Resorts World added some major energy to the north end of the Las Vegas Strip when the $4.3 property debuted in 2021. While it not only offers premium gambling options, world-class dining and three hotels with nearly 3,500 rooms In common, the property has also added premium status. poker room to the Strip at a time when other casino rooms around the city were closing their doors.
Director of Poker Operations Leon Wheeler has been at the hotel since June 2022 and brings to the position a long history in the game.
He grew up in Oklahoma, but his family moved to Las Vegas when he was in high school. After learning how to play poker from friends and developing a real passion for the game, he began a career in the industry that eventually led to him managing the fastest growing card room in the city.
Wheeler spoke with Card player About his career, his role at Resorts World Las Vegas, and what players can expect when they take a seat in the luxurious 29-table poker room.
Card Operator: I’ve been in the poker industry for a long time. Can you talk about how you got started?
Leon Wheeler: I grew up in Oklahoma until I was fifteen. We moved to Las Vegas my sophomore year of high school, and at that time only about 300,000 people lived here.
In 1985, I met this kid at the Bingu Palace gym. His stepdad played poker for a living, so they taught me to play at the kitchen table. I fell in love with her.
I started in 1991, dealing on the Gold Coast. Then we opened The Orleans in 1996, and I worked there until 2009 – my last job there was assistant poker room manager.
Then in 2009, we opened Aria and I was the shift manager there until 2015 when I went to Wynn. I helped open Resorts World as a shift manager in 2021, and when our manager transitioned, I took over the position.
CP: What are events like at Resorts World Las Vegas?
Left wing: We have 29 tables in our poker room, 25 on the main floor and two tables in a glass-enclosed room. We also get a salon about six or seven times a year that has two tables.
Of course, we have regular Hold’em games. We offer $1-$3, $2-$5 – all the games you might find elsewhere, but we also specialize in hybrid games. We have a big mixed game following here. We run a mix of $300-$600 daily, a mix of $80-160 almost every day, and a mix of $8-16 – each with a very large number of games.
CP: With big mix games like this, I imagine you see a lot of big name players emerge.
Left wing: In these two games, $300-600 and $80-160, there are probably 15 bracelet winners playing on a regular basis. Eli Eliezra is the staple here. John Monett and Erik Sagstrom play here a lot. Eric is pretty much the host of the game and brings everyone together to play.
CP: What’s so special about the poker room at Resorts World Las Vegas?
Left wing: It has a modern feel – all the chairs are brand new, all the tables are brand new. The software we use, PokerAtlas, is a little better than what others use. Not everyone has joined PokerAtlas yet, but that will change soon and everyone will have to catch up.
You can register directly in the application. You can check your companies balance on the app. It’s very intuitive and the software on the backend is great. There is nothing like it. We also offer excellent customer service and a highly skilled staff.
CP: What can players expect in terms of daily tournaments and promotions?
Left wing: We offer daily guarantee tournaments. Our $200 tournaments (12:05 PM) probably average 35-40 players per day and have a $5,000 guarantee. Our $160 overnight cycles average about the same price and have a $3,000 guarantee.
We also charge Wynn sometimes when they run certain events. We kind of cater to the low buy-in tournaments when they raise their tournaments. Having Wynn across the street is a plus, though, as it’s the right place to be right now. We feel as if the excess is passing through.
We also offer $1.50 per hour. I think our biggest promotion is that we don’t take money off tables with unnecessary promotions. We try to stay focused on poker only and provide an attractive environment to play.
We offer tableside dining service from Hawkers Row. It is a recreation of Thailand’s famous Hawkers Row and features 17 vendors offering a variety of options. We also have a kiosk in the room where players can order.
We offer group private events from time to time, and any type of poker event that clients want to bring to us, whether it’s charity events, bachelorette parties, things like that. It’s a modern playroom and people will miss out if they don’t check it out.
CP: Can you look at some of the major tournament series that the Card Room has hosted and what players can look forward to on the horizon?
Left wing: In November, we hosted a comeback North america poker tour With PokerStars. It was our first job and it was great. There were approximately 1,100 players in the main event and we easily beat our $1.5 million guarantee. Now we are planning our next trip Nabt For the month of November.
Having a good partner like PokerStars is really key and great to work with. Eventually, we could host the series twice a year, but I think that will be in the future. In fact, there may be more news about our partnership with PokerStars in the near future.
We hosted the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Gaming Festival (not affiliated with… Card Player Magazine) last November and we have another appointment from February 26th to 30th. It will open with the 8-or-better Omaha course and then conclude with the HORSE course.
We also have larger tournaments throughout the year. In March we run Atlas Poker Tour series. They are launching a nationwide tour and we will be debuting the tour in Vegas. We’ll have a $250 mystery bonus event with a $100,000 guarantee as the opener, and several $400 events that include tournaments like Omaha Eight or Better, and some sort of combination like 2-7 or Triple Draw. Then the main event will be a $1,100 buy-in with a big guarantee. We’re still working on the details but they’ll be coming soon.
We’re trying to get to a place where we become a regular stop for poker players. I think the key is to add events throughout the year. maybe Card player poker round Will he visit? Stay tuned.
CP: Managing a poker room is a truly unique task. What is your favorite part?
Left wing: My favorite part is the communication with the customers, and my relationship with the players. This is really true. I run the Twitter/X account and make sure we tweet tournament winners and stuff like that.
I’ve always been a people person and feel that customers deserve to see a card room manager on the floor – to say hello to people when they come in, and to make sure they’re appreciated when they’re here.
You can follow Wheeler on Twitter/X @Pkrboss1.
About the world of resorts
When Resorts World Las Vegas opened in 2021, it marked the first new resort on the legendary Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade. The property was developed on the site of the old Stardust, which was demolished in 2007.
The $4.3 billion property includes a 117,000-square-foot casino and a 59-story hotel featuring three distinct hotels. The Las Vegas Hilton, Conrad Las Vegas and Crockfords Las Vegas hotels have approximately 3,500 total rooms.
The casino floor has 1,400 slot machines, 117 table games and of course the poker room.
In addition to gaming, the hotel offers plenty of other world-class entertainment options, with the 5,000-capacity Resorts World Theater, Zouk Nightclub, and Ayu Beach House. There are also more than 50 places to eat and drink on site.
For more information about Resorts World Las Vegas, Check out the official website here. ♠
