THE CONSUMER: A Store for Gamblers

If you aren't quite ready to buy in with card studs such as Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel and Daniel Negreanu, you'll find everything you need to put on your own poker tournament at Gamblers General Store. Langworthy Casino Supply set up shop on Main back in 1984, with most of the space relegated to manufacturing and warehousing; the sundries counter consisted of a single display case and small sampling of cards. Wendy Rock joined the team just two years later and serves as store manager today. As the store bustles with WSOP fans escaping the sweltering summer temperatures to pick up a pair of used playing cards fresh from Sin City's poker rooms, Wendy laughs. "It used to be, if you sold to the casinos, they didn't want you selling to the public, but these days some of our most popular items are castoffs [the casinos] sell back to us!"

For everything from personalized chips, in full-color graphics or hot-pressed logos, to an Italian-made 10-player poker table with slick black piano finish, Gamblers General Store has the full poker package. It even carries the very same all-plastic KEM cards used in tournaments. If poker isn't your game, Gamblers General has an impressive selection of table game layouts, prize wheels, dice, markers and drums to cover the gamut of gaming. And Wendy assures that their literature section is always up to date, though this time of year it's hard to keep the popular poker books in stock.

Personally, I prefer the mindless reward that putting quarters in a slot machine provides, and Gamblers General Store has a fine selection of antiques for that old-time slot-pull satisfaction.

Gamblers General Store Where: 800 S. Main St. Info: 382-9903 or www.gamblersgeneralstore.com