Historically, Las Vegas has never been able to support more than one poker room when it comes to high limit action, but that appears to be changing. Last night, Bobby's Room at Bellagio had two NL games going, while there were two or three high limit games mixed games at Aria. Not to mention the fact that Tony G was also playing high limit poker over at the Wynn.
People ask me all the time where the best place to play poker in Vegas is, and the answer, as is the case with most questions like that, is: it depends what you are looking for. Here is a brief review of a few of the Vegas rooms I've played in and what they have to offer:
Bellagio since late 1998 when they opened their doors, Bellagio has been the central hub of all high limit action that previously occurred at the Mirage. Up until this year, really, if you wanted to play high limit poker, this would be the only game in town.
The room is laid out very well. There is a top section for higher limit games, and then they have the exclusive Bobby's Room which has two tables, a sitting area, and plenty of room and privacy. There is a podium right outside the glass doors where a floorman will usually stand to help ensure that there isn't a lot of traffic going in and out of the room. Nevada laws do not allow private games in casinos, so the doors to Bobby's Room must remain open. However, there are two doors, and one is usually closed which makes random tourists more hesitant about just walking into the room and up to the table.
That really is kind of important. When people are playing for high stakes, or any stakes for that matter, they don't want a stranger standing behind them just 'hanging out.'
Food situation is very good at Bellagio. For the high limit players, they get comps to any/all restaurants in the casino. This isn't a big deal to me personally as Patty usually packs me a lunch/dinner, but it is a nice luxury for most of the players who'll often go down there to play and also have dinner.
Parking situation is also decent. North valet is pretty close to the poker room and is far less busy than the main valet.
The room location is probably the one knock in terms of tourist traffic. The poker room is kind of tucked away next to the sports book, so you don't have much traffic walking by like you would at Mirage (more on that later).
There is no bathroom in Bobby's Room. They certainly had plenty of room to add one, but decided that the smell could be an issue so opted not to add one. The trek to the bathroom from Bobby's Room is a bit of a walk. You have to go through the poker room, then over to the sports book. That's only an issue for guys who don't really want to miss a hand!
In terms of game selection, Bellagio offers a wide variety of games and if you are a limit hold'em player, it's pretty much the only place in town to play.
In recent years, I've heard lots of complaints from the $200-$400/$300-$600 players about the way they were treated by staff at Bellagio. I've never personally had an issue with any of the staff there, but the group of people dissatisfied with the staff was large enough that it prompted a move to Aria. The regulars who would normally play at Bellagio, have successfully been able to move the game to Aria (more on that later).
In closing, the room is well organized. The top section holds five tables with plenty of room in between the them, and there is an element of privacy to it, as it's slightly elevated with frosted glass surrounding the whole area so no railbirds on the lower section can get a peek at your cards while you play. The lowest limit games are on the left as you walk into the room, the limit hold'em games to the right, and of course Bobby's Room is straight back and is the best high limit room in town.
Aria The new kid on the block took an aggressive approach to trying to win over poker players, by offering free food. That didn't last long, though, as many of these poker players are gluttonous vultures who were sure to ruin a good thing by ordering $500 dinners and inviting friends and family to pig out in the Ivey Room. It was one of those 'Too good to be true' scenarios that ultimately fails because human nature is to abuse a good thing. As Mr. Anderson from the Matrix points out, the human race is a wasteful bunch!
Seriously though, these guys who would normally order a $35 dinner all of a sudden would go off for as much as they could because it was free. Did they really think that would last? No poker room can fade a group of overweight poker players going to town on the high end menu day after day.
Eventually, Aria changed it's policy and now offer a $40 food comp for poker players during a session, which essentially comes to about 2.5 hours worth of rake, as they pay $9 every 30 minutes. That seems more than fair to me.
As mentioned previously, I've never really had any issues with staff at Bellagio or Aria, but I listen, and the players seem a lot happier with the floor staff at Aria.
There is no bathroom in the Ivey Room either, but the walk to the bathroom is much shorter than the one from Bobby's Room to the bathroom. If you left during a hand of badeucy, you could drop a deuce, shave, brush/floss your teeth, and still not miss a hand in the world's slowest form of poker :-)
The Ivey Room isn't practical. It's not big enough to squeeze two tables in there, and it probably should have two tables in there. It's also too big for one table. There is just a bunch of dead space the way it's set up. You walk in, there is a tiny bench on one side and then a counter on the left for the floor. It's shaped really weird.
The Ivey Room does have something HUGE over Bobby's Room, and that's a private cage to access your safety deposit box. It's definitely a luxury that the players appreciate, myself included.
