Las Vegas casinos were permitted to reopen after the pandemic closure on June 4, 2020. That was 16 months ago. Since then, 19 Las Vegas poker rooms have reopened. Two others opened and closed again. Resorts World opened with a poker room. There were 10 Las Vegas poker rooms open in March 2020 that never returned.
I think it is time to say goodbye to all 10 Las Vegas poker rooms that remain closed and never made an official announcement. Maybe a couple will reopen one day. If that happens, I think it will resemble more of a new poker room opening than a reopening.
I have compiled a list of closed Las Vegas poker rooms since 2012. There are 28 on that list before including the 10 that shuttered in March 2020. It is at the bottom of this article.
The pictures below show folded poker rooms at Green Valley Ranch, Excalibur, Binion’s, Mirage and Rio.
Binion’s
Binion’s is still in a holding pattern, it appears. The former poker room area near the sportsbook now has electronic table games. Staff says it will return one day. The Binion’s poker room struggled so badly in the years leading up to the pandemic, that I am skeptical it will ever reopen. That is a sad story for the poker world as this is the casino where the World Series of Poker started.
The Binion’s poker room mostly dealt $1/$2 no limit hold’em. It had a summer tournament series.
Cannery
Cannery dealt a $2-$6 spread limit hold’em game on its three tables. The poker room area was replaced by slots. There is no sign that a poker room was ever there.
Club Fortune
Club Fortune is the only poker room that did not reopen after the pandemic that I have been able to confirm will not return. The poker room in the back of the casino was lost a few years ago. Poker was played in the pit until March 2020. It was down to one or two tables at the end.
Staff on the property confirmed that it will not return during my last visit there. It typically dealt $0.50/$1 or $1/$2 no limit hold’em.
Excalibur
The Excalibur poker room was transformed into a slot tournament area. Staff on the property is pessimistic about its return, but says that the room is still officially temporarily closed. It had seven tables. The Excalibur poker room dealt $1/$2 no limit hold’em as its main game.
The jackpot funds were given away in late 2020. This freeroll included funds from the jackpot pools at Mandalay Bay and Mirage. The Mandalay Bay poker room eventually reopened.
Green Valley Ranch
The 22-table Green Valley Ranch poker room is the largest of the ones on this list. The area was converted into a sports viewing area at last check. The Green Valley Ranch poker room dealt a variety of games, like no limit hold’em, fixed limit hold’em and mixed games.
Harrah’s
The Harrah’s seven-table poker room was dismantled shortly after casinos reopened in June 2020. The jackpot funds were given away. A representative with the company says the status is still temporary. The old Harrah’s poker room is a nonsmoking slot area now. The main Harrah’s game was $1/$2 no limit hold’em.
Mirage
The Mirage poker room is also a nonsmoking slot area. It offered 12 tables. The Mirage jackpot funds were given away with Mandalay Bay and Excalibur’s pool in late 2020.
Palace Station
The nine-table Palace Station poker room closure seemed unavoidable when casinos reopened. The area in front of it was used to screen guests for a fever as part of the property’s pandemic protocol. That ended months ago, yet the poker room remains shuttered. The Palace Station poker room dealt mostly fixed and spread limit hold’em.
Rio
Rio gave away its poker jackpot pool in September 2021. At last check, tables and chairs were being stored in the poker room, but it was not in any organized way that I could tell. It dealt mostly $1/$3 and $2/$3 no limit hold’em. It had 14 tables.
Sam’s Town
The 11-table poker room at Sam’s Town is still on the floor. Staff says that the official position is that the poker room will return one day. It dealt no limit and fixed limit hold’em, as well as fixed limit Omaha hi/lo.
Other poker rooms that have closed since 2012
There have been 28 Las Vegas poker room closures, beyond the 10 noted above, since 2012.
- Silver Sevens: August 2021
- Planet Hollywood: July 2021
- The Strat: October 2019
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur: August 2018
- Treasure Island: August 2018
- Suncoast: April 2018
- Luxor: June 2017
- Monte Carlo: April 2017
- Hard Rock: March 2017
- The Linq: August 2016
- Eastside Cannery: April 2016
- Plaza: March 2016
- Aliante Casino: March 2016
- Hooters: March 2015
- Texas Station: August 2014
- Palms: June 2014
- Sunset Station: May 2014
- El Cortez: December 2013
- Circus Circus: September 2013
- M Resort: August 2013
- Riviera: June 2013
- Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall: February 2013
- Jokers Wild: October 2012
- Ellis Island: September 2012
- Tropicana: September 2012
- O’Sheas: April 2012
- Fitzgeralds: January 2012
- Silverton: January 2012
