The Heartland Poker Tour has a history as one of the most highly respected “mid-major” tournament circuits in the poker industry. It’s recent stop at the Westgate Las Vegas, however, has become mired in controversy over a decision regarding the buy-in for the tournament and the guarantee that was set.

Making its first return to Las Vegas since 2014, the Heartland Poker Tour was looking to make a big mark on the tournament poker scene with their $1650 buy in Main Event. That tournament featured three Day Ones that looked to build a prize pool that would eclipse the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool that was put on the event. With those numbers in mind, 334 entries had to be registered for that guarantee to be met.

• Westgate Charity Poker Room in Grand Rapids has tournaments.
• Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino: Great Poker Room and Staff - See 6,374 traveler reviews, 2,363 candid photos, and great deals for Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino at Tripadvisor.

Due to occupancy restrictions in the poker room and surrounding areas, the poker room will temporarily be closing. We will return on December 26th. Th Westgate Poker Room wishes you all a very merry Christmas and we look forward to being back with you as soon as possible.

The issues began late on Saturday afternoon at the Westgate. In a tweet from Jeremy Smith, the tournament director for the Heartland Poker Tour, it became known that there were only 300 or so players on the tournament clock counter with late registration running out (opened until 7:30PM Pacific Time). That meant that, with slightly more than an hour left in late registration, the Westgate and the Heartland Poker Tour were looking at about a $70,000 overlay.

The next move, allegedly by the Westgate, is what has set the controversy off. While the players were on dinner break – and late registration was technically still open until the players returned from that break – it is alleged that the Westgate offered to allow players to buy into the tournament for slightly more than half the original price ($850 instead of $1650). The resulting turmoil drew in several names in the poker community debating the issue and, additionally, Tweets on the subject that were alleged to have been deleted by people with a stake in the game.

Noted poker curmudgeon Allen Kessler brought the subject up on his Facebook page, bringing up the alleged deleted Tweets and the discounted tournament. Surprisingly World Series of Poker bracelet winner and runner-up to Greg Raymer in the Championship Event of 2004 David Williams backed whomever made the decision to offer the discount, saying “If the prize pool is accounted for, who f*****g cares?”

Other members of the poker community didn’t agree on who to lay the blame for the “discounted” entry. At first many were dismissive of the Heartland Poker Tour but, as more info came out, it shifted over to the Westgate. It was alleged that the Westgate made the decision to offer the reduced buy-in to reduce the overlay that they would have been on the hook for.

So why the hubbub over the alleged issue? There apparently were over 300 players who had to pay the whole entry fee – $1650 – to enter the event and have a shot at the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. Then along comes a smaller group – let’s say there were enough that the guarantee was met, 30-35 players or so – who only paid $850 to have the same shot at the $500,000 guarantee. That seems to be the crux of what much of the complaints have been about.

One thing that poker players tend to forget – and tournament poker players also – is that the host casino can pretty much change the rules at any time when it comes to their operations. House rules can deviate greatly from poker room to poker room and, when it comes to tournaments, many events have a sweeping “cover” for its actions. Normally it in small print near the bottom of a flyer – “casino retains the rights to change and/or cancel events as they see fit.” This little clause is what allows many casinos the right to make massive adjustments to their tournaments – such as offering discounted buy-ins to meet a guarantee – or cancel those events outright if there aren’t enough people entering the tournament.

As of press time neither the Heartland Poker Tour nor the Westgate Las Vegas has returned overtures from Poker News Daily regarding the situation. There also has been no contact with the public over their respective Twitter or Facebook feeds to offer an explanation. Poker News Daily will continue to watch the situation and, if a communique is received from either entity, update accordingly.

UPDATE: Approximately 3PM (Pacific Time) on Sunday afternoon Smith, the tournament director for the HPT, issued a quasi-statement over Twitter in reply to several people who asked him about the decision to allow players to buy in for less than the stated amount. “This has never happened before (in the history of the HPT),” Smith stated to one person. In replying to World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt Savage, Smith expressly stated that, “I had no say in this…it was a Westgate decision.”

The Westgate Las Vegas also decided to issue a statement at roughly the same time as Smith. In their Twitter statement, the Westgate stated, “(At the) end of registration for the HPT Main Event, we chose to pay a portion of the entry fee for select VIP. Full $1,650 entries accounted for in the $500k main event…Westgate is upholding all prize packages & guarantees are being upheld. Good luck to the participants.”

Finally, the tournament reached 316 full $1650 buy ins, falling short of the $500,000 guarantee.

There were 31 Las Vegas poker rooms before the closure. So far, 19 have reopened.

The four casinos that opened poker rooms the first weekend were Golden Nugget, Orleans, South Point and Venetian. Five more followed later in June and in July. August brought six more rooms online.

Gaming regulations originally only permitted four players per table. South Point led the way in getting that increased to five. All Las Vegas poker rooms are now spreading at least five-handed games. Most offer eight-handed games. Bally’s poker room opened with nine seats, the highest in Las Vegas.

On June 17, Nevada gaming regulators added a requirement for masks at table games that later included all casino patrons. Las Vegas poker players must wear a mask. Most Las Vegas poker tables have partitions to separate player seats.

Aria

The Aria poker room opened with the casino on July 1. It will use 15 of its tables. These are partitioned so eight players may be seated per game. The standard Aria cash games are spread. There is one daily tournament.

Bally’s

The Bally’s poker room reopened on September 25. It deals 1/3 no limit Hold’em and 3/6 fixed limit Hold’em. There are nine seats per table.