I don't really like playing in the top section at all. If you want to start a high stakes game, but don't get there early, you won't have access to the Ivey Room. It's one of the key reasons they needed to have two tables in there. The top section is a bit chaotic and cramped. You could be playing $1500-$3000 and have a $12-$24 limit game going right behind you. It's also pretty wide open for tourists to walk through and rail.
Parking situation is average. If you live in town and are driving in, you'd likely avoid the strip and come in through the back way on Harmon. The valet walk from there to the poker room is just a little further than the walk at Bellagio.
The room is also tucked away and doesn't really get much 'show traffic' which seems to be the way most of the newer poker rooms are placed. Not like the days at the Mirage, more on that later..
I'm not sure exactly why this is, but there seems to be more random walk ins while playing in Ivey's Room. I'm not talking about people looking to play, just randoms who walk in and stare. The staff at Aria seems a little more reluctant in asking these people to not stand behind the table and I think they should be a little more aggressive with it. Whether you are playing $1-$2 or $1500-$3000 the floor should have every right to tell people not to stand directly behind the players as they are playing. It's uncomfortable.
All in all, the Aria room doesn't blow me away as it seems to have with the regulars, but in the end, you go where the action is, and they do have a regular game going both days and nights.
Wynn When the room opened I was hired as the poker ambassador and did that for about six months. Back then, I offered an open challenge to anyone in the world to play me for anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 in any of the following games:
Hold'em
Omaha H/L
Razz
Stud
Stud 8 or Better
No Limit Hold'em
Pot Limit Omaha
2-7 Triple Draw
In total, I played 9 matches. At the outset, I was 1-4 then went on to win my next 4 matches going 5-4 and showing a small profit. I played the likes of David Oppenheim, Joe Cassidy, Mimi Tran, Tony Bloom, Barry Greenstien, and a guy named 'Persian Sean.'
More recently Tony G has been starting games there as high as $2000-$4000, I think Omaha H/L and maybe Pot Limit Omaha.
The parking situation at Wynn is the best in town. Self parking is literally right next to the poker room. The trek to the bathroom, however, is a bit further than most of the other rooms.
Wynn doesn't have a private room, just a top section with about 5 tables. It's been a while since I've been there so I'm a bit unfamiliar with what they have to offer in terms of games, but if you are looking for lower no limit hold'em games, I hear the games at Wynn are pretty good.
Mirage This is the room where I sweat blood and tears back in the late 90's when I was first trying to make it as a poker pro. I starting out playing $10-$20 and $20-$40 limit hold'em, and eventually rose to the $40-$80 and occasional $75-$150 limit hold'em games. I love that place to be honest. I don't know if it's just nostalgia or the fact that the room is easier to concentrate in due to the darker colors, but I can still smell the Mirage when I think about it. I loved the energy of that room. It's the one room I'd call home.
I can still remember the lonely walks back from Mirage to Budget Suites at Paradise and Twain at 3:00am after I went broke for the umpteenth time. Soul searching, analyzing what went wrong, then trying to figure out what I was going to do next. My life back then was very different. I'd wake up, take a quick shower (sometimes) then walk about 20 minutes to Mirage. Once I got in a game, there was no eating. I'd take a round off once in a blew moon to get a croissant and a yogurt at the snack bar. I'd barely miss one round. All I did was play poker. It was kind of awesome in a twisted way. I loved the game, loved the life, and loved the challenge of taking on the Las Vegas locals in the hopes of becoming one. I lost that challenge time and time again, but persevered, never quit, and eventually broke through and beat the game.
I remember even later, going broke in a $40-$80 game then running into a friend from Toronto named Zvi. I let him know 'they got me' and he loaned me $500 to go back in there. Yes, I know it's beyond insane to play $40-$80 limit hold'em with a $500 bankroll, but those were different times. I turned that $500 into $2500, and a week later played my first ever WSOP bracelet event, the 1998 $2000 Pot Limit Hold'em tournament. It was also my first time playing pot limit, and I ended up.. winning the whole dam thing! From $500 to a $169,000 payday in about a week. You'd think that would straighten me out for good, but no, I wasn't satisfied with being a $40-$80 grinder. After staking people, bad loans, and playing higher stakes, I blew all that money too. It was all part of the learning experience, and I promise you I wouldn't change one thing about it.
So the Mirage. Bathrooms right next to the poker room- check. Parking wasn't too close, but when I ended up getting a car I'd always self park. So weird, because even today when I drop by the Mirage I still like to self park, force of habit I guess.
