Man in wheelchair hunkered over line sheet (c. 2012)
The Ellis Island poker experiment has apparently come to an end. What was briefly the newest poker room in Las Vegas — two tables in the back of a locals dive casino a few blocks off the Strip — shut down this week after being open less than three months. With little fanfare, tables were all packed up and signs ripped from the wall seemingly in haste. A couple smokers hung around the nearby jangling slot machines, with baseball games flashing on TVs in the adjacent sportsbook (formerly a Leroy’s, currently being rebranded as William Hill.) “Everybody’s coming by today,” said the cashier. “Maybe they should have stayed open a little longer.”
The newest poker room in Las Vegas opened Friday night at Ellis Island, which sits just off the strip behind Bally’s, between a 7-Eleven and Super 8 motel. It’s a casino that caters to local casino workers — with stiff drinks, cheap steaks, and loud karaoke — and I was there for the very first hand. (I folded 2-8 offsuit in early position.)
Cards got in the air shortly after 6 pm for a 1-2 no-limit and 2-4 limit game, both 10-handed. Though inside a Leroy’s Sportsbook, the casino operates the two-table room, which is next to the cage and slot machines, but out of earshot from the karaoke bar.
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A new two-table poker room is under construction at Ellis Island, the popular off-strip dive casino. Perhaps taking a cue from the new CantorGaming poker room at the Palms, the room is located inside a Leroy’s Sportsbook.
Leroy’s (owned by British online bookmaker and poker room William Hill) and Cantor are engaged in a quiet battle of licensed technology … as Cantor has devices allowing in-game sports-betting all across casino properties its in, and Leroy’s has Nevada Gaming-approved iphone and android apps that allow sports betting anywhere within state lines.
BTW, mad props to WSOP dealer and Pokeratizen 85Nutz, who spent his day off competing in the $300+30 at Caesar’s yesterday … finished in 7th place, which paid him $8k. Nice!
Should give him plenty to dump into video poker at Ellis Island, because that’s what dealers do after a big score, no?
