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After nearly a year-and-a-half with PokerStars PA the only online poker room up and running, other sites are now ready to launch in Pennsylvania.

Both BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker are poised to begin dealing their first virtual hands in the Keystone State, beginning with a two-day testing phase beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 27, PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach confirmed to PlayPennsylvania on Monday.

Both poker sites will be accessible through their respective iGaming products. BetMGM poker will launch under the BetMGM online casino, which falls under Hollywood Casino Grantville‘s license. Borgata poker is accessible via the Borgata casino app under the Rivers Philadelphia iGaming license. BetMGM online casino launched Dec. 4, 2020 and Borgata followed Feb. 24, 2021.

Harbach also confirmed that the two PA poker sites will be interlinked when it comes to player pools.

“Players can enter via either provider and be combined into one when it comes to playing cash or tournament games.”

What can Pennsylvania poker players expect to find at BetMGM and Borgata online poker sites in PA? Here’s a quick overview of what has been happening on both sites in other states, which should give BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker players in PA an indication of what they’ll find.

Similar design, functionality on BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker

Both BetMGM Poker and Borgata operate using the same software platform, which means the sites have a lot in common in terms of appearance, functionality, and game selection.

Entain (formerly GVC Holdings) powers both the BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker sites in New Jersey. In fact in NJ the two sites join partypoker NJ as part of the three-site partypoker US network that shares the same player pool, meaning all of the games are identical on both sites.

Meanwhile the new BetMGM Poker MI site operates on its own in Michigan, also using the same software platform.

In terms of appearance, the sites feature a fairly plain, streamlined design without much flash, although the lack of distracting bells and whistles definitely makes it easier to focus on the poker.

The navigation on both sites is identical, with tabs along the top of the main lobby showing “Cash Games,” “Sit & Go” tournaments, and “Tourneys” or multi-table tournaments.

There is a tab for “My Tournaments” where players can access tournaments in which they are currently registered. (On the BetMGM MI site, this tab has a trophy icon.)

There are also tabs for “Spins” (jackpot-style short-handed spin and go’s) and “Fast Forward” games, a version of fast-fold poker like PokerStars’ Zoom. On neither of the sites do the Fast Forward games attract enough interest to run very often.

Hold’em and Omaha only, cash games from pennies to higher stakes

When it comes to game types, both sites are limited to offering just three variants:

• No-Limit Hold’em
• Fixed-Limit Hold’em
• Pot-Limit Omaha (Hi and Hi-Lo)

In other words, unless new variants are introduced, PokerStars PA should have the upper hand on both sites with its wide array of stud games and other variants. Seven-card stud has appeared on the platform in the past, however, so it could potentially be reintroduced in PA.

Cash game stakes vary from the micros to higher limits. Both NLHE and PLO games run from $0.01/$0.02 to $25/$50, while the fixed-limit hold’em games go from $0.02/$0.04 to $30/$60.

Featured daily and weekly guaranteed tourneys, frequent tournament series

For tournaments, both sites feature a wide variety of daily and weekly tournaments with guaranteed prize pools. Certain tournaments popular among regular players appear both in NJ and MI, such as:

• Daily $10K ($109 buy-in)
• Sunday $35K (NJ) and Sunday $40K (MI) ($215 buy-in for both)
• Mega $535 Tuesday ($12K guaranteed)

Expect the PA sites to feature similar “marquee” tournaments as they begin to build their schedules.

Expect there to be frequent tournament series as well, as they frequently appear on both BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker.

Most recently, the New Jersey sites hosted a partypoker US Network Online Series. The series featured 11 events over seven days, with guaranteed prize pools totaling $360,000.

After launching last month, BetMGM Poker just completed its BetMGM MI Inaugural Online Poker Series Sunday. That series similarly ran for one week, featuring 10 events with $300,000 in guarantees.

These tournament series are much more modest in scale than the ones PokerStars PA has been offering. For example, the ongoing Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker features 120 tournaments over 17 days with just over $2 million in guaranteed prize pools.

BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker should aim a bit lower than that with their first Pennsylvania tournament series. But the competition could encourage expanded offerings.

Competition could stimulate more offers, options

The competition could motivate the sites to offer worthwhile sign-up bonuses and other promotions, as well as reward programs. The promos in PA as of now include (will update with our links when available):

• BetMGM Poker PA: $25 no deposit bonus and 100% deposit match up to $1,000
• Borgata Poker PA: $20 free and 100% deposit match bonus up to $600

The BetMGM and Borgata poker apps in PA both link to MGM’s M Life Rewards program, so poker players can earn tier credits for tournament and cash game play. Also, players can easily switch between poker, online casino and sports betting via tabs on the app or website.

In any case, PA online poker players have much to look forward to once the game becomes “three-handed,” so to speak, with a trio of sites from which to choose.