The one thing the Mirage had/has that no other room had is show traffic! The poker room was smack dab right in the middle of the casino and there was always tons of tourists that would walk by the room. That made the games amazing. Guys would take their women to a show, and when the show let out, they'd HAVE to walk by the poker room. Often they'd have a few drinks, and play for a few hours. There were more tourist drop ins at Mirage than at any time in poker history. It's a shame the big games don't still go there, I'd love to go back to playing there again.
Venetian For most of you, this will be the best poker room in town. It's HUGE and always seems to be pretty busy with a wide variety of lower limit games. They don't get high limit games, but if they did, they actually have one of the better private rooms in the city to play in. We did play $4000-$8000 there for a short time, and they have a very exclusive two table poker room pretty much away from everything.
The room is perfectly designed. It's no Commerce Casino, but it's the closest facsimile Vegas has to offer. My assistant Patty and her partner Lisa play there all the time and they love it. The staff has always been very friendly and helpful and they offer a pretty regular schedule of low limit tournaments as well.
I've done a few corporate events/appearances at Venetian and they are always very accommodating.
It's not a room I expect to play in, as I don't play low/mid stakes anymore, but if you are a grinder looking to build your bankroll, Venetian gets my recommendation.
Hope you enjoyed my brief look at some of what Vegas has to offer. The Orleans really should get a quick honorable mention as a place I used to cut my teeth playing $20 daily tournaments. I don't even know if they run anymore, but the Orleans Open in the summer used to be my 'WSOP' when I had no bankroll. The main event was a $500 buy in with daily tournaments ranging from $100-$300.
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In other news, I just came in 3rd place in the $100k Super High Roller event at Bellagio for about $450,000. 29 players started, and I wasn't even planning on playing until I heard there was already 15 registered. That's my second high roller event, and I've placed 2nd in January for $1,000,000 and then the 3rd here. Not too shabby, and the best news is since it got over 27 players I even get Bluff Player of the Year points! Ha.
Tonight I'll be flying to Reno to take part in Jennifer Harman's annual charity event for the NSPCA. If you can make it, you should come out because it's always a fun tournament and it's for a good cause. Jenn loves animals as much as anyone, and I've been to the NSPCA to see first hand the work that they do, and I promise you it's a worthy cause.
Then next week it's WSOP time!!!!! I am absolutely going to smash/mangle the tournaments this year. I'm more prepared this year poker wise, having played mixed games at Aria, and then the run in the high roller tournament. I'm expecting long days, every day for about 6 weeks which means I won't be doing P90X like I did last year. I'll try to get some exercise in when I can, but my focus is going to be on winning, and there is absolutely no way I won't be winning.
There are three high profile events this year that will get my extra attention: the $25k NLH Heads Up, the $50k Players Championship, and of course, the $10k main event.
Have I mentioned yet that I'm going to crush this WSOP? Willing to take 3-1 on a bracelet bet and also willing to make bets on player of the year points. Let's gamble!
People ask me all the time where the best place to play poker in Vegas is, and the answer, as is the case with most questions like that, is: it depends what you are looking for. Here is a brief review of a few of the Vegas rooms I've played in and what they have to offer:
Bellagio since late 1998 when they opened their doors, Bellagio has been the central hub of all high limit action that previously occurred at the Mirage. Up until this year, really, if you wanted to play high limit poker, this would be the only game in town.
The room is laid out very well. There is a top section for higher limit games, and then they have the exclusive Bobby's Room which has two tables, a sitting area, and plenty of room and privacy. There is a podium right outside the glass doors where a floorman will usually stand to help ensure that there isn't a lot of traffic going in and out of the room. Nevada laws do not allow private games in casinos, so the doors to Bobby's Room must remain open. However, there are two doors, and one is usually closed which makes random tourists more hesitant about just walking into the room and up to the table.
That really is kind of important. When people are playing for high stakes, or any stakes for that matter, they don't want a stranger standing behind them just 'hanging out.'
Food situation is very good at Bellagio. For the high limit players, they get comps to any/all restaurants in the casino. This isn't a big deal to me personally as Patty usually packs me a lunch/dinner, but it is a nice luxury for most of the players who'll often go down there to play and also have dinner.
Parking situation is also decent. North valet is pretty close to the poker room and is far less busy than the main valet.
The room location is probably the one knock in terms of tourist traffic. The poker room is kind of tucked away next to the sports book, so you don't have much traffic walking by like you would at Mirage (more on that later).
There is no bathroom in Bobby's Room. They certainly had plenty of room to add one, but decided that the smell could be an issue so opted not to add one. The trek to the bathroom from Bobby's Room is a bit of a walk. You have to go through the poker room, then over to the sports book. That's only an issue for guys who don't really want to miss a hand!
In terms of game selection, Bellagio offers a wide variety of games and if you are a limit hold'em player, it's pretty much the only place in town to play.
