In the last issue,
Card Player highlighted a grand array of places to play poker in Las Vegas. Here, several more poker emporiums are featured for your playing pleasure. Enjoy.
Caesars Palace
More than 14,000 square feet of space make the Caesars Palace poker room the largest poker room in Las Vegas. The luxurious new room, located next to the resort's race and sportsbook, features 30 live-action tables offering Texas hold'em, seven-card stud, and Omaha. Caesars Palace last offered a poker room in 1989. "We are very excited about the new Caesars Palace poker room, especially considering poker's incredible rise in popularity over the past few years," said Gary Selesner, Caesars Palace president. "With customer satisfaction as our top priority, it was important for us to create a comfortable atmosphere and impressive service for both high-stakes professional and recreational poker players, and we believe we have accomplished that goal." Players entering the beautiful space are greeted by 11 original LeRoy Neiman paintings that showcase nearly 40 years of Caesars Palace history. Other distinguishing factors of the room are its spaciousness, overall comfort, and quality of professional staff. More than 20 large-screen high-definition TV sets adorn the walls. An extensive menu and cocktail service enable players to have food and beverages delivered directly to the tables during play. Massage therapists also make rounds around the room, enabling guests to receive back and neck treatments. Competitive poker room rates also are available.
In addition to the 8,500-square-foot main poker room, Caesars Palace is one of the only casinos in Las Vegas to also offer an adjoining tournament area, providing an additional 6,000 square feet of space and 33 tournament tables. The tournament area is home to a number of events providing players the opportunity to win seats in
World Series of Poker events. Daily and weekly tournaments take place in the tournament room, as well as several international tournaments, including
World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit events and the
NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, which will be held at Caesars Palace through 2009.
For more information on Caesars Palace, visit www.caesarspalace.com or call (702) 731-7110 or (800) 634-6001.
Gold Coast
Prior to the poker boom, the Gold Coast boasted one of the premier poker rooms in Las Vegas. After a five-year closure, the room was reopened in 2005 under the direction of Poker Room Manager Robert Tagliaferri.
The eight-table room provides action in a friendly, nonsmoking environment. The most popular games are $2-$4 and $4-$8 limit hold'em; also featured is a $1-$2 blinds no-limit hold'em game with a $40 minimum/$200 maximum buy-in. High-hand bonuses help to spur on the action, as any four of a kind or better receives a progressive bonus. Royal flush bonuses also are offered.
The room also offers twice-daily tournaments at 10 a.m. (seven days a week) and 6 p.m. (Monday-Thursday). The room also contains six plasma-screen TVs. The West Bar and Ports O'Call Buffet are located right next to the room, and players can use their earned comps there. Special promotions are held year-round, including freeroll tournaments, Monday Night football high hands, and spinning the Buddy Wheel.
For more information on Gold Coast, visit www.goldcoastcasino.com or call (702) 367-7111.
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton poker room, located adjacent to the race and sports superbook, features nine tables in a well-lit, smoke-free environment. Each table features built-in cup holders in the armrest and automatic card shufflers. QueueOS, the state-of-the-art player tracking and player waiting-list system, is used to ensure accurate player rating and comping. Ten 42-inch plasma-screen TVs around the room air race and sports events. The poker room is also available for private tournaments for bachelor/bachelorette parties, corporate events, or any other private group. Every Friday, Marc Nelson, poker room manager, and Jim Klosty, poker room shift manager, host
Poker, Straight From the Hilton (3 p.m. on KLAV, Las Vegas, 1230 on the AM dial, and archived on www.lvhilton.com). The show features information on poker and interviews with poker celebrities, writers, and players. In addition to sit-and-go tournaments at various limits, games spread include limit Texas hold'em ($3-$6 with a $30 minimum buy-in and $5-$10 with a $50 minimum buy-in), no-limit Texas hold'em (with $1-$2 blinds and $50 minimum to $300 maximum buy-in, and $2-$5 blinds with $100 minimum to $500 maximum buy-in); Omaha eight-or-better with $4-$8 blinds ($40 minimum buy-in). The poker room offers convenient parking located off the Joe W. Brown entrance. Additional features include comps ($1 per hour); high-hand progressive jackpots; a $20,000 monthly freeroll tournament; and a weekly $170 no-limit hold'em tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit www.lvhilton.com or call (888) 732-7117.
