The Suncoast poker room announced that it will close at 10pm on Sunday, April 22. A jackpot pool of approximately $21,000 must be given away by that time. Players report that $170 hourly high hand jackpots are being awarded. Some hours have more than one winner.
The Suncoast poker room struggled to attract players. Red Rock is just a few miles away and has offered far more action since it opened in 2006.
While Red Rock is more of a resort poker room, Suncoast has more of a locals, home game feel. Many players know each other from years of playing poker together at Suncoast.
Suncoast spread seven tables, down from the 12 tables it hosted in 2012. Traffic at Suncoast slowly declined during this time. Weekly No Limit Hold’em and Dealer’s Choice games dried up. Weekday tournaments were eliminated. The room was often dark by the middle of the evening.
A daily 2-6 Spread Limit Hold’em game would typically run when the room was active, as well as a low limit Omaha Hi/Lo or Stud Hi/Lo game. These games would start around 9am or 10am every morning.
The 2-10 Spread Limit Hoggie game helped bring Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo to the room. It relocated from Sam’s Town in 2011 to move it closer to the regular players as a majority lived near Summerlin. The $3 max rake and no jackpot drop were negotiated by one of the game’s founders. I was among the players that helped get the long-running game off the ground at Suncoast.
It was not just the Hoggie game that enjoyed a $3 max rake. This was the cap for all poker games at Suncoast, though most others had a jackpot drop, too.
The loss of Suncoast leaves few Las Vegas poker rooms with a $3 max rake. The Orleans, Club Fortune and Skyline are the last three poker rooms in Las Vegas that still offer this value.
Bellagio Biker Bandit struck Suncoast poker room first
While Suncoast was not known for its poker room, it made the news in December 2010. It was robbed by Anthony Carleo, known as the “Bellagio Biker Bandit,” who later went on to commit a brazen robbery at a Bellagio craps table a few days later. Carleo knew about a weekly high limit game at Suncoast that was active that night. He got away with $18,945, according to reports. His take from the Bellagio robbery was estimated to be about $1.5 million in chips.
Suncoast joins long list of shuttered Las Vegas poker rooms
Suncoast becomes the 24th Las Vegas poker room to close since 2012. During that time, only Westgate and Skyline Casino have opened poker rooms. The one at Westgate also closed during this time frame, only to later reopen.
Las Vegas poker room closures since 2012
- 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
- Westgate: June 2015 (Reopened August 2017)
- Hooters: March 2015
- Texas Station: August 2014
- Sunset Station: May 2014
- Palms: June 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