The post BetMGM Poker And Borgata PA Make It A Trio Of Pennsylvania Online Poker Options appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.

It’s 1:30 am on Monday and I am at South Point Casino in Las Vegas. With four players left in the $130 buy-in nightly event, I have a four-figure score locked up, but all I can think is “even if you win this thing, your bank account might still be in the red.”

Every pay jump is measured not in dollars, but pounds. At the end of the night, I bink my largest score to date, winning the tournament outright for almost $4,500. Aside from the sweet windbreaker that came with the win, all I can think is, “you still are going to owe like $3,000 if you don’t drop some more weight.”

This is the story of the South Point Diet.

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Poker players love a high-stakes weight loss bet

The first time I signed up for a four-month high-stakes weight loss, the scope of the stakes, $500 for every pound over your goal weight, served as motivation. I knew I didn’t have that kind of money, so I had no choice but to lose 12 pounds.

When the crew of the first bet wanted to run the bet back with more people, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do it again. I ultimately signed up though, knowing that I managed to achieve my goals by just putting in tons of hours at the gym.

Little did I know the gym was going to have very little to do with my weight loss strategy this time around.

I started experiencing some pain in my right leg not long after the second six-month-long weight loss bet started. I put on a brace, pounded Naproxin, RICEd the crap out of it, and it just got worse.

A course of steroids did nothing. As the weeks went on, every workout started to cause pain in my leg. By three months in, I could barely work out without triggering a tremendous amount of pain.

A leg cast could cost me some serious cash

As the workouts dwindled, the pounds packed on. I gained eight pounds from my starting weight for the second bet. Then, the doctor had even worse news: I needed to wear a walking boot. What was supposed to be three weeks in a boot turned into two months as we tried to get insurance to approve my MRI. All the while, the orthopedist was stumped.

“It acts like shin splints, but it isn’t getting better,” he said after the MRI showed only a little tendonitis. “I want to put you in a cast.”

This is the part where my non-gambling friends cheered and said “surely they don’t expect you to finish the bet in this cast.”

“You’re cute,” I responded.

The South Point Diet actually begins at Bally’s

With a cast that could bear weight to walk, but that’s it, my cardio options were limited. I bought a hand bike and spent an hour a night pedaling away. I still couldn’t seem to create a big enough calorie deficit to lose serious pounds though.

With about three weeks left in the bet, I ventured out to Bally’s poker room for a ladies event I heard about on Twitter. I must have been about the only one on Twitter who saw it, as a grand total of seven ladies turned out for the $150 event.

By the time registration closed, we were up to 10 entries with plenty of overlay to meet the $4,000 guarantee. Once we got down to three players, the overlay was calling our name, so we chopped evenly three ways and played for first.

Lucky for me, I won the ceremonial card protector in addition to a $667 payday.

Ladies event gives me an interesting idea

More importantly, though, I realized I had been playing poker for six hours, and never once did I feel even the slightest bit hungry. That has always been the case with me. Perhaps because I suffer from anxiety, the perpetual decision-making that comes with playing poker just tends to keep my stomach churning, food or no food.

I enjoy playing poker, but my body finds the endless string of higher and higher stakes decisions very stressful. So stressful that my heart rate generally sits at a little above 100 beats a minute when I play.

As I stuffed my $500 profit in my wallet, good enough to cover one pound I didn’t lose, I caught sight of my Fitbit and the wheels started to turn.

With $700 of poker money to work with, what if I were to just take it to a casino and play every day until it disappears? After taking a huge gamble on this bet, it seemed like the best way to minimize my losses was, indeed, to gamble more.

I couldn’t work out, but I could elevate my heart rate while playing. Moreover, I could spend the last two weeks trimming my caloric intake to 400 calories by staying busy with work in the morning and afternoon and staying busy with poker in the evening.

Thus, the South Point Diet was born.

It started on a poker Sunday

When it came to the boot and cast, the weekends were always the toughest because I couldn’t really go anywhere. I was just hanging out in my house near food all day.

So, I started bright and early on a Sunday morning with my boyfriend dropping me off at South Point for the 10 a.m. daily with a $60 buy-in.

The first event was a unique combination of people still drunk from Las Vegas Saturday night antics and an AARP meeting. Then there was me, coming to play poker in one of the smokiest casinos in Vegas because it was the healthiest thing I could do.

I cashed in eighth around 2 pm and just barely doubled my money. I noticed there was a 2 pm $130 tournament and told the cashier to roll my winnings into the next event. Another min-cash later, it’s almost 6 pm and I see another tournament is starting with a $60 buy-in. Why not go for a third?

I busted out around 9:30 pm before the money and got home around 10 pm. I lost $60, but for roughly 12 hours, I had no desire to eat anything.