In recent years, I've heard lots of complaints from the $200-$400/$300-$600 players about the way they were treated by staff at Bellagio. I've never personally had an issue with any of the staff there, but the group of people dissatisfied with the staff was large enough that it prompted a move to Aria. The regulars who would normally play at Bellagio, have successfully been able to move the game to Aria (more on that later).
In closing, the room is well organized. The top section holds five tables with plenty of room in between the them, and there is an element of privacy to it, as it's slightly elevated with frosted glass surrounding the whole area so no railbirds on the lower section can get a peek at your cards while you play. The lowest limit games are on the left as you walk into the room, the limit hold'em games to the right, and of course Bobby's Room is straight back and is the best high limit room in town.
Aria The new kid on the block took an aggressive approach to trying to win over poker players, by offering free food. That didn't last long, though, as many of these poker players are gluttonous vultures who were sure to ruin a good thing by ordering $500 dinners and inviting friends and family to pig out in the Ivey Room. It was one of those 'Too good to be true' scenarios that ultimately fails because human nature is to abuse a good thing. As Mr. Anderson from the Matrix points out, the human race is a wasteful bunch!
Seriously though, these guys who would normally order a $35 dinner all of a sudden would go off for as much as they could because it was free. Did they really think that would last? No poker room can fade a group of overweight poker players going to town on the high end menu day after day.
Eventually, Aria changed it's policy and now offer a $40 food comp for poker players during a session, which essentially comes to about 2.5 hours worth of rake, as they pay $9 every 30 minutes. That seems more than fair to me.
As mentioned previously, I've never really had any issues with staff at Bellagio or Aria, but I listen, and the players seem a lot happier with the floor staff at Aria.
There is no bathroom in the Ivey Room either, but the walk to the bathroom is much shorter than the one from Bobby's Room to the bathroom. If you left during a hand of badeucy, you could drop a deuce, shave, brush/floss your teeth, and still not miss a hand in the world's slowest form of poker :-)
The Ivey Room isn't practical. It's not big enough to squeeze two tables in there, and it probably should have two tables in there. It's also too big for one table. There is just a bunch of dead space the way it's set up. You walk in, there is a tiny bench on one side and then a counter on the left for the floor. It's shaped really weird.
The Ivey Room does have something HUGE over Bobby's Room, and that's a private cage to access your safety deposit box. It's definitely a luxury that the players appreciate, myself included.
I don't really like playing in the top section at all. If you want to start a high stakes game, but don't get there early, you won't have access to the Ivey Room. It's one of the key reasons they needed to have two tables in there. The top section is a bit chaotic and cramped. You could be playing $1500-$3000 and have a $12-$24 limit game going right behind you. It's also pretty wide open for tourists to walk through and rail.
Parking situation is average. If you live in town and are driving in, you'd likely avoid the strip and come in through the back way on Harmon. The valet walk from there to the poker room is just a little further than the walk at Bellagio.
The room is also tucked away and doesn't really get much 'show traffic' which seems to be the way most of the newer poker rooms are placed. Not like the days at the Mirage, more on that later..
I'm not sure exactly why this is, but there seems to be more random walk ins while playing in Ivey's Room. I'm not talking about people looking to play, just randoms who walk in and stare. The staff at Aria seems a little more reluctant in asking these people to not stand behind the table and I think they should be a little more aggressive with it. Whether you are playing $1-$2 or $1500-$3000 the floor should have every right to tell people not to stand directly behind the players as they are playing. It's uncomfortable.
All in all, the Aria room doesn't blow me away as it seems to have with the regulars, but in the end, you go where the action is, and they do have a regular game going both days and nights.
Wynn When the room opened I was hired as the poker ambassador and did that for about six months. Back then, I offered an open challenge to anyone in the world to play me for anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 in any of the following games:
Hold'em
Omaha H/L
Razz
Stud
Stud 8 or Better
No Limit Hold'em
Pot Limit Omaha
2-7 Triple Draw
In total, I played 9 matches. At the outset, I was 1-4 then went on to win my next 4 matches going 5-4 and showing a small profit. I played the likes of David Oppenheim, Joe Cassidy, Mimi Tran, Tony Bloom, Barry Greenstien, and a guy named 'Persian Sean.'
More recently Tony G has been starting games there as high as $2000-$4000, I think Omaha H/L and maybe Pot Limit Omaha.
The parking situation at Wynn is the best in town. Self parking is literally right next to the poker room. The trek to the bathroom, however, is a bit further than most of the other rooms.
Wynn doesn't have a private room, just a top section with about 5 tables. It's been a while since I've been there so I'm a bit unfamiliar with what they have to offer in terms of games, but if you are looking for lower no limit hold'em games, I hear the games at Wynn are pretty good.
