Planet Hollywood’s Pleasure Pit Poker Room Bids Las Vegas Adieu

Rumors quickly turn into fact as social media outpouring confirms that Planet Hollywood is indeed shutting down its poker room.

Pandemic Forces Iconic Cardrooms on Permanent Shutdown 

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced most entertainment businesses to shut down in early 2020, casinos in the heart of the Nevadan desert included, many speculated about the impact the decision would have on the economy. While the economic repercussions of the series of global shutdowns are finally being overcome, some businesses have not been able to recover from the pandemic, deciding to shed what were previously important assets.

One such business is Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, which is reportedly getting rid of its poker room, better known as the Pleasure Pit, a rather ironic name given its setup and the fact that players either love or hate it. The report was confirmed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Vital Vegas, two publications from the very heart of the Silver State.

What seemed as speculation at first quickly shaped up as fact. Following Vital Vegas’ Tweet on June 30, one Chris Mudd wrote in response to the publication: “Yep, I work there. I mean used to work there. CLOSED.”

Not everyone had regret about the Pleasure Pit shutting down, though. One Twitter user going by David Maudlin argued that Planet Hollywood’s room was the “worst-run” in Las Vegas and offered the least appealing poker options.

A Cardroom to Remember 

The room wasn’t enjoyed by everyone because it was using an open layout where it was placed directly on the gaming floor, close to the hubbub of everyday gamblers enjoying other aspects of the gaming experience. Yet, the Pleasure Pit did see some interesting events hosted. In 2019, it hosted the WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood, which was actually its last major tournament. The card room’s Twitter account went dark in October 2020 and, even though it seemingly had an event scheduled for later this year, this will most likely not be happening now.

The Pleasure Pit is not the only property to have felt the impact of the pandemic, though, with four others shutting doors previously. All Binion’s, Excalibur, Mirage, and Mandalay Bay had to shut down their card rooms to offload assets that may not generally have the best pace of recovery.

Some Twitter users even suggested that they didn’t see the point of having poker reinstated and that it was usually the worst segment for many casinos to maintain.