Center Strip, within CityCenter
ARIA Resort & Casino
CityCenter’s glass-walled flagship, and the poker player’s favorite on the Strip.
- Opened
- 2009
- Operator
- MGM Resorts International
- Accommodation
- 4,004 rooms, including more than 500 suites
- Rewards
- MGM Rewards
Opened in December 2009 as the centerpiece of CityCenter, ARIA is a sleek, 4,004-room resort with a roughly 150,000-square-foot casino, a 24-table poker room famous among serious players, and one of the best spas in Las Vegas.
- 24-table poker room with an elevated high-limit section
- BetMGM Sportsbook located just steps from the poker room
- Large, well-regarded spa and a sprawling pool deck
- Free tram links to Bellagio and Park MGM
Part one
The hotel 9.0
Rooms & suites
ARIA’s two curving glass towers hold 4,004 rooms, including several hundred suites. Standard rooms are about as smart as Las Vegas gets: floor-to-ceiling windows, blackout curtains, lighting and temperature controlled from a bedside tablet, and generous bathrooms with separate showers and tubs in most categories. The palette is neutral and restful, which suits guests keeping casino hours.
The Sky Suites occupy their own tier with a private entrance and lounge, and the Sky Villas sit at the very top of the market. Soundproofing is excellent throughout, and corridors are notably quieter than in older center-Strip towers.
Dining
ARIA’s restaurant collection is broad and polished, spanning a well-known Italian-American supper club, a seafood room, a French brasserie, steakhouses and Japanese dining, along with a casual food hall and a buffet. Standards are high and consistent rather than flamboyant, and several venues are open late enough for post-session dinners.
The broader CityCenter campus adds further options within a short walk, including the dining rooms at neighboring resorts reached by walkway or tram.
Spa & pool
The spa is one of the resort’s crown jewels: an expansive facility of around 80,000 square feet at opening, with a salt room, heated stone loungers, whirlpools, and a large fitness center. It is calm, spotless and genuinely restorative after long sessions at the tables.
The pool deck covers a vast area with several pools, cabanas and an adults-only pool lounge. It is less theatrical than the Caesars pools but better organized, with more shade and fewer crowds midweek.
Service
Service is quietly efficient. Check-in kiosks and a large front desk keep lines moving, and staff across the resort are well trained and noticeably calm under pressure. ARIA has long held top-tier awards from major hotel rating organizations, and the day-to-day experience broadly supports that reputation.
Location
ARIA sits within CityCenter, set back from Las Vegas Boulevard. That keeps traffic noise down but adds a few minutes to reach the Strip itself. A free tram connects the resort to Bellagio and Park MGM, and covered walkways link it to The Cosmopolitan and the Crystals shopping center. For a casino crawl through the center Strip, it is an excellent base.
Part two · The casino
The casino at ARIA 8.9
A calm, modern, well-ventilated floor, an outstanding poker room with a dedicated high-limit section, a BetMGM sportsbook steps away and polished high-limit rooms. The most player-focused casino on this list.
The casino floor
ARIA’s casino covers roughly 150,000 square feet and was designed with high ceilings, natural materials and wide aisles. It feels open, clean and well ventilated, and it is easy to navigate compared with the warren-like floors of older properties. Artwork and daylight-filled entrances soften the space.
Some players find it a touch clinical. There is less theater here than at Caesars or The Cosmopolitan, and the atmosphere relies on the energy of the players rather than the design.
Games & table limits
The game range is deep and serious: multiple pits of blackjack including higher-limit variants, several craps tables, single- and double-zero roulette in different areas, baccarat and mini-baccarat, pai gow tiles and poker, and the popular carnival games. The slot floor covers a wide spread of denominations, with a solid video poker selection.
Minimums follow center-Strip norms, with more lower-limit options during the day and a sharp climb on weekend evenings. ARIA tends to run a slightly more generous spread of mid-limit tables than its neighbors, which helps its games sub-score.
Poker room & sportsbook
The ARIA poker room is the reason many players stay here. It has 24 tables divided into three distinct areas: a main floor of about 18 tables along the rail, an elevated section of five tables generally reserved for bigger games, and a single private table originally named after a famous professional and renamed Table 1 in 2019, reserved for the very highest stakes. The room has its own cashier cage and runs cash games around the clock, with tournament series through the year.
The BetMGM Sportsbook sits steps from the poker room, with a wall of screens and comfortable seating, making it easy to follow a game between hands.
High-limit rooms
High-limit table and slot rooms are elegant, well staffed and properly separated from the main floor, with baccarat and blackjack at elevated minimums and a dedicated bar. For rated players, hosts here have access to the wider MGM Resorts portfolio.
Rules & player protection
Rules are clearly posted and dealers are patient with newcomers. As always, check blackjack payouts and craps odds before you sit down. Through MGM Rewards, players can access the operator’s responsible-gaming resources, and helpline information is displayed on the floor. Nevada’s 21-and-over rule is enforced at the tables and in the poker room.
Key casino facts
- Regulator
- Nevada Gaming Control Board / Nevada Gaming Commission
- Operator
- MGM Resorts International
- Minimum age
- 21 to gamble or linger in gaming areas
- Notable rooms
- 24-table poker room with elevated high-limit section and Table 1, BetMGM Sportsbook, high-limit salons
- Rewards program
- MGM Rewards
- Smoking
- Permitted in designated casino areas at the time of writing
Worth knowing
Before you book ARIA
- Set back from Las Vegas Boulevard, so reaching the Strip itself takes a few extra minutes.
- The modern, minimalist floor can feel impersonal to fans of classic Vegas style.
- Poker tournament schedules change seasonally; confirm before you plan around one.
- Resort fees and paid parking apply at the time of writing.
The verdict
ARIA is the choice for a trip built around cards. The poker room alone earns it a place on any casino itinerary, and the hotel behind it is quiet, technologically sharp and consistently well run.
Hotel and casino scores are calculated separately and never combined. A casino score is not a recommendation to gamble.
Play for entertainment, never for income
Every casino game has a built-in house edge, and no system changes it. Set a budget and a time limit before you play, and never chase losses. Free, confidential help is available 24/7: call or text 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org.