Horseshoe hotel and casino opens on the Las Vegas Strip: Travel Weekly

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Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally's) is honoring the moniker's past, celebrating new amenities and looking ahead to again hosting the World Series of Poker.

Jack Binion, son of gambler and Las Vegas casino legend Benny Binion, who opened the original Horseshoe downtown in 1951, was on hand for the grand opening. The Horseshoe brand has been absent since the original Binion's Horseshoe was bought by Harrah's (now Caesars Entertainment) and renamed Binion's Gambling Hall in 2005.

"Having Jack Binion here to help us celebrate the grand opening was special," said Jason Gregorec, senior vice president and general manager of the property. "He and his family have been the founders and really developed the brand."

That historical brand means "making it right for the gambler and family-style service," Gregorec said.

Jack Binion presented a special horseshoe from his family's ranch to the leadership of Caesars Entertainment, which now operates 10 Horseshoe properties throughout North America.

The celebration marked the end of a yearlong transition of the property, itself a landmark with several different names and owners on the Las Vegas Strip and Flamingo Road since it opened in 1973.

"We wanted to make sure that we didn't disrupt too much for our guests," Gregorec said. "So we went in phases as we completed the renovations of the carpet and the walls and the lighting and the paint and finishes to ensure that it wasn't too disruptive. We wanted to make sure we get it completed before the World Series of Poker [scheduled for May 30 to July 18]."

What's new

The sleek, three-sided, 180-foot-tall marquee topped by a horseshoe is the first addition that guests will notice.

Once inside, longtime visitors to the property will notice a reimagined casino floor with a better configuration, additional and new slot machines and more comfortable table games, Gregorec said. New design elements include tooled leather, dramatic colors and gold horseshoe iconography throughout the casino floor and public areas.

The first World Series of Poker Hall of Fame Poker Room, adjacent to the resort's front entrance near the Lobby Bar, offers 18 poker tables with refreshed furniture and equipment. The 4,900-square-foot space will also honor the sport's most famous players with a permanent Hall of Fame exhibit in the coming months.

"Horseshoe is recognized for the creation of the World Series of Poker, and it's the richest, most prestigious and longest-running poker series. To rebrand our poker room to the WSOP really embodies how we value the WSOP and how important it is for our brand and the business," Gregorec said.

Providing entertainment for all ages and skill levels, the 7,000-square-foot Arcade has 80 games, with Skee-Ball, air hockey, Rock the Rim and a claw machine. Virtual reality games include "King Kong" and "Mission Impossible."

New dining

With warm wood features, polished stainless steel, rich leathers and vintage photographs on the wall, Jack Binion's Steak offers selections from Black Angus corn-fed cattle aged for 28 days.

Also on the menu are oysters Rockefeller, a shrimp cocktail featuring jumbo prawns, rotisserie chicken with barbecue beans and a 24-ounce "Jack's Cut" slow-roasted prime rib. The Colossal Seafood Tower has six types of crab, including merus king crab legs, with bluepoint oysters and Maine lobster tail.

James Beard award-winner and celebrity chef Martin Yan has opened M.Y. Asia with the Lucky Bell Bar, featuring classic cocktails, an extensive beer and wine menu and a late-night lounge vibe on the weekends.

In addition to the menu's traditional dishes from across Asia, appetizers include Asian-pickled vegetables, shrimp lettuce cups and a dim sum sampler with shiu mai, har gow, steamed BBQ pork bao, lotus leaf-wrapped rice, seafood dumplings and farmer's dumplings.

Guy Fieri's Flavortown Sports Kitchen will open this summer, featuring American-style cuisine with brightly colored murals throughout the bar, main dining area and rotunda. The restaurant will have a 360-degree island bar with decorative liquor displays and LED screens.

Set to open late this year just outside the Horseshoe is Blake Shelton's Ole Red, a four-story entertainment and dining complex that the singer hopes will serve as a permanent home for country music in the city. Also planned for late 2024 next to Ole Red is Evening Entertainment Group's Bottled Blonde, a $50 million restaurant, beer garden and nightlife venue.

Entertainment

The family-friendly "Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience -- A Parody by Dan and Jeff" recently marked its 1,000th performance at the Magic Attic showroom.

Mentalist Frederick Da Silva entertains in the afternoon with "Paranormal," a mind-reading magic show.

The Horseshoe also houses "Real Bodies -- The Exhibition," an exploration of human anatomy, and a Twilight Zone-themed miniature golf course.

Within easy walking distance just behind the Horseshoe is the BattleBot Arena, which has hosted live robot combat since February. The 75-minute "BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon" features the drama, action, surprises and destruction of the TV series. Witch Doctor, Kraken, Mammoth, Lock-Jaw, Hypershock, Whiplash and new robots created for the live show battle nightly.