Las Vegas Advisor: Poker rooms making a return to 2 casinos

After several years of poker rooms disappearing, two Strip casinos that had seemingly closed theirs for good are bringing them back. Planet Hollywood, which closed its poker room in 2021, is opening a room on the second floor in the space that formerly housed the London Club in the old Aladdin. Caesars Palace closed its poker room next to the sports book last year, turning the space into a high-limit slots area. That will remain, but a temporary poker room is going into a new space near the main casino, pending the build-out of a permanent room. Both will be operating in time for the World Series of Poker that begins at the end of this month.

Buffet down: The Fresh Buffet at the Westgate has closed permanently. It’s the second to close this year, following The Buffet at Luxor. That leaves only 11 major casino buffets in Las Vegas, where there used to be more than 40. No plans for the Westgate buffet room have been announced.

Downtown Rocks: The Downtown Rocks free concert series begins this month, with several weekend dates running through September. This year’s lineup includes Jet and Alien Ant Farm (May 25); Buckcherry (June 7), Robin Thicke (June 21) and Candlebox (Sept. 6). All shows take place on the Fremont Street Experience stages.

Mad Hatter: Shady Grove Lounge at Silverton transforms into the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. The Alice in Wonderland-themed pop-up bar will run through May 31.

Question: I like to save my spare change to gamble with in Las Vegas. Do any casinos change large quantities of coins for free?

Answer: Different casinos have done this as a promotion, but it’s rare. Currently, you can change coins for free at Silver Sevens, located on Flamingo, about three miles east of the Strip.

For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.