There are rumblings Las Vegas is about to get its video poker bars, and its groove, back soon. (Update, 9/17/20: Bars will reopen at 11:59 p.m. on Sep. 20, 2020.)

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Bars (that don’t serve food) have been shut down for weeks due to the pandemic, including the most important bars, ones with video poker.

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Let’s just say we have some pent-up demand.

While some bars have found workarounds, like free-standing video poker away from the bar, it’s just not the same, and video poker fans are champing at the bit to have their favorite places back online again.

Drink or video poker at the bar, dangerous. Drink at a table next to the bar, you’re good. There will be a quiz.

Here, then, are 11 places we’re going the moment Las Vegas has its video poker bars back again.

1. Vue Bar at The D

This is at the top of our list of favorite video poker bars. The machines are generous, the bartenders are friendly and they pour liberally from the bottle. Pretty much a trifecta of video poker bar greatness.

Vue Bar has gotten a little competition from the new Bar Canada, but Vue still has our heart. And possibly liver.

2. Whiskey Licker Up at Binion’s

When Whiskey Licker Up opened at Binion’s, there was no video poker. We changed their mind. There are four machines at one end of the non-revolving bar, and there’s something magical about that spot. Bonus: Epic chicken tenders.

We’re only telling you about this spot because we know you’ll relinquish your machine if we show up. Ahem.

3. Front Yard at Ellis Island

Front Yard barely had a chance to get rolling before the closures hit. While the restaurant at Front Yard is open, we need the bar back! Pours from the bottle (no guns), a great atmosphere, awesome food menu and outstanding value make Front Yard a must-do near The Strip.

Try the pretzel, it’s as big as your mother-in-law.

4. View Bar at Strat

This one’s a gem we sometimes refer to as our home away from home. View Bar at Strat is all the things we love about a video poker spot. We’ve rarely had a losing session on their machines, the drinks and service are excellent, and the food (served from the nearby PT’s Pub kitchen nearby) is top notch. Another video poker bar, Remix, is great, too, if food isn’t one of your requirements.

Remember when people could play video poker sitting next to each other? Weird.

5. Lobby Bar at Mirage

We don’t play at Lobby Bar a lot, but when we do, it’s mostly for nostalgia. Lobby Bar at Mirage was the first video poker bar in Vegas that used drink monitoring via a voucher system. Drink monitoring has become pretty universal in Vegas now, but sometimes we play at Lobby Bar just to chat up the bartenders and beat the house to remind them who’s boss.

Furnace at Downtown Grand probably should’ve had this spot on our list. You’re welcome, Mirage.

6. Prohibition Bar at Golden Gate

Prohibition Bar at Golden Gate is a glorious stretch of everything Vegas. Long pours, good games and a view that’s hard to beat. (Two words: Dancing dealers.) Golden Gate is a tad loud, but if you’re in the mood, it’s hard to find a better spot to settle in and flex those quads.

A day without bartenders Valeria and Spyder barely qualifies as a day.

7. West Bar at Park MGM

The bar is recognizable to many, even if the name isn’t. This petite casino bar at Park MGM is the quintessential casino bar, and has just the right amount of comped drinks (you have to use a players card now), socializing and service. Park MGM reopens Sep. 20, 2020, and we suspect our bars will be back by then, so we can’t wait to visit West Bar at the first opportunity.

Park MGM is going smoke-free, another reason to drop some cheddar here.

8. Palace Bar at Four Queens

It’s not fancy, but Palace Bar at Four Queens downtown is nevertheless epic. We’ll always have a special place in our heart for Palace Bar, as it was where we got our first and only royal flush, ever. Honestly, all the video poker at Four Queens is great, including at another casino bar, Kings Bar, and inside Chicago Brewing. We can’t wait to return.

Who doesn’t want to play video poker at their wedding reception?

9. Longbar at The D

Longbar has a lot going on. It’s loud as hell. There’s a lot of sports. There’s flair. There’s testosterone. There’s the energy of the table games nearby. The people-watching is off the charts. Oh, and there’s also video poker. Longbar is the undisputed center of the action on Fremont Street, and seeing it without people has been a daily gut punch. We need our Longbar like a pack needs a fanny. Or something.

10. SG Bar in Summerlin

We had to include one for the locals, and SG Bar is one of our absolute favorite locals joints to drink, play, drink, eat and drink. Although, not always in that order. SG stands for “Sierra Gold,” from Golden Entertainment, owners of The Strat. The atmosphere is a notch above the typical PT’s or Sierra Gold, and SG Bar just does everything right. It’s about 15 minutes west of The Strip, and the minute bars open again, we’ll be there downing pot stickers and foolishly giving up full houses to go for four-of-a-kinds.