Bellagio

Bellagio opened its poker room at 10am on June 18. Tables have eight seats and partitions. Cash games include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, stud and mixed games. The Bellagio poker room is open 24 hours a day.

Boulder Station

Boulder Station reopened its poker room on August 3. It is home to Omaha Hi in Las Vegas. It also spreads no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em.

Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace’s poker room is open 24 hours a day. Cash games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It seats eight players per table.

Flamingo

The Flamingo poker room reopened on July 2. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em. It is open 10am to 4am Thursday through Monday. Promotions include high hands and an hourly freeroll. It has four tournaments Thursday through Sunday. There are eight seats per table.

Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget was the fourth poker room to open in Las Vegas after the COVID-19 closure. Cash games of no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em are spread. The max rake is $3. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The room is open 24 hours. There are five seats at tables.

The jackpot drop is used for progressive high hand bonuses for four of a kind, straight flushes and royal flushes. A pocket pair is required for quads. Straight and royal flushes must use both hole cards. The progressives are tied to the card for quads, the highest card in the straight flush, or suit for royal flushes. Jackpots are doubled between 8am and 2pm daily.

MGM Grand

MGM Grand’s poker room reopened on July 3. It is open from 4pm to 4am Thursday through Monday. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The tables are eight-handed with plexiglass dividers.

Orleans

The poker room at Orleans opened with the casino on June 4. It is open 24 hours daily. The rake is capped at $4. The Orleans poker room has the widest variety of cash games. These include no limit Texas Hold’em, fixed limit Texas Hold’em, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit Omaha hi/lo and fixed limit Omaha Hi.

Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood reopened its poker room on October 16. It hosts ten tables. There are eight seats at each. The main games are 1/2 and 2/5 no limit Texas Hold’em. It is open noon to 4am Thursday through Sunday.

Poker Palace

Poker Palace is a small North Las Vegas poker room. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights for a 6:30pm no limit Texas Hold’em tournament. A cash game sometimes appears when the tournament concludes.

Westgate Bowling Poker Room Games

Red Rock Resort

Red Rock Resort is the only poker room in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas. It reopened on August 3. It spreads mostly fixed limit and no limit Texas Hold’em. Tournaments have not returned to its poker room. There are eight seats per table.

Sahara

The Sahara poker room reopened on June 18. It is home to mostly no limit Texas Hold’em and mixed games. The rake is capped at $4. There is a $1 jackpot drop. The hours are 6pm to 2am during the week and noon to 2am on Saturday and Sunday. The Sahara poker room will remain open after 2am if there is a game running. There are seven seats per table.

Santa Fe Station

Santa Fe Station is one of three Station Casinos poker rooms that reopened on August 3. It deals no limit and fixed limit Texas Hold’em, as well as Omaha Hi/Lo. It is in the far northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. There are eight seats per table.

Silver Sevens

Silver Sevens offers one live poker table in its table game pit. It is usually a 2/4 fixed limit Hold’em game.

South Point

South Point’s poker room, the last to close before the shutdown, opened with the casino on June 4. It operates 24 hours a day. Games are eight-handed.

The South Point poker room is dealing cash games with a $3 rake and $1 promotional drop that covers freerolls and high hands. The cash games offered are no limit Hold’em, fixed limit Hold’em and pot limit Omaha.

Texas Hold’em high hand payouts are $50 for four of a kind, $100 for a straight flush and $250 for a royal flush. For quads, a pocket pair must be used. For straight and royal flushes, both hole cards must be used. In Omaha, the high hand pays $50 for a flopped four of a kind, $100 for a straight flush and $250 for a royal flush.

Venetian

Venetian was the first poker room to announce its return. However, it opened the day after the rest of the casino did. Tables are eight-handed.

Venetian offers cash games and single table tournaments. The hours are 9am to 3am daily.

Venetian offers a wide variety of tournaments. This includes some daily ones and tournament series.

According to Bravo Poker, the main cash games are no limit Texas Hold’em and pot limit Omaha. The rake is capped at $3. There is a $1 drop for a bad beat jackpot.

Westgate

The Westgate poker room is temporarily closed from December 1 through at least late December.

The Westgate poker room reopened on September 10. It opens at 10am on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10am on weekend days. It is dark Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Westgate poker room is located in the sportsbook area. Tables are eight-handed.

Wynn

The Wynn poker room reopened on September 30. It was moved from Encore to Wynn. It is home to no limit Hold’em, pot limit Omaha and mixed games. Daily tournaments return October 22. Plexiglass partitions are at all 24 tables, allowing for eight seats at each. There are eight seats per table.

Las Vegas reopening poker room FAQ

How many poker rooms are open in Las Vegas?

There are 19 open poker rooms as of October 16, 2020.

Are Station Casinos poker rooms reopening?

Station Casinos reopened poker rooms at Boulder Station, Red Rock Resort and Santa Fe Station on August 3, 2020.

Are there poker tournaments in Las Vegas right now?

Yes. About half of Las Vegas poker rooms have brought back tournaments.

Is smoking permitted in Las Vegas poker room?

No Las Vegas poker rooms permit smoking.

Westgate Bowling Poker Room Rules

Are masks required at Las Vegas poker tables?

Yes. It is mandated by a governor’s order.

Are there partitions are Las Vegas poker tables?

In most cases, yes. Any poker room with more than six seats at the table has partitions.

Which Las Vegas poker rooms are still closed?

Binion’s, Cannery, Club Fortune, Excalibur, Green Valley Ranch, Harrah’s, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Palace Station, Rio, Sam’s Town and Skyline have not reopened poker rooms that closed due to the pandemic.

Last updated: December 9, 2020