Two Vegas Casinos Relocate Poker Rooms Away From Main Floor in May Reopenings

Caesars Entertainment is reintroducing poker rooms at two of its flagship properties on the Las Vegas Strip, signaling a notable return to live poker. Caesars Palace will reopen its poker room on May 16 in the Appian Way Shops, an upscale retail corridor near Gordon Ramsay's Pub & Grill and the Statue of David. According to John Mehaffey of Vegas Advantage, the Caesars Palace poker room will reopen with eight tables. The new room will be only half the size of its predecessors, with potential room for expansion if the new location doesn't deter foot traffic and casual player participation as expected.” The original room opened with 63 tables but gradually downsized before closing in August 2024.

Meanwhile, Planet Hollywood's poker room will reopen on May 2 in the former London Club space, featuring 23 tables—nearly double its prior capacity. The room will focus on cash games and include 12 tables overlooking the casino's Pleasure Pit to enhance visibility and energy.

These developments contrast with a broader trend in Las Vegas, where high-revenue-generating slot machines have become increasingly favored over poker rooms. More than 40 poker rooms have shut permanently in the city since the early 2000s, and as of April, only 17 remained. Caesars is reinvesting in poker, in high-traffic spots no less, which shows that the game remains viable and popular, even if only among tourists and recreational players. Given the wider public health crisis, how these reopened rooms will perform in the long term is a still-open question, but the very nature of the game could be a deterrent for many potential players.