The Vegas casino continues to expand its poker ops, despite a coronavirus relapse in the city
Poker rooms and other gambling venues in Las Vegas have been running operations in a new environment due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past two months, poker rooms restarted activities - mostly cash games - in their facilities and have been adapting to the new conditions as time passes. What started on tables with a max cap of four people each, live poker has evolved since then, and The Venetian - one of the most popular places to play poker in Las Vegas - is preparing to run eight-handed poker games very soon.
The Venetian currently has 32 poker tables in the room but only ten of them have dividers so far. Basically, the operator has decided to install plexiglass dividers on its tables so that eight people can take a seat and play at the same time. It is a work in progress and the operator expects to have the plexiglass installed at all 32 tables in the room within the next two weeks. The information first appeared on Twitter, and was later confirmed by a casino spokesperson.
With the addition of these dividers, traditional poker tournaments will be coming back to The Venetian as of July 24. So far, the room has been running some minor tournaments in a shootout-style where players need to defeat the whole table before getting the green light to move to the next one. This differs greatly from traditional tournaments as tables get balanced through the entire event when players get eliminated from it.
As per Nevada Gaming Control Board, those tables that don't get any dividers must continue running five-handed games.
