News 11/8/11 – Binion’s Sixtieth Birthday

August 10 | Posted by admin | News Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Horseshoe Celebrates Its Sixtieth Birthday

Benny Binion opened Binion’s Horseshoe on August 15th 1951 – in a few days it will be exactly sixty years old.  It’s experienced several name changes

The original million dollar display.

in the course of its distinguished history but the name Binions has always been a part of the title.  It began as Binion’s Horseshoe and has been known variously as the Horseshoe or the Horseshoe Casino.  It’s now Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel after the Horseshoe name was acquires by Harrah’s.

Whatever it was called though, everyone knew what you were referring to and Binion’s record of innovation and ambition have enabled it to continue to compete with the current crop of mega-resort casinos.  Binion’s was the first casino to install air conditioning for the comfort of its clientele and it was the first venue to offer free drinks to gamers.  It was also the first casino to install an electrically powered elevator and the first to have carpeting.

Perhaps its real innovation was the gradual development of the World series of Poker.  A couple of tournaments in the late sixties led to the WSOP officially beginning at Binion’s in 1970, featuring a handful of players familiar with Texas Hold’em.  It’s now held at a different venue of course but without Binion’s it would never have existed.  The WSOP 2011 featured nearly 7000 players just in the Main Event, largely regarded around the globe as the poker player’s world championship.

One of Binion’s most memorable attractions for visitors was the famous million dollar display – literally one million dollars on show in a glass cabinet, an extraordinary amount of money at the time.  Any visitors from that period who still have a photo of themselves next to the display can obtain a free hot dog and beer from Binion’s restaurant on August 15th.  Even if you don’t have the necessary picture, on that day the prices will be set back to 1951 levels for a few hours.  For the whole month of August, Binion’s members can win branded items while playing their regular games.

 

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