Poker Rooms in Aruba Casinos

Aruba beach at sunset
Toby Leah Bochan

If you're on the Caribbean island of Aruba and are looking to find a poker room in one of the many casinos on the island, there are two great places to play. Both of the rooms are in the high-rise hotel section of Aruba and are an easy stroll from one another.

The poker rooms in Aruba are closed until evening, as is common throughout the Caribbean. The games then run into the wee hours of the morning, such as 4 a.m., and the locals say some games continue until 6 a.m.

Another thing to note about poker in Aruba is that many, if not most of the players will speak Spanish, not English. While there is a general rule of English-only at the tables, it was rarely mentioned, let alone enforced.

Excelsior Casino at the Holiday Inn

The best-run poker room in Aruba is at the Excelsior, located in the Holiday Inn Resort. It has been in existence for decades. It touts its large poker room and having limits as low as $2 to $4 and up to a $50 to $100 no limit. They have daily Texas Hold'Em poker tournaments.

Most nights have five or six tables of different games going, including $2 to $5 no-limit Texas Hold'em, $4 to $8 limit Hold'em, a $5 to $5 pot-limit Omaha game, and a big game of $10 to $20 pot-limit Omaha high. The dealers are very good, and the floor keeps a close eye on the room. 

Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino

This property was formerly The Radisson Aruba, but it was sold to Hilton in 2015. Now, the Beachside Poker Room at The Histon Aruba Casino is where the action is. They have daily no-limit Texas Hold'Em tournaments in the evening.

In its former incarnation, the Radisson casino's poker room has a lot of action with $1-$2 and $2-$5 no-limit Texas Hold'em games going as well as the most insane game of $10-$20 Pot-limit Omaha. While not as organized as the Excelsior, the players tended to be looser and louder, and there was a lot of money to be made in the room if you could withstand some serious swings. That said, the dealers seemed to be inconsistent and unsure of the house rules, so be sure to ask questions if you see anything that confuses you or doesn't seem right.

Check Before You Go

Be sure to check with the hotels and casinos before you book your travel if poker is your game. These properties can change hands, and their casinos may decide to close the poker rooms. There are poker table games available at many of the casinos as opposed to having actual poker rooms. On a small island, it can be hard to sustain the game with enough interested players.