Best Poker Vacation Destinations
Beaches, castles, raceways, tree-houses and poker tables, right? Whether you’re thinking Monte Carlo, Macau, Costa Rica, or our luminescent desert glowing. Southern California (SoCal as it is called colloquially) is surpassed, in my opinion, only by Las Vegas as a destination for a poker vacation. While it loses points somewhat in the poker room diversity column, it still has the second largest number of poker rooms of any area in the world. And so, what I've compiled is a list of gambling destinations that aren't Vegas, though Macau, for one, is coming into its own in the tacky zone (and Cirque du Soleil actually opened there in 2012 - though it quit the region after low ticket sales) source: CNN Travel. For fine dining, check Zagat. Poker Travel hosts quality poker cash festivals every weekend at a variety of exotic destinations around the world. At any given weekend you may have one to five different events held at different locations. A poker vacation to the Californian city of Los Angeles combines Hollywood glamour, sun-drenched beaches and some good old-fashioned gambling. Coming in for a special mention is the Commerce Casino, reportedly the “world’s largest poker casino” with over 240 card tables for you to choose from.
The Strip continues to downgrade it’s gambling options and we are observing a gaming migration downtown. This is very much reflected in the feedback I get whenever I ask about people’s favorite places to play. Video poker is certainly no exception. I received so much feedback that I can’t possibly name everyone, but thank you if you did participate. The more voices I get the better, as I, of course, have not tried every VP bank in town. I rely on you. And as always, you all came through.
Overwhelming favorite:
Boar’s Head Bar – Main Street Station
Great odds and craft beer. Do we need anything else? Should we just stop? To add to this, MSS is still running their “Score With 4” promotion, in which you receive a scratch off card for every natural 4 OAK you hit, with the opportunity to win cash. If Boar’s Head wasn’t on your list before, it should be now.
Downtown
Vue Bar – The D
Upstairs you’ll find a fun vibe and great service. Great odds for bonus poker players.
Longbar – The D
It’s hard to find a better party downtown. The best odds are on the bonus deluxe game. But the service and atmosphere more than make up for odds adjustments.
Furnace – Downtown Grand
This is my personal choice depending on the time. While not the best odds, I enjoy the double double bonus progressive game. Quick, but limited drink service and easy to see tvs. My favorite part? The casino is rarely busy, so it’s not very smoky.
El Cortez
Low limits, good odds, and goofy promotions make this East Fremont haunt a good option.
The Strip
Decimated odds have riddled the Strip recently, but you can still find some fun places to drop some coin. These spots may come at a premium price, but it doesn’t mean they are a bad value:
Cosmo
Chandelier Bar
The lower tier of this multiple level bar doesn’t have great odds, but is routinely rated as one of the best bars in Vegas. The gambling is just an added perk to an already elevated experience.
Bond
Dave shared this favorite on the FB page. Much like Chandelier, premium cocktails and service make up for limited odds.
Interlude – Cromwell
This center strip casino bar sits in what is becoming my favorite property on LV Blvd. Good drinks, fast service, and a stone’s throw from my current favorite lounge, Bound.
TAG – Linq
Caesars properties are some of the worst offenders when it comes to poor VP odds, but if you want to watch a game and get some VP action, TAG is a good choice. Their beer selection, although dwindling slightly, is still one of the best as casino bars are concerned.
Luxor
This wouldn’t be a proper list if I didn’t include my guilty pleasure casino. Both listener Brian and I dig this place and it’s actually not a horrible choice, at least by Strip standards, for VP. You can still find a decent machine here or there, especially if you find a high progressive.
NYNY
Although you won’t earn points on their best $0.25 machines, they have some of the best JoB odds on the Strip. Plus, you’re close to Nine Fine Irishmen and can get one of the best pints of the black stuff.
Off the beaten path:
Palms
One of the more underappreciated properties, especially when it comes to gambling. It’s a comfortable space and has great VP offerings. It has three options at the $0.25 level, deuces wild, double bonus, and double double bonus, which payback over 100%! They even have a few 1 and 2 cent machines with good payouts as well.
Gold Coast
Just a great low roller casino and is close to the Palms. Go there. Yuk it up with some of the elder locals, smoke a pack of Marlboro Reds, and have a ball.
Red Rock
A lot of fanfare on Twitter for this resort. A beautiful property and a favorite of gambling megastars, Marc Meltzer and John Mehaffey. Head to the Rocks Lounge or the Lucky Lounge, lot of lounges, for the generous progressive games. Good drinks, good service, and tvs. When you’re done, go have some shots with grandma playing bingo.
Southpoint
A locals favorite about 5 miles south of the airport, this casino offers an abundant choice of cheap VP with over 99% payback. If you have a favorite variation, Southpoint has it at a good price.
LVA suggestions:
Shifty’s
Off of W Sahara Has 9/6 JoB (full pay) for $1 plays and you get a bottle of wine for any quad hit. They also have karaoke. Karaoke people. A short cab ride from SLS will land you at this fun dive bar.
Less than a mile from SLS on E Sahara you’ll find this casino which houses the very popular Fat Choy restaurant. They have a bonus poker deluxe progressive at the bar and is a positive return if it is at or over $1,180.
