Other US Rooms
Casino and Poker Rooms featuring a ♠ have been personally reviewed, while other locations without the spade are based solely on that Casino's literature or on credited independent reviews. The information in these reviews was accurate at the time it was published, but we suggest you confirm all details and prices as these can change at any time.
As we tour the country, we will be visiting Card Rooms and Casinos and providing reviews. For listings of Card Rooms and Casinos throughout California, the US and Canada, please visit California Casinos. If you have a favorite casino or card room, or would like to review rooms, we have not yet found, please send us an e-mail at Editor@PokerInsider.ORG.
NEW ORLEANS
♠ October 2008: Yes, Virginia there is still a New Orleans (or you may know it better as N'awlings). The reconstruction is evident everywhere downtown and in the French Quarter after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the more recent visits of Ike and Gustav in 2008.
All of the Harrah's brand of casinos have the Mardi Gras theme, and what place is more appropriate than the one that is only two blocks from New Orleans' famous French Quarter and faces Canal Street, the main parade route. The Poker Room at Harrah's is nicely secluded near the Canal Street Entrance to limit the noise of the slots. There is only one tournament each week, on Wednesday mornings, with a $100 plus $15 buy-ins that makes for nice payday. There are 23 tables in the room, with a tourist oriented base, it was busier than expected during my visit on a rainy Thursday afternoon. The primary games are the $1/$2 ($60-$200) and $2/$5 ($200-$500) No-Limit Hold'em tables, with weekly games of $5/$10 ($500-NoMax.). The Limit Hold'em tables are $3/$6 and they spread $15/$30 Omaha High a couple times a week and have a Monday Night $20/$40 Omaha-Hold'em Split Game.
Since the Casino is in Sin City Lite, the play is probably looser than many player are used to (though not as bad as A.C. - Any Card - Atlantic City) playing. This can probably be attributed to the party atmosphere of the revitalized city, where tourists come to have fun and are not as patient as they would be in California, Las Vegas or other areas known for their tighter play. One thing the room prides itself on is the ability to quickly get a player seated in a game and playing.
One thing about the poker room here is that it is the only game in town. The Mississippi Gulf Shore casinos are over an hour and a half away, and though there is a small card room about 20 miles north, it is not much of a threat to the steady games. Located at the base of the French Quarter, once you have seen the sites, especially in the 50 weeks a year that are not Mardi Gras, your choices are getting drunk and embarrassing yourself on Bourbon Street or playing at the Casino. There was only one negative aspect to the poker room and it is one that haunts all poker players, but not usually to this extent, and that is the lack of comps in the poker room. So often poker players get the short end of the casino's comp programs, and here it is to the greatest extreme of any casino I have reviewed in America. The Famous WSOP/Harrah's Corporation Rewards Card provided no benefits for play.
ATLANTIC CITY
After spending a week in the poker rooms up and down the Boardwalk and the Marina in Atlantic City, I have come to find that the A.C. stands for ANY CARDS. The play in both ring games and in the tournaments was much looser than what I am used to in Southern California and Las Vegas. At times, it felt that I was at a televised table with nine Gus Hansen's. For Atlantic City's updated weekly tournament schedule, visit CityAtlantic.com.
♠ December 2005: Bally's offers 20 poker tables in Billy's Poker Parlor, located on the sixth floor of the property. There are 15 Texas Hold'em games and 5 Stud games. Be a part of the nation's hottest craze and try your hand in Bally's Atlantic City No Limit Texas Hold'em tournaments Monday through Friday in Billy's Poker Parlor. There is no limit to the excitement of poker at Billy's!
♠ December 2005: The home of The World Poker Tour's World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Winter Open, the room was host to the first major tournament in Atlantic City's Poker resurgence.
The spectacular new Poker Arena is open. Poker players can experience the ultimate in luxuries, offered by the most legendary name in gaming. This premiere Poker Arena located on the first floor, adjacent to the main entrance, features 24 smoke-free gaming tables surrounded by fifteen 50" plasma televisions. Food service, from a specially created menu, and beverage service, is available for our players. convenience. This premier Poker Arena is for the ultimate Poker Player who enjoys traditional Poker games, including Texas Hold 'em. The games, along with our Poker tournaments create a distinctly unique experience for avid Poker players. The staff includes the renowned Caesars Poker dealers, providing the experience and gamesmanship that Poker players want and need. Caesars hosted the 2006 World Series of Poker Circuit event.
