The first-ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) on the Vegas Strip is now underway. The WSOP will continue through its Wednesday, July 20.
WSOP moved from its previous home for 17 years at Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino this year. The event will take place inside Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s.
Bally’s is currently being renovated to become Horseshoe Las Vegas. Not coincidentally, WSOP used to take place at Binion’s Horseshoe casino in downtown Las Vegas before moving to Rio.
Vanderpump rules WSOP 2022 opening ceremony
Lisa Vanderpump kicked off the 2022 WSOP. She gave the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal” announcement at the $500 buy-in Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em tournament at Paris.
After the announcement, Vanderpump took a seat in the event with more than 460 other players.
Vanderpump was introduced to the masses on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She helms a restaurant empire with more than 35 venues around the country.
Her newest restaurant in Las Vegas is Vanderpump A Paris, which is conveniently located inside the casino near the ballrooms housing the WSOP. The very popular Vanderpump Cocktail Garden is located across the street inside Caesars Palace.
This year WSOP is introducing new events and also making sure to play low buy-in tournaments with high payouts on the weekends so tourists can plan a visit to Las Vegas and participate without missing work. This should help to increase attendance which has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
WSOP 2022 moves to a new venue
WSOP will be taking place on the Vegas Strip for the first time. The events are split between Paris and Bally’s.
Caesars owns WSOP and the two casinos. Renovations inside Paris started last year. The casino has a slew of new restaurants including Vanderpump A Paris and a new location of Nobu. The Bedford by Martha Stewart will open soon.
The Bally’s makeover is taking shape right now. The property will become Horseshoe Las Vegas by the end of the year.
Jack Binion Steak will open at Bally’s this month. M.Y. Asia by Martin Yang will open after WSOP is completed. More new venues will continue to open throughout the year.
Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of the property says:
“At Horseshoe, it’s all about the gambler. Since 1951 Horseshoe Casinos have been home to the best odds, highest limits, and biggest jackpots. So, it’s fitting that we bring Horseshoe back to Las Vegas, and right on the Las Vegas Strip.”
To this point, the sportsbooks at both casinos are being refreshed. Bally’s casino floor will eventually have a new look entirely.
The transformation of Bally’s into Horseshoe Las Vegas will take place all year. Expect a little confusion as the names will be used together and separately.
WSOP announcers Lon McEachern and Norman Chad offer a tour of Paris and Bally’s for anyone visiting Las Vegas for the event.
Parking at WSOP 2022
One major change that comes along with the Vegas Strip is paying to park. Unlike its previous home at Rio, there is no free parking available on-site for all players.
Self-parking fees start at $15 for 1-3 hours and increase to $18 for 24 hours every day. Hotel guests have to pay the self-parking fee. Locals must pay to park if they’re at Bally’s or Paris for more than three hours.
Any player at the Platinum tier of Caesars Rewards will receive complimentary self-parking. Diamond tier members and above receive complimentary self-parking and valet.
Players at WSOP can sign up for the new Caesars Rewards credit card to receive Platinum tier status and complimentary self-parking.
There are some casinos on the Vegas Strip that don’t charge for parking but they’re a bit of a walk. Some money may be saved by parking elsewhere on the Vegas Strip and taking a monorail but that will just reduce the expense and add time to the commute. That said, when there’s a will there’s a way.
Dealers sharing rooms
Businesses all around the country have been dealing with worker shortages for the past year or so. Caesars and WSOP are no different.
This year Caesars had to increase salaries for WSOP dealers. Thanks to an aggressive push, Caesars was able to recruit 1,000 dealers for the event this year.
According to Vegas Inc., WSOP dealers can make as much as $50 per hour this year.
“Officials also increased the base pay for dealers to $12.50 an hour, up from $9.75 an hour. Additionally, dealers earn $15 per down — a 30-minute shift at a table — for hold’em-only bracelet events. Non-hold-em bracelet events — games such as Omaha — pay $20 per down. That means dealers can earn up to $50 an hour, and that’s before tips.”
In addition to increasing pay, Caesars procured hotel rooms back at Rio All-Suites for dealers. There are about 300 dealers spending $30 per night to stay at the old home of WSOP.
Some of those dealers are sharing suites to save on costs. Rio is about a five-minute drive to Bally’s and Paris.