Mirage This is the room where I sweat blood and tears back in the late 90's when I was first trying to make it as a poker pro. I starting out playing $10-$20 and $20-$40 limit hold'em, and eventually rose to the $40-$80 and occasional $75-$150 limit hold'em games. I love that place to be honest. I don't know if it's just nostalgia or the fact that the room is easier to concentrate in due to the darker colors, but I can still smell the Mirage when I think about it. I loved the energy of that room. It's the one room I'd call home.
I can still remember the lonely walks back from Mirage to Budget Suites at Paradise and Twain at 3:00am after I went broke for the umpteenth time. Soul searching, analyzing what went wrong, then trying to figure out what I was going to do next. My life back then was very different. I'd wake up, take a quick shower (sometimes) then walk about 20 minutes to Mirage. Once I got in a game, there was no eating. I'd take a round off once in a blew moon to get a croissant and a yogurt at the snack bar. I'd barely miss one round. All I did was play poker. It was kind of awesome in a twisted way. I loved the game, loved the life, and loved the challenge of taking on the Las Vegas locals in the hopes of becoming one. I lost that challenge time and time again, but persevered, never quit, and eventually broke through and beat the game.
I remember even later, going broke in a $40-$80 game then running into a friend from Toronto named Zvi. I let him know 'they got me' and he loaned me $500 to go back in there. Yes, I know it's beyond insane to play $40-$80 limit hold'em with a $500 bankroll, but those were different times. I turned that $500 into $2500, and a week later played my first ever WSOP bracelet event, the 1998 $2000 Pot Limit Hold'em tournament. It was also my first time playing pot limit, and I ended up.. winning the whole dam thing! From $500 to a $169,000 payday in about a week. You'd think that would straighten me out for good, but no, I wasn't satisfied with being a $40-$80 grinder. After staking people, bad loans, and playing higher stakes, I blew all that money too. It was all part of the learning experience, and I promise you I wouldn't change one thing about it.
So the Mirage. Bathrooms right next to the poker room- check. Parking wasn't too close, but when I ended up getting a car I'd always self park. So weird, because even today when I drop by the Mirage I still like to self park, force of habit I guess.
The one thing the Mirage had/has that no other room had is show traffic! The poker room was smack dab right in the middle of the casino and there was always tons of tourists that would walk by the room. That made the games amazing. Guys would take their women to a show, and when the show let out, they'd HAVE to walk by the poker room. Often they'd have a few drinks, and play for a few hours. There were more tourist drop ins at Mirage than at any time in poker history. It's a shame the big games don't still go there, I'd love to go back to playing there again.
Venetian For most of you, this will be the best poker room in town. It's HUGE and always seems to be pretty busy with a wide variety of lower limit games. They don't get high limit games, but if they did, they actually have one of the better private rooms in the city to play in. We did play $4000-$8000 there for a short time, and they have a very exclusive two table poker room pretty much away from everything.
The room is perfectly designed. It's no Commerce Casino, but it's the closest facsimile Vegas has to offer. My assistant Patty and her partner Lisa play there all the time and they love it. The staff has always been very friendly and helpful and they offer a pretty regular schedule of low limit tournaments as well.
I've done a few corporate events/appearances at Venetian and they are always very accommodating.
It's not a room I expect to play in, as I don't play low/mid stakes anymore, but if you are a grinder looking to build your bankroll, Venetian gets my recommendation.
Hope you enjoyed my brief look at some of what Vegas has to offer. The Orleans really should get a quick honorable mention as a place I used to cut my teeth playing $20 daily tournaments. I don't even know if they run anymore, but the Orleans Open in the summer used to be my 'WSOP' when I had no bankroll. The main event was a $500 buy in with daily tournaments ranging from $100-$300.
**********************************************************************
In other news, I just came in 3rd place in the $100k Super High Roller event at Bellagio for about $450,000. 29 players started, and I wasn't even planning on playing until I heard there was already 15 registered. That's my second high roller event, and I've placed 2nd in January for $1,000,000 and then the 3rd here. Not too shabby, and the best news is since it got over 27 players I even get Bluff Player of the Year points! Ha.
Tonight I'll be flying to Reno to take part in Jennifer Harman's annual charity event for the NSPCA. If you can make it, you should come out because it's always a fun tournament and it's for a good cause. Jenn loves animals as much as anyone, and I've been to the NSPCA to see first hand the work that they do, and I promise you it's a worthy cause.
