Casino Vegas Poker
Nine month wait
All of Caesars Entertainment’s Las Vegas properties have now reopened, as the last holdout, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino finally welcomed back guests on Tuesday, December 22 and 10:00am. The casino will be open around the clock, while the hotel will only be open Thursdays through Mondays.
Unlike many casinos in other states, the Rio is making plenty of services and amenities available immediately. Reopening are seven restaurants, five bars and lounges, seven shops, the fitness center, and KISS by Monster Mini Golf. The Penn & Teller show is also expected to return, but no performances have been scheduled yet.
Fewer Vegas casinos have poker rooms now than they used to, and this was true before the pandemic, so while some recently reopened resorts chose not to open poker yet, others simply do not have it. ★★★ #1 FREE VIDEO-POKER GAMES. Play Classic Vegas Games! ★★★ LAS VEGAS STYLE VIDEO-POKER Play and win huge Vegas payouts in the best deluxe poker games. Start winning amazing rewards now! FREE Wheel bonus each day to help you place bigger bets and win bigger rewards. Play today and win las vegas payouts! Best video-poker game with classic & deluxe casino in Las Vegas.
Also opening is the new William Hill Race & Sportsbook, complete with both live tellers and self-service betting kiosks.
There was no lavish grand reopening celebration. Instead, Caesars company leaders and volunteers handed out 20,000 frozen turkeys and cookies to Las Vegas employees. Don’t worry, it was all done via drive through, so COVID-19 risk was minimal.
Penn Jillette was one of the people on hand to pass out the goodies.
“In two weeks, Penn & Teller will celebrate its 20th anniversary at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino,” he said in a company press release. “As the longest-running headliners in Las Vegas, part of that success is owed to our amazing colleagues at Rio, and we are pleased to join today to thank them and all of my hard-working Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas co-workers.”
WSOP Main Event coming up
The Rio opened just in time for the finale of the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event. The property has been home to the WSOP since 2005, but this is the first time it has only hosted the final two players of the Main Event.
This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional World Series of Poker was postponed. Not wanting to cancel it outright, Caesars created a hybrid online/live $10,000 Main Event, which it is considering the official WSOP Main Event this year.
Players outside of the United States began their quest for the bracelet on GGPoker with three starting flights spanning late November and early December. Day 2 on December 7 played down to the nine-handed final table. Those final nine traveled to King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, to complete live for the “International Bracket” title (one player opted not to travel and automatically claimed ninth place money).
Over in the United States, the “US Bracket” ran on WSOP.com December 13 and 14. The final nine of that competition will meet at the Rio on December 28 to determine the US champ. That winner and Damian Salas, the International Bracket victor, will then play heads-up at the Rio on December 30 to see who becomes the 2020 WSOP Main Event champion. The winner will also receive an additional $1 million on top of what they won for their portion of the tournament.
There were 31 Las Vegas poker rooms before the closure. So far, 19 have reopened.
The four casinos that opened poker rooms the first weekend were Golden Nugget, Orleans, South Point and Venetian. Five more followed later in June and in July. August brought six more rooms online.
Gaming regulations originally only permitted four players per table. South Point led the way in getting that increased to five. All Las Vegas poker rooms are now spreading at least five-handed games. Most offer eight-handed games. Bally’s poker room opened with nine seats, the highest in Las Vegas.
On June 17, Nevada gaming regulators added a requirement for masks at table games that later included all casino patrons. Las Vegas poker players must wear a mask. Most Las Vegas poker tables have partitions to separate player seats.
Aria
Aria Casino Las Vegas Poker
The Aria poker room opened with the casino on July 1. It will use 15 of its tables. These are partitioned so eight players may be seated per game. The standard Aria cash games are spread. There is one daily tournament.
Bally’s
The Bally’s poker room reopened on September 25. It deals 1/3 no limit Hold’em and 3/6 fixed limit Hold’em. There are nine seats per table.
Bellagio
Bellagio opened its poker room at 10am on June 18. Tables have eight seats and partitions. Cash games include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, stud and mixed games. The Bellagio poker room is open 24 hours a day.
Boulder Station
Boulder Station reopened its poker room on August 3. It is home to Omaha Hi in Las Vegas. It also spreads no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em.
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace’s poker room is open 24 hours a day. Cash games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It also deals daily tournaments. It seats eight players per table.
Flamingo
The Flamingo poker room reopened on July 2. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em. It is open 10am to 4am Thursday through Monday. Promotions include high hands and an hourly freeroll. It has four tournaments Thursday through Sunday. There are eight seats per table.
