Hard Rock Opens New Poker Lounge

Looking for a new place to play cards? Well, as part of its current expansion, the Hard Rock Hotel has just unveiled its new poker lounge to the public.

The 7,000-sq-ft gaming room is located across from the yummy Pink Taco restaurant, and features 18 well-spaced out tables, including five private, high-limit tables.  But the $30-million spent on the space didn’t just go to make this just another plush poker room.

One of the best new features of this poker room is the installation of the Genesis Reservation System, which is a completely automated reservation system that will text message players anywhere on property when a seat is available for them. How cool is that?

Once inside, you’ll notice the Hard Rock poker lounge has a bar in it, along with a sportsbook kiosk with a dedicated runner who will take sports wagers while you play your cards. And that’s not all. There is an all-female VIP host staff on-call, along with certified RockSpa masseuses and a full menu of food options available 24-hours a day for players.

About the only thing you need to leave the table for is going to the bathroom, and there are actually mens and womens facilities within the poker lounge – no more having to walk through half the casino leaving your spot to get cold, while  you, um…relieve yourself.

Need a break of a different kind? The room contains an area with high-limit slots and video poker machines. Or you can take advantage of special poker lounge comps including concert tickets and backstage passes for exclusive performances at The Joint, Hard Rock’s concert venue, as well as poolside cabanas for Hard Rock’s signature Sunday afternoon pool-party, Rehab.

If you need a private room for a more high-roller intimate experience, the Hard Rock poker lounge has that, too, and theirs are complete with large-screen TVs, iPod docks and bottle service at the table. Win big and the poker lounge even has safety deposit boxes right there for guests to use.

The Hard Rock Poker Lounge will reportedly offer any game, any limit, at any time. However, the lounge will also feature limit and no-limit hold’em cash games on an ongoing basis. The game stakes offered will include $2-$4, $4-$8, and $8-$16 limit hold’em with a kill or no kill, and no-limit hold’em with $1-$2 blinds ($200 minimum-no cap buy-in), $5-$10 blinds ($500 minimum-no cap buy-in), and $25-$50 blinds ($2,500 minimum-no cap buy-in).

The lounge will also run three daily $100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournaments, as well as around-the-clock sit-and-go tournaments with a variety of buy-ins. Representatives also say they will offer free lessons, but had no information to give on exact times for those.

“We have brought in world-renown poker managers, dealers and players in the industry including Houston Waldie, Jimmy Miller, Steven Braverman and Blaine Goodwin to kick off the only Poker Lounge in the city,” said legendary casino host Steve Cyr, Hard Rock’s Poker Lounge marketing manager. “Hard Rock likes to push the envelope when it comes to entertainment, so the Lounge will be no different.”

For more information on this new poker lounge, including a list of weekly tournaments, visit hardrockhotel.com.

View more photos below the fold…

[all photos courtesy of the Hard Rock Hotel]