Aria Poker Room in Las Vegas is one of four nominees for Fans Choice - Best Poker Room at the upcoming 2024 Global Poker Awards.
Aria is the only Las Vegas poker room among the nominees. The "Fans Choice" portion of the award title stems from the fact that four rooms in contention were decided by public vote.
The Global Poker Awards put four categories in the hands of the fans this year, including the Best Poker Room award. Voters from around the world could write in any poker room.
The top four vote-getters are the final four nominees for the award. That list includes:
- Aria Las Vegas
- Asia Poker Arena
- King's Resort Rozvadov
- Playground Montreal
Aria has some tough competition in this category, as it does while residing among some of the world's most well-known poker venues in Las Vegas.
Is Aria Las Vegas the world's top live poker room? PokerOrg asked a few players why that may (or may not) be true, and we also spoke with Aria Director of Poker Operations Ryan Kirk.
'A+ atmosphere'
The Aria Poker Room has 24 tables and consistently draws some of the highest player traffic of any Las Vegas room.
There are bigger poker rooms in Las Vegas in terms of number of tables, including Venetian (50 tables), Bellagio (37), Orleans (34), South Point (30), Wynn Las Vegas (28), and MGM Grand (25).
Cash games generally run eight-handed at Aria, and on any given night, you'll find the following games running:
- $1/$3 No-Limit Hold'em
- $2/$5 No-Limit Hold'em
- $5/$10 No-Limit Hold'em
- $1/$2 Pot-Limit Omaha
During the evenings and on weekends, you'll often see higher stakes than this running for both No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha.
Aria also hosts some of the highest-stakes private cash games in the city. Benton Blakeman, a poker pro who regularly plays private No-Limit Hold'em games at $10/$20 stakes and higher, told PokerOrg that Aria is his go-to for private games in Las Vegas.
"I play private games at Bellagio (Bobby’s Room) and Aria," Blakeman said. "The level of service is great at both. But Aria has more great restaurants to choose from, and they are crazy fair on the rake. It’s truly A+ for the private game atmosphere for me."
While Las Vegas is home to more than 15 live poker rooms, players at Blakeman's level can generally only find $10/$20 stakes and above at Aria, Bellagio, or Wynn.
Players looking for stakes of $5/10 and below can always find plenty of games at those three properties as well.
'Great variety'
David Thompson, an Indiana resident who frequently travels to Las Vegas to play poker, contends that Aria truly is the best overall live poker venue.
"It has a good variety of games and stakes," Thompson said. "It’s well run, and the dealers are generally quite good. It’s comfortable and has a pleasant atmosphere."
Thompson went on to give more detail on why he thinks Aria beats out Bellagio and Wynn.
"Bellagio has a great variety of games, but it’s a bit too crowded and a bit less comfortable than Aria in my opinion," Thompson said. "Also, the location of the room inside Bellagio isn’t quite as good."
"Wynn is the nicest room aesthetically in my opinion, and it’s extremely well run. The variety of games isn’t quite as good, though, and the location (both of the room and the casino) also isn’t as good."
Several other players we spoke with agreed with Thompson on the comfort, service, and general atmosphere offered at Aria. Other players lauded Aria as the poker room with the best comps in town.
A near-consensus choice
Of the six players we talked to, five named Aria as their favorite Las Vegas poker room, while one said Wynn and Aria were tied for the No. 1 spot.
Las Vegas resident Dan Spargur plays around 20 hours per week, and most of that time is spent at Aria.
"I live in Las Vegas and can play anywhere I want, and I choose to play 90 percent of my poker at Aria," Spargur said. "For me, the main reason is the staff. From chip runners to dealers, floor people, shift supervisors, and management, they are top-notch across the board."
"They do a really good job of hiring and not just for technical skills, but they hire people who make the customers want to be there. There are other rooms in Vegas, where it's just the opposite; it seems they don't care if you play there or not."
A worldwide destination
Aria's Director of Poker Operations Ryan Kirk leads the team that operates one of the busiest poker rooms in the busiest poker city in the world.
"Our team embraces the understanding that the Aria Poker Room is more than just a poker room; it’s a destination for players around the globe as well as a home for our everyday guests," Kirk said. "There is a privilege in the pressure of operating in such a high-profile environment with every room pushing the other to enhance the guest experience.
The implications of finishing among the final four nominees for an award decided by the fans aren't lost on Kirk.
"Undoubtedly, guest experience resonated in the minds of the voters when it came time to make their choice," Kirk said. "Whether you are catching a glimpse of our beautiful gold card walls for the first time, sneaking a peek at who is playing behind the glass doors of Table One, or checking out the high-stakes action in the PokerGO Studio, there is a sense of awe and wonder surrounding the Aria Poker Room that is unparalleled."
Want to sound off on the topic? Check out our Ask the Org question: What is the best poker room in the world?