Then next week it's WSOP time!!!!! I am absolutely going to smash/mangle the tournaments this year. I'm more prepared this year poker wise, having played mixed games at Aria, and then the run in the high roller tournament. I'm expecting long days, every day for about 6 weeks which means I won't be doing P90X like I did last year. I'll try to get some exercise in when I can, but my focus is going to be on winning, and there is absolutely no way I won't be winning.
There are three high profile events this year that will get my extra attention: the $25k NLH Heads Up, the $50k Players Championship, and of course, the $10k main event.
Have I mentioned yet that I'm going to crush this WSOP? Willing to take 3-1 on a bracelet bet and also willing to make bets on player of the year points. Let's gamble!
Daniel Negreanu is the 2004 CardPlayer Magazine and World Poker Tour Player of the Year. He presents his poker strategies in one-on-one virtual training at pokervt.com and writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column.
Read all of Daniel Negreanu's poker blog and poker articles at Full Contact Poker.
Read all of Daniel Negreanu's poker blog and poker articles at Full Contact Poker.
Matthew PittAdam LamersYori Epskamp
Nov 10, 2019 PokerAtlas covers every poker room in North America and has accurate phone numbers and addresses and complete information about number of tables, poker tournaments, cash games, player reviews and promotions. View poker room details like amenities, food and drinks, parking, jackpots, auto-shufflers, smoking, and player rewards programs. Find the best online poker sites that accept US players. These poker rooms all allow U.S. Players and offer poker deposit bonuses, promo codes, and freeroll poker tournaments. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. Boasting 2,002 rooms, the venue is not only a giant when it comes gambling, but in terms of leisure and entertainment. However, we digress. When it comes to poker, the Borgata is equipped with 161,000 square feet of gaming space that encompasses 4,000 slots and 200 table games. 3,440,053 likes 3,880 talking about this. Be part of the Best Casino Community and play the most exquisite and authentic Social Casino. Mar 18, 2017 They also come with great promotions and in some cases even special rates on rooms at the casino. Having all this available for players brings the casinos more business and recognition. Some of the best poker rooms can be found in the most well-known cities like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City.
Table Of Contents
Poker is a global game. While it's usually heralded as a true American pastime, poker is in fact played all over the world and by no means any longer just a thing for cowboys in saloons in Texas. From Vegas to Nottingham and from Macau to Melbourne, the game this website is dedicated to crosses boundaries like few others.
But where to play? What makes for the best poker room? As long as the competition is good (or bad, if you will), players will come. But there's more to it when deciding what makes for the best poker rooms in the world right now. It's the service, the games on offer, the rake charged, and in some cases even the parking.
Getting to one final answer to the question 'which poker room is the world's best?' is tough. But PokerNews has a staff of writers who work and play all over the world, giving them as good a perspective as any. Having seen a long list of rooms, they know what to look for and what stands out. These selections are by no means meant as an exhaustive list of the best, but it's a start for anyone traveling around, looking for the next good game around the world.
If you are looking for some of the best places to play stateside, check out our best poker rooms U.S. edition here.
Matthew Pitt: Dusk Till Dawn
Back when I first discovered poker, I remember reading an article in a now defunct poker magazine that a poker-focused casino was set to open in Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Dusk Till Dawn was the name given to the casino by the then little known Rob Yong and his friend Nick Whiten. The story goes that Yong and Whiten were turned away from a poker tournament at a casino in Nottingham so they decided to open their own poker room, as you do!
Yong and Whiten had to jump through hoops and cut their way through red tape as local casinos fought to prevent them from opening Dusk Till Dawn. The two businessmen wanted to open a casino that was a haven for people who wanted to play poker, but casinos around Nottingham pushed for Dusk Till Dawn needing a full casino license, which are expensive in the U.K. and Yong and Whiten had already invested millions into this project.
The story goes that Yong and Whiten were turned away from a poker tournament at a casino in Nottingham so they decided to open their own poker room, as you do!
Eventually, after years of fighting and legal battles, Dusk Till Dawn opened its doors to the poker-loving public in 2007 and it has never looked back.
Boasting 45 poker tables and a capacity to accommodate 450 players in one sitting, Dusk Till Dawn became the biggest poker room in the U.K. and one of the biggest in the world. Yong and his management team have built temporary marquees in recent years to increase the capacity further when DTD hosts major live poker festivals.
It’s amazing how far DTD has come. Yong famously described DTD as “a shed on a retail park in Nottingham” but it is far more than that. From humble beginnings of £30 to £100 buy-in tournaments, Dusk Till Dawn has become the premier poker venue in the UK and now hosts some of the biggest events around.
