Bobby Baldwin — Longtime Las Vegas Casino Executive and Former Poker Pro — Exiting MGM Resorts

Posted on: October 5, 2018, 02:00h. 

Last updated on: October 5, 2018, 01:48h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

MGM Resorts International announced Thursday that veteran executive Bobby Baldwin will be leaving the company later this year.

Bobby Baldwin leaving MGM
Bobby Baldwin has been a Las Vegas mainstay for decades, from his World Series of Poker wins in the 1970s to his more than 30 years as a casino executive. (Images: Wikipedia/Mariann Umhoefer/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Casino.org)

Baldwin has been the president and CEO of Project CityCenter since 2005, and also serves as the chief customer development officer for MGM.

Contribution to Gaming ‘Immeasurable’

Previously, Baldwin had served as the president of the Bellagio and the CEO of Mirage Resorts, among other positions in a Las Vegas career that began in 1982 when he was brought on as a consultant at the Golden Nugget.

Few have played a more central role in the growth and transformation of the gaming industry than Bobby and his contributions over more than three decades are immeasurable,” MGM said in a press release. “MGM thanks Bobby for all he has done for the company and all he has meant to this industry and wishes him the best for the future.”

Baldwin was most recently in the news for an accident he suffered last year. In July 2017, the executive was seriously injured after falling down two flights of stairs at the Aria Casino. The gaming executive broke his shoulders, pelvis, and ribs, and needed 40 stitches for head injuries, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

“He’s really messed up, but he’s going to make a full recovery,” son B.J. Baldwin said on Instagram after the fall. “He’s surrounded by people who love him.”

It’s unclear if Baldwin’s injuries or recovery process have anything to do with his exit from MGM, as the company’s statement did not offer an explanation for his departure, nor was any public follow-up regarding his healing process ever issued.

Poker Pro Legacy 

While Baldwin has had an illustrious career working in the gaming industry, the 68-year-old was once better known for his skills at the poker table.

Baldwin won four World Series of Poker bracelets in his career, including his victory in the 1978 WSOP Main Event, when he won a $210,000 prize by topping a 42-player field. At the time, that made Baldwin the youngest WSOP Main Event winner at just 28 years old, though that record has been surpassed multiple times in the years since.

In 2003, Baldwin was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. His last tournament cash came in 2012, when he finished seventh in the Big One for One Drop, winning $1.4 million — by far the largest prize of his career. His live tournament earnings total more than $2.35 million.

Baldwin’s impact on the poker world is felt to this day. He is the namesake of Bobby’s Room, the high-stakes poker room at the Bellagio, which has hosted the biggest cash games in Las Vegas with many of the world’s top players.

Baldwin has earned the nickname “The Owl” due to his knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. In addition to his poker prowess, he was also known as a top-level billiards player in his younger days.