How the Bellagio Fountains Became an Epic Las Vegas Show

The Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) is in full swing and gearing up for this week’s Invitational XII, an event with a $50,000 prize pool that will bring celebrities and athletes like Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins and Dixie D’Amelio competing inside the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.

The CPT has drawn millions of viewers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, but not everyone may be aware of the poker tour’s lore. Founder Blake Wynn is the nephew of casino mogul Steve Wynn, who is single-handedly responsible for turning Vegas into the resort destination it is today.

Last December, PokerNews caught up with Wynn about how his uncle and others like Molly Bloom of Molly’s Game fame helped inspire and guide his Celebrity Poker Tour.

Blake Wynn shared a little known story about the origin of how the famous Bellagio fountains show became a must-see free attraction in Las Vegas, and it involved the creative mind of an iconic Hollywood filmmaker.

The Making of the Bellagio Fountain Show

During an interview at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, Wynn told PokerNews a story about his uncle and the power of having the brightest and smartest people in his influence.

“When Steve built the fountains at the Bellagio, they had this big fence in front of it,” Wynn said. “There was still music and the big water jets, but it was covered with a tarp so people couldn’t see it. And he had two guys come and watch it.”

The two guys? Superstar movie directors Steven Spielberg and Kenny Ortega.

“So Steve was excited to show them. But, he says, they were both underwhelmed, and Steve didn’t know what he was missing. So this is how Steve tells the story. Spielberg pauses first, and he says, ‘You know what the problem is? You need to hear the sounds, not just the music.’ And Spielberg suggested putting the speakers in the water to amplify the sounds of the water. That’s why when you hear the fountains shoot you hear that ‘Boom!’

“Then Kenny Ortega says, ‘Wait a second, you know what the real problem is? Choreography.’ And he says the fountains are your dancers. So Ortega ends up working for Steve.”

After 18 months, Blake says engineers had totally reworked the fountains as a show, with Spielberg and Ortega both returning to Vegas.

“And they’re doing ‘Singing in the Rain,’ the first one back. And Steve says it’s the only time in his life where he cried, watching that with the two of them. And that’s the thing, it was even about having these two guys as employees that he’d listen to, they were these external life forces that had entered his sphere that brought with them good advice. World class people. Smart people.”

Just as Steve Wynn enlisted the advice of those around him, his nephew tries to take in the casino mogul’s influence as much as he can.

“Steve and I are very close,” he said. “He’s like a father to me, and I’m lucky to have him guiding me. I would also say he’s the greatest hospitality professional of all time. And that’s largely how we think internally about the Celebrity Poker Tour.

“Because the Tour definitely doesn’t work if the celebrities don’t enjoy themselves and have a good time. And, honestly, I put in a lot of effort to try and surround myself with people whose opinion I respect.”

Learning from a Celebrity Poker Expert

“Learning things from her just highlighted these things that most people in this industry or even other industries don’t think about.”

Wynn’s rolodex of influences doesn’t end with his uncle. He told PokerNews that Molly Bloom, best known for running the celebrity-filled high-stakes Molly’s game that received the Hollywood treatment, played a guiding role.

“She was very helpful in the early days, explaining things to me. Literally before our first event, I spent a lot of time with her going over how she would treat her celebrities. At that point it wasn’t about the size of the pot or the money involved — we have nothing similar to Molly’s game. But learning things from her just highlighted these things that most people in this industry or even other industries don’t think about.”

What else sets CPT apart? For one, Wynn says, the attention to detail.

“For example, I make our entire staff memorize every name and face of not only every player and guest, what drink they like to have, what food they like to have, so we have it all there for everyone. We think about these things, and it’s what separates us. “

“Celebrities go around the world, and everybody tries to woo them, right? Whether they’re a musician on tour, or traveling for a game or luxury hotels. Whatever it is. And they walk into the PokerGO Studio, or even better they played at WSOP Paradise and they’re all like ‘Oh my god, wow.'”

The Celebrity Poker Tour is also branching out. After holding its first international event in the Bahamas last year, they will once again combine forces with the World Series of Poker for an event taking place this summer on June 26.

“It is really nice to put the word ‘tour’ in Celebrity Poker Tour, officially,” Wynn said.

_{*Photos courtesy of CPT}

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor.

He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for three Global Poker Awards for his writing.