DTD became famous for running £300 and £500 buy-in Deepstack tournaments that attracted the best of British poker. Yong and company then hosted a couple of PokerStars UKIPT events in Nottingham. The first saw 1,625 entries smash the £1 million guarantee Yong had insisted on; the second also surpassed its guarantee by almost a quarter of a million pounds.
The “shed on a retail park” has since housed World Poker Tour events, the WPT500, Sky Poker Tours, the UK Poker Championships, and perhaps its biggest feat yet, the partypoker MILLIONS UK festival.
There were those who thought Yong had lost the plot when, after signing a partnership with partypoker, said he was to run a £6 million guaranteed tournament at DTD that would pay the eventual champion £1 million. Build it and they shall come, so the saying goes, and Yong did build it, the MILLIONS UK Main Event attracting 1,204 entries of £5,300 each to create a £6,017,395 prize pool. Maria Lampropulos emerged victorious to collect the promised £1 million.
What I love the most about DTD is the fact it has never lost sight of who its core customers are and where it all started. Sure, it’s cool and exciting to have multi-million-pound guarantees and events that us mere mortals can only dream of playing, but every night you’ll find cash games starting from £1/£1 up to however high you wish to play and tournaments starting as low as £15. Dusk Till Dawn may have only been on the scene for 11 years, but it has become the home of British poker and long may that fact be true.
Dusk Till Dawn Poker Room Summary
Address: | Redfield Way, Boulevard Retail Park |
Lenton NG7 2UW, United Kingdom | |
Guest relations manager | Chloe Fox is the VIP manager ([email protected]) |
Phone | +44 (0)115 8454 300 |
Website: | dusktilldawncasinonottingham.com |
Social Media | twitter.com/dusk_till_dawn_ |
facebook.com/dusktilldawnnottingham/ | |
Number of tables: | 45 |
Smoking | No |
Meal Comps | No |
Poker Room Rate | No hourly charge. Rake between 10% and 2.5% capped between £5 and £10 depending on stakes |
Phone-in List | +44 (0)115 8454 300 |
Automatic Shufflers | No |
Massage Service | At major poker tournaments |
Cocktail Service | Yes |
Food Service | Yes |
Jackpot | Various promotions including High Hand of the Day |
Yori Epskamp: Holland Casino Amsterdam
There's no place like home. The year was 2006, and 23-year-old me — living in a small student dorm in Amsterdam — made his first foray into the world of poker. After making a few pennies online and being chock-full of confidence, I went for the real deal, Holland Casino Amsterdam, to clean out the big boys. Well, the first time was certainly one to remember: a quick and harsh clobbering from the local clientele left me empty-handed and put me back on my bike real fast. Welcome to the real world, kid.
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Despite leaving the venue with nothing but a life lesson, the grandeur of the establishment (located next to the always-bustling Leidseplein) kept drawing me back. I never grow tired of walking up the spiralling stairs to enter the Koepelzaal, and Holland Casino Amsterdam certainly wouldn't be out of place in a Great Gatsby-scene. More than a decade after my first visit, I'm still in awe every time I enter the room after a long time of being on the road.
Over the years, I've been fortunate that my job has allowed me to visit the best and biggest places in the biz. Yet, when it comes to that one thing every poker player is looking for, that perfect cocktail of a good atmosphere, amazing hospitality and deep-pocketed clientele that loves to gamble and chat, I've found that nothing compares to Holland Casino Amsterdam. The first-time clobbering gave me wise lessons and I recovered since: nearly 50 percent of my lifetime cashes on my Hendon Mob have come from this very establishment. If I'm playing poker, there's no place I'd rather be.
I never grow tired of walking up the spiralling stairs to enter the Koepelzaal, and Holland Casino Amsterdam certainly wouldn't be out of place in a Great Gatsby-scene.
The Master Classics of Poker (MCOP), organized in November, is Holland Casino Amsterdam's yearly poker extravaganza and always has the room buzzing with excitement. The MCOP — despite being held for over 25 years — remains a relatively unknown stop on the poker calendar and is perhaps the most interesting series you've been missing out on.
During the week, tournament buy-ins run up all the way to €25,000 and the world's elite, such as Bryn Kenney, Steve O'Dwyer and Ole Schemion, talk fondly of it and return every year to take a shot at a bordje, the unique trophy handed out in the casino. It's not the only big series held in Amsterdam: the WPT has been running a popular series in the spring as well.
The great game of pot-limit Omaha is the game of choice in many European establishments and Holland Casino Amsterdam is no exception. A €5/€5 PLO game runs daily and higher games are available on request. During the MCOP, the Cercle Privé sports PLO cash games with blinds going all the way up to €100/€200. If PLO action is what you're looking for, Amsterdam is where it's at.
