Except for the Palazzo last December, there's been a lull in new-casino openings in Las Vegas. But that's about to end. The three casinos that will open before the end of the year are making final preparations and appear to be on schedule. The first of the three, the Eastside Cannery, is slated to open next month. The exact date hasn't been announced, which means it's likely to be toward the end of August. Aliante Station opens Nov. 11 in North Las Vegas, then Steve Wynn's Encore opens in December. Wynn has asked city planners for a waiver to erect a 130-foot-tall sign at the meeting of the Desert Inn arterial and the Strip. The sign would accommodate nearly 4,000 square feet of Encore-heralding messages, half of them animated.

MAKING WAY: "Spamalot" has closed at the Wynn, paving the way for Danny Gans to take over at Encore. The musical ran for 509 performances.

NOVEMBER NINE: That's what they're calling the final-table qualifiers in the World Series of Poker's main event. The nine players are led by St. Louis truck salesman Dennis Phillips, with $26.3 million in chips. Last in the field is poker pro Kelly Kim, with $2.6 million. The players will reconvene to play on (when else?) Nov. 9.

COAST SHUFFLES: There's been a big restaurant shakeup at the Gold Coast. Closed are the Italian restaurant and the oyster bar. Moved (to the opposite side of the casino) is the great Cortez Room. Opened is Noodle Exchange. And coming is a big TGI Friday's.

Q. When does the "Cris Angel Cirque du Soleil" show open?

A. The latest official opening date for Believe at Luxor is Oct. 10, pushed back from an originally planned September debut. There's some early word that tickets for this show could go as low as $59, with the highest of five price levels being $150.

For information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and deals, see www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.