The Poker Palace name is gone and so is the poker room at the North Las Vegas casino.
Reno-based Truckee Gaming bought the Poker Palace in October for $20 million and closed it to remodel the casino, which will be renamed Club Fortune.
Truckee Gaming CEO Ferenc Szony told the Review-Journal on Monday that he expects the renovated casino to reopen in mid-April without a poker room and table games.
“Poker and live tables will not be there when they open,” he said. “With staffing and some of the other things going on to get it open and get it going, we won’t have live games at this stage.”
But he said that could change in the future, based on market demand.
“We definitely got licensed for it,” Szony said. “We’ll see. If the market wants it and demands it, we can always add it.”
The Poker Palace opened in 1974 on Las Vegas Boulevard North, near Nellis Air Force Base.
Truckee Gaming, which operates several casinos in northern Nevada and one in Henderson, also called Club Fortune, is making a big investment in the transformation of the Poker Palace. The plans include new slots and gaming systems, a redesigned bar, expanded restaurant and kitchen space, modernized restrooms and a complete exterior and interior remodel.
“It’s going to be quite a transition from what Poker Palace looked and felt like in its era to what we’re doing now,” Szony said. “It should have a lot more of the look and feel of what we do in Henderson at our Club Fortune operation there. Just give it a more modern look.”
The renovated casino will also feature a racetrack and sportsbook operated by Boomer’s Sportsbook, founded by Sports Betting Hall of Famer Joe Asher.
“Joe will have his book in there not only with sports but also with horses,” Szony said. “Horse racing had been on the property for a long time, and we will continue with that.”
He said his company is excited to be in North Las Vegas.
“We were in Henderson for quite some time looking for the right opportunities in the Greater Las Vegas area,” he said. “North Las Vegas is coming up on people’s radars. So we were excited to be a part of that.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ theplayerlounge.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
