Before the turn of the new millennium, good poker games were not always easy to find in Las Vegas. Although Binion’s Horseshoe downtown had put the World Series of Poker on the map, tournaments were still few and far between. Most Strip casino did not cater to the card playing crowd, reasoning that dedicated poker rooms were simply not worth the investment.
But times have changed. Today, almost every major casino has a card room, many of them offering cash games round the clock. Vegas poker rooms vary greatly, from smoky and intimate to expansive and crowded, guaranteeing an opportunity to test one’s skills in whatever environment might be preferred, along the Strip, off-Strip, Downtown or in the city’s numerous outlying “locals” casinos.
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Poker on the Strip
- Aria – Located in the City Center complex and offering one of the Strip’s newest poker rooms, this hotel-casino features a friendly crew and two dozen world-class tables. Professionals and high-rollers alike are attracted to the Ivey Room, where $1500/3000 games are common. Numerous $1/3 and $2/5 no-limit tables are also available, plus food comps for players.
- Bellagio – This World Poker Tour stop has long been rated as the #1 place to play in Las Vegas. At its 40 tables, there is Limit Hold’em starting at $4/8. In the very exclusive high-limit salon known as Bobby’s Room—named after 1978 WSOP Champion Bobby Baldwin—such luminaries as Jen Harman, Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson can often be found.
- Caesars Palace –Tournaments and cash games are played in two huge rooms, each equipped with 30 tables. Look for $1/2 No-limit Hold’em, $3/6 Limit Hold’em, $6/12 Omaha Hi/Lo, and much, much more. Welcoming dealers and non-stop free drinks add to the party-like atmosphere.
- MGM Grand – Widely regarded as one of the best “fishing holes” in town, the MGM Poker Room offers 21 tables, with Limit Hold’em available for $3/6 and $4/8. Busy 24/7, this was the first Las Vegas poker room to feature electronic tableside comp and player tracking.
- Mirage – This was “the” place to play before the Bellagio opened, and it still ranks among the best in town. Its 30 cash tables are located near the showroom and casino floor, where the Texas Hold’em action continues non-stop. There are limit games from $3/6 to $20/40 and no-limit starts at $1/2. Also available are Omaha and 7-Card Stud.
- Venetian – Deep-stack tournaments are frequent here, where high-tech amenities match the elegant furniture, smoke-free atmosphere and open-wall poker room layout. A total of 39 tables are offered, concentrating on low-limit Texas Hold’em, complemented by $4/$8 Omaha and other games.
- Wynn – In the same high class with the Venetian, the Wynn’s 26 tables also offer $4/8 games. When the poker room opened, Daniel Negreanu was the casino’s Poker Ambassador. Word has it that some of the highest stakes cash games ever played took place here on his watch.
Off-Strip Poker
- The Orleans – Newly remodeled and upgraded with state-of-the art furnishings and plasma screens, this off-Strip venue is a favorite with locals. Its 35 tables are always busy, and tournament entry fees of $40-$75 assure top value. Casino Player magazine recently lauded the Orleans for “Best Poker Room,” “Best Poker Tournaments” and “Best Place to Play Live Poker.”
- Palms – This off-Strip property features $2/4 and $4/8 Limit Texas Hold’em with a half kill. For high rollers, there’s no-limit Texas Hold’em, featuring $1/3 blinds with a $100-$500 buy-in and $2/5 with a $200-$1,000 buy-in. The weekly Wednesday Bounty Tournament features a $75 buy-in and $25 bounties.
- Rio – This is the home for all of the WSOP main events in June/July, as the convention center becomes the world’s largest card room. Off-season, the 10-table poker room off the casino floor offers an intimate, smoke-free environment that’s novice-friendly with free lessons on request.
Downtown Poker
- Binion’s – Located downtown, this is the birthplace of the World Series of Poker. It still has its signature red-papered walls surrounding 38 tables where daily tournaments are offered. There’s Limit Hold’em starting at $2/4, too. Visitors should be sure to check out the new display of exactly one million dollars stacked in a pyramid.
- Four Queens – Although this classic downtown casino has no dedicated poker room, it does sponsor a major poker event annually. The Four Queens Poker Classic is conducted each fall with dozens of satellites leading up to a Main Event with a $5,000 buy-in.
- Golden Nugget – This is the scene for numerous televised poker shows, including NBC’s Poker After Dark, GSN’s High Stakes Poker and NBC’s Face the Ace. The poker room has 13 smoke-free tables, with various levels of live cash poker games from beginner low limits to big-dollar No Limit action. Play four hours of cash game poker or more and receive a $10 dining credit. Free lessons are available daily from 10am.
Poker for Locals
- Sam’s Town – This property on Boulder Highway attracts a good crowd of regulars to its 11-table poker room, offering Texas Hold’em for $2/4 limit, $3/6 limit with a full kill and $1/2 no limit. Also available are Seven Card Stud and Omaha Hi/Lo Split. Daily tournaments include $23 buy-ins for limit/no limit and deep-stack no limit with $45 buy-ins—adding up to some 24 tournaments a week in total.
- Station Casinos – From Texas Hold’em tournaments to cash games for Omaha, Seven Card Stud and more, locals love Station Casinos. The local brand has eight locations with poker rooms around the Las Vegas Valley, from Red Rock Casino in the West to Sunset Station in the southwest. The Jumbo Hold’em Bad Beat Progressive links jackpots at Palace Station, Boulder Station, Texas Station and Santa Fe Station to those venues, too, for the biggest poker progressive jackpot in Nevada.