Other US Rooms
Casino and Poker Rooms featuring a ♠ have been personally reviewed, while other locations without the spade are based solely on that Casino's literature or on credited independent reviews. The information in these reviews was accurate at the time it was published, but we suggest you confirm all details and prices as these can change at any time.
As we tour the country, we will be visiting Card Rooms and Casinos and providing reviews. For listings of Card Rooms and Casinos throughout California, the US and Canada, please visit California Casinos. If you have a favorite casino or card room, or would like to review rooms, we have not yet found, please send us an e-mail at Editor@PokerInsider.ORG.
NEVADA POKER ROOMS AND
CASINOS
Binion's Gambling Hall and
Hotel
♠ Third Review, September 2006: While Binion's Gambling Hall and
Hotel is undergoing a complete renovation, the Poker Room was the first to
profit from the changes. Now home to The
Ultimate Poker Championship,
♠ Second Review, October 2005: Even though it has changed hands twice, is no longer the Horseshoe and no longer the host to the
World Series of Poker, Binion's Gambling Hall is still the place to go for
Hold'em tournament play. Currently they hold four Hold'em tournaments every day.
With nearly twenty ring tables set up for $2 - $4/$3 - $6/$5 - $10 Hold'em and
♠ First Review, November 2004: The Horseshoe is where
♠ October 2005: The Golden Nugget has a small nine-table card room tucked away in the
center of the casino. $2 - $4 and $4 - $8 Hold'em are the norm, with a No Limit
table with $100 minimum and no maximum played often. Winner of the AAA
Four-Diamond Award since 1977, the Golden Nugget
♠ October 2005: The Plaza is home to television's Ultimate Poker Challenge, to be held
again in November 2005. There are twenty poker tables and five Pan tables (one
game I may never really understand). They have twice nightly tournaments with
Monday Night
♠ October 2005: Home of the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship, one of several World Poker Tour (WPT) events held in
the luxurious room. Satellites are held in the
♠ July 2008: The most expansive,
exciting and relaxed
I played in their Mega Stack Tournament and after more than 10 hours I was close to the money when my Pocket Jacks were downed by Acew Queen. You can read the story in The Whole Nine Cards.
♠ September 2006: The poker room is found in the middle of the
casino table games area, with less noise from the slots than some venues, you
find a throwback to the old small stakes poker. Mostly the games played are
$2/$4 Limit Hold’em, and $35 buy-in tournaments at 9 AM and 11 AM
daily.
♠ June 2005: The new Poker Room at Harrah's is nicely secluded near the Sports Book and enclosed to limit the noise of the slots. Daily tournaments
with medium level buy ins and re-buys make for nice paydays for those fortunate
to cash out. The tournament I entered was filled with friendly players from
around the country. The attendance was down a bit, since It was the first day of
the WSOP.
MGM Grand
♠ March 2009: Tucked away behind the Sports and Race Book is one of Las Vegas' best kept low-limit poker secrets. With 22 tables they cover $1/$2 ($40-$200) and $2/$5 ($100-$500) No Limit Hold'em and $2-$4 and $3-$6 games daily. Seven mornings a week they offer a $50 + $10 Buy-In tournament with $5 Staff Add-on at 11:05 A.M.. They also offer Sunday through Thursday 7:05 P.M. $60 + $10 Buy-In tournaments with $10 Staff Add-on. Though they are no re-buy tournaments, they do allow players to re-enter as alternates for the first four levels if space is available.
♠ September 2006: The poker room is tucked in the far corner of one
of
♠ Second Review, October 2005: Tucked away by the Sports Book, I
viewed the room in a more relaxed setting and found the noise level from the
slots not what I feared. The ten tables feature mainly Hold'em, but will play
any game when enough people sign up. They hold daily noon tournaments, and a
special on Monday Night Football.
♠ First Review, June 2005: The
The
Stardust
♠ October 2005:
March 2007: From ashes to
ashes and Stardust to dust, one of Las Vegas original Strip hotels was imploded
(see video) to fanfare and a
few shed tears. The dropping of this historic casino makes way for one of the
most expensive new properties to grace the Strip.
