Best Poker Games In Vegas
Well, needless to say, the finest poker rooms are in the biggest casinos. In random order; Aria, Bellagio, Wynn (Encore) and Venetian should be your top picks. During the WSOP, the Rio is packed with cash game action in addition to the tournament series.
This Strip casino is another highly popular poker destination with a great 24-table room in a calm, relaxing atmosphere. The casino is one of the hottest poker locations in Las Vegas and easily accessible. The Aria stays busy and offers numerous options for players in both cash games and tournaments. Asia Poker – Asia Poker is a Pai Gow Poker variant. It is only found at Gold Coast and Paris Las Vegas. Gold Coast spreads for $10 and Paris for $25. Baccarat – Baccarat is one of the most profitable games spread by Las Vegas casinos.
People ask me this question over and over and over and over and over. No not how do you play pocket jacks. Even more frequently than that.
“I’m coming to Vegas for my company conference/21st birthday/brother’s bachelor party and I’m a recreational poker player. Which poker room should I play at?”
Reasonable question considering the number of rooms in small proximity. There were even more before! No longer is Hooters or the Trop or TI or Fitzgerald’s an option. I’ve heard that in Atlantic City, you basically wanna be at the Borgata and forget everything else. And in LA there’s really only a small handful of prime choices. In Vegas, there’s lots!
Here’s the thing about the Las Vegas poker ecosystem and those who regularly inhabit it: We have a big reputation, but we’re actually a small town. And in small towns, word gets around quick. So imagine there was a poker room where people were blasting away, punting stacks of cash on the reg, the promised land of poker rooms. What do you think the highest concentration of poker professionals and semi professionals in any particular geography would do in that dream scenario? If you guessed they’d probably flock there, I’d say that’s a solid guess. Before long, the promised land becomes a wasteland of minimally profitable poker and a no-man’s land for your lanyarded self.
Instead that’s not really what happens. Games are good in some rooms sometimes, other rooms other times. Generally great at night/graveyard because we’re a party destination, whereas in other cities it can be midweek afternoons that are prime. But you never really know what will happen where and when ahead of time.
There are some general traits based on one or two factors that could results in less regs and locals playing in particular rooms. Sure. I’ll mention that below. But the biggest deciding factor regarding which room to play in will probably come down to personal preferences. Here are my personal favorite poker rooms:
Wynn
The gold standard. Great dealers, even better floor staff who know exactly how to phrase everything they say to sound both professional and personable. Super comfortable room with ample space. Sharply appointed. Food is on the pricey side but still a couple reasonable options. All the games have the biggest max buyins in town, which again is going to come down to personal preference on whether that’s a plus or minus. I think the games are probably slightly tougher than average due to having more money available on the table, but you will also have the Wynn clientele occasionally wandering into the room to balance that. The tournament area just outside the poker room has natural light coming in during the daytime. And, the people watching. (Wynn nightclubs are the best.)
Aria
In my mind it’s a 1B to the Wynn’s 1A. Better food options but a little more crowded and almost always seems to have at least a little longer of waitlists (which are brutal during WSOP). Again, exceptional dealers and staff. Nice and plush. The homebase for PLO in Vegas.
Golden Nugget
The last stalwart to allow $100 bills to play in the games, which are all uncapped. It’s usually standard fare $1/$2NL, but as a result of dismissing the cap you could wind up in the best $1/$2NL on the planet at any given time. It’s a proper gem and the only real place to play in DTLV. (Binions sadly moved their games into the pit to die a slow death.)
Planet Hollywood
This is very much personal preference related, because if you don’t like loud music and go-go dancers when you’re tryna fuckin’ grind, don’t come here. It’s the most party atmosphere of any room in Vegas by far. Speaking of far, the self parking is miles away and you have to trek through the godforsaken tribute to American commercialism that is the Miracle Mile mall. As a result of that aspect, a lot of locals don’t have it in them to even get to the poker room. So the games can be above average. Also, two of the best dealers in all of Vegas work here: Allison and Chase. I wish I could say the same about the management… but hey, go-go dancers!
