Bobby Baldwin Poker
At a time when Las Vegas is all abuzz about the implications of Steve Wynn’s fall from grace, I am reminded both of his rise as a visionary who brought a glitzy casino into the Wild West downtown section of Las Vegas and his homerun in recruiting World Series of Poker Champion, Bobby Baldwin, as an executive. Wynn took Baldwin up the corporate ladder to the positi9n of president of the Golden Nugget.
Well schooled in accounting matters and people reading skills, Baldwin went on to become president of Mirage Resorts, Wynn’s first property on the famous Las Vegas Strip. He then moved onward and upward to Wynn’s next crown jewel, Bellagio, before joining the C-Suite of the behemoth MGM Company, where Wynn’s arch rival, Terry Lani, was the CEO.
When MGM, took aim at the Wynn properties and acquired them– lock, stock, and barrel, Baldwin remained a winner, convincing Lanni to send him up a higher corporate ladder in the MGM infrastructure.
Wynn was forced into a sale, taking a pretty penny and a non-compete agreement that put him off the casino- building grid for years. But once freed from his non compete shackles, Wynn was back in the saddle. he built a new spectacular resort and recognized, once again as an incredibly effective casino visionary–with plenty of political clout.
Longtime MGM Resorts International executive Bobby Baldwin, the namesake of the high-stakes poker room at Bellagio, will leave the company later this year, the company announced Thursday. Baldwin also continues his work at The Mirage. In 2003, the Poker Hall of Fame inducted Bobby “The Owl” Baldwin. He can still be found playing live cash games and is known for his super-aggressive poker style. To date, Bobby “The Owl” Baldwin has won more than $400,000 in World Series of Poker events.
And then came an all too familiar jolt of late– a powerful man in the crosshairs of allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace. Last week, Steve Wynn resigned his position of Chair of the National Republican Committee and then as Chairman of the Wynn Hotel and Casino. acknowledging, only, that the accusations lodged against him, had caused a public relations disaster for himself and the properties that bear his name.
For Baldwin — a storied history continues. The late Terri Lanni called Baldwin’s decision strategies “artfully refined over the years,” undoubtedly perfected by paying careful attention at poker tables–where he is still a threat to younger poker wizards.
As a woman who has worked and played in male dominated worlds, including casinos from Las Vegas to Macau, I have learned that even in the last bastions of rugged male chauvinism there are good role models as well as bad ones to be found.
I have known Steve Wynn casually for more than 30 years-well enough to share a few group meals and work together on a couple of charity dinners in Las Vegas; not well enough to have any personal clue about his alleged sexual improprieties with the Company’s massage therapists–some of whom worked on my ever -aching feet. I have had a bit more personal experience with Bobby Baldwin–enough to know that I was very fortunate to make his acquaintance.
By the looks of the first poker table I visited (in downtown Las Vegas), I suspected that it would be “slim pickins'” to find a few good men! Baldwin turned out to be one of many poker pros who has taught me crucial negotiating skills through the power of keen observation.
My early on poker friend, “Suds,” a successful businessman and an elite poker player, introduced me to Bobby Baldwin. I instantly took the measure of the man as smart, well-mannered, focused, skeptical, determined, and– a skilled “people reader. He exuded inner confidence.
I don’t know Bobby Baldwin well, but I certainly have experienced his winning ways. At the Grand Prix of Poker–way back in 1985, we were both invited to play in the “Super Bowl of Poker Charity Invitational. Bobby crippled me –early in the proceedings. He played a pair of sevens as if they were Aces–because he knew I would fold to his big raise! And then he toughened me up by warning me to hunker down and study how best to play each hand. Bobby Baldwin’s sage words have proven applicable, everywhere!
Baldwin has the world on a string!
While I held on long enough to reach the final table, my hours there were short and less than sweet. Bobby eventually knocked me out in fifth place, taking advantage of another moment of inexcusable distraction on my part. I tracked Bobby down to thank him for the thrashing and promised to take his words to heart.
The high profile C-Suite executive of MGM and former winner of the World Series of Poker Championship had already begun his rapid trajectory to the top of the corporate ladder, before I met him, noting, “The only difference between the poker room and the boardroom is the shape of the table.”
Bobby Baldwin Poker
Weeks after our Grand Prix encounters, we met up at a formal charity event in Las Vegas. He complimented my gown and then kidded me, about being distracted at the final table of the Grand Prix, whispering, “It pays to watch hands when you are not in them.”
Following Bobby’s suggestion, I began to approach card tables and conference tables with more focus, determined to prove I was not one of those people with the attention span of a gnat!
I created exercises to improve overall sensory perception, and learned the high value of awareness of people’s speech and silence–both at the poker table and in business meetings. As I developed these skills, I made more confident analyses of risk -reward ratios, and I found myself in fewer jams–everywhere.