♠ July 2007: I first passed this poker room on the way to the
All-In Energy Drink VIP Party at the Mystere Pool on a Sunday night and the room
was packed. The Treasure Island Poker Room, to paraphrase
I played in a 7 PM
tourney with 33 starting players. I was low on chips at the one-hour break with
18 players remaining, but made a charge soon after the break and went to the
final table as the chip leader. I fought hard with the number two, flip-flopping
several times until we were down to three players. An ill-advised All-in with
$40,000 chips to the leaders' $45,000 (and $4,500 for the other player) sent me
home in third in a truly International field, with Americans capturing 1st and
3rd, Brits getting 2nd and 4th and a German taking home 5th. The play was
friendly, but solid (after a flurry of activity at my first table with two of
the first three hands All-ins).
Besides the near constant
small tourneys from 10 AM to 10 PM, $2-$4 Limit and $2-$5 No-Limit play is near
continuous at the remaining tables. The games were friendly, but extremely
competitive. The night before I played, I was told of a $2-$5 No Limit game that
involved 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker losing a $4,000 pot.
♠ July 2006: The Tuscany, a half mile off the strip, is a throwback
to old Las Vegas, before every casino had to be bigger and more spectacular than
the next. The room is small, and the five tables are dominated buy $3/$6 and
$4/$8
♠ July 2006: Another one of Las Vegas' new card rooms, The Venetian
is also one of the most opulent, with the poker room no exception. The Venetian
Poker Room was designed with the same exquisite elegance and artistry for which
this four-star
resort has become world-famous. At nearly 11,000 square feet, The Venetian Poker Room is not only among the
city’s largest venues, but also its most exquisite – draped in rich leather and
wood, and thoughtfully equipped with the latest technology. Rise to the
challenge of your choice – whether your preferred style is
♠ March 2009: In July 2006 I picked up my Wynn Red Card when I reviewed the newly opened Wynn. I have not been back since, due to the higher stakes played at the Wynn. Out of the Blue I received an invittion for three nights comped at the Resort (without the normally obligatory time-share pitch), one offer this Blue-Collar player can never resist. Now the Encore Tower is up and the resort is as complete as a Las Vegas Hotel Casino Resort ever is. As we looked out the window from our 58th floor room, my wife commented that their was a minature golf course below. I had to chuckle, since she was looking down on the 7,042 yard, Par 70, multi-level course. During our stay, the Wynn Classic was underway, with another example of the Wynn's upscale reputation. Where most two to three week tournaments holding mostly $225 - $550 buy-ins, leading up to their Main Event, the Classic's $1,000 buy-ins out number the $500 tournaments two to one, leading up to the $10,000 Finale.
♠ July 2006: One of
♠ July 2006: The Cannery has the glamour of old
♠ July 2006: The
♠ July 2006: The Speedway Casino is the only race themed casino in the country. Part of the Ramada Inn in NLV, this small casino has an intimate feel. With only two poker tables, right in the center of the floor, they only play $2/$4 Hold'em. They do have $23 (with $10 re-buys and $20 add-on) tournaments at 4:00 PM daily and a monthly $2,500 Free Roll for the first 22 players with 30 hours of live play.
♠ October 2005: The small three-table room located off to the rear of the casino makes for a quiet spot to play poker. Though no action was occurring around 1 PM on a Monday, I was told the action heats up with the after work crowd in the evenings.
♠ October 2005: Built to look like a Mississippi Steam Boat, the Belle banks on the Colorado River. The Belle hosts daily morning Hold'em tournaments and most nights they hold Hold'em tourneys. Thursday nights they host an Omaha Hi-Lo Split tournament. With twelve tables, it is one of the largest Poker Rooms in town.
Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort
♠ October 2005: The Riverside claims "If poker is your game The Riverside has a seat waiting for you. In The Riverside Poker Room you’ll find the best poker value anywhere in Laughlin," and I agree. The room has an excellent view overlooking the Colorado River. I played in a $2 - $6 ring game (the most popular) for about 45 minutes, making my entry and re-buy into the nightly Hold'em tournament. What makes this resort extra special is the wing of rooms set aside for pet owners, the only hotel in Laughlin that makes such a provision.
♠ October 2005: The Flamingo's Poker Room is another one tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the casino. Down a few steps from the main room, the four tables overlook the Colorado River, providing a scenic view while enjoying $2 - $4 Hold'em.
♠ October 2005: The three tables are tucked away at the rear of the casino. The afternoon I visited, the tables were still covered and no one was around to talk. One thing I appreciated at the Ramada Express was that all U.S. veterans are invited to stop by the Distinguished Players Club booth to pick up a very special free gift - a beautiful commemorative patriotic pin designed exclusively for Ramada Express along with a matching Distinguished Players Card - their way of saying "thanks" for a job well done.
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