Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Review
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs poker room is housed in a moderate-sized full-service casino right on the Iowa/Nebraska border. While traveling on our cross-country trip from Boston to Las Vegas, we decided to take a midday stop on one of the longest legs of our trip (the very straight, flat journey from Davenport Iowa to North Platte Nebraska). The casino was right off of our path on Route 80, so it could not have been more convenient.
Setting and Non-Poker Amenities
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs casino although having an Iowa address is basically part of the metro Omaha NE area. It sits right where routes 80 and 29 intersect, so is very easy to access off the highway. But, relatedly, it’s also not the most scenic casino you will find.  There is an adjacent hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn, that is connected to the casino by an indoor walkway. There are several other nearby hotels as well.
Horseshoe Council Bluffs is Caesars’ property and is a full-service casino with slots, table games, and a sportsbook. The gaming area is basically one large square room. There was decent space between slots and an easy path to traverse around the gaming floor to walk to the casino. Smoking is allowed on the casino floor. While not an issue when sparsely populated when we visited, and the air flow seemed decent, we imagine it could become one for those who don’t like that environment.
Dining options are pretty sparse, there is a steakhouse and small cafe, which actually sits right outside the poker room. There is also the Whiskey Roadhouse, which functions as a bar, nightclub, and concert venue.
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Comfort
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room lies in the back lefthand corner of the gaming floor. It is a separate room from the rest of the casino with glass wall facing the casino floor, and a half-open wall to the corridor with the cafe on the other side. Overall the room was very professional-looking, clean, and had nice, high ceilings. Perhaps not the most interesting visually as it is basically one large square, with various beige and brown shades. World Series of Poker branding was everywhere.
Lighting was excellent, and the whole room felt bright. The tables are well-spaced with plenty of room to maneuver. Large TVs ring the room.
The 18 tables are large with clean felts, padded rails, built-in cup-holders, auto-shufflers, and USB ports. The chips were decent but could use a cleaning. The cards were branded but the face were a bit small. The chairs were decently padded, but did not have wheels or arms and were not adjustable.
Poker Room Staff
The floor was polite and found me a seat right away. Dealers were skilled and friendly. The second dealer I had was particularly fast and personable, one of the strongest dealers I have had. A waitress appeared within 5 minutes of my arrival asking if I wanted a drink.
Players at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room
Play was 8-handed in the $1/$3 cash game I entered. Five of the other 7 players at my table were over 60, and looking around at the other couple of cash tables going, the room definitely skewed older (although this was a weekday afternoon so this was not surprising. There were two women at a nearby table  Players were quiet but polite. They struck me a fairly serious group, intent on playing competitive poker. In general play was tight-aggressive, with raises between 3 and 5 blinds where players would generally fold unless they had a strong hand. There was one player who button straddled.
While the Horseshoe Council Bluffs poker room may not dazzle you visually or with their amenities, their professional, strong staff will provide you a good, positive experience.Click To TweetTournament Structures
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room is not currently running tournaments. It is cash only at this time.
Overall Assessment of the Horsehoe Council Bluffs Poker Room
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs poker room is a solid room with good staff. While the casino, in general, would not likely top many people’s lists as a destination location, if you are traveling across Iowa and Nebraska along route 80, it’s certainly a convenient stopping point. If you are in the area and want a decent poker afternoon or evening, Horseshoe Council Bluffs will suit your needs. The poker room, although generally nicely appointed, could benefit from upgrading their chairs to ones that are wheeled and adjustable. But, beyond that, while this room may not dazzle you visually or with its amenities, their professional, strong staff will provide you a good, positive experience.
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Comfort
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Summary
The Horseshoe Council Bluffs poker room is solid room with good staff. While the casino in general would not likely top many people’s lists as a destination location, if you are traveling across Iowa and Nebraska along route 80, it’s certainly a convenient stopping point. If you are in the area and want a decent poker afternoon or evening, Horseshoe Council Bluffs will suit your needs. The poker room, although generally nicely appointed, could benefit from upgrading their chairs to ones that are wheeled and adjustable. But, beyond that, while this room may not dazzle you visually or with their amenities, their professional, strong staff will provide you good, positive experience.