SG Bar is always happy to see you.

11. Chandelier Bar at Cosmopolitan

Last, but not least, is the jewel of The Strip. Chandelier Bar isn’t so much a video poker bar as an experience. The gorgeous surroundings and liberal drink vouchers make this spot a vital part of any visit to Las Vegas. Vegas won’t really be Vegas again until we can play video poker at Chandelier Bar, so let’s make it sooner than later.

Chandelier Bar at Cosmopolitan is the fancy by which all other fancy is measured.

So, that’s our itinerary for when video poker bars open up in Las Vegas again.

We’d love to hear about your favorite places to play.

For the record, Boar’s Head Bar at Main Street would’ve been on our list, but the casino isn’t open yet.

Has the closure of video poker bars influenced your decision to visit? Can you scratch your itch playing video poker on the casino floor?

Not that itch, the metaphorical one.

Let’s get video poker bars open again in Las Vegas. These machines aren’t going to “one jack off” themselves!

'Bar Month' at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun bars and club articles -- including guides, unique features, drink recipes and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

At bars all over the Milwaukee area, patrons sit down, order a drink and take their chances at a video gambling machine.

In just about every bar, you can find one of these machines. And for every machine, there is at least one patron willing to dump in money for hours on end, despite labels proclaiming 'for entertainment use only.'

Many times, though, the label is as decorative as beer advertisements on the wall. The fact is a large percentage of bars offer payouts for gamblers, in direct violation of Wisconsin state statutes.

Under a 1999 agreement that reduced penalties for operating illegal machines, enforcement is now handled solely by the state Department of Revenue, which makes sure bar, restaurant and hotel owners are paying appropriate taxes on revenue generated by machines.

Before then-Gov. Tommy Thompson revised the state law, violators faced felony charges, fines of up to $10,000, loss of liquor license and prison time. The current state law allows bars to have up to five video poker machines and paying out winnings is a civil offense, carrying a $500 fine and no loss of license.

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Bars with more than five machines, however, could face criminal charges, according to Department of Revenue Communications Officer Jessica Iverson.

Regulating the machines is big business for the DOR, which has brought in nearly $23 million in taxes since the law went into effect in 2003. Proceeds generated through video gaming machines are taxable income, and the gross receipts are subject to the state's sales tax.

To keep things in check, the department relies heavily on tax audits and also enlists the help of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement agents.

'Our ATF agents come across the illegal machines through the course of normal inspection as well as in the course of investigating other tobacco or alcohol law violations,' Iverson says. 'We also, of course, conduct tax audits of businesses. If auditors identify gambling operations during the course of those audits, they will enlist the help of ATF agents to enforce that part of the statute, as well.'

In addition to the tax implications, the Wisconsin statute 945.01 (c) makes it illegal to operate any machine that affords a player to win something of value determined by a game of chance.

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The threat of audits, fines and licensing issues aside, bar owners are willing to make the illegal payments because the machines bring in a big chunk of money.

'People sit down when they're bored,' said one bar owner who spoke with OnMilwaukee.com under the condition of anonymity. 'They're more inclined to spend more time and buy more drinks when they're at the machines and have a chance to win some money.

'A lot of people, if there's nobody at the bar, will sit at a machine and make a couple bucks to pass the time.'

At this particular establishment, players receive a ticket when done that they can redeem at the bar for their winnings. The bar owner knows he's taking a chance, but there's big money to be made, especially important in the current economy.

'It's a little bit scary, yeah,' he said. 'But it's a risk you take.'

Earlier in the decade, the Tavern League supported a measure introduced by Rep. Terry Musser (R-River Falls) that would have legalized the machines, generating as much as $380 million in revenue. Other supporters of the bill wanted to prevent Wisconsin Native American tribes, legally operating casinos under a compact with the state, from having a monopoly on gaming.

Some states are reconsidering their stances on video gambling in an effort to patch up growing budget deficits.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed legalizing some forms of video gambling as a means to fund free college tuitions at the 28 campuses in his state. Officials there estimate that roughly 17,000 video poker machines are operating illegally. Those machines, if legalized, could generate as much as $550 million, according to Gov. Rendell's plan.

'This is not an expansion of gaming,' Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Stephen Stelter told The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month. 'It is the recognition that video poker is already a thriving industry.'