Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas: The Sands, the Copa Room and the Rat Pack Years
Updated November 2026. Sinatra Vegas is run by the producers of Sinatra Live!. Links to other shows go to Vegas.com, which may pay us a commission.
Frank Sinatra played Las Vegas for more than forty years, from a 450-seat room at the Desert Inn in 1951 to the MGM Grand in 1994. In between he became a part-owner of the Sands, led the Rat Pack's "Summit" in its Copa Room, lost his Nevada gaming licence, walked out on the Sands for Caesars Palace and was licensed again in 1981. Here is the timeline, with the Sinatra and Rat Pack shows you can see today at the end.
Timeline: Sinatra in Las Vegas
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1951 | Sinatra first plays Las Vegas, in September, in the Desert Inn's Painted Desert Room. |
| 1952 | The Sands opens in December, with Danny Thomas headlining the Copa Room. |
| 1953 | Sinatra first plays the Sands in October and is licensed as a part-owner. |
| 1960 | "The Summit at the Sands": Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford share the Copa Room stage while filming Ocean's 11. |
| 1963 | The Cal-Neva affair at Lake Tahoe ends with Sinatra giving up his Nevada casino interests, including his Sands stake. |
| 1967 | After a fight with a Sands executive in September, Sinatra signs with Caesars Palace. |
| 1968 | Sinatra headlines Caesars' Circus Maximus showroom. |
| 1976 | UNLV awards him an honorary doctorate; he gives the commencement address. |
| 1981 | Nevada licenses him again, as a key employee of Caesars Palace. |
| 1983 | Sinatra, Dean Martin and Diana Ross open UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center on December 16. |
| 1994 | His last Las Vegas engagement, at the MGM Grand. |
| 1996 | The Sands, and the Copa Room with it, is imploded on November 26. |
| 1998 | Sinatra dies on May 14; the Strip dims its lights. |
1951: the Desert Inn
Sinatra's first Las Vegas engagement was in September 1951, in the Painted Desert Room at the Desert Inn, a room of about 450 seats. It came at a low point in his career, before his Oscar-winning comeback in From Here to Eternity. Sources differ on the exact opening night, but the month and the room are well documented.
1953 to 1967: the Sands and the Copa Room
The Sands opened in December 1952 and Sinatra first played its Copa Room in October 1953. That same month he was licensed as a part-owner of the hotel. Accounts of his stake vary, from 2% at first to about 9% later. For the next fourteen years the Sands was his Las Vegas home.
1960: the Summit
In January and February 1960, while Ocean's 11 was filming in Las Vegas, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford took turns on the Copa Room stage, often all together. The shows were billed as "The Summit at the Sands," were booked for three weeks and ran for five. Senator John F. Kennedy came to see them, as did stars including Lucille Ball, Jack Benny and Bob Hope. The press called the group the Rat Pack; the act itself was the Summit.
1963: the Cal-Neva affair
In July 1963, Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, who was barred from Nevada casinos, stayed at the Cal-Neva Lodge at Lake Tahoe, which Sinatra owned. When the Gaming Control Board investigated, Sinatra made a profane phone call to its chairman, Ed Olsen. In October 1963 his lawyer announced that Sinatra would give up his Nevada casino holdings, the Cal-Neva and his share of the Sands, rather than fight the case. He kept performing in Las Vegas.
1967: from the Sands to Caesars Palace
Howard Hughes bought the Sands in 1967 and Sinatra's casino credit was cut. On September 11, 1967, a confrontation ended with Sands casino executive Carl Cohen punching him and knocking the caps off his front teeth (the often-told story that his teeth were knocked out is not accurate). Sinatra never played the Sands again. He signed with Caesars Palace that month and headlined its Circus Maximus showroom from 1968.
The Caesars years
Sinatra announced his retirement in 1971 and came back two years later. Through the 1970s and into the 1980s he was one of Las Vegas's biggest draws at the Circus Maximus. In 1976 UNLV gave him an honorary doctorate, and in 1981 Nevada licensed him again, approving him as a key employee at Caesars. In the 1980s he also appeared for Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget.
1983 to 1994: the last Las Vegas shows
On December 16, 1983, Sinatra headlined the gala that opened UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, with Dean Martin and Diana Ross, who stepped in for an ailing Sammy Davis Jr. His last Las Vegas engagement was at the MGM Grand in 1994, in the theater that is now home to Cirque du Soleil's KÀ. His final public performance was in February 1995, in Palm Desert, California.
See it on a tour
The Kings of Vegas Tour from Lost Vegas Tours is a small-group drive through classic Las Vegas, past the homes of the stars, casino bosses and mobsters of the 1960s and 1970s and the places where Sinatra and Elvis ruled the town. It starts and ends at Alexis Park, and the 5:00 PM departure ends with a seat at Sinatra Live!.
Sinatra and Rat Pack shows in Las Vegas now
Two shows keep the music on Las Vegas stages today. Sinatra Live! plays The Modern Showrooms at Alexis Park, and The Rat Pack is Back! plays the Copa Room at Tuscany Suites & Casino, a room named after the original at the Sands.
| Show | From | Next show |
|---|---|---|
| Sinatra Live!Book direct | $44.95 | |
| The Rat Pack is Back!Vegas.com | $103.08 | See dates |
Frequently asked questions
When did Frank Sinatra first perform in Las Vegas?
In September 1951, at the Desert Inn's Painted Desert Room. Sources disagree on the exact opening night.
Did Frank Sinatra own the Sands?
He owned part of it. Nevada licensed him as a part-owner in October 1953, with a stake reported at 2% at first and about 9% later. He gave up his Nevada casino interests, including the Sands stake, in 1963.
Where was the Copa Room?
The Copa Room was the showroom of the Sands Hotel on the Strip. The Sands was imploded in 1996 and The Venetian now stands on the site. The Copa Room at Tuscany Suites & Casino, where The Rat Pack is Back! plays, is a different room that borrows the name.
When was Sinatra's last show in Las Vegas?
His last Las Vegas engagement was at the MGM Grand in 1994. His final public performance anywhere was in Palm Desert, California, in February 1995.