The M Resort in Las Vegas shuttered its poker room this weekend, becoming the second casino to do so in the past week. As those familiar with poker might expect, the decision is purely financial, as the space will become home to slot machines that will be used for tournament play.
Rina Foster, a casino spokeswoman, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Currently tournaments are held in a ballroom and with the new area, guests will be able to play on our floor with better access to our amenities and easy access to self-parking.”
The poker room still needs to be reconfigured and Foster did not have an estimate of how many slot machines will be moved to the space. Also moving will be M Resort employees who lost their jobs in the poker room closure. Foster did say that those members of the staff who saw their jobs disappear were offered new positions, but she did not know how many have actually accepted the new roles.
The M Resort is a well-regarded “boutique” hotel and casino in Henderson. While it is on Las Vegas Boulevard, it is very far away from the busy Las Vegas Strip, positioned about 8.5 miles south of Mandalay Bay. Largely a locals’ casino, its location puts it near some affluent neighborhoods.
Slot and video poker tournaments tend to attract locals; according to the Review-Journal, M Resort’s tournaments average 800 players. The next tournament is slated for the end of the month.
Reaction in the poker community is one of disappointment, but not shock. “Not surprised,” said one poster on Two Plus Two. “The M is so far away from the rest of the action it may as well be in another state. For a tourist it’s too far away to get to without a car rental, which most of us forgo anyway.”
“Shame. I stayed and played at M last year and loved the property. The room was pretty quiet but decent. They seemed to be losing even more traffic since then,” wrote another.
“I liked the room… I love the casino. well laid out and beautiful to look at, but I never played there. Limit will have that effect on a room. with rooms like SP barely getting enough action and other rooms like Orleans, Red Rock and Green Valley getting most of the “locals” action, this is no surprise.”
Interestingly, the M Resort will continue to hold poker tournaments at the casino, despite the lack of a poker room. Last June, the casino served as host to the $2,500 Hollywood Poker Open, which drew 631 players and featured a prize pool of more than $1.4 million.
Last week, Atlantic City’s Revel Casino announced that it will be closing its poker room this month, saying that it was “an effort to further improve the overall operating performance” of the property.
