The approval of the COVID-19 vaccine is good news for a lot of industries including the live poker scene. The live poker scene is among industries that are still reeling from the enormous impact of the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns. Many poker fans know the name: Dan Smith. He's a high-stakes poker player, one who has earned more than $36.7 million to date in live tournaments alone. Reel em in slots free download. Prior to the year of the pandemic, Smith trekked the world to play in Triton Million tournaments and European Poker Tour events, though.
Four live poker rooms are now open in Pennsylvania. The rooms where you can find live poker right now are:
- The Meadows
- Mount Airy Casino
- Mohegan Sun Pocono
- Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
These five live poker rooms are currently closed:
- Parx (opening Dec. 15)
- Hollywood Casino
- Presque Isle Downs
- Wind Creek Casino
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia (reopened but closed again on Nov. 20)
In the New Year, players will also have another live poker option in Philadelphia. Live! Casino and Hotel in Philly will open in early 2021, and a 29-table poker room should open with it, pending COVID-19 restrictions.
We will continue to update casino and poker room closings and reopening plans in this second wave at our live updates page here.
Parx poker room reopening in mid-December
Pennsylvania's largest poker room announced a date for its long-awaited return. Parx Poker Room will reopen on Dec. 15 at 9.m. with all of its usual games and be open 24 hours. The news came via Parx's website.
What's up at Wind Creek's poker room?
With 26 tables, Wind Creek Casino has one of the larger poker rooms in PA. A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open.
A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. Read the full story here.
PA poker rooms opening one by one
Other poker rooms in Pennsylvania could be reopening any day. According to a spokesperson for the PGCB, casinos submit plans and safety protocols for review. Once they receive final approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), they can reopen.
It's positive news for poker players who have been waiting a long time to get back to live games. Casinos in Pennsylvania started shutting down to slow the spread of coronavirus in mid-March. They did not begin to welcome back guests until June, and poker rooms were not open due to the social nature of the game.
PlayPennsylvania has contacted poker room reps for Hollywood Casino, Wind Creek Casino, and Presque Isle Downs Casino but they had no concrete plans to share.
We will continue to update you here as more rooms open or set a date for reopening.
Live Poker returned to Rivers Philadelphia but closed again
Rivers Casino Philadelphia reopened its poker room on Oct. 23. It did so with approval for up to 14 tables with a capacity of 100 guests. Under normal circumstances, the room has 28 tables and offers a variety of poker games but now the action returned with primarily No Limit Texas Hold'em cash games.
According to a recent press release, in addition to the existing casino-wide safety measures, the following precautions are in effect for the poker room (when it is open):
- Masks must be worn at all times
- Poker dealers will wear both a mask and a face shield
- Each poker table in play will have plexiglass dividers, separating players and the dealer
- A maximum of seven players allowed per table
- Frequent and thorough cleaning of all cards, chips and surfaces
- Only sanitized chips bought from the poker room cage will be used in play
- No food, beverage or smoking is permitted in the poker room or anywhere on the Rivers Casino gaming floor
Peter Longi, assistant general manager at Rivers Casino Philadelphia, commented:
'Poker players are excited to be back at the tables, enjoying the game they love. Our reopening was carefully planned with the safety of our team and guests being the primary concern. We're eager to welcome back our poker team.'
To assist with social distancing, players are encouraged to call the poker room at 215-717-3883 to put their name on the waiting list when the room reopens. Guests can also check the Bravo Poker Live online or the website's mobile app for the Rivers Casino poker room up-to-the-minute game status. In addition, players will have a chance to win their share of the $100,000 Bad Beat Jackpot. The minimum qualifying hand is quad 2s.
Rivers had to close its poker room once again along with the rest of the casino until at least Jan. 1, 2021.
Here's a look at a poker table at Rivers Philadelphia:
Players pine for poker
When the PGCB released its casino reopening protocols in late May, part of them stated that poker rooms were not authorized to operate due to players' handling of cards and chips. They also said poker room operations would be re-examined based on changes in the CDC's and PA Department of Health's guidance.
On June 9, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh was the first to welcome back visitors. When asked when poker rooms would return, PGCB Director of Communication Doug Harbach said poker rooms present a different type of challenge since people are sitting close together in a room. He said at the time: Texas holdem statistics chart 2016.
'The casinos want to walk before they run and make sure they are getting the venue open and then move on to opening up other areas once they know the protocols are working well.'
PokerStars, the state's lone online poker site, has posted healthy numbers in PA, but players are still pining for in-person play.
Harbach gave this update to PlayPennsylvania in late August about poker rooms in Pennsylvania:
'There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts' guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely, which would be reviewed by the board on a case-by-case basis.'
Poker is back in New Jersey, too
New Jersey also had a long poker pause. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa reopened its poker room, the largest in the state, on Oct. 21. The room is operating with 30 socially distanced tables. It's about a third of the room's 85 tables when operating at full capacity.
The Bellagio in Las Vegas opened its poker room in June. Nevada state guidelines mandated five-handed play in rooms without dividers or plexiglass partitions. However, the Bellagio's request for six-handed poker games with partitions was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Other poker rooms in Nevada have also reopened with virus protocols in place.
When will poker rooms in Pennsylvania reopen?
Play Pennsylvania will continue to provide updates here as more casinos announce plans and reopen live poker.
Hollywood Casino live poker update
Currently closed.
Information about Hollywood Casino Poker Room:
- 17 tables
- Monday nights, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Wednesdays and Thursdays, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Fridays, $500 high hand, every 30 minutes; Sundays, hourly high hand prizes.
