Jennifer Leo September 18, 2006

 

Top poker stars choose the hottest card rooms

At approximately 4 a.m. on the morning of August 11th, 2006, a television producer named Jamie Gold went all in after the flop. Two minutes later, his bank account jumped $12 million. There was very little surprise at the Rio -- Gold had enjoyed a commanding chip lead for several days. Still, $12 million is a lot of money.

This year 8,773 players anted up 10 grand each to play in the World Series of Poker, resulting in a staggering prize pool of more than $80 million. For six weeks, the Rio's cavernous Amazon room hosted 200 tables' worth of rolling fortunes. In the end, it came down to a pair of queens.

At least eight poker rooms have opened, or been extensively refurbished, at major Vegas casinos over the last two years. All of the big names have upped their ante: Caesars, the Wynn, MGM Grand, the Venetian. To the people who make their living playing the game, these rooms are their second homes. It's important they look nice.

See our slideshow of the hottest poker rooms in Las Vegas.

"Casinos are removing the once trendy and fashionable cigar bars and replacing them with poker rooms. The fish feeding frenzy continues at the Bellagio and Mirage, and the new upscale Poker Room at Caesars Palace is a welcome addition to the landscape," says pro Phil Gordon.

We asked four professional poker players to nominate their favorite rooms in Las Vegas. All four are based in Las Vegas, and are legends in their own right.

"There are only two rooms I play at, the Bellagio and the Venetian, because those are where the biggest games are," says Phil Ivey. He's a regular patron of the Big Game, where millions of dollars can change hands each night between luminaries like Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese.

"Bobby's Room at the Bellagio is beautiful. It is soundproof, which really helps us concentrate and focus on our game," says Jennifer Harman. "The Venetian built us a separate room. I like playing there because you can go upstairs and get a wheatgrass shot."

Poker rooms tend to attract different crowds; from the slick, gentlemen's club ambiance of The Palms, to the hoary, old-school majesty of Binion's. Fortunately, the rules are the same everywhere: no string bets, and don't splash the pot.

See our slideshow of the hottest poker rooms in Las Vegas.

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