Quoted from Wikipedia (so confirmation needed):

“In 1970, Jack began hosting the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Horseshoe. Eventually, the WSOP became the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. In 1988, the Horseshoe expanded by acquiring The Mint, a high-rise hotel on the west side of the casino. The expansion of the casino from this purchase provided room for Binion's first poker room.”

While space was at a premium, Benny and Jack did not have a regular poker room at the Horseshoe. The space was designated for more profitable games. The WSOP was an annual event, likely more of a promotional investment for the media coverage it got for the casino.

This... might actually work

You know people are going to rip the "s" from the signs.

At least one laugh out of a ridiculous thread.

It's noones skin, your thread is literally titled "Could a Poker Themed Hotel make it in Vegas?" and the answer is almost certainly not, many people smarter than us are constantly developing the city and if a poker themed hotel would be a money maker you'd probably see it already. Given that noone attempted it during the poker boom I doubt anyone would be willing to give it a shot now.

Poker players are gamblers ..they want casino hotels. And casinos want them.

Give it a go though ...make the hospitality side of it ..really top notch. Hold inductions for beginners.

I would say it would be mostly men though. Not families ..which cuts hospitality profits hugely.

I dont think it's niche enough. You need to do a ladies' poker hotel, where ladies can feel comfortable and play cards

Do you think it was ridiculous for Poker Stars to want to spend 15 million to buy Atlantic City's oldest hotel casino and spend 40 million to refurbish it?

Hey that might be a good Idea as there are many women players who might stay at such a hotel which had woman only poker tables. Not sure if it would be legal to have a woman only hotel though.

Let's get some funding then.

LOL

They did it for other reasons(Entering the online gaming market, it's a CASINO), and it's been a colossal failure

So then you don't think Poker Stars thought building the largest poker room in the city for 10 million dollars would be profitable, it was just totally for online reasons.

So paying the $400M or so debt from Full Tilt was profitable, it wasn't so they could potentially re-enter the online market?

So is the online market the reason they bought part of the London Hippodrome Casino?

https://calvinayre.com/2012/10/08/po...odrome-shares/

A poker company moving away from poker and going towards online jackpot games and live casinos isn't the argument that you want it to be. PokerStars literally hates poker players.

FWIW, there are lots of examples of independent poker rooms in the US at least. Some charity rooms have been open for more than 10 years, so I'd make the assumption that they are profitable for the operators. However, there are no "comps" and the rake is no better than in casinos. The rooms are generally small and certainly aren't plush. They aren't in prime real estate areas either.

I doubt the overhead of a converted casino could be covered by a poker room.

As for Pokerstars, they have been clear that they would be happy to make poker a sideline if they could develop their gaming platform in other areas. Hence, the push to all casino games and going live.

Poker is a side game. It gets people in the casino. The more people in the casino the more the handle and thus more profit. Whether it is from the tables, slots or RF&B.

Steve Wynn once said '...it's basic math, I keep ~15% of what is gambled, the more people gamble, the more profit I make so I need to get people in here..'

I bet management gets a boner when they see people like Phil Ivey take his poker winnings to the pit and degen it away on BJ, craps, baccarat, etc. And then on the off chance he wins at baccarat, they DON"T PAY HIM! Free roll at it's best.

I just got back from the Hippodrome, having busted the Megastack event.
It was the biggest event they've had of the Megastack series. It could've been even bigger if they had more room.

At no point though was there any thought of using areas of the gaming floor, and there never will be in the future.

OP's got to be having fun at our expense at this point.

OP came close to the point, but just missed. And those that think he was talking about a 100% poker casino are missing the point completely.

There is only one real scenario where this could be successful, and I've scratched my head for many years wondering why this hasn't happened.

View: Caesars Entertainment is not making the most of their WSOP Brand. A WSOP branded center-strip casino would go a long way to promoting their brand.

As others have touched on, the Rio is the defacto WSOP Hotel and casino for 2 months a year. As successful as that is though, it's less than ideal.
Of course, a poker themed hotel and casino would be just that: a THEMED full casino that offers all the action of any other casino (Slots, tables, etc)
The WSOP brand is much more lucrative than say, the Bally's or Rio brand.
Bally's is located at literally the intersection of the gaming universe and yet the hotel/casino is run-down and valued at a fraction of Caesars or Bellagio (or even Paris) at the same intersection

IMO, CET should re-brand Bally's as The WSOP Hotel and Casino.

They should preserve the existing casino and give it an aesthetic makeover. Build the largest sportsbook in vegas, and construct a new connected poker tournament / cash game facility in the current event space and expanded into the open lot area bordered by Flamingo and Koval. The RIO convention space is approx 200,000sf, and there is easily enough space in that open lot to build a world class tournament area.

Currently, the WSOP holds the main tournament (approx 2 months) and 3 circuit events (all to be moved here) in Vegas each year. Other events could be added (to compete when the WPT and DSE events are running) to make it a viable event space year round.
Downtime in the torunament area could be used in unique ways such as hosting private torunaments to all the big industries that pass through for conventions and smaller torunaments for bachelor parties and such. A DVD of your 20 man SNG where you get to see everyones hole cards afterwards would be great.
Having a permanent, well planned-out tournament space could make for a smoother WSOP series, while providing conveniences such as phone chargers at every table and a proper quantuty of well placed bathrooms.

Building smart complimentary amenities nearby that millennial poker players would appreciate such as healthy and quick food options, a decent sports and fitness facility, etc, would make this a premier destination.

As far as theme, the WSOP doesn't need to go over the top like Excalibur, but could just design a casino / hotel that is sleek and modern. Acquiring and housing the Poker Hall of Fame would be a must, and PERHAPS some restaurant licensing to big name proker pros could be a possibility (feel free to speculate on these) A killer nightclub to cap it off and voila.

There are many many poker players that would be attacted to the hotel based on the WSOP brand, AS WELL AS all the ESPN viewers from around the country that recognize and enjoy the brand, some that don't even play poker. Have you SEEN the number of spectators mulling around the RIO during the Main?

IMO, this would go a long way to growing the WSOP brand (which has value as an asset on its own) as well as bringing life back to a premier property on the Vegas strip.

He mentioned allowing a craps table for TJ Cloutier, but otherwise the OP was, in fact, proposing a 100% poker facility.

Ah well... Like i said, he missed the mark. That said, a wsop themed casino/hotel is still a good opportunity to advance the WSOP brand.

For a WSOP branded casino to be authentic, the dealers would have to be rubbish.

Actually I said a token craps table for Ivey and Cloutier, but several posts later said my idea was not set in stone and would be open to getting other games as time went on. I was assuming a possible wealthy investor did not have a gaming license at the time and having poker only would be cheaper and easier to get a license.