Rebirth of a classic

Poker fanatic Bill O'Connell was at Binion's Horseshoe right about this time last year, and he can already tell one major difference between the "new" Binion's and the old: He isn't drenched in sweat.

"It used to get so damn hot in here," the gambler says. "It was so crowded in here, elbow to elbow, just so many bodies, you were sweating like crazy." The fast-talking O'Connell says he's been coming to Vegas for the World Series of Poker, which gets under way later this month, for more than 22 years. Since he moved to Las Vegas about three years ago, he's been hitting the property two to three times a week. This is the first time he's been back since the property reopened April 1 under Harrah's management, and already he can count the changes: "It feels much bigger. There's more room, it doesn't feel as crowded. They took out that [north] wall there, for instance."

It's just one of the changes the poker player notices on a Monday evening. It's the second day of Daylight Savings Time, the bonus hour of daylight seems to have charged the poker room, a group of tables crowded with regulars just out for a friendly game--or, like, Connell, hoping to take advantage of an arrangement that will allow a skilled player to to win a seat at a World Series of Poker game event. There's the clatter of chips, the grumbling over shitty hands, the call for open seats by the lady with the cordless mic.

The verdict on Binion's from the locals and regulars: so far, so good. The changes are small: a roomier feel, a few banks of slot machines removed to make the place easier to navigate. The snack bar at the west end of the building is still a snack bar (and not the vaunted deli) and the $1 million display is God knows where, but the cosmetic changes hint at a possible return to the property's jeans-and-big buckle vibe.

"What I like about Binion's is a history thing, you find a certain comfort level, you get far from the madding crowd, all that," O'Connell says. "Sure, it's not as pristine as the Bellagio, but you go there on a Friday night and try to eat. You're facing a two-hour line. I'm glad it's back. You knew something was wrong when five years ago, the scuttlebutt was that the World Series [of Poker] players would come here to play, but they'd stay somewhere else. That to me was a sign."

Many out-of-town gamblers didn't even know Binion's had closed. Their annual trips avoided the 2 1/2-month closure, but not the sense that the place was troubled. Craig and Joyce Madee of Milano, Texas, have been coming to Binion's every year since 1962. When informed the casino had closed earlier this year, had been bought and was recently reopened, Craig Madee nods. "Over the past couple years, it had been losing that down-home feel," he says. "For one thing, we didn't get comped anymore. We'd been staying at the Lady Luck."

Maybe next year they'll stay at the storied Binion's. Harrah's currently manages the property, though the property is owned by the MTR Gaming Group. Will the casino that made a name for itself with Western hospitality and high limits make it a second time around? "It really ain't that hard if you think about it," says Madee. "Just keep your customers happy."--AK