There were 31 Las Vegas poker rooms in March before the COVID-19 pandemic closure. Of those, 14 have reopened. The list below covers the 17 that have yet to return to action.
None are considered permanently closed by the companies that operate them. Two have reopening dates.
See also: Open Las Vegas poker rooms
Las Vegas poker rooms with reopening dates
Westgate
Westgate plans on reopening its six-table poker room on September 10 at 4pm. Its hours will be 4pm until the last game breaks Monday through Friday and 10am until the last game breaks on weekends.
The main game at the Westgate poker room is 1/2 no limit Texas Hold’em. Plexiglass dividers will be used to allow eight seats per table. The comp rate is $2 per hour. There is a $20 bonus to the first eight players of the day in the first game. Players that give 30 hours of action in a week receive a $200 bonus.
Silver Sevens
The Silver Sevens poker pit is expected to reopen on September 1. The main game is 2/4 fixed limit Texas Hold’em. It will open in the afternoon daily.
Las Vegas poker rooms with no reopening date
Caesars Entertainment
There are four Caesars Entertainment poker rooms in Las Vegas that have not reopened. The entire Planet Hollywood (poker room reopened since this was published) and Rio properties remain closed indefinitely.
The Bally’s (reopened since this was published) tables remain in the room but is idle. A company representative says it is still considered a temporary situation. The rest of the Bally’s casino floor is open.
Harrah’s removed all its tables and laid off poker staff. A nonsmoking slots section replaced it. A Caesars Entertainment representative and two current casino employees told me that the poker room’s closure is considered temporary. The poker rooms at Caesars Palace and Flamingo are open.
Boyd Gaming
The poker rooms at Cannery and Sam’s Town remain closed. Neither has a reopening date. A representative at Sam’s Town was optimistic about its poker room reopening in the future. Cannery did not sound as enthusiastic, but noted that no permanent decision has been made. Boyd Gaming reopened the poker room at The Orleans on June 4.
Station Casinos
Station Casinos reopened the poker rooms at Boulder Station, Red Rock Resort and Santa Fe Station on August 3. The Green Valley Ranch and Palace Station poker rooms are still shuttered.
The poker tables were removed at Green Valley Ranch. These are being replaced by a new football viewing area that is expected to open in a few weeks. Poker is not out at Green Valley Ranch, according to a company representative. Its status will be reevaluated as business conditions improve.
The Palace Station poker room’s location is problematic. There is a temperature check queue in front of it. It seems impossible for it to reopen while temperature checks are still given at the property without a configuration that brings the line into the sportsbook instead. A company spokesperson says there are no immediate plans to reopen the poker room and, like Green Valley Ranch, the company will reconsider this at a future time.
MGM Resorts
There are three closed MGM Resorts poker rooms in Las Vegas. Mirage opened this week without poker. The room was converted into a nonsmoking slots area. The poker rooms at Excalibur and Mandalay Bay remain intact but closed. Company representatives confirmed that all these closures are considered temporary and will be continually reevaluated. The poker rooms at Aria, Bellagio and MGM Grand are open.
Binion’s
Binion’s packed up its poker room and put it into storage during the closure. Two company representatives told me that this was done to keep the equipment safe as there is no way to otherwise secure the room on the floor. Binion’s is confident that poker will return to the property when business levels return to normal.
Club Fortune
The poker room at Club Fortune may have dealt its last hand ever in March, according to a company representative. The poker room was closed last year with a couple of tables moved to the pit. The company says that it will entertain the idea of reopening it in the future, but its closure leaned towards being permanent.
Skyline
The two-table poker room at Skyline Casino is closed indefinitely. A company representative told me that the closure is likely to be an extended one but was not considered to be permanent.
Wynn/Encore
Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list is the poker room at Wynn and Encore (reopened after this was published). The company said in June that it was working to get the room reopened. A date had not been decided at that time.
Plexiglass partitions were being installed at poker tables when we visited the property last month. This gives the tell that getting the poker room reopened is still on the company’s mind. Wynn Resorts did not respond to a request for comment for this column.
