In spite of all the poker action happening the past few months, a lot of poker enthusiasts still long for live poker games and the different feel it brought to the overall experience. With the effects of the current global health crisis coming totally unexpected, live poker operators continue to struggle to bounce back from the massive impact the situation brought to its usual operations. The past ten months have significantly slowed down live poker all across the world with a few poker rooms reopening their doors most recently while putting in effect necessary health protocols and guidelines.
King’s Casino reopening next week
One of the largest poker rooms in the world, King’s Casino, first reopened its doors last May 11th after shutting down when the pandemic broke out earlier in March. Not long after, the 160-table poker room was forced to close back down this October due to new government restrictions. Eager to resume operations, the recent home of the WSOPE is set to make its second reopening this November 30.
‼️ BREAKING NEWS: King’s opens November 30th! ‼️
King’s Resort will reopen on November 30th at 6:00am. Enjoy Poker Cash Games, live games like Roulette and Black Jack, and Slots. Enjoy a meal at the Radimský, stay at the hotel and relax in the wellness center 😎🤩🥳 pic.twitter.com/klVCd6HzPQ
— King’s Resort (@PokerroomKings) November 23, 2020
While many casinos have suffered great losses this year, King’s Casino is hoping to end its crazy year with a bang. The highly awaited 2020 WSOP Main Event happening in December is taking its international segment for a live final table play at the said casino. The Final 9 which will play down to a winner to compete for the World Champion title is tentatively scheduled to begin on December 15th. Hoping that all goes well and travel restrictions aside, all eyes will be on the exciting event hosted by the renowned casino in a couple of weeks.
With Covid-19 rates in Czech Republic seeing a downtrend, restrictions are slowly easing with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš confirming that some lockdown measures will be relaxed. To date, Czech Republic stands to be the 8th most affected state in the EU, with about 746 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents. A previous notice issued by King’s Resort likewise mentioned that “highest hygiene standards will be implemented, such as hand sanitizers for the guests and frequent disinfection of all areas” in efforts to protect public health. Social distancing, wearing of face masks and other safety measures will also be strictly enforced to keep a possible spread of the virus at bay.
Bobby’s Room renamed Legends Room
Located in the Bellagio Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the famed high stakes poker room has recently seen a surprising change in what might seem as a minute detail to some. Known to poker fans as Bobby’s Room for decades, the home to the biggest poker games is now named Legends Room.
The fuck it has. I’m absolutely not gonna start calling it the legends room.
— Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) November 25, 2020
A bit of history, the room was initially named after four-time WSOP bracelet winner Bobby Baldwin, who won the Main Event back in 1978 at 28 years old, the youngest champion at that time. Sticking around Las Vegas after his impressive win, Baldwin went on to build a career in gaming. He started as a consultant for the Golden Nugget in 1982 and rose up to become its president just two years later. Baldwin later on moved to become president of The Mirage and eventually, president of MGM Resorts in 1998 following a merger. Continuously moving up, Baldwin was appointed CEO by the year 2000.
By late 2018 however, Baldwin made public a decision to leave MGM Resorts as Chief Customer Development Officer of MGM and CEO and President of CityCenter and just a year later, was reported to have been named CEO of Drew Las Vegas, a casino scheduled to open in 2022.
While news of the change is deduced to be an effect of the Poker Hall of Famer leaving the company, the reason remains a mystery. Originally, Bellagio said it would keep the name Bobby’s Room in recognition for one of the most iconic faces in Vegas gaming despite his departure from MGM. With everything going on from the Covid-19 pandemic, major online festivals and live poker updates, somewhere in between something changed with the renaming going fairly unnoticed. Nonetheless, Baldwin’s name as well as the now-called Legends Room will continue to be remembered and honored for its key contributions in poker history.