Master dealmakers are distinguishable t by their people-reading expertise and negotiating savvy. Bobby’s advice resonated deeply with me. I learned, slowly and methodically how to improve my attentiveness. If I had to guess how Bobby Baldwin came to hold the world on a string, I would make a ladylike wager that his secret “sauce” is his power of concentration and attention to facts and behavior that others miss regularly. He also holds his cards very close to the vest.
Decades after Steve Wynn’s Grand Prix Poker Charity Tournament, I was visiting the late Terri Lanni, former Chairman of MGM. By this time, Bobby Baldwin had become president of MGM. He popped into Terri’s office and joined us for a casual chat. I reminded him of the long ago poker confrontations, while attempting to convince him I was no easy target anymore. He smiled agreeably, but gave no hint as to his own conclusion.
| Bobby Baldwin | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Owl |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Born | 1950/1951 (age 69–70)[1] Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 4 |
| Money finish(es) | 20 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | Winner, 1978 |
| Information accurate as of 12 September 2010. | |
Bobby Baldwin (born c. 1950)[1] is a professional poker player and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the winner of the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event, becoming the youngest Main Event champion at that time.
Baldwin was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma,[2] and attended Oklahoma State University in 1970. He currently resides in Las Vegas.[2]
He married Audra Hendley on August 2, 2012, at their Southern Highlands home.
Poker career[edit]
Baldwin won his first two bracelets at the 1977 World Series of Poker, first winning the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event, then winning the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event.
Baldwin won his largest tournament prize in 1978 when he won the WSOP Main Event, earning the title and the $210,000 first prize. He defeated a final table that included professional poker players Ken Smith, Jesse Alto, Buck Buchanan, WSOP bracelet winner Louis Hunsucker, and businessman Crandall Addington, whom Baldwin defeated in heads-up play.
When Baldwin won the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event at age 28, he became the youngest winner in its history, to be superseded by Stu Ungar in 1980, Phil Hellmuth in 1989, Peter Eastgate in 2008, and Joe Cada in 2009.
In 1979, he won the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event again, earning his fourth and most recent bracelet at the WSOP. Baldwin also competed in the Super Bowl of Poker tournaments, organized by 1972 world champion Amarillo Slim. Baldwin cashed in several SBOP events and won the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event in 1979.
His major wins include four WSOP bracelets, all won from 1977 to 1979. He won WSOP bracelets in three consecutive years (1977, 1978, and 1979) which only a small number of players have done in the history of the WSOP. In addition to his 1978 victory, Baldwin's other WSOP Main Event cashes are: 1981 (7th), 1986 (16th), 1987 (21st), 1991 (29th), 1992 (15th), 1994 (24th), and 2009 (352nd).
In 2003, Baldwin was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
His last live cash came in the 2012 World Series of Poker in the Big One for One Drop.
Career as casino executive[edit]
In 1982, he became a consultant for the Golden Nugget casino, and in 1984 was named the president. He was selected to head The Mirage in 1987, and was named as the president of the Bellagio hotel and casino in 1998.
In 1999–2000, he was the chief financial officer of Mirage Resorts under Steve Wynn; in 2000, upon the merger of Mirage Resorts and MGM Grand, he became the chief executive officer of the Mirage Resorts subsidiary of MGM Mirage.
In 2005, after the acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group by MGM Mirage, Baldwin became CEO and President of the announced Project City Center, while continuing his responsibilities as CEO of the Mirage Resorts subsidiary. Baldwin now oversees additional resorts added through the Mandalay Resort Group buyout as well as the previous Wynn properties.
In 2018, following a lengthy tenure as Chief Customer Development Officer of MGM Resorts and CEO and President of CityCenter, MGM announced that Baldwin would leave both positions by the end of 2018.[3]
Other interests[edit]
In addition to poker, Baldwin is also known as a world class billiards player. Baldwin and his playing style are the subject of a book entitled Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker Secrets, which was written by Mike Caro. Baldwin has written many columns on poker and he authored a section for Doyle Brunson's Super/System. His own book Tales Out of Tulsa, a poker guide for novices, was published in 1985.
The high-stakes signature poker room in the Bellagio is named 'Bobby's Room' after Baldwin.
Bobby Baldwin Poker Net Worth
As of 2012, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,300,000.[4] His 20 cashes at the WSOP account for $2,100,311 of those winnings.[5]
Bobby Baldwin Poker. Age
World Series of Poker bracelets[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | $80,000 |
| 1977 | $5,000 Seven-Card Stud | $44,000 |
| 1978 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship | $210,000 |
| 1979 | $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | $90,000 |
Notes[edit]
- ^ abMGM Mirage's 2006 proxy statement, filed on April 30, 2006, recorded Baldwin's age as 55
- ^ abWhere Are They Now - Bobby BaldwinArchived October 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, March 24, 2008, Contributed by: Billy Monroe, pokerworks.com
- ^'Does Bobby Baldwin's Departure Mean MGM Is Leaving Poker Behind?'. October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^Robert Baldwin tournament results, Hendon Mob Poker Database
- ^World Series of Poker EarningsArchived July 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, worldseriesofpoker.com