About 4 miles west of the Strip off of Charleston will land you at a local VP treasure. The Italian American sports bar is known to be quite generous with its Free Play offerings. They also feature shared winnings. For instance, if another player hits a royal, all players logged in win $25. Add cheap drinks and discounted food like ½ price pizza for the win.
Have a favorite that wasn’t listed? Let me know! I’m always looking to add to the list.
Feature photo:”Palms Casino Resort” by Ken Lund via CC by SA 2.0
There’s never a bad time for a poker vacation, even if some travelers limit their options for taking one. Gamblers in the US and Europe, for example, often assume the only place they can travel is Las Vegas.
The good news? Many of the world’s best poker cities are also exciting destinations in and of themselves. The better news? I’m about to succinctly outline them, so it’s easy for you to book your flight and go.
Continue reading to learn my perspective, and to get inspired for your next trip, no matter when you end up taking. I certainly feel lucky—and grateful—that you’re here!
The Problem With Las Vegas
When most travelers begin to plan a poker vacation, Las Vegas is the first (and, in many cases, only) place that comes to mind. On one hand, this is understandable. In addition to hosting some of the world’s best casinos, Las Vegas is an all-inclusive entertainment destination. The quality of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls is second-to-none, to say nothing of all the gorgeous desert scenery within a short drive of the Strip.
At the same time, Las Vegas’ golden reputation means that it’s always crowded, meaning that it can be hard to get a seat at any given poker table. Moreover, since so many skilled players come to Vegas, it can be hard to find your footing once you finally do join a game, particularly if you aren’t very confident, or simply haven’t played enough to craft your own strategy. Thankfully, many other cities in the world are perfect if you want to travel to play poker.
Three Ideas for Your Next Poker Vacation
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is a magnificent city not only for the picturesque old town surroundings timeless Edinburgh Castle, but also because it’s a great base for travel in Scotland. You can visit the city of Glasgow or the Loch Ness Monster on a day trip, while more distant destinations like the Isle of Skye are an easy weekend away.
For those looking to get lucky, Edinburgh is home to two poker rooms: Genting Fountain Park and the Grosvenor Casino. Since online poker is also legal in the UK, visitors to Edinburgh might also log on to PokerStars, where the pokerstars free money code offers a cash incentive you simply can’t get in physical poker rooms, as wonderful as their ambiance may be.
Rozvadov, Czech Republic
The quaint Czech city of Rozvadov is home to miles of walking trails and fairytale forests, but tourism here is limited—except when it comes to poker. This unassuming town actually boasts the biggest poker room in Europe: King’s Casino Rozvadov. To get here, take advantage of the casino’s dedicated service, which can quickly take you from Prague Airport to the German borderlands.
The games never stop at this 24-hour room. King’s Casino hosts daily tournaments for amateur players on poker vacations, with buy-ins ranging from €30 to €25,000. At certain times of the year, pros also get in on the action, from the German Championship of Poker (GCOP) to the week-long King’s Deepstack Series poker festival.
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is one of my favorite cities in the world—I hope to return there once Australia has opened back up. When I’m not having a stroll along the Yarra River in the heart of town, you can usually find me driving along the majestic Great Ocean Road.
Best Poker Vacation Destinations 2020
Australia’s second city also plays happens to host the best poker room on the continent, the Crown Melbourne. Here players on a poker vacation flock to try their luck at over 50 poker tables, mostly no-limit Hold ‘em with some Omaha variants thrown into the mix. Cash games and weekly tournaments are the main draws, but the Crown also hosts infamous annual tournaments like the Aussie Millions and the Victorian Poker Championship.
Macau: The Vegas of the East
Best Poker Vacation Destinations Vacations
A semi-autonomous Chinese territory just across the water from Hong Kong, Macau is to Asian gamers what Vegas is to poker players in the West. Like Vegas, Macau blends an interesting cityscape and landscape with first-rate casinos, great hotels and incredible shopping. Another interesting thing about visiting Macau is how multicultural it is. Since it was formerly a Portuguese colony, there’s a decidedly Latin flavor to its cuisine and architecture.
Regardless of which game you prefer to play, and whether or not you visit other poker destinations on this list, I do hope you’ll consider visiting Macau on your next trip to the Far East. It’s one of the most interesting and underrated places I’ve ever visited, precisely because it’s so much more than its casinos. Even better, you can easily come here on a day trip from Hong Kong (another one of my favorite places in the world).
The Bottom Line
I hope you’ve opened your mind to all the different forms a poker vacation can take. Which is not to say you should feel ashamed if you simply want to go to Las Vegas or Macau—quite the contrary. Instead, I want you to realize that as a poker-minded traveler, the entire world is your oyster, whether in Europe or the British Isles, or in Australia’s cosmopolitan second city. Before I leave you, I’ll end with a call to action: Have you ever traveled somewhere out-of-the-ordinary to play poker? Leave a comment below and tell me. Regardless of where you travel next, and whether or not you end up playing poker, I hope your trip is safe, happy and unforgettable!
informs, inspires, entertains and empowers travelers like you. My name is Robert and I'm happy you're here!