Poker News

Card Room Round-Up: The Sahara Hotel & Casino
by Joseph Smith filed under Card Rooms on 2006-01-19 [Originally appeared in the January 9, 2006 issue of Poker Player]

Sahara Casino in Las Vegas, NV

The Sahara Hotel & Casino

2535 Las Vegas Blvd South

Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

Telephone: 702.791.2027

Reservations toll free: 888.969.2121

Sahara Website

The Sahara Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip has a history that goes all the way back to the early fifties. October, 1952 to be exact. The Las Vegas Strip landmark recently celebrated its Fiftieth birthday. The original Las Vegas Sahara Resort opened in 1952 with the name, ?Jewel of the Desert,? but soon became the Sahara Hotel and Casino. I only go back to the days of the Del Webb ownership of the Sahara, when Dell Webb Corporation owned the downtown Mint Hotel and the upscale Sahara Hotel on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip. For those that don?t know the old Mint Hotel now makes up most of Binion?s, formerly Binion?s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. One of my long-ago friends worked a shift for free at the Mint in hopes of getting hired as a craps dealer. He got hired and after a few months at the Mint he was called up to big leagues as a craps dealer at the Sahara. The Sahara was one of those ?in? places on the strip and had a co-starring role in the original ?Ocean?s Eleven? rat pack movie.

The modern version of the Sahara Hotel and Casino finds a central strip resort that has grown into a 1750 room full-service property. The Sahara is now the northern most stop on the Las Vegas monorail. An extreme thrill roller coaster was added when the property was renovated. The modernization project was accomplished without the Sahara losing that Las Vegas golden era feel. In the casino are long rows of sparkling cut crystal chandeliers hanging above the gaming tables, ornate Middle East architectural and dark, rich wood paneling are a reminder of the romantic Arabian nights history of the resort.

The Sahara Poker Room has a history that includes every big name poker player and masses of players not so well known. The room was always crowded with every level of player from the $2 stud game rocks to the adrenalin junkies playing monster pot-limit and no-limit game. A trip to the Sahara Poker Room was a sure bet of seeing celebrities and pros playing poker and making history.

Today?s Sahara Poker Room continues to provide players with the same great games they are known for. Sixteen tables are currently available for the live action games and the three per day NLHE tournaments. Sahara poker operations are managed by Fred Masters, a veteran of 35 years in the poker industry (Fred worked at the Circus-Circus poker room and remembers when the C-C spread $2 six card stud). I learned that the Sahara Poker Room recently added two tables to handle the crowds of players that come for the cash games and the tournaments. The Sahara regularly spreads $2-$4, $4-$8 limit-hold?em and $1-$2 No-limit Hold?em with a $100-$500 buy-in. Enough players to make up a game and the room will spread almost any poker game or limit.

The Sahara is known for its three times daily No-limit Hold?em tournaments. Offered at 11:00AM, 7:00PM and 11:00PM, the events often sell out with two hundred players signing up. All the tournaments share an identical structure with a $40 buy-in, an optional $2 add-on and one optional $20 rebuy the first hour. The Sahara?s four shift managers are trained, experienced Tournament Directors that keep things running smoothly and provide the tournament player with an enjoyable, fun playing experience. The popularity of the tournaments provides a good mix of tourist and locals alike, making the events a great place to gain no-limit hold?em experience with a small bank, and when you place in the money the large starting fields will provide a nice payday. The Sahara?s NLHE tournaments have become so popular that the room will be adding additional tables in the near future.

The Sahara Poker Room is continually running promotions to the benefit of the players with clothing, food and cash awards being the usual swag. Players receive a $4 food comp good at any of the Sahara?s food outlets after three hours of play. Guest of the hotel receives a casino rate for their accommodations after three hours of poker room play. The poker room is conveniently located on the strip side of the property a few short steps from the parking garage entered from Las Vegas Blvd. The central location in the casino provides a great location to people watch from the tables and food is available just across the corridor.

The Sahara Hotel is one of the only remaining properties from the early days of Las Vegas that has been renovated and maintained. Guests can experience and enjoy the ambience, atmosphere and service of an original. The poker room offers all levels of poker players a comfortable, friendly place to play on the Las Vegas Strip. The tournaments are some of the most popular lower limit NLHE contest in town. Stop by the Sahara and enjoy some of the historic hospitality and great poker. Telephone the Sahara Poker Room direct at 702.737.2317.

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