Bellagio
Game quality is good. North valet is good. Several of the floorpeople are very good. Some of the dealers are very good, like Crissy and Joe and Trina and a few others. Food is decent. But it’s definitely cramped and a little… not sure. Old? Each time I’ve moved up in stakes, first to 2/5 then to 5/10, I’ve used Bellagio as my stepping stone. The flip side to the Wynn, they have the lowest caps on their games and as a result I think the game quality benefits at least somewhat with less money available on the table. The Bellagio can bank on their location and reputation to just be a little on the meh side, but because of the above it’ll have to remain in the rotation for me, personally.
Honorable Mentions!
Best Video Poker Games In Las Vegas
Mirage
Definitely a reasonable spot for low stakes games. Very accommodating staff if you want to bring a group of friends in and all play together.
Bally’s
I don’t know if this property has an ounce of personality to it, but the poker room will generally be on the softer side due to self parking stuff.
Mandalay Bay
I played a ton here when I first moved to Vegas. Seems to get reasonable low stakes games. Pretty comfortable room. Can celebrate a good session with a drink in the Skylounge.
Caesars
Can also be pretty noisy in here, without the go-go dancers. But yeah, could challenge PH for biggest party vibe with the Omnia entrance within view of the poker room. If you play 2/5 you feel kinda high-rollerish as they put that game in the back, kinda-sorta cordoned off.
Red Rock
Gets 2/5 every day, nice property… but you’re never gonna go way the fuck out there.
Ok so let’s recap. There are 3 spots where I basically spend all of my poker time: Wynn, Bellagio, and Aria. I think generally games will be a little tougher at the Wynn and Aria due to how nice these rooms are. Think about it: If you’re a pro or semi pro, and you’re spending a ton of your time in the poker rooms, you’re gonna wanna work to get to a spot where you’re actually enjoying your surroundings. That said you just never know because at any one time there could be a ridiculously profitable 2/5 game going at the Wynn. It happens quite frequently, really. It just isn’t nonstop in any one spot, if that makes sense…
A game will be amazing for a bunch of hours, until it isn’t. Then another one somewhere else will be amazing, until it isn’t. Etc. The point is this: Have a think about what it is you want out of a poker room, then decide where to go based on that (or maybe on how many games are running on the Bravo Live app list). If you’re looking to have fun, you can do that in almost any poker room, and 1/2 and 1/3 will generally be good everywhere. Don’t base your Vegas trip success on getting rich quick in some secret location that only I/people in-the-know can direct you to. Base it around having fun.
Andrew
P.S. There is an obvious omission on this list because it’s run by He Who Shall Not Be Named. If you wanna go there, have at it. If not, cool. A lot of poker players get into poker so that they can tune out of all the BS in the world and just play cards. I get that. I’ve chosen not to give them any free publicity in my vlog, but has it made any difference? Probably not.
If you came up during the “Poker Boom” era, sparked in 2003 by (one of the most successful gamblers in history) Chris Moneymaker’s momentous victory at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, you probably haven’t had much exposure to Seven-Card Stud.
The wall-to-wall coverage of WSOP and World Poker Tour (WPT) back in the boom days meant that millions of poker fans worldwide learned no limit Texas holdem first. For many poker enthusiasts, in fact, Texas holdem is the only game they’ve ever played in the casino setting.
But it wasn’t always this way…
Before the boom, most poker players considered Seven-Card Stud to be their game of choice. The antique game, and its various offshoots like the split-pot variant Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better, was the de facto poker product in casinos and card rooms from coast to coast through the late 1990s.
Just in case you’re unfamiliar with the basic gameplay and structure of Seven-Card Stud, here’s a quick tutorial to get you brought up to speed.
How to Play Seven-Card Stud
There will be two to eight players at the table, with everyone paying a nominal ante amount based on the game’s table stakes. Each player is dealt three cards to begin the hand.
Two of those cards are dealt face down, while the third is face up for the table to see. From there, whomever shows the lowest ranking card must place a forced bet known as the “bring-in.”
The antes and the bring-in bet serve the same purpose as the blinds in a game like Texas holdem, putting chips in the pot and giving players something to fight for. After the bring-in bet is made, the next player to the left acts by folding, calling the bring-in amount, or raising it up.
In a cash game using $5/$10 limits and a $2 bring-in, for example, a raiser could increase the bet to the $5 small bet amount.
Once the table has acted around on “third street,” named for the amount of cards held at this point, the dealer will deliver all remaining players a fourth card face up. Betting on fourth street sticks with the small bet unit, but all subsequent streets increase the stakes by using the “big bet” sizing.