♠ December 2005: Ante up for the hot poker action with 24 tables featuring 7 Card Stud, No Limit and limit Texas Hold'em and Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker. Poker limits vary with both no limit and limit games in various dollar amounts. Enjoy tableside food and beverage service and plasma televisions. Harrah's will be host to a 2006 World Series of Poker Circuit event.
♠ December 2005: Deal yourself in to the most popular game in the country - Texas Hold'em Poker - in Resorts' new poker room. Atlantic City's friendliest Poker Room is located right in the casino, in front of Platinum Place Slots. It is all poker, all the time with 10 tables tucked off to the side to keep the slot machine noise to a minimum. Hold'em Tournaments (format is no-limit, with increasing blinds) are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. Resorts offers free Texas Hold'em lessons every day at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Let their pros teach you how to play the nation's hottest table game!
♠ December 2005: Come be a part of the action and see why the Sands Casino Hotel truly is the Players Place. We offer the best gaming odds, highest betting limits and most attractive rewards for our players. With the poker room tucked away on the second floor, the sounds of the casino are far away. Daily tournaments are held to accommodate all players.
♠ December 2005: With 25 tables, the Showboat's House of Blues Poker Room is one of AC's larger poker venues. Up the three-story escalator and past the House of Blue's nightclub you find this quaint secluded room. Host to the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) event, the staff and other players made this an enjoyable site to play. I was invited to a WSOPC celebrity event, sponsored by CityAtlantic.com. I enjoyed the play, sitting at the table with WSOPC No Limit Hold'em Event #5 winner Lisa Pickell, the first woman WSOP Circuit event winner.
♠ December 2005: Travel back to Old Havana, where the queen of all resort hotels - the Tropicana - stood proudly at the heart of it all. Today the Tropicana Casino and Resort recreates a bit of Old Havana with the most extraordinary destination in the history of Atlantic City, New Jersey. World-class restaurants, non-stop entertainment, a dazzling array of shops and experiences and south Jersey’s only IMAX Theatre…you’ll find all of this and more at The Quarter. The Quarter features three floors of shopping, dining, theater and spa services in a state-of-the-art complex bordering Pacific Avenue and accessible directly from the Tropicana Casino and Resort. The poker room sports has around 20 tables and has daily no limit tournaments, with buy-ins as low as $20. They host a monthly $2,500.00 freeroll for frequent ring game players.
♠ December 2005: With 64 tables and 10 more in the side room, Trump's TAJ Mahal Poker Parlor is Atlantic City's largest poker room. The Taj Mahal has been Home of the ESPN United States Poker Championships for ten years, as well as the home of the Trump Poker Classic! They offer constantly updated waiting lists for all games in the room, with a private elevator to the Poker Snack Bar and an exclusive high-limit section available. The Poker Parlor's simulcast facility offers coverage of poker, races and keno. The Taj also offers free poker instruction for beginners daily to help you feel comfortable and confident to play by the rules. Non-value poker chips are used during instructional lessons so there is no risk. Please see the Poker Seating Controller for daily time availability. New players who sign up and participate in a complimentary lesson will receive a free souvenir.
♠ December 2005: The Wild Wild West Poker Corral is elegant in its simplicity. A walkway away from Bally's, its Sister Casino, brings you to an old west town, with mock buildings and an outdoor feel; it is an interesting visual experience. Newcomers to Bally's Wild Wild West poker tables can experience "Texas Hold'em" and "7 Card Stud,” both traditional games that go hand-in-hand with Bally's Wild Wild West Casino frontier setting. With only ten tables, the poker room has an intimate feel. The hold most of the ring games at Bally's. "No limit Hold'em" tournaments are held on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. Sit & Go Tournaments, available every day from 10 am until Midnight, are a single table tournament. The game is No Limit Hold'em with $50 buy-in + $15 Entry Fee. Sign up at front desk. There are 10 players to a table, two winners per table and $2000 in chips to play with.
