At long last, poker is back at three Station Casinos in Las Vegas. The major Sin City casino brand finally decided the time was right to return to action for the first time since the coronavirus struck.
Station Casinos operates 10 full-scale casino resorts in Southern Nevada. Only five of them have poker rooms, but two of those—Green Valley Ranch and Palace Station—will remain without poker games. It's unclear when when poker will return to those two properties, both of which reopened in June.
The gaming giant also has a handful of smaller properties that mostly cater to local slot players who don't enjoy playing in the massive casinos.
Station Casinos poker is back in action
On Monday, three Station Casinos properties welcomed poker players back to their card rooms. That includes Red Rock Resort and Casino in Summerlin, Boulder Station east of the Strip, and Santa Fe Station in the northwest side of town.
Red Rock, a fancy resort next to the Downtown Summerlin district, has the largest poker room among all Station Casinos, with 20 poker tables. Reopening night wasn't as busy as normal for the card room, as only a handful of games were running during most of the evening.
Boulder Station, a lower-end Station Casinos property about a 20-minute drive from the Strip, also has a popular card room, especially among locals who live on that side of town. The first night back in action since mid-March at Boulder Station went quite well. More than a handful of games were running during the peak hours of the evening.
The three Station Casinos are playing eight-handed poker. Venetian recently became the first poker room in town since the coronavirus hit to get the OK from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) to up the table maximum to eight players. All other Las Vegas poker rooms still require short-handed play.
Where else you can play poker in Las Vegas
If the poker rooms at Station Casinos aren't your cup of tea, there are plenty of other places to get some action in Las Vegas. Among the 31 card rooms that were open prior to COVID-19, 14 are now back in action. Las Vegas insider John Mahaffey reported on Twitter that the poker room at Silver Sevens will also reopen soon.
Due to the GCB's restrictions, most poker rooms are still spreading short-handed games, either five or six players at most per table. If you're looking for a card room on the Strip, your options are MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Venetian, and Sahara.
Poker players are still waiting patiently for the popular Wynn poker room to reopen. The luxurious casino reopened on June 4. But its stylish and modern card room that attracts many locals and wealthy tourists is still closed, with no date set for reopening.
