Stratosphere Las Vegas Poker Room
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All Las Vegas poker rooms are now spreading at least five-handed games. Most offer eight-handed games. Bally’s poker room opened with nine seats, the highest in Las Vegas. On June 17, Nevada gaming regulators added a requirement for masks at table games that later included all casino patrons. Las Vegas poker. The Stratosphere Poker Room has a High Hand Jackpot. As part of its daily tournament promotion, players that make the 7 p.m. Tournament receive complimentary pizza during the break. Bellagio is the largest poker room in Las Vegas. It hosts 37 poker tables. It is home to low-, mid-, and high-limit games. There are three separate sections of the Bellagio poker room that offer some privacy. The poker room at Caesar's Palace is located off the casino floor which is good because it separates you from the circus-like atmosphere of the Strip.The poker room is divided into a couple of sections including a high roller area and a spacious room specifically utilized for tournaments and private events. More info: Santa Fe poker room website. South Point Phone: (702) 796-7111 More info: South Point poker room website. Venetian Phone: (702) 414-7657 More info: South Point poker room website. Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino Phone: (702) 732-5223 More info: Westgate Las Vegas poker room website. Wynn Phone: (702) 770-7654 More info: Wynn poker.
There were 31 Las Vegas poker rooms before the closure. So far, 19 have reopened.
The four casinos that opened poker rooms the first weekend were Golden Nugget, Orleans, South Point and Venetian. Five more followed later in June and in July. August brought six more rooms online.
Gaming regulations originally only permitted four players per table. South Point led the way in getting that increased to five. All Las Vegas poker rooms are now spreading at least seven-handed games. Most offer eight-handed games. Bally’s poker room opened with nine seats, the highest in Las Vegas, but later dropped to eight seats.
On June 17, Nevada gaming regulators added a requirement for masks at table games that later included all casino patrons. Las Vegas poker players must wear a mask. Most Las Vegas poker tables have partitions to separate player seats.
Aria
The Aria poker room opened with the casino on July 1. It will use 15 of its tables. These are partitioned so eight players may be seated per game. The standard Aria cash games are spread. There is one daily tournament.
Bally’s
Stratosphere Las Vegas Poker Rooms Open
The Bally’s poker room reopened on September 25. It deals 1/3 no limit Hold’em and 3/6 fixed limit Hold’em. There are regular tournament series dealt at Bally’s. There are nine seats per table.
Bellagio
Bellagio opened its poker room at 10am on June 18. Tables have eight seats and partitions. Cash games include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, stud and mixed games. The Bellagio poker room is open 24 hours a day.
Boulder Station
Boulder Station reopened its poker room on August 3. It is home to Omaha Hi in Las Vegas. It also spreads no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em.
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace’s poker room is open 24 hours a day. Cash games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It also deals four daily tournaments. It seats eight players per table.
Las Vegas Poker Tournaments
Flamingo
The Flamingo poker room reopened on July 2. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em. It is open 10am to 4am Thursday through Monday. Promotions include high hands and an hourly freeroll. It has four tournaments Thursday through Sunday. There are eight seats per table.
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget was the fourth poker room to open in Las Vegas after the COVID-19 closure. Cash games of no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em are spread. The max rake is $4. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The room is open 24 hours. There are eight seats at tables.
MGM Grand
MGM Grand’s poker room reopened on July 3. It is open from 4pm to 4am Thursday through Sunday. It is closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The tables are eight-handed with plexiglass dividers.
Orleans
The poker room at Orleans opened with the casino on June 4. It is open 24 hours daily. The rake is capped at $4. The Orleans poker room has the widest variety of cash games. These include no limit Texas Hold’em, fixed limit Texas Hold’em, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit Omaha hi/lo and fixed limit Omaha Hi. There are two daily tournaments.
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood reopened its poker room on October 16. It hosts ten tables. There are eight seats at each. The main games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It is open noon to 4am Thursday through Sunday.
Poker Palace
Poker Palace is a small North Las Vegas poker room. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights for a 6:30pm no limit Texas Hold’em tournament. A cash game sometimes appears when the tournament concludes.
Red Rock Resort
Red Rock Resort is the only poker room in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas. It reopened on August 3. It spreads mostly fixed limit and no limit Texas Hold’em. Tournaments have not returned to its poker room. There are eight seats per table.