CANYONVILLE
Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort
♠ September 2008: The Seven Feathers Poker Room is an intimate 7 table room, under new management, that provides fun stuf to set them apart. $3/$6 and $4/$8 Limit games are the norm, with $3-$5 No-limit games with a $50-$500 buy-in when enough players are up for a game (usually on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings). The new poker room manager is instituting "themed" tournaments from time to time to bring some "fun" to the poker tables. At the Seven Feathers, they "strive to provide the ultimate atmosphere for the games players enjoy." The last few months they have been re-evaluating the poker room with the goal of the casino to make people feel like family. The casino has an interesting freeroll concept, with tournaments on Wednesday and Fridays that do not require previous table play. The catch is that there are unlimited $10 rebuys for the first hour. Check with the poker room for the next theme-based tournament.
The Player's Club Card provided $5 Slot Play for my first visit and $5 for my Birthday, which I turned into a $25 profit in five minutes. They also gave me a package of beef jerky (very tasty) and a manicure set, which I needed, having left mine at home at the start of the trip.
ROCHESTER
♠ September 2008: The newly constructed poker room is set apart from the rest of the casino, to provide peace and quiet for all. There are four tables in the room, which can be expanded to 6 tables for larger tournaments. The room has daily No-limit Hold'em Tournaments. The weekday games are $40 while the weekend games are $60, with both tournaments being freeze-outs. They also have quarterly Freerolls for players with 50 hours of cash game play. $4/$8 Kill is the game that is most prevalent, but Monday nights usually sees a $2-$5 No-limit game.
The casino grill had an excellent Prime Rib dinner special on Fridays, and I received a piece of chocolate creme pie to celebrate my birthday. I also received a $5 casino credit for my birthday with my Player's Club card.
PHOENIX
Gila River Casino Wild Horse Pass
The casino is just a few minutes south of Phoenix off the I-10 freeway across from Firebird Raceway. The Gila River is one of three casinos owned and operated by the Gila River Tribe. Opening in November of 1997, it quickly gained a large following from the Arizona gaming community. The card room has 19 tables, with most filled nightly. They offer Hold'em, Stud and Omaha, with limits ranging from $1 - $3 up to $ 40 - $80. The staff and dealers are extremely polite, professional and will not let you feel out of place. (Thanks to Allen Johns for this review.)
YUMA
♠ March 2008: Outside of Yuma is the Paradise Casino, an interesting two building casino complex. On one side of the dividing line of is the State of Arizona casino, which they claim has over 800 of the loosest slots, plus live Bingo. Twenty-five feet away, on the California side of the border, is the table games casino, with the standard games as wel as 14 poker tables. $4-$8 No Limit is the standard game, with occasional Hold'em tournaments. Nestled in the Desert Southwest, they offer all the excitement of Las Vegas without all the hassle.
After spending time at casinos and poker rooms with no limit games gaining popularity; it is interesting to play in Florida, where the state regulates the size of the bets. When poker was legalized in the late 90's, the legislature insured the rooms would not become high stakes venues with a maximum of $2.00 per bet per player per round. This interesting development means all the games are either $1/$2 or $2/$2 fixed limit. In order to increase pot sizes, games here are sometimes changed slightly. Some rooms have a $2 ante up front, in addition to the blinds and some rooms instituted a new version of Hold'em called Double Flop, where two separate flops are dealt, to increase the number of players that remain in a hand, thus increasing the size of the pots. Even the tournament buy-ins are regulated at $45, though some of the Indian Casinos are not bound by this restriction.
Since my last visit to Florida, the state changed their gaming laws changed to increase the limits. I hope to return soon to provide an update.
BRIGHTON
Seminole Casino Brighton features a spacious 10 table
poker room with no pot limit live games, along with Texas Hold'em, 5 Card and 7
Card Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo Tournaments. Poker Room Open Monday - Saturday at 3:00
pm, Sunday at noon.
