Planet Hollywood Poker Room Closes

Planet Hollywood, a casino located on the Vegas Strip, has closed its 10-table poker room. The Planet Hollywood poker “room” was actually an open area on the gaming floor. It gave players the chance to play poker amid a bustling casino scene.

Caesars Entertainment, which owns the casino, hasn’t indicated what will be put in place of the now-shuttered poker area. It also didn’t offer a reason for why the tables are gone.

Potential Reasons Why the Planet Hollywood Poker Room Closed

Again, neither Caesars nor Planet Hollywood (PH) officials have commented on shutting down the poker action. However, it’s not hard to speculate on some reasons why the game wasn’t so popular here.

First off, PH didn’t put the poker tables in a strategic location. Instead, they were placed amidst a number of other casino games.

Some players may have liked playing in such a lively atmosphere. Others, on the other hand, probably disliked the distractions.

Upscale Vegas casinos often close off their poker rooms from the main floor. This way, players can get away from the loud slot machines and banter from blackjack, craps, and roulette tables.

Second, the PH poker room wasn’t overly large. It only offered 10 tables, most of which ran low-stakes games. Those wanting to play mid and high stakes usually had to go elsewhere.

Finally, the Las Vegas poker scene in general doesn’t enjoy the same glory days that it did in the 2000s—when the game was booming. Many casinos have slowly seen their poker action dwindle. PH is just another casino that feels the game no longer suits their business model.

Will Planet Hollywood Still Run Poker Tournaments?

PH isn’t going to offer cash games any longer. However, the jury is out on whether it’ll still run poker tournaments.

The casino has been regularly offering low-stakes tournaments. It’s also an occasional stop for the World Series of Poker Circuit.

The tournaments have always run on the second floor, which is separate from the now-shuttered poker room that was on the first floor. Therefore, tourneys could potentially still take place on the second floor at some point.

What Will Go in the Poker Room’s Place?

Poker has never been a big moneymaker for casinos. Most gambling establishments offer poker just to lure people who might also play casino games.

Therefore, Vegas is slowly seeing a trend where more and more casinos get rid of their poker areas. This trend is especially common among places like PH, which didn’t have may tables to begin with.

Why did Planet Hollywood disband its poker section? Again, no official answer from PH or Caesars Entertainment is available.

The likely answer, though, is that PH plans to put more slot machines in the area. The majority of Vegas casinos are filled with slots. When it doubt, gaming venues add more machines wherever there’s empty space on a gaming floor.

Slot machines are much more profitable than poker tables on a per-square-foot basis. They commonly feature house edges ranging from 5% to 10%. Combined with the quick play rate, slots make the most money for casinos.

In contrast, poker only delivers rake to casinos. It also plays at a slow rate and doesn’t result in many hourly profits.