Sahara
The Sahara poker room reopened on June 18. It is home to mostly no limit Texas Hold’em and mixed games. The rake is capped at $4. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The hours are 4pm to 2am during the week and noon to 4am on Saturday and Sunday. The Sahara poker room will remain open if there is a game running. There are seven seats per table.
Santa Fe Station
Santa Fe Station is one of three Station Casinos poker rooms that reopened on August 3. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em, as well as Omaha Hi/Lo. It is in the far northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. There are eight seats per table.
Silver Sevens
Silver Sevens offers one live poker table in its table game pit. It is usually a 2/4 fixed limit Hold’em game.
South Point
South Point’s poker room, the last to close before the shutdown, opened with the casino on June 4. It operates 24 hours a day. Games are eight-handed. The cash games offered are no limit Hold’em, fixed limit Hold’em and pot limit Omaha. There is a large variety of promotions available. It deals four daily tournaments.
Venetian
Venetian was the first poker room to announce its return. However, it opened the day after the rest of the casino did. Tables are eight-handed.
Stratosphere Las Vegas Poker Room Reviews
Venetian offers cash games and single table tournaments. The hours are 9am to 3am daily.
Venetian offers a wide variety of tournaments. This includes some daily ones and tournament series. According to Bravo Poker, the main cash games are no limit Texas Hold’em and pot limit Omaha.
Westgate
The Westgate poker room reopened on September 10. It opens at 4pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10am on weekend days. It is dark Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Westgate poker room is located in the sportsbook area. Tables are eight-handed.
Wynn
The Wynn poker room reopened on September 30. It was moved from Encore to Wynn. It is home to no limit Hold’em, pot limit Omaha and mixed games. There is a daily no limit Hold’em tournament. Plexiglass partitions are at all 24 tables, allowing for eight seats at each.
Las Vegas reopening poker room FAQ
How many poker rooms are open in Las Vegas?
There are 19 open poker rooms as of March 6, 2021.
Are Station Casinos poker rooms reopening?
Station Casinos reopened poker rooms at Boulder Station, Red Rock Resort and Santa Fe Station on August 3, 2020.
Are there poker tournaments in Las Vegas right now?
Yes. About half of Las Vegas poker rooms have brought back tournaments.
Is smoking permitted in Las Vegas poker rooms?
No Las Vegas poker rooms permit smoking.
Are masks required at Las Vegas poker tables?
Yes. Masks inside casinos are mandated by a governor’s order.
Are there partitions at Las Vegas poker tables?
In most cases, yes. Any poker room with more than six seats at the table has partitions.
Which Las Vegas poker rooms are still closed?
Binion’s, Cannery, Club Fortune, Excalibur, Green Valley Ranch, Harrah’s, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Palace Station, Rio, Sam’s Town and Skyline have not reopened poker rooms that closed due to the pandemic.
Last updated: March 7, 2021
People ask me this question over and over and over and over and over. No not how do you play pocket jacks. Even more frequently than that.
Stratosphere Las Vegas Poker Room News
“I’m coming to Vegas for my company conference/21st birthday/brother’s bachelor party and I’m a recreational poker player. Which poker room should I play at?”
Reasonable question considering the number of rooms in small proximity. There were even more before! No longer is Hooters or the Trop or TI or Fitzgerald’s an option. I’ve heard that in Atlantic City, you basically wanna be at the Borgata and forget everything else. And in LA there’s really only a small handful of prime choices. In Vegas, there’s lots!
Here’s the thing about the Las Vegas poker ecosystem and those who regularly inhabit it: We have a big reputation, but we’re actually a small town. And in small towns, word gets around quick. So imagine there was a poker room where people were blasting away, punting stacks of cash on the reg, the promised land of poker rooms. What do you think the highest concentration of poker professionals and semi professionals in any particular geography would do in that dream scenario? If you guessed they’d probably flock there, I’d say that’s a solid guess. Before long, the promised land becomes a wasteland of minimally profitable poker and a no-man’s land for your lanyarded self.
Instead that’s not really what happens. Games are good in some rooms sometimes, other rooms other times. Generally great at night/graveyard because we’re a party destination, whereas in other cities it can be midweek afternoons that are prime. But you never really know what will happen where and when ahead of time.
