Reno-based Truckee Gaming has retired the Poker Palace name and closed the property’s poker room as it prepares to relaunch the North Las Vegas casino under a new brand.
The company acquired the Poker Palace in October for $20 million and is renovating the site before reopening it as Club Fortune. The property is located on Las Vegas Boulevard North near Nellis Air Force Base.
CEO Ferenc Szony said that the renovated casino is expected to reopen in mid-April without a poker room or table games.
“Poker and live tables will not be there on opening,” he told Las Vegas Review-Journal. “With staffing and some of the other things that go on to get it open and get it going, we’re not going to have live games at this stage.”
Szony said the company has obtained licensing for live table games, leaving open the option to introduce them later.
“We definitely got licensed for it,” Szony said. “We’ll see. If the market wants it and demands it, we can always add it.”
Renovation plans and brand alignment
The Poker Palace first opened in 1974. Truckee Gaming is carrying out a full renovation that includes new slot machines and gaming systems, a redesigned bar, expanded restaurant and kitchen space, updated restrooms, and a complete interior and exterior remodel.
“It’s going to be quite a transition from what the Poker Palace looked and felt like during its era to what we’re doing,” Szony said. “It should have much more of a look and feel to what we do in Henderson at our Club Fortune operation there. Just bring it to a more contemporary look and feel.”
Truckee Gaming operates several casinos in Northern Nevada and a separate Club Fortune property in Henderson. The North Las Vegas venue will adopt the same Club Fortune branding used at the Henderson location.
Sportsbook partnership and horse racing continuity
The revamped property will include a race and sportsbook operated by Boomer’s Sportsbook, founded by Joe Asher, a Sports Betting Hall of Famer.
“Joe will have his book in there not only with sports but with horses, too,” Szony said. “Horse racing had been at the property for a long time, and we’ll continue with that.”
Szony said the acquisition aligns with the company’s interest in expanding within the Las Vegas market.
“We were in Henderson for quite some time and were looking for the right opportunities in the Greater Las Vegas area,” he said. “North Las Vegas is getting on people’s radars. So we were enthused about being a part of it.”