The Orleans
The Orleans offers a 35-table, nonsmoking cardroom located just a few blocks west of the Strip. Regarded as one of the most popular cardrooms in the city, the Orleans offers a wide variety of limits and games. Games spread on a daily basis are $2-$4, $4-$8, $8-$16 Texas hold'em; $4-$8 and $8-$16 Omaha eight-or-better; $1-$2 and $2-$5 no-limit Texas hold'em; and, on occasion, $4-$8 H.O.R.S.E. and $1-$2 pot-limit Omaha. In addition, there are two tournaments every day, at noon and 7 p.m. Tournaments offered are: no-limit, limit, and Omaha eight-or-better, with buy-ins ranging from $40 to $75. Special promotions include a bad-beat jackpot for both hold'em and Omaha, with the hold'em jackpot starting at $50,000. Straight flushes earn an Orleans hat or T-Shirt, and royal flushes earn an Orleans jacket. Tournament winners receive an Orleans tournament winner jacket. Players also earn comp dollars while playing in live games, which act as cash and may be used for food, rooms, and many other amenities. The Orleans also offers 2,000 rooms, a bowling center, movie theater, and all of the latest table games and video slots.
For more information, visit www.orleanscasino.com or call (800) 675-3267.
Palms Casino Resort
The Palms Casino Resort may best be known as a celeb hot spot, and it's not uncommon for celebrities - poker pros among them - to make an appearance in the poker room. Gus Hansen, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Chris Moneymaker, and others have been seen playing on the Palms felts.
Run by Poker Room Manager Michael Vento, this 10-table room (divided into a six-table low-limit area and a four-table high-limit area) is designed for comfort. Pagers enable players to roam the casino while waiting for a seat to become available, and eight tables feature an automatic card shuffler. Limits range from $2-$4 limit games to $2-$5 no-limit hold'em games. Poker players also receive comps for their play - $1 per hour - that can be used in the restaurants and retail shops. Plus, there is always a variety of promotions on tap; this summer, through Labor Day, the poker room is giving away cash and prizes totaling $80,000.
The resort also features the world's only Playboy® Club, the all-new Pearl Concert Theater, and great night life.
For more information, visit www.palms.com or call the poker room directly at (702) 942-6961.
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.
The brand-new, recently opened 12-table poker room is sleek and stylish, and extremely spacious and comfortable. Player comfort is ensured with chairs costing $750 apiece. The poker room also features a 65-inch high-definition Panasonic television.
Located at the north entrance of the newly renovated Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, the poker room offers daily tournaments at 2 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. Players receive $4,000 in tourney chips for a buy-in of $60. High-hand jackpots are also awarded, ranging from $50 to $599. For the novice, daily poker lessons are available at 9 a.m., prior to the Breakfast Club Tournament, and cover such topics as rules, structure, and etiquette.
For more information, visit www.planethollywoodresort.com or call (702) 785-5555.
Poker Palace Casino
Located in North Las Vegas, the Poker Palace features an eight-table poker room that is a laid-back, friendly place to play. The casino offers easy-access parking, low-limit gaming tables, a race and sportsbook, plenty of the latest slot machines, and Maddy's Paddy's Café. The poker room offers periodic $10,000 freerolls for its loyal players. There are also $20 no-limit hold'em tournaments every day of the week except Friday, at 6 p.m. The tournaments feature a $20 rebuy and add-on.
For more information on Poker Palace, visit www.pokerpalace.net or call (702) 649-3799.
Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower
The Stratosphere's six-table poker room offers the lowest limits on the Strip, spreading 25¢-$1 at the Tower Table, along with $1-$2, $2-$4, and higher. The poker room hosts daily no-limit hold'em tournaments at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 8 p.m., midnight, and 4 a.m. with a $60 buy-in, 20-minute levels, and $4,000 in starting chips. Some of the other promotions that the room offers are progressive bad-beat jackpots starting with aces full of tens beaten, high-hand rewards, a cracked-aces bonus, freerolls, show tickets for live play, and a retro freeroll the first Monday of the month.
The Stratosphere offers a plethora of different shops, restaurants, thrill rides, and other casino gaming. Fine dining is available in the Top of the World restaurant, which rotates 360 degrees to give guests a great view of Las Vegas while dining.