Players alternate taking face up cards and betting on fifth and sixth street, before taking their seventh and final card face down. After one last round of betting, the remaining players turn over their three hole cards. Whoever has the highest-ranked (in standard high-hand Seven-Card Stud) five-card poker hand takes the pot.
As you might imagine, removing shared community cards from the equation makes Seven-Card Stud a test of memorization. As a hand plays out, you’ll instantly get to see one card from each of your opponents’ hand.
Even if they wind up folding out, this knowledge can be used later to help deduce remaining opponents’ holdings or calculate your current drawing odds based on card elimination.
Seven-Card Stud in Las Vegas
Best Poker Games In Vegas
Back in the 1990s, Sin City card rooms spread Seven-Card Stud by default, as interest in other variants like Texas holdem or Pot Limit Omaha was sparse to say the least. That script has definitely been flipped over the last two decades, leading to Seven-Card Stud’s current status as a niche game largely ignored by the recreational poker-playing masses.
The biggest cash games in town all use a mix or a rotation of variants, which typically runs between eight and 12 games. The mixed game economy has ensured that Seven-Card Stud remains alive and well. But, believe it or not, you can still visit the city of Las Vegas and enjoy straight up Seven-Card Stud like the good old days.
Below, you’ll find a full tour of five poker rooms in Las Vegas where you can still play Seven-Card Stud in style.
1 – Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa
Kicking off the list is Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa, a gorgeous venue located in the upscale suburb of Summerlin. To reach Red Rock Resort, you’ll need to drive about 25 minutes northwest of the Strip, but the wait will definitely be worth it for Seven-Card Stud fans.
As this handy guide from the PokerAtlas poker room database shows, Red Rock Resort is home to the lowest-stakes Seven-Card Stud games in all of Sin City with $4/$8 and $2/$10 games running a few times per week.
These tables play the Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better offshoot though, so be sure to familiarize yourself with that game’s key twist. As the name suggests, the Hi-Lo Eight or Better version of Seven-Card Stud uses a split pot system in which a qualifying low hand can earn half of the pot. You’ll need to hold a string of five cards that are all ranked at eight or lower, something like 2-3-5-6-7 or 3-5-6-7-8, to form a qualifying low hand.
The goal in an Eight or Better hand is usually to “scoop” the pot, or win both the high and the low portions at the same time. Picture yourself holding the A-2-3-4-5 “wheel” straight to claim the high portion, with the same five card combo forming the best low hand at 5-high to get an idea of how scooping works in this extremely interesting Seven-Card Stud variant.
Red Rock Resort’s poker room isn’t the biggest in Las Vegas, but does boast 20 tables. And, on busy days, two of them should have Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better running at extremely reasonable stakes.
The $4/$8 table uses a $40 minimum buy-in with no maximum limit, while the $2/$10 tables opts for a $100 minimum and no maximum. In the $4/$8 game, the ante stands at just $0.25 and the bring-in is for $1. As for the $2/$10 game, expect to ante $1 and bring-in for $2.
These stakes are perfect for recreational players looking to test the proverbial waters before moving up the ladder.
2 – Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall
Another “off-Strip” casino located far from the wilds of Las Vegas Boulevard, the Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall is a beloved casino for locals who appreciate value.
You’ll hit the Boulder Highway to get here, and when you do, the cozy 11-table poker room at Sam’s Town will have a sweet $2/$10 game featuring traditional high-hand Seven-Card Stud.
The minimum buy-in here is $50, but given the $10 big bet sizing and no maximum on buy-ins, most Seven-Card Stud players at Sam’s Town Casino roll with a $100 buy-in that gives them 10 big bets to work with.
Both the ante bet and the bring-in for this game are just $1 too, making even a minimum $50 buy-in plenty to get your feet wet.
3 – Bellagio Hotel and Casino
While the poker industry’s heaviest hitters like Doyle Brunson, Daniel Cates, and Jean-Robert Bellande duke it out in “Bobby’s Room” in the Bellagio, home to the largest stakes mixed cash games in Las Vegas at $2,000/$4,000 blinds, you can attempt to live vicariously through them.
Bellagio’s world-class poker room, as a regular host of the prestigious WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic with 37 tables, offers the most diverse array of Seven-Card Stud tables anywhere in Las Vegas.
