Card Player is lucky to call Las Vegas, the epicenter of the world's poker action, home. Over the last two years, the town has seen a resurgence in poker-room openings, and the more than 35 million people who visit each year have more tables and options than ever before.
In late 2005,
Card Player surveyed each and every poker room in Las Vegas, to get an accurate account of poker in our city. A total of 41 poker rooms were open, with just over 500 tables.
Fast-forward nearly two years later. In November of 2007, there are 53 rooms, with nearly 700 tables. Quite simply, there is no place that offers the volume of room and game choices, except perhaps the metro Los Angeles region, that Las Vegas does.
In late 2005, Binion's, the famous gambling hall that began hosting the
World Series of Poker in 1970, was the largest poker room in Vegas. It contained 38 tables. Two years later, Caesars Palace, with 62 tables, has taken over as the biggest room in town.
Besides Caesars, the following are the largest poker rooms in Sin City: Bellagio - 39, The Venetian - 39, Binion's - 38, The Orleans - 35, Mirage - 30, Wynn - 26, Green Valley Ranch - 22, MGM - 22, and Red Rock - 20.
If you're poker crazy, however, you cannot ignore Los Angeles. Commerce Casino is the undisputed king of cardrooms, not only in the region, but in all the world. It has 165 cash-game tables and an additional 36 tournament tables, and is known for its amazing action. Add on other large rooms like The Bicycle Casino, Hustler, Hawaiian Gardens, and Crystal Casino and you have a plethora of choices. However, unlike the Las Vegas Strip, you cannot just stroll up and down from room to room.
In this issue,
Card Player would like to welcome another new addition to our columnist stable, John Vorhaus. John's the father of the
Killer Poker series of books and has written about poker since 1988. You can find his entertaining approach to the "go big or go home" style embraced by the
Killer series in each issue. If you are unfamiliar with John, check out his column in this issue and be introduced.