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget was the fourth poker room to open in Las Vegas after the COVID-19 closure. Cash games of no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em are spread. The max rake is $3. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The room is open 24 hours. There are five seats at tables.
The jackpot drop is used for progressive high hand bonuses for four of a kind, straight flushes and royal flushes. A pocket pair is required for quads. Straight and royal flushes must use both hole cards. The progressives are tied to the card for quads, the highest card in the straight flush, or suit for royal flushes. Jackpots are doubled between 8am and 2pm daily.
MGM Grand
MGM Grand’s poker room reopened on July 3. It is open from 4pm to 4am Thursday through Sunday. It is closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The tables are eight-handed with plexiglass dividers.
Orleans
The poker room at Orleans opened with the casino on June 4. It is open 24 hours daily. The rake is capped at $4. The Orleans poker room has the widest variety of cash games. These include no limit Texas Hold’em, fixed limit Texas Hold’em, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit Omaha hi/lo and fixed limit Omaha Hi. There are two daily tournaments.
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood reopened its poker room on October 16. It hosts ten tables. There are eight seats at each. The main games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It is open noon to 4am Thursday through Sunday.
Poker Palace
Poker Palace is a small North Las Vegas poker room. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights for a 6:30pm no limit Texas Hold’em tournament. A cash game sometimes appears when the tournament concludes.
Red Rock Resort
Red Rock Resort is the only poker room in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas. It reopened on August 3. It spreads mostly fixed limit and no limit Texas Hold’em. Tournaments have not returned to its poker room. There are eight seats per table.
Sahara
The Sahara poker room reopened on June 18. It is home to mostly no limit Texas Hold’em and mixed games. The rake is capped at $4. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The hours are 6pm to 2am during the week and noon to 2am on Saturday and Sunday. The Sahara poker room will remain open after 2am if there is a game running. There are seven seats per table.
Santa Fe Station
Santa Fe Station is one of three Station Casinos poker rooms that reopened on August 3. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em, as well as Omaha Hi/Lo. It is in the far northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. There are eight seats per table.
Silver Sevens
Silver Sevens offers one live poker table in its table game pit. It is usually a 2/4 fixed limit Hold’em game.
South Point
South Point’s poker room, the last to close before the shutdown, opened with the casino on June 4. It operates 24 hours a day. Games are eight-handed. The cash games offered are no limit Hold’em, fixed limit Hold’em and pot limit Omaha.
Venetian
Venetian was the first poker room to announce its return. However, it opened the day after the rest of the casino did. Tables are eight-handed.
Venetian offers cash games and single table tournaments. The hours are 9am to 3am daily.
Venetian offers a wide variety of tournaments. This includes some daily ones and tournament series. According to Bravo Poker, the main cash games are no limit Texas Hold’em and pot limit Omaha.
Westgate
The Westgate poker room reopened on September 10. It opens at 10am on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10am on weekend days. It is dark Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Westgate poker room is located in the sportsbook area. Tables are eight-handed.
Wynn
The Wynn poker room reopened on September 30. It was moved from Encore to Wynn. It is home to no limit Hold’em, pot limit Omaha and mixed games. Daily tournaments return October 22. Plexiglass partitions are at all 24 tables, allowing for eight seats at each. There are eight seats per table.
Las Vegas reopening poker room FAQ
How many poker rooms are open in Las Vegas?
There are 19 open poker rooms as of January 15, 2021.
Are Station Casinos poker rooms reopening?
Station Casinos reopened poker rooms at Boulder Station, Red Rock Resort and Santa Fe Station on August 3, 2020.
Are there poker tournaments in Las Vegas right now?
Yes. About half of Las Vegas poker rooms have brought back tournaments.
Is smoking permitted in Las Vegas poker rooms?
No Las Vegas poker rooms permit smoking.
Are masks required at Las Vegas poker tables?
Yes. Masks inside casinos are mandated by a governor’s order.
Are there partitions at Las Vegas poker tables?
In most cases, yes. Any poker room with more than six seats at the table has partitions.
Which Las Vegas poker rooms are still closed?
Binion’s, Cannery, Club Fortune, Excalibur, Green Valley Ranch, Harrah’s, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Palace Station, Rio, Sam’s Town and Skyline have not reopened poker rooms that closed due to the pandemic.
Casino Vegas Poker Casino
Last updated: January 15, 2021