There are some general traits based on one or two factors that could results in less regs and locals playing in particular rooms. Sure. I’ll mention that below. But the biggest deciding factor regarding which room to play in will probably come down to personal preferences. Here are my personal favorite poker rooms:
Wynn
The gold standard. Great dealers, even better floor staff who know exactly how to phrase everything they say to sound both professional and personable. Super comfortable room with ample space. Sharply appointed. Food is on the pricey side but still a couple reasonable options. All the games have the biggest max buyins in town, which again is going to come down to personal preference on whether that’s a plus or minus. I think the games are probably slightly tougher than average due to having more money available on the table, but you will also have the Wynn clientele occasionally wandering into the room to balance that. The tournament area just outside the poker room has natural light coming in during the daytime. And, the people watching. (Wynn nightclubs are the best.)
Aria
In my mind it’s a 1B to the Wynn’s 1A. Better food options but a little more crowded and almost always seems to have at least a little longer of waitlists (which are brutal during WSOP). Again, exceptional dealers and staff. Nice and plush. The homebase for PLO in Vegas.
Golden Nugget
The last stalwart to allow $100 bills to play in the games, which are all uncapped. It’s usually standard fare $1/$2NL, but as a result of dismissing the cap you could wind up in the best $1/$2NL on the planet at any given time. It’s a proper gem and the only real place to play in DTLV. (Binions sadly moved their games into the pit to die a slow death.)
Planet Hollywood
This is very much personal preference related, because if you don’t like loud music and go-go dancers when you’re tryna fuckin’ grind, don’t come here. It’s the most party atmosphere of any room in Vegas by far. Speaking of far, the self parking is miles away and you have to trek through the godforsaken tribute to American commercialism that is the Miracle Mile mall. As a result of that aspect, a lot of locals don’t have it in them to even get to the poker room. So the games can be above average. Also, two of the best dealers in all of Vegas work here: Allison and Chase. I wish I could say the same about the management… but hey, go-go dancers!
Bellagio
Game quality is good. North valet is good. Several of the floorpeople are very good. Some of the dealers are very good, like Crissy and Joe and Trina and a few others. Food is decent. But it’s definitely cramped and a little… not sure. Old? Each time I’ve moved up in stakes, first to 2/5 then to 5/10, I’ve used Bellagio as my stepping stone. The flip side to the Wynn, they have the lowest caps on their games and as a result I think the game quality benefits at least somewhat with less money available on the table. The Bellagio can bank on their location and reputation to just be a little on the meh side, but because of the above it’ll have to remain in the rotation for me, personally.
Honorable Mentions!
Mirage
Definitely a reasonable spot for low stakes games. Very accommodating staff if you want to bring a group of friends in and all play together.
Bally’s
I don’t know if this property has an ounce of personality to it, but the poker room will generally be on the softer side due to self parking stuff.
Mandalay Bay
I played a ton here when I first moved to Vegas. Seems to get reasonable low stakes games. Pretty comfortable room. Can celebrate a good session with a drink in the Skylounge.
Caesars
Can also be pretty noisy in here, without the go-go dancers. But yeah, could challenge PH for biggest party vibe with the Omnia entrance within view of the poker room. If you play 2/5 you feel kinda high-rollerish as they put that game in the back, kinda-sorta cordoned off.
Red Rock
Gets 2/5 every day, nice property… but you’re never gonna go way the fuck out there.
Ok so let’s recap. There are 3 spots where I basically spend all of my poker time: Wynn, Bellagio, and Aria. I think generally games will be a little tougher at the Wynn and Aria due to how nice these rooms are. Think about it: If you’re a pro or semi pro, and you’re spending a ton of your time in the poker rooms, you’re gonna wanna work to get to a spot where you’re actually enjoying your surroundings. That said you just never know because at any one time there could be a ridiculously profitable 2/5 game going at the Wynn. It happens quite frequently, really. It just isn’t nonstop in any one spot, if that makes sense…
A game will be amazing for a bunch of hours, until it isn’t. Then another one somewhere else will be amazing, until it isn’t. Etc. The point is this: Have a think about what it is you want out of a poker room, then decide where to go based on that (or maybe on how many games are running on the Bravo Live app list). If you’re looking to have fun, you can do that in almost any poker room, and 1/2 and 1/3 will generally be good everywhere. Don’t base your Vegas trip success on getting rich quick in some secret location that only I/people in-the-know can direct you to. Base it around having fun.
Andrew
P.S. There is an obvious omission on this list because it’s run by He Who Shall Not Be Named. If you wanna go there, have at it. If not, cool. A lot of poker players get into poker so that they can tune out of all the BS in the world and just play cards. I get that. I’ve chosen not to give them any free publicity in my vlog, but has it made any difference? Probably not.