Aria Opens The Ivey Room, Its New High-Limit Poker Room

The ante just got higher at Aria at City Center. This Saturday, the newest casino on The Strip reveals its exclusive one-table high-limit room, The Ivey Room, named for Phil Ivey, the seven-time World Series of Poker Champion.

The room features a nine-seat table with direct player access to the main poker room’s cashier cage where guests can use one of 480 safety deposit boxes. The room features 24-hour table-side dining, complimentary beverage service, an overhead state-of-the-art music system and three 42-inch television monitors.

On Saturday, Ivey, who some consider the world’s best professional poker player, takes on invited poker players, celebrities and athletes in a $1 million VIP Poker Tournament. The group competes for the $250,000 first-place prize and an opportunity to earn $100,000 for knocking Ivey out of the event. The overall tournament winner will play in a heads-up match against Ivey with a shot at earning an additional $250,000.

Expect to see president and chief operating officer of Aria Bill McBeath; master of ceremonies Shannon Elizabeth; professional poker players Johnny Chan, Phil Laak, Erick Lindgren and Mike Sexton; actress and professional poker player Jennifer Tilly; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer; and boxer Winky Wright.

Ivey has won more than $10 million in tournament poker since 2000 and reached the final table of last year’s World Series of Poker main event, finishing seventh and winning more than $1.4 million. He owns seven World Series of Poker individual event champion bracelets, including two earned in 2009.

The red carpet takes place at 11:45 a.m. Saturday and the tournament starts at 1 p.m.

Photo by S. Frances.