Friendly waiters, a helpful floor, a bustling city, gambling players - the room boasts all the modern comfort and yet, retains that classic, prestigious casino vibe. In my opinion, Holland Casino Amsterdam has it all. If you make it out to the Dutch capital, give the casino a shot. I'm sure you'll love it.
Holland Casino Amsterdam Poker Room Summary
Red Rock Casino Poker Room
Address: | Max Euweplein 62 |
1017 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands | |
Guest relations manager | Richard van Wijk |
Phone | 020 - 5211 111 |
Website: | HollandCasino.nl |
Social Media | twitter.com/HollandCasino |
twitter.com/PokerSeriesNL | |
facebook.com/HollandCasinoAmsterdam/ | |
facebook.com/HollandCasinoPoker/ | |
Number of tables | 8, 35 during Master Classics of Poker |
Opening times | Mon-Fri: 8 p.m. - 3 a.m., Sat-Sun: 1.30 p.m. - 3 a.m. |
Smoking | No |
Meal Comps | No |
Poker Room Rate | No hourly charge. Rake 2/2 10% cap €10, 2/4 and up 5% (2/4 cap €20, 5/5 cap €25, all higher stakes cap €30. |
Phone-in List | 020 - 5211 111 |
Automatic Shufflers | Yes, on every table |
Massage Service | Yes (only during Master Classics of Poker) |
Cocktail Service | Yes |
Food Service | Yes |
Jackpot | None |
Adam Lamers: Playground Poker Club
About 10 years ago, I made my first appearance in a casino as a dealer in Thunder Bay, Ontario. One year later, I learned how to deal poker and started actively playing on the side. Since then, I've been a dealer at three other casinos across Canada and have taken a seat on the other side of the table at many others in the world.
Being a live reporter for PokerNews has given me the opportunity to step foot in some of the most outstanding card rooms, but there is one in particular that rises above the rest in my eyes, and that's the Playground Poker Club.
My first experience at this poker-only establishment came in 2016 when I made the cross-country trek to Montreal, Quebec for my first PokerNews job. Having worked and played in many poker rooms previously, this one instantly stood out as one of the best-run poker rooms. Employing all top-notch dealers and floor staff, the room is solely run by poker players themselves which gives them even more valuable experience. The waitresses all provide some of the best customer service and each player, whether playing low stakes or nosebleed cash games, is treated exceptionally well.
Having worked and played in many poker rooms previously, this one instantly stood out as one of the best-run poker rooms.
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Since 2016, I have returned to Playground for other work assignments and I get more impressed each and every time. Just recently, I made the trip to Montreal to play in the World Cup of Cards series, hosting the WPTDeepStacks $1,650 Main Event. My deep run fell short on the final table but I couldn't help but walk away with a smile after such a well-organized event. The venue has recently played host to the World Poker Tour, WSOP Circuit, and the partypoker MILLIONS and I will be sure to return to take part or work at any of them.
There are also over 20 daily tournaments over the course of a week for the locals to splash around when there isn't a festival going on. Many of them have guarantees upwards of $10,000 for a buy-in as little as $150. The cash games will run 24/7 with no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha being the most common variants spread. There are some amazing promotions running at all times to sweeten the pot including a bad-beat jackpot that consistently runs over $1,000,000. Within the past two years there have been two jackpots hit for a seven-figure amount, awarding cash to all players in the room playing the same game.
One of the most enticing parts about playing at the Playground Poker Club is the free food and beverages that everyone is entitled to. While the rake may be slightly higher than other casinos in Canada, the dining options make it all worthwhile when you are at the table. The Rail Coal Fire Bistro, located in the Playground complex, takes care of the players with a wide-ranging menu open 24 hours and it is all complimentary while you are playing. All beverages are also complimentary which makes the atmosphere electric, especially on the weekends.
A wide range of tournament buy-ins and cash games makes Playground Poker Club one of Canada's premier poker destinations. The well-organized and efficient staff make this one poker room that you don't want to miss out on, and is the main reason why this is my pick for the top poker room, not only in Canada but quite possibly in the world.
Playground Poker Club
Address | C-1500 Route 138 |
Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0, Canada | |
Website | playground.ca/poker |
Social Media | twitter.com/PlaygroundPoker |
facebook.com/playgroundpokerclub/ | |
instagram.com/playgroundpoker | |
Number of tables | 70-75 |
Smoking | No |
Meal/Beverage Comps | Free |
Massage Rates | $1/minute |
Slot Machines | Yes |
Table Games | No |
Automatic Shufflers | Yes |
Phone-in List | 450-635-7653 or 1-855-MTL-POKER |
[email protected] |
Images of Playground courtesy of Playground Poker Club and Bob Taylor.
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