Pennsylvania added a new poker room to the mix this past January. On Jan. 19, Live! Philadelphia opened the doors to the general public and along with the premier came a new room dedicated to the poker world.
Recently PlayPennsylvania was able to make a trip to the new room and check out the amenities the casino had to offer.
Details on the Live! poker room
The Live! poker room is located in the back corner of the casino and sits by itself it its own private area. It includes 29 tables with charging capabilities for your phone or devices.
Players generally like the self-contained feel of a poker room. Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia does it right by catering to a poker player’s needs by including other conveniences in room, such as:
- Private Bathroom
- Poker Cashier
- Free Wifi
“I like that Philly Live has its own cage in the poker room” says Matthew Neamand, a poker player from Delran, NJ. “Not having to lug racks of chips halfway across the casino is such a nice feature and should be standard in every cash room”
Poker and sports betting at Philadelphia Live!
For the sports bettor, the Live poker room is where the action will be this fall every Sunday. The casino is located in the Stadium District and is right next to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.
Live! is home to a retail FanDuel Sportsbook, but bettors need not stray from the poker room to get their bets in.
The room offers 24 large TVs and a row of sports betting kiosks right outside the poker room entrance.
“It’s honestly a sports bettor’s dream” says Chuck Aquino, an avid Eagles fan and poker player from Edgewater Park, NJ. “My plan when the Eagles have a home game is to tailgate in the morning, go to the game and then walk over, hit the poker room after and catch the rest of the Sunday action in the room. Seriously, tell me a better Sunday than that?”
Virus safety protocols in place
Currently the poker room is running seven-handed cash games. This number will most likely increase to nine-handed once COVID-19 restrictions are removed.
At the moment, the following safety protocols are in place for poker players at Live!:
- Masks required
- Thermal checks upon casino arrival
- No eating in the poker room
- Plexiglass dividers at all tables
- Clean wipe downs before any new player sits
Tournaments and bonus promotions: Coming soon
Currently, the poker room is hosting a bad beat jackpot as their main promotion. At present, Live! Philadelphia does not have any additional promotions such as a daily high-hand giveaway. This is a popular promotion and helps get the room kick started each day.
While playing at the tables I spoke to a few dealers about upcoming plans. Most of the dealers remarked that the room was waiting for certain approvals from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board before launching High Hand promotions.
When asked about high hand promotions, dealers said that live daily and major tournaments were coming when safe to do so. COVID has continued to put a halt on casinos’ ability to play out big series like WPT and WSOP in the northeast. Some dealers also said that they believed they would be hosting major tournaments like their sister site Maryland Live! has done in the past.
So far, there is no plan for a Live! online poker room in the pipeline.
Live poker room holding the southern market
Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia has a lot of advantages at the moment when it comes to poker. Currently Delaware doesn’t have any live poker rooms open due to COVID. Also Harrah’s Philadelphia closed its poker room last year. This allows Live! Philly to be the main poker crop to the south of the city.
On top of that, Live! is the only casino in the city to have an exclusive hotel attached to it. Having a hotel close to the Stadium District and attached to the casino will definitely allow the casino to grasp an out-of-state market that comes to visit.
Currently there are now seven poker rooms open in Pennsylvania. Make sure to follow PlayPennsylvania for future poker room reviews and up-to-date information on live tournaments.
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