- Bad Beat Jackpot
- Weekly Rack Back Bonus
The Meadows live poker update
The Meadows poker room opened on Oct. 23 with daily hours of 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Welcome back Poker Players! pic.twitter.com/9X66QuZqXp
— Meadows Casino (@MeadowsCasino) October 23, 2020
Information about The Meadows Poker Room:
- 14 tables
- Live games such as Texas hold'em and Omaha every day
- Progressive bad beat
Mount Airy Casino live poker update
Mount Airy's poker room reopened on Oct. 16 and is open 24 hours.
Information about Mount Airy Casino Poker Room:
- 12 tables
- Games such as Texas hold'em, Omaha and stud
Mohegan Sun Pocono live poker update
Live Poker News
Mohegan Sun Pocono's poker room reopened on Oct. 16.
Information about Mohegan Sun Pocono Poker Room:
- Eight tables
- Daily tournaments feature no-limit Texas hold'em and Bounty tournaments
- Offering a Bad Beat Jackpot for BOTH cash and tournament play
- Each day, $25 added to the Royal Flush Jackpot for each of the four suites
Parx live poker update
News Poker Live Chat
Parx sent out an email in mid-November saying they were finalizing plans but hoped to re-open poker 'before the end of December.'
Information about the Parx Casino Poker Room:
- 80 tables — the most in PA
- The room offers a variety of no-limit hold'em games (from $1-$2 up to $10-$25), limit hold'em ($3-6 up to $30-$60), pot-limit Omaha, Omaha eight or better and a variety of mixed and draw games
- Weekly tournaments. Major tournament: Parx Big Stax
News Poker Live Stream
Presque Isle Downs live poker update
Poker News Canada Live Reporting
The poker room is currently closed.
Information about Presque Isle Downs Poker Room:
- Seven tables
- Games like hold'em and Omaha. Also offering multitable and single-table tournaments (sit and go's)
Rivers Casino Philadelphia live poker update
Rivers Philadelphia reopened poker on Oct. 23. But it is closed once again as of Nov. 20 along with the casino to comply with city orders. It could reopen as soon as Jan. 1.
Cards are in the air! Welcome back players! $200 high hands are on every hour 24/7 all of October! Call 215-717-3883 to reserve your seat. pic.twitter.com/MwcxTABsNM
— Rivers Philadelphia Poker Room (@riverspokerphl) October 23, 2020
Information about Rivers Casino Philadelphia Poker Room:
- 28 tables
- Rivers offers a wide variety of poker games, including, but not limited, to Texas hold'em, Omaha-high, Omaha-hi/lo split eight or better, seven-card stud high, seven-card stud low, seven-card stud hi/lo split and seven-card stud hi/lo split eight or better.
- Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh live poker update
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh opened on Nov. 11. And beginning Nov. 16, Rivers Pittsburgh will operate 24/7, according to their twitter.
We are excited to announce that the Poker Room will be opening on Wednesday, November 11th at 4PM. We can't wait to welcome you back!
Learn more about what you can expect and current hours: https://t.co/heQ3qJyQbV
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler pic.twitter.com/FjgJY2cC7v
— Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (@WinBigRivers) November 10, 2020
Information about Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room:
- 30 tables
- Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available
Wind Creek Bethlehem live poker update
Wind Creek poker room remains closed.
Information about Wind Creek Bethlehem Poker Room:
- 26 tables
- Variety of games such as limit and no-limit Texas hold 'em, stud and Omaha. Limits starting at $3 and $6
- Automated shufflers on every poker game
- Bad Beat Jackpot available daily
- Massage service
Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge do not have poker rooms. PlayPennsylvania exclusively reported that Harrah's Philadelphia closed its WSOP-branded room in August.
We are excited to announce that the Poker Room will be opening on Wednesday, November 11th at 4PM. We can't wait to welcome you back!
Learn more about what you can expect and current hours: https://t.co/heQ3qJyQbV
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler pic.twitter.com/FjgJY2cC7v
— Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (@WinBigRivers) November 10, 2020
Information about Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room:
- 30 tables
- Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available
Wind Creek Bethlehem live poker update
Wind Creek poker room remains closed.
Information about Wind Creek Bethlehem Poker Room:
- 26 tables
- Variety of games such as limit and no-limit Texas hold 'em, stud and Omaha. Limits starting at $3 and $6
- Automated shufflers on every poker game
- Bad Beat Jackpot available daily
- Massage service
Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge do not have poker rooms. PlayPennsylvania exclusively reported that Harrah's Philadelphia closed its WSOP-branded room in August.
More online poker operators coming to PA
PokerStars arrived in Pennsylvania in November 2019 and has been the state's only operator for 11 months. Partypoker was rumored to be coming in the early fall, but like most party plans in 2020, it hasn't happened.
Last week, the PGCB approved Caesars‘ online poker partner 888 Holdings for an interactive gaming manufacturer license. 888 Poker was the No. 1 poker website in the country last year. It has a self-branded poker platform, and its software powers World Series of Poker (WSOP) online and mobile sites.
It seems only a matter of time before both partypoker and WSOP.com make their way to PA.
Health and safety at PA casinos
Here are a few things you should know in case you have not been to a casino since they reopened. Per the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, all casinos in the state must follow the COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols, which detail the minimum safety and health-related requirements that are mandatory before reopening.
Casinos may also choose to have additional measures, such as temperature checks at the entrance.
Key points to remember are:
- Casinos can reopen at 50% capacity. (Rivers Casino Philadelphia is open at 25%.)
- Employees and guests must wear masks.
- There must be markings on the floor to promote social distancing.
- Enhanced cleaning is required throughout the facility.
In addition, there is a current pause on smoking at casinos, no drink service on the gaming floor and no sitting at the bar.
Be sure to check back often as we continue to post updates on PA poker room reopenings here.
Lead image of Meadows poker room via AP Photo/Keith Srakocic.
