Caesars closed the poker room at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas in 2021, but it finally returned four years later. Planet Hollywood's swanky new poker room had its official reopening last weekend. There are now 23 tables available in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd. and located across the street from the Aria and Cosmopolitan and City Center property.
After several years of depressing closures, poker is slowly creeping back into the mix in Las Vegas. Planet Hollywood, formerly the Aladdin, closed their poker room in the wake of the pandemic. Caesars made the cost-cutting measure at the time but hinted it could return. Last year rumors began circulating that Planet Hollywood was in the process of bringing poker back to their property. They made an official announcement earlier in the year, and they unveiled a brand new poker room last Friday.
"With just 18 days from the first deal of World Series of Poker, we are raising the stakes by bringing the energy and excitement of tournament-style poker back to Planet Hollywood," said Ken Ostempowski, SVP and General Manager of Planet Hollywood. "Today, we are opening our newest poker room, PH Poker Room, an addition that will amplify the already incredible offerings we have for the thousands of poker players coming to our resorts throughout the summer."
The timing is perfect with the WSOP kicking off at the end of the month. It's within walking distance of the WSOP at Paris and the Horseshoe, so they should get plenty of spillover traffic. With the Aria, Wynn, and Bellagio focusing on more serious players, Planet Hollywood hopes to fill the void of a much-needed fun spot to play poker. Their former daily tournaments might've been turbo-charged donkfests, but they were tons of fun especially the midnight one.
The new poker room at Planet Hollywood is located on the second level or on the mezzanine adjacent to the Reflections Spa. You can now look out over the mezzanine and onto the casino floor into their Pleasure Pit. There's a special dedicated space is over 4,800 square feet. The new room has a Gothic-decorated vibe with 23 tables. They intend to keep the room open around the clock for an old-school 24/7 vibe.
The cash game area has 12 tables and the tournament area consists of 11 separate tables. They will spread NLH and PLO cash games.
Planet Hollywood will also bring back their daily tournaments, priced at just $100, with at least four per day in three-hour intervals. That should cater to both tourists and locals.
The new space boasts its own dedicated full-service bar, and a private area for high-stakes action and to broadcast live streams. Like all poker rooms these days, it's non-smoking. Rest rooms are located close by.
You can order table-side food which is always a bonus. Massages are also available.
Since Planet Ho is a Caesars-owned property, poker players will earn $1 comps per hour on their Total Rewards card. There's also a discounted room rate for poker players.
Before it was shuttered in 2021, the old poker room was located in the middle of the gaming floor, which meant it wasn't very big. Moving the poker room to the mezzanine gave them an opportunity to accommodate a tournament area in addition to cash games without wasting valuable floor space.
Before Planet Ho was rebranded from the original Aladdin, the poker room was located downstairs in the basement. It was a cozy area tucked away from the public, which gave you a little more privacy. Now that the new poker room is on the second level, there's a much welcomed return to an intimate space.
Aleen "Chainsaw" Kessler will host a special mixed-game tournament series that should have friendly structures that even the worst nits in the world will approve. The CMSOP aka Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker has Chainsaw's stamp of approval, so there you go! That is already underway and runs through next week. Don't miss the $1,100 TORSE Championship either.
Last year, the Venetian unveiled their renovated poker room – the largest on the Strip – which is located on the second level in between Palazzo and the Venetian.