The “smallest” stakes game here is $20/$40, however, so you’ll need to bring a bigger bankroll than would suffice at Red Rock Resort or Sam’s Town. Even so, the minimum entry point is a $200 buy-in (with no maximum), so these stakes certainly don’t box out recreational players by any means.
In the $20/$40 high-hand Seven-Card Stud game at the Bellagio, players ante for $3 and pay a $5 bring-in. These tables also charge a $5 house rake every 30 minutes.
On busy weekend nights, the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas also spreads a $30/$60 game of Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better. Here, the minimum buy-in is $500 with no maximum, antes cost $5 apiece, and the bring-in runs $10. The house rake on the $30/$60 Eight or Better table is $7.
And to cap things off, you’ll also find a $50/$100 high-hand game that runs occasionally at any point in the week. At these higher stakes, the players prefer to add blind bets a la Texas holdem, so look for $5 and $15 small and big blinds, respectively. The ante and bring-in follow the same $5/$15 structure, putting plenty of chips in play right off the bat.
4 – Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino
For six weeks every summer, the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino becomes a smorgasbord of Seven-Card Stud tournaments and cash games thanks to the annual WSOP.
Plan your trip for between late May and mid-July to get in on the WSOP fun, which featured no less than 11 gold bracelet events based around Seven-Card Stud and its related variants a few months back.
The lowest entry point in terms of buy-in are the $1,500 high-hand Seven-Card Stud tournament, and its $1,500 Hi-Lo Eight or Better counterpart. As you might expect, elite pros dominate the smaller fields in these niche events, with veteran Eli Elezra winning the $1,500 high-hand tournament this summer for a $93,766 score.
You’ll also find a few $1,500 buy-in tournaments which feature Seven-Card Stud as one component of a mix. The eight-game mix is exactly what it sounds like, while the popular Dealer’s Choice event allows the dealer to call the game ahead of every new hand.
And of course, the centerpiece of the WSOP’s Seven-Card Stud schedule is the $10,000 buy-in World Championship which Hennigan claimed this year. That’s a hefty buy-in for most players, but you can try to parlay $500 or $1,000 into a seat through the satellite tournament qualification system.
5 – WSOP.com Online Poker Room
Although not technically a poker room in the traditional sense, WSOP.com offers online play on a fully regulated and legal platform.
You can play from anywhere in Las Vegas, or Nevada for that matter, provided you’re of age and have a steady internet connection.
Seven-Card Stud cash games on WSOP.com, in both high-hand and Hi-Lo Eight or Better versions, begin with $0.05/$0.10 limits and run up to $10/$20.
You’ll also find the occasional tournament running, including online satellites that feed into the live WSOP every summer.
Why Seven-Card Stud Remains Beloved by Poker Pros
Unfortunately for fans of Seven-Card Stud, the game’s lack of community cards and limit betting structure doesn’t make it a great fit for televised coverage.
With an entire generation caught up in the two-card tango of Texas holdem, defined by bold “all-in” bluffs and bad beats when the community cards come up just right, Seven-Card Stud has waned in popularity over the last decade or so.
It’s a shame, because Seven-Card Stud is among the most complex and challenging forms of poker ever devised.
The lack of community cards turns Seven-Card Stud into a contest of wills, one based on memorization skills, logical reasoning, the ability to back up a solid read with a well-timed bluff.
For this reason, well-rounded poker players who pride themselves on knowing all of the variants in a good eight-game mix down cold consider Seven-Card Stud to be the proving ground which separates elite pros.
Veteran pro Johnny “World” Hennigan captured his sixth career WSOP gold bracelet in the prestigious $10,000 Seven-Card Stud World Championship event. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that excelling in every old-school poker player’s favorite game made the win a little more special.
“I’ve won tournaments for much bigger prize money, but winning this tournament in particular had a lot of value to me. I grew up playing stud, and a lot of people say I’m the best at that game, and I’ve always been really good at that game. It’s kind of a feather in my cap.”
Conclusion
Clearly, Seven-Card Stud is a beautiful poker game that has withstood the test of time. It might not provide those memorable all-in moments and “Aces cracked” bad beats generated by Texas holdem, but true poker aficionados appreciate Seven-Card Stud for the skillful play required to excel.
Luck doesn’t play as large of a role in a game lacking community cards, and the limit betting structure actually produces much more action on any given hand. If you haven’t experienced Seven-Card Stud in the live arena, make sure to visit one of the poker rooms listed here during your next trip to Las Vegas.