Poker Writer
The first Caesars Entertainment property in Oklahoma, Harrah’s Oklahoma, opened its doors last week with help from Oklahoma football legends Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops.
The Iowa Tribe backs the new casino resort located in Chandler, Oklahoma, about 50 miles from the state capital, Oklahoma City. It sits right on historic Route 66.
Harrah’s Oklahoma has 12 table games and 1,000 slot machines. It is self-billed as a Las Vegas-style gaming experience that includes dining and retail.
Harrah’s Oklahoma Senior General Manager Joe Scibetta welcomed the opening with a general statement:
This is a milestone moment for our team, our partners and the Chandler community. We’re proud to officially open our doors and introduce a destination that delivers the Harrah’s experience while creating something new and exciting for Oklahoma.
The key tenet to open the casino was the partnership with the local Iowa Tribe, meant to jumpstart economic growth and community investment.
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Oklahoma Football Legends Take Part in Opening Ceremony
To welcome Caesars to Oklahoma, two of the most famous sports figures in the state took part in the opening celebration by placing the ceremonial first bets.
Former Oklahoma Sooner football coaches 88-year-old Barry Switzer and 65-year-old Bob Stoops did the honors. Switzer led the Sooners from 1973-1988, winning three national championships. Stoops coached in Norman (where OU is located) from 1999-2016, winning the national championship in 2000.
Both are considered among the best college football coaches of their eras. They each played a major role in establishing Oklahoma as one of the most dominant programs in the sport’s history.
Barry Switzer’s History With Gambling
Switzer has a bit of a history with poker and gambling. The legendary coach was known to play fast and loose with the recruiting rules of the time period. Several rivals accused him of openly cheating by paying players before that became standard practice in college sports.
His time as OU’s head coach came to an abrupt end in 1989 when he resigned. He was accused of being in a room where drugs were used, and there was gambling on college football, including games involving the Sooners.
After his time as coach ended, Switzer was known to frequent casinos not only in Oklahoma but also in places such as New Orleans. In 2014, Switzer poked fun at his shady recruiting violations of the past when talking about his gambling escapades in the Big Easy.
I haven’t carried this much money around with me since I recruited.
In December of 2005, “The King of Norman” participated in a high-profile celebrity poker event, The LG All-Star Showdown. LG hosted the event at the Hardwood Suite in the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The showdown featured some of the biggest names in poker at the time, such as Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman, and recently crowned Main Event champion, Chris Moneymaker. It also brought some big celebrities like Paris Hilton, Jose Canseco, Coolio, and more.
Switzer was pictured with Chan as part of the interesting blast-from-the-past photo gallery, credited to LG photographer Denise Truscello.
Does Harrah’s Oklahoma Have Poker?
Currently, Harrah’s Oklahoma does not offer poker. The official website includes no mention of it.
But poker players in Oklahoma have no shortage of other options for action, including the two most prominent ones with Choctaw Casino in Durant and WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. Both are located on near the Texas border.
Choctaw has 30 tables and hosts World Series of Poker Circuit events multiple times a year. WinStar is the largest casino in the world with more than 600,000 square feet of gaming floor. It also offers 55 poker tables.
Further north, Tulsa Hard Rock and Downstream in Joplin also offer poker. Both host regular events on the RunGood Poker Series tour.
Many smaller casinos dotted throughout the state also offer low-stakes action.
Image Credit: Julie Lazalier Harvey/Wikimedia Commons (license)
