Marquee of the Hotel Sahara's 6th Annual Invitational $77,777.77 Golf Tournament, October 15-20 at the Paradise Valley Country Club. A smaller arrow-shaped marquee says "Welcome British Ryder Team". A sign for the Holiday Hotel is visible in the background. The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event that was played in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1958 to 1976. From 1958 to 1961 it was called the Sahara Pro-Am and was not an official PGA Tour event. It was played at the Paradise Valley Country Club from 1962-1968 and from 1970-1971; and at the Sahara Valley Country Club (also referenced as the Sahara Nevada Country Club) in 1969 and from 1973-1976. The Sahara Hotel sponsored the tournament. Two tournaments were won here on October 20th, with the first tournament being won on October 20, 1963 by Jack William "The Golden Bear" Nicklaus with a final score of 276 over second place finisher Arnold Palmer, who shot a total of 285. Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez won the second tournament on October 20, 1968 with a final score of 274, besting Dale Dwight Douglass, who tied with him at 274, in a sudden death playoff to take the title. Once owned by Howard Hughes, the Golf Club was re-named the Wildhorse Golf Club in 1994. The golf club is located at 2100 W. Warm Springs Road, Henderson, Nevada.
Juan Saa entered the gaming industry in information technology at Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida in 2006. Saa would later transition into performance manager and director of slot operations at two properties in Black Hawk, Colorado: Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk and Lady Luck Casino Hotel Black Hawk. The interview begins with Saa’s discussion of his start in the technical side and his eventual move into an operational role in the casino industry. He talks about his experience as a director, specifically the responsibilities involved and the type of staff being supervised. Saa goes on to describe how both mentors and training have helped him to progress in his career. Saa also describes the differences in the technical and performance aspects of the industry, and he then provides his philosophy on what makes both a good and bad slot manager. Saa later discusses the importance in communicating with other departments in the casino, such as marketing and food & beverage, and he also provides his thoughts on what customers are looking for on the slot floor. He then describes what he believes are the biggest changes in the slot industry, specifically with TITO and slot analysis. The interview continues with Saa’s description of his interaction with vendors in bringing new games to the slot floor, and he describes his philosophy on how a slot floor should be laid out. He goes on to discuss what he believes the future of the slot floor will look like, specifically regarding skill-based games, and he describes his personal gambling. The interview finalizes with Saa’s advice to young people who want to go into the slot operations as a career.