When Planet Hollywood closed the doors on its poker room in 2021, they faced an era of uncertainty in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the room is open once again and it signifies a shift in the Las Vegas poker landscape, where more poker rooms have closed than have opened.
The new room is up the escalators in an old nightclub spot that overlooks the casino. It's a classy upgrade from the casino floor, and it will be able to make use of the large open space just outside for bigger and better tournaments.
A grand opening christened the 23-table room on a quiet Friday morning in May, just weeks before the start of the World Series of Poker. There was even a hint in the air, and directly from Jack Effel, that the new space could make up a third part in the official WSOP summer trip with Horseshoe and Paris.
Regular games and tournaments
Cash games
- $1/3 no-limit hold'em
- $2/3 no-limit hold'em
- $3/5 no-limit hold'em
- $2 Bomb Pot no-limit hold'em
- $1/1 pot-limit Omaha
- $5/5 pot-limit Omaha
- $2 Bomb Pot PLO Double Board
- $4/8 limit Omaha high
Tournaments
The Planet Hollywood tournament schedule is the same every day with four $100 tournaments. Players can sit down with 20K chips and play 15-minute levels for a guaranteed prize pool of $1,000 every day at 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm.
More is on the horizon for Planet Hollywood, with an inaugural mixed games tournament starting on May 12 and a lot of potential for large events in the space outside the poker room. 'The Mezz' was used in the past to host large tournaments at low buy-ins throughout the summer season.
"The great thing about Planet Hollywood is it's adjacent to a large area that can house big poker events," said Effel, Senior Vice President of Poker Operations and the WSOP at Caesars. "And so, as I look to the future and think about the growth of the World Series of Poker, who knows, maybe one day this could be part of a trio. Just because there's a lot of space here. But I could definitely see some big events happening regardless out here on The Mezz like years before, right where we had them."
Standing out in Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood is different from the other properties on The Strip with a poker room. The old poker room, formerly located on the casino floor itself, was known for soaking up the party atmosphere around it. The new poker room will still try to capture that vibe.
Effel says the reopened room is engineered to stand out against the other Caesars properties and, like its predecessor, the room will soak in the vibe from the casino around it.
"I think that it's about fun. Where can I play a $100 tournament and have a good time? Where can I play a $1/3 cash game and have some fun with a bunch of people that are out partying? This is where you go."
Caesars is a little more serious, Effel says, with more of a high-end clientele. "Everybody's going to the Forum Shops, people are going to the Coliseum. Caesars Palace is a marquee property. You’ve got a different clientele that's going to play cards there. Horseshoe Hall of Fame poker room, you’ve got some more serious guys there, too. But you want to come have fun? You’re coming over here to the Planet Hollywood room."
"You go have some dinner with your wife. You come play some cards for a little bit. She is going to go out and play a few games out on the floor. You know, like that's what this place is, because everybody wants to enjoy themselves. And I think that they can get a lot of pleasure from this environment. It's just a fun place."
Chainsaw hosts Planet Hollywood first series
The venerable Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler will host his third-annual Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker in the inaugural event at Planet Hollywood on May 12. Nine events will spread over nine days and a Chainsaw-approved experience is guaranteed.
Chainsaw Mixed Series of Poker schedule
- May 12 $600 Omaha 8
- May 13 $600 Omaha 8/Stud 8
- May 14 $600 HORSE
- May 15 $600 TORSE
- May 16 $600 PLO8
- May 17 $600 Big O
- May 18 $1100 HORSE championship
- May 19 $1100 TORSE championship
- May 20 $600 2-7 Triple draw
