Located in the downtown area on Fremont Street, this casino is true Vintage Vegas, because it was built in 1946, the same year the original Pink Flamingo opened. It is one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas. It is styled after the old Golden Nugget Saloon of San Francisco, in the Barbary Coast section which catered to the crowds drawn by California’s Gold Rush. So the Nugget’s facade evokes the riverboats, paddlewheel-boats, and elaborate saloons of the 1800s.
Here it is on Google Maps.

Golden Nugget Poker

The 13-table poker room is a favorite of veteran players — and was where recent TV shows such as Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker held their games. The Nugget’s reputation for poker is well-established because they’ve had poker since the casino first opened — although players acted as their own dealers for the first few years. The Golden Nugget was the first casino to have a house dealer.

Currently they hold 4 daily tournaments:
11am & 7pm: Buyin $65 for 10k in chips. 20-minute levels.
3pm & 10pm: Buyin $50 for 5k in chips. 20-minute levels.
Sundays have a Special Tournament with a $5,000 Guaranteed prize pool. It begins 11am with a Buyin of $125 for 15k in chips.

Blackjack: The casino offers 3-2 blackjack at 2- and 6-deck tables, nice for serious players. Also well respected is the sports book, where the giant video wall is supplemented by a TV video screen at every single seat. And the Nugget has its own radio broadcast show, called the Friday Football Showdown, on ESPN Radio. This plays at 1100 AM or 100.9 FM.

The Tank and The Shark Chute

On lists of the most amazing pools in the world, the Nugget’s comes in at No. 8. They call it The Tank. It’s a $30 million, multi-level outdoor complex. In the middle is a transparent, 200,000-gallon shark tank with 5 different species of live sharks and other exotic fish. The Shark Chute is a slide for humans, which runs through the Shark Tank. It’s an amazing thrill feature.

Good Things to Note: The Golden Nugget has a certain number of rooms where pets are permitted; you may call 1-800-634-3454 for information and rates. These rooms must be reserved in advance. Service animals are of course also permitted.

Golfers can book tee times for several courses on or near the Strip — Bali Hai Golf Club, Royal Links Golf Club, or Las Vegas National Golf Club.

Parking is free, and the hotel has its own parking garage. Wireless Internet is included in the resort fee, which is $20+tax/night. The resort fee also covers access for 2 to the Fitness Center, 2 bottled waters, parking, and printing of airline boarding passes. There is a 10% discount for AAA, AARP, active military or federal government employees.

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