COCONUT CREEK
Seminole Casino - Coconut
Creek
♠ September 2006: The upstairs card room currently has 11 tables,
but new construction will increase the room to 16 tables. The room offers lower
limit tournaments daily and continuous Sit 'n Go tables. They offer $1/$2 and
$2/$2
♠ September 2006: With 26 tables, this is one of the larger and
more extensive poker rooms not at a Seminole Casino. They offer $1/$2 and $2/$2
HALLANDALE
Mardi Gras Race Track and Gaming Center
♠ September 2006: Formerly the Hollywood Dog Track, the Mardi Gras Gaming Center is located on the second floor of the Hollywood Greyhound Track. The 20 tables are set up for ring games and 10 tables reserved for tournament play. At 7 PM weekdays, they offer a $42-$45 buy-in Hold'em tournaments, with continuous $42 Sit 'n Go tables.
HOLLYWOOD
Seminole Hard Rock Casino - Hollywood
♠ September 2006: If you take the Seminole Casino and knock it up a notch, you have The Hard Rock Seminole. This casino is Florida's answer to Las Vegas, with all of the glitz and glamour associated with the Strip's Hard Rock. The poker room boasts one of the few Poker Pro dealerless tables used in an actual casino. These dealerless tables place internet style poker into the casino with small monitors in front of each player. According to the poker room staff, the players like the concept, and the two tables are nearly always occupied. The casino is one of the largest in Florida, and the poker room boasts 46 tables, evenly divided between ring games and tournament play. Daily tournaments have buy-ins from $100 to $575 with a monthly $1,100 Big Slick tourney. Sit and Go tournaments are offered 24 hours a day, with $140, $250, $520 or $1,050 buy-ins.
♠ September 2006: In the spirit of Indian Casinos nationwide, the Seminole Casino offers bingo, slots and poker. The Seminole Casino of Hollywood's poker room features 29 tables with live and tournament games available around the clock. They offer a monthly Big One No Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament featuring prize pools of over $100,000.
IMMOKALEE
The Seminole Casino Poker Room is open every day of the week and features 18 tables. Players are eligible to win special "Bonuses" and "Bad Beat" jackpots while enjoying playing most live games and tournaments. Live Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha games are offered every day with $2/$2 Limits, with no set pot limits. Daily tournaments have buy-ins ranging from $103 to $300. They also offer an "Almost Free Tournament," every Wednesday night at 6:30 PM with a $15 buy-in and is limited to the first 100 players.
MIAMI
♠ September 2006: The Flagler's 12-table poker room is on the second floor, overlooking the simulcast area. Poker can be found daily from noon to midnight. Games include $1/$2 and $2/$2 Texas Hold’em, Five Card Draw, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud or they will set up any game that will fill a table. They have daily tournaments at 7 PM weekdays and 5 PM weekends and will field a Sit 'n Go on request.
♠ September 2006: An interesting feature of this resort is two separate poker rooms, with separate bonus structures and tournaments. The newer room, with more than 30 tables on the hotel side of the casino, is nicely enclosed fishbowl with floor to ceiling glass walls. The room has $55 Multi-Table Tourneys and $75 Single Table Tourneys daily. The older room, on the casino side, is more intimate with 15 tables. Both sides offer $1/$2 and $2/$2 Limit games and OmahaHi-Lo $2/$2. The best part of the morning was the $50 Jackpot I received with my A J - 7 A A A 10. The coffee shop had great looking food at reasonable prices, even at 2 AM when I visited.
PALM BEACH
♠ September 2006: The Poker Room now offers players 5- and 7-card stud, Texas Hold'em and Omaha. The air-conditioned room is completely non-smoking and includes 40 poker tables. There are Sports TVs to see all the big games. Tableside food and beverage service is offered, so no one has to miss a hand. Daily Hold'em tournaments have $45 buy-ins. On Fridays, the $45 Single Table Shootouts are held all day long. Games are $1/$2 and $2/$2 and $2 ante.
POMPANO BEACH
♠ September 2006: With 20 Tables, this poker room is only open when the harness ponies are racing, every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
TAMPA
Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa
Another of the glamorous casinos in the Hard Rock franchise, there are 50 tables devoted to Hold'em, Stud and Omaha. The continuous Sit 'n Go tourney buy-ins are from $120 to $1,050. They offer $100 Multi-Table Tourneys on Mondays and Wednesdays.
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