the big picture, always aware of everything going on.
It’s all a part of Barnes’ job, his career of more than 20 years at Choctaw Durant. What he does to ensure a successful WPT Festival leads to more growth and success for the casino, the resort, and the Choctaw Nation at large.
Twenty years of change and growth
When Barnes first started working at Choctaw Durant, the casino was a small building with bingo games and 30 slot machines. The Choctaw Bingo Palace originally opened in 1987 with 28,000 square feet of gambling space. But steadily-increasing popularity prompted the tribe to open more bingo halls on the Choctaw territory.
The growth in the past two decades has been staggering. By 2004, the people of Oklahoma agreed with the Choctaw Nation that expansion would benefit both the tribe and the state. They built a bigger casino and added more casino games. The property now has a building filled with all types of gambling, entertainment venues, restaurants, and shops, not to mention over 7,000 slot machines. The growth continues as this is only one of several large casino properties on Choctaw lands in Oklahoma.
Recently, an Oklahoma City University study showed that the Choctaw Nation is one of the largest contributors to the state’s economy. Its 2019 economic impact was $2.5B. At that time, it was responsible for more than 18,000 jobs – 4,200 at Choctaw Durant alone – garnering annual wages of $839M.
Barnes began his relationship with Choctaw Durant in 2001, when he was as a cashier in the kitchen. After three months, he moved to the pull-tabs and bingo floor, became a cage cashier, floor clerk, and then worked with table games when the tribe began offering them. Over time, he’s moved into dealing poker, supervising table games, becoming a shift manager, table games supervisor, and later to his current position, managing table games.
He enjoys both working around table games, especially poker. “I like that there are so many different situations that call for different, sometimes unique rulings. You never know what’s going to happen. Anyone can play. And that’s what makes it fun for me.”
World Poker Tour: A partner, not a vendor
Technically, on paper, the World Poker Tour is a vendor of Choctaw Durant. In reality, they are partners. Every year, Barnes and his team get excited for the WPT Festival. The WPT first decided to host a Main Tour series there in 2015, elevating Choctaw to new heights.
“WPT put Choctaw on the map of the world,” he said. “We do other events throughout the year, but the WPT is televised in many countries. People around the world now know where Choctaw Durant is.”
Barnes said that it has been thrilling to see the tribal operation go from a start-up business to the third-largest casino in the United States with a globally recognized name. While the entire casino has benefited, poker sees the most diversity. The WPT Festival, in particular, sees 20-to-30% more players attending from states other than Oklahoma and nearby Texas.
Moreover, the WPT Festival is a different vibe from other events throughout the year. “With the talent that the WPT brings, with their whole team and branding, the high-level players come and their fans follow,” Barnes said. “It just makes it more of a fun atmosphere.”
Weeks of long workdays, no time off, and a wide range of action to manage don’t bother Barnes one bit. He loves his job and the tribe. While he will continue to shy away from the cameras and spotlight, he will undoubtedly continue to work hard to make Choctaw Durant a home for some of the best poker events in the world.