Maybe they meant "bigger and better" than 2020, which is a low hurdle to clear.

I remember another (selfish) reason to want it at the Rio. All my tournament play during the WSOP is either at the Rio or the Orleans, which means I don't have to cross over I-15 or the Strip to make the short 5 minute drive.

The WSOP promotion free package to 2021 WSOP is offering hotel stay at Ceasars Not at Rio !

Does it point at something ?

“...the hotel stay is in Caesars Palace, not the Rio. Whether this suggests an anticipated location move or not remains to be seen. ....”

I think it would be wise to move it to the new Caesar’s convention center this year because there will be fewer entrants and will allow them to identify potential logistical issues for the future. Sort of like a soft opening kind of thing.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/news/local...fd3122086.html

Rio to be renovated and rebranded as Hyatt Hotels. No timeline given.

Ugh, purely from a logistics viewpoint, Caesars is harder to get in and out of than Rio. Rio has that big, flat parking lot and Caesars has that cramped parking garage that fills up on normal weekend nights. The convention center is convoluted and harder to navigate than the Rio. I've been to conventions there.

Probably after the CET management arrangement is over.

There is no Caesars owned/operated property in Vegas that will not be a major pain to get to, unless you can walk, once Rio isn't an option. I have always spent the entire 1.5 months at the WSOP. But if it gets moved to the new convention center, or any other Caesars property, I probably will only show up for the Main Event, maybe a couple of other events. Just too much hassle, since I would hate to spend that long at a strip hotel. YMMV.

What if they offer a shuttle from a more accessible parking lot to the convention center? I think that’s their plan for Allegiant Stadium, too.

Ballys and Paris are the easiest, although not as easy as Rio. The problem is space. WSOP uses up 3 main meeting rooms that are 115,000 sq ft, plus at least 1 more room, plus overflow in the hallway near the main casino, plus near the poker room. Bally's only has 120k total, and Paris only 140k total. It might fit this year given that attendance will be down, but the future will need more space. They could always rent space like the LV Convention Center, but I'm sure they want to keep the space rent within the corporation.

Unfortunately it looks like Caesars is the only place big enough.

Yes, that would be a smart move. But imagine the wait when an event ends each night? At the Rio I have seen people lined up 100 deep in the cab line. And most people aren't taking a cab at all. Last thing I want is to wait for an hour for a shuttle back to my rental car. And running to your car on dinner break to drive somewhere to get food would never work with this system. It is certainly better than not offering this service, but still not as good as Rio.

I hope it stays at the Rio as long as possible. Or moves to some other off-strip property (though none such are currently owned by Caesars). Sadly, I do not foresee an outcome that is favorable, at least from my perspective.

Thanks, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Maybe Caesars could buy the Orleans from Boyd's. They have that big arena where they host basketball games and the like.

As much as I'd love to have the better food options when/if it moves to the strip, I did enjoy the summer camp feel at the Rio. I somehow felt like I belonged for the few weeks I usually stayed there. I made multiple poker trips to Vegas per year and usually stayed on the strip when it was not summer and always felt chaotic fighting the slow moving tourists.

In the Rio, between players running back to their tables and the maniacs in the scooters, I'm a speed bump.

Well, I'm in Vegas atm and glad to hear the WSOP will be at Rio again this year. I'm staying in Paris, and traffic on the Strip seems worse than ever. That might be because I haven't been here in a year though. I really dislike crowded.

If you dislike crowds then I would suggest traveling to one of the most heavily visited cities in the world may not be for you. That being said, I’m still curious about why some people think the RIO is preferred for any reason, except parking. Things aren’t crowded at the RIO during the WSOP?

Getting in and around Rio is much simpler, easier, and less crowded. The Orleans usually has a good series in the summer too. Low buy-ins, great structures, and (usually) competent staff. Travel between Rio and Orleans is easier than between neighboring Strip casinos.

And I've been visiting Vegas since the '70's, when it wasn't so crowded. It seems to get worse every year.

Last two years I used Uber so no worries of parking. I am good with Rio or anywhere on the strip.

Agreed about the crowds. Summer used to be dead but now with the club/pool scene things have picked up tremendously. But that’s ok with me. I don’t go to Vegas for a relaxing vacation. And given what things looked like at the end of last March and for large portions of the last year, I’ll be glad to see the city thriving again.

And while I can appreciate the RIO is more convenient for some, I still don’t see the general appeal. For instance I don’t play at the Orleans at all, but I do play at the Venetian, Wynn, Aria, PH and occasionally Bellagio during the WSOP. A WSOP held on the strip would be far more convenient for me and the thousands of other people playing at these other popular venues. The RIO is good for basically one thing... locals (or those staying off strip) and those who are only playing the WSOP and perhaps Orleans. I really think that is a significant minority of the total attendees for a typical WSOP. For years, especially since the free strip shuttles went away, the RIO location has been a distinct inconvenience (and increased cost) for anyone staying on the strip. If the WSOP is moved and locals have to pay $10 or whatever for parking, I don’t see that this will deter many people anymore than having to pay $20-30 for cab/Uber rides did for people coming from the strip.

If the new convention center is as great as it looks, I think that would be a welcome new home for the series. It would literally be within a 15 minute walk to every major poker venue in town with tons of hotel, dining and entertainment options around.