Bobby Baldwin, born around 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a renowned figure in the poker world.
He is celebrated for his exceptional poker skills and significant contributions to the casino industry.
Let’s take a closer look.
1978 WSOP Main Event Winner
Bobby Baldwin gained prominence by winning the 1978 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event at the age of 28, making him the youngest champion in history at the time.
His victory earned him the $210,000 first-place prize.
He has also taken home three additional WSOP bracelets in the following events -
- 1977: $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event
- 1977: $5,000 Seven Card Stud event
- 1979: $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event
These results give Bobby a total of four WSOP bracelets won from 1977 to 1979. Only a small number of poker players have won bracelets over three consecutive years.
Bobby has many other WSOP cashes, notably a 7th-place finish in the main event in 1981 and a 15th-place finish in 1992.
9th annual @WSOP won by Bobby Baldwin, youngest (28) winner at the time.
— Vegas Visual (@vegas_visual) February 1, 2025
Bobby Baldwin
4 bracelets
20 money finishes
Poker Hall of Fame, 2003
1984 @GoldenNuggetLV president
1987 @TheMirageLV president
1998 @Bellagio president
Mirage Resorts CEO
CityCenter CEO
1978🎥CBS Sports pic.twitter.com/CW2crkQQ41
When Omaha gained popularity in the mid-1980s, it appears Bobby was considered a top Omaha player at the time.
Bobby Baldwin - Casino Industry Executive
Beyond the poker table, Baldwin transitioned into a successful career as a casino executive. In 1982, he became a consultant for the Golden Nugget casino and was eventually appointed president in 1984.
His leadership roles expanded after he began to manage The Mirage in 1987 and later the Bellagio in 1998. He also played a pivotal role in overseeing the Bellagio’s construction.
He later led the ambitious Project CityCenter as CEO and President. Project CityCenter is a huge luxury complex in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip costing $9 billion and opening in 2009. MGM (the company behind the project) wanted to create a modern where to play poker in Las Vegas experience that wasn’t all about gambling.
City Center Las Vegas 💙 pic.twitter.com/H2nIkg9Lmp
— Sin City Las Vegas (@SCVegas) December 21, 2024
CityCenter is designed with luxury hotels, condos, shopping, and entertainment all in one place. It’s also the home to the Aria Resort and Casino. In 2019, the development was renamed Aria Campus although it’s commonly still referred to as CityCenter.
At the time of its creation, CityCenter was the largest private construction project in U.S. history.
Bobby’s Room
The high-stakes poker room at the Bellagio, known as Bobby's Room, was named after Bobby Baldwin, underscoring his lasting impact on the poker community.
Bobby's Room quickly garnered a reputation as the epicentre for high-stakes poker, attracting top professionals and amateurs alike.
Bobby’s Room was home to the “Big Game," a legendary high-stakes cash game (not to be confused with PokerStars’ The Big Game). The Big Game at Bobby’s Room featured a variety of poker variants played in rotation, including draw games – like 3 card poker - stud games and lowball games alongside both no-limit and fixed-limit Hold’em.
Poker greats Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Daniel Negreanu were regular participants in the Big Game.
In October 2020, following Bobby Baldwin's departure from MGM Resorts, the Bellagio quietly renamed Bobby's Room to the "Legends Room" to honour the broader legacy of poker greats.
Although most players still refer to the room as Bobby’s Room even today.
Bobby Baldwin - WSOP Poker Hall of Fame
Bobby Baldwin was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2003, recognising his impact on the game as a world-class player and a key figure in the casino industry. Bobby has shaped the entire landscape of the industry, from intense battles at the felt to the executive boardrooms of some of Las Vegas's most iconic casinos.
The criteria for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame is as follows –
- Played poker at a high level against top competition.
- Played for high stakes.
- Gained respect from peers.
- Stood the test of time.
- Contributed to the growth of the game.
Bobby easily ticks all the boxes. His induction into the WSOP Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of a career that has left an indelible mark on poker history.
Bobby Baldwin - Poker Author
Although he's not a prolific author, Bobby is also known for his written poker strategy content.
In 1979, Bobby authored Bobby Baldwin’s Winning Poker Secrets, which provides insights into his cash game and tournament strategies. It focuses particularly on limit and no-limit Texas Hold’em.
In the book, he shares hand analysis, psychological strategies, and key decision-making concepts that helped him win the 1978 WSOP Main Event.
The book is an early classic of poker strategy, although it is less well-known than later poker books by Doyle Brunson, David Sklansky and Dan Harrington.
Baldwin also contributed a chapter on limit Texas Hold'em in Doyle Brunson’s Super System (1979), one of the most influential poker books ever.
Bobby Baldwin - 2018 Onwards
In October 2018, Bobby Baldwin announced he would leave his executive role at MGM Resorts International.
In November 2019, Baldwin joined Witkoff, a real estate investment and development firm based in New York City. Witkoff appointed Bobby as the Vice Chairman and CEO of Drew Las Vegas, a 67-story resort and casino under development on the Las Vegas Strip.
Witkoff originally acquired the unfinished Fontainebleau for $600 million, and this location became the basis for the new Drew Las Vegas resort. However, due to financial setbacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, the project stalled and was eventually sold.
The resort finally opened in December 2023 under its original Fontainebleau branding. So, although Bobby worked on the project for a time, he ultimately did not complete or open the resort.
Televised Poker Cash Games
Many poker players are familiar with Baldwin due to his appearances in the televised poker cash game High Stakes Poker. Bobby appeared in season 10 and 11 of the show which aired in 2023.
He also appeared in other televised cash games, such as the 2015 Super High Roller cash game and the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in 2019, held in South Korea. Over 7 hours of play in the latter event, Bobby walked away with net winnings of $266,000.
Bobby Baldwin - Personal Life
Bobby’s personal life is generally private. While he is married, limited information exists about his family and relationships.
However, he is a world-class billiards player. Billiards is a cue game played on a cloth table, which shares similarities with other cue games such as pool and snooker.
Bobby is a talented individual with a keen understanding of strategy and the maths surrounding risk-taking. This skill set has helped him on the felt and as a highly successful casino executive.
