Las Vegas, as well as the entire state of Nevada, have been returning to life slowly after the three-month-long coronavirus shutdown. The properties are reopening their doors to visitors, and that also means many will return to poker rooms as well.
Three additional poker rooms are now available to Vegas visitors — Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and Sahara.
The Director of Poker Operations at Bellagio, Mike Williams, tweeted on Wednesday night that the poker room in the property would be back in business. He said that there would be a total of 23 tables for playing cash games, and they will remain open 24/7.
The Bellagio will officially become the second casino on the Strip to start offering poker games once again. The first one to do it was The Venetian, which opened its room on June 5 — one day after the Nevada Gaming Control Board gave the green reopening light.
All poker tables will accept up to five players. This is far from ideal, but it’s much better than the original proposal by the NGCB, which suggested that up to four players can sit at a table. Many live poker players did not like this fact, claiming that poker is not as entertaining as when the table is full.
When there are no social distancing guidelines in place, poker players can usually host up to 10 players. However, it’s still dangerous to allow the maximum number do to the coronavirus pandemic that’s currently very active in the world.
Many Casinos Still Closed, Will Open Soon
Although some of the casinos opened their doors to visitors, a lot of them are still closed. Many of these properties are late because they’re taking their time to come up with a detailed safety and health plan that would ensure all players and staff are protected.
One of the first properties to reopen is The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay, which scheduled the grand reopening for June 25. The next ones in line are Four Seasons Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay, and ARIA Resort & Casino.
All of these properties announced that they would reopen on July 1. Their primary goal is to reopen before the weekend on the Fourth of July.
The NGBC Makes a Statement About Face Masks
The Nevada Gaming Control Board suggested that players should wear face masks while inside casinos. However, it seems that many visitors did not care about this and were seen with no protection at all. That’s why the NGBC had to respond with new measures.
It is decided that all people who visit casinos to play card and table games must wear masks all the time while inside the property. Poker rooms are not an exception to the rule, so you have to wear your mask if you want to play poker in Las Vegas.
Even the table games that have a barrier or shield between players will require them to wear masks as an additional layer of protection. Many casinos installed plexiglass shields to ensure maximum safety.
Finally, every casino visitor that asks the casino staff for a mask should be able to get one. Moreover, casino staff must instruct them on how to wear a mask properly while inside the property. Everyone who sits at a table or is at least six feet near the table will be required to wear a face mask as a precaution.
On the other hand, casino guests who play slots will not have to wear a mask. However, they’ll still have to adhere to some of the social distancing guidelines.