For more information, visit www.stratospherehotel.com or call (702) 380-7777.
Suncoast Hotel and Casino
The Suncoast Hotel and Casino's new poker room, open for less than a year, offers 12 tables in an intimate, friendly atmosphere.
"Our poker room is a nice alternative to the bigger poker rooms you find on the Strip," said Pete DeMonte, poker room manager. "Our guests can enjoy the game and get to know the other players and dealers by name."
It is a low-limit room offering $2-$4 and $4-$8 limit games and $1-$2 no-limit hold'em games. The nonsmoking room also contains 12 plasma-screen televisions. Players also can take part in any of the regular tournaments, details of which are available at www.suncoastcasino.com.
The Suncoast also offers an 82,000-square-foot casino with 50 table games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, and pai gow. There are also 2,400 slot and video poker machines featuring ticket-in, ticket-out technology. Additionally, the Suncoast contains a 600-seat bingo center and 150-seat race and sportsbook.
Located at 9090 Alta Drive near Summerlin on the outskirts of Las Vegas, the Suncoast also features seven restaurants, a 16-screen movie theater, a 64-lane bowling center, and a 500-seat showroom. The property also offers approximately 25,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities space. Suncoast is a property of Boyd Gaming Corp.
For more information on Suncoast, visit www.suncoastcasino.com or call (877) 677-7111.
Tuscany Suites and Casino
The Tuscany Suites and Casino multitable poker room is located within walking distance of the Las Vegas Strip, on Flamingo Avenue. The room features friendly dealers and supervisors, and there's rarely a wait to get into a game. Typical games spread are $3-$6 limit hold'em and $1-$2 no-limit hold'em.
The Tuscany also hosts a $22 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament with $10 rebuys for the first 45 minutes. This tournament is held at 4 a.m., 10 a.m., and 7 p.m. daily.
The Tuscany also offers low-limit table games that are suitable for all types of gamblers. Weekly $25 blackjack tournaments are held on Tuesday and Thursday at 3 p.m.
Parking is convenient, the rooms are oversized guest suites, and the hotel offers several dining options.
For more information, visit www.tuscanylasvegas.com or call the poker room at (702) 947-5917.
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
The elegant yet comfortable Venetian poker room features 39 tables, including a five-table high-limit area and a VIP room with two tables for additional privacy. Integrating high tech with high style, the 10,500-square-foot poker room is decorated in rich leathers, silk, and cherry wood, and each table is outfitted with automatic shufflers, as well as buttons that enable dealers to summon cocktail waitresses and inform floor personnel of open seats. Three luxurious seating areas are available to watch sporting events on any of the 21 flat-screen plasma televisions located throughout the room.
The poker room offers Texas hold'em, Omaha, and stud, with stakes ranging from $2-$4 to $4,000-$8,000. Every day at noon and 8 p.m., with the exception of Saturday evening, the room hosts no-limit hold'em tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $110 to $500.
Located on the casino level, adjacent to the race and sportsbook, the poker room is open around-the-clock.
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is also home to 20 fine-dining restaurants, shopping at The Grand Canal Shoppes, featuring a quarter-mile indoor gondola ride with singing gondoliers, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
For more information, visit www.venetian.com or call (877) 883-6423.
Wynn Las Vegas
The Wynn Las Vegas cardroom is conveniently located just steps from the self-parking garage, next to a unique Ferrari/Maserati dealership. The room offers 26 poker tables, 14 flat-screen televisions, and food and beverage options. In addition, players staying at Wynn Las Vegas can put their name on the waiting list and watch the queue on the in-house poker channel in their room. A wide variety of games are spread, from no-limit hold'em to games starting at $4-$8 and going to $100-$200 and higher. No-limit hold'em games start at $1-$3. A majority of the tables spread hold'em, both no-limit and limit. Players can buy into a $1-$3 no-limit game for $100 minimum, or $200 in a $2-$5 no-limit game. There is also a $10-$20 Omaha game. The 2008
Wynn Classic tournament will be held Feb. 26-March 19.
Wynn Las Vegas boasts 2,716 opulent guest rooms and suites, 18 restaurants, a 110,000-square-foot casino, high-end designer shopping, a Ferrari and Maserati dealership, an 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course, and entertainment and night life.
For more information on Wynn, visit www.wynnpoker.com or call (702) 770-7654.