Do not do this at home

Over the course of the next two weeks, it was like clockwork. Work, small meal, poker, repeat, with marathon session on the weekends.

Initially, I managed to cash often enough to turn a small profit, especially after getting fourth place for $451.

As a super nitty poker player, I am pretty decent at min-cashing, but then something unusual happened. I started to develop a sense of gamble. I needed a big score, not the pride of a small cash.

The turning point came in that fourth-place run when I was facing an all-in for all my chips against another player with two tables left. I knew it was a flip. Nitty little me used to avoid these spots, telling myself “be the one to push, not call.”

Then I felt my arm reach for my stack and set my chips in the middle. I heard my inner monologue say “Do you want another $80 cash or do you want a backup plan when you inevitably whiff weigh-in?” It was a flip and, guess what? I won.

Down with the pounds, up with the bankroll

As the days ticked down to weigh-in, I was dropping between half a pound and a pound per day. I chugged seven liters of water a day, limping off to the bathroom from the table every hour.

The Sunday before weigh-in, I skipped the morning event and showed up at 2 pm, where a larger than average crowd of 208 entries were in the field. As we whittled the field down to eight, I managed to chip up quite a bit during short-handed play and arrived at the final table with one of the two biggest stacks.

With six players left, we got into a huge altercation where I flopped trip jacks and he shoved all-in on a semi-bluff. Perhaps because I was such a massive chip leader after the double up, no one mentioned a chop.

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How I won a South Point daily with basically no talk of chopping

Meanwhile, the other big stack built his stack back up from nothing. Sooner or later, we were down to three people. He had about a million, I had about a million, and a woman named Janet had 125,000 (roughly two big blinds).

At this point, I committed a bit of an ICM sin when the big stack and I clashed once again and I flopped top pair with Q-J on a J-6-6-4 board. He bet out of the small blind and I called from the big. The turn was a 4, putting out a backdoor heart draw.

 

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Once again, he shoved all-in. I didn’t take long before calling and, lo and behold, he was semi-bluffing again with A♥Q♥. The river sent him to the rail, then Janet jokingly asked for an even chop.

A few hands later and there I was, the outright winner and $4,500 richer. Plus, I won a windbreaker that screamed “I am a live pro.”

Two days later, I chopped another event six ways as the massive chip leader, adding another $797 to the pile. Still, weigh-in would be close.

You win some, you lose some

Thanks to poker and a whole lot of water and willpower, I managed to drop almost 11 pounds in 10 days. The end result between the $4,500 I lost from weight loss failure and the $5,177 I won at poker was $677 profit.

It was also a two-pronged lesson about gamble though. I learned that, when it comes to health and weight loss, I am not willing to sacrifice my diet to a locals casino again and my days of weight loss bets are over.

But somewhere along the way in this ill-advised adventure, something really great happened. My poker game learned to incorporate some gamble. As my BMI went down, my poker confidence went up. Sure, my heart rate still stays elevated at the table, but it is because of excitement, not fear.

Now it is time to see if the #SouthPointDiet can continue, except the only thing I am trying to gain going forward are chips.

The post The South Point Diet: How My Weight Went Down And My Bankroll Went Up appeared first on .

Online poker looks to be booming in Pennsylvania. Recent numbers in PokerStars’ Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP) show a market tha’s eager for poker.

In the first weekend of events, SCOOP exceeded the original $280,000 total guaranteed prize pools. The tournaments awarded $350,000 to players in the KeyStone State.

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Some highlights from PokerStars’ PASCOOP

PokerStars remains the only operator in Pennsylvania and players are embracing the second edition of PASCOOP. The site’s first 10 tournaments exceeded guarantees by an average of 40%.

Through the first 21 tournaments, prize pools also exceeded guarantees by an average of 16%. Company officials believe offering three buy-in tiers have been successful in growing player pools.

This is the first time a PokerStars US series has utilized this approach. PokerStars has used the plan to reach more players with differing bankrolls.

The $100 High Sunday Special attracted the largest field size so far with more than 1,000 entries. The event generated a prize pool of more than $92,000. That’s a significant boost to the original guarantee of $75,000. 

Plenty of PokerStars events still ahead

PASCOOP runs through May 3 with more than $2 million in guaranteed prize pools across 120 events. Players will find at least another 100 events left on the schedule.

The two-day $300 Main Event highlights the series on May 2 with a $200,000 guarantee.

Even more is in store for US online poker players. The first Michigan Spring Championship of Online Poker (MISCOOP) will run alongside the New Jersey Spring Championship of Online Poker (NJSCOOP) from May 8-24.

Full details on both series are expected to be announced next week. Here’s a look at the compete PASCOOP schedule remaining:

2021 PokerStars PASCOOP

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The post PokerStars Easily Tops PASCOOP Guarantees in First Weekend, Pays Out $380K With Plenty of Action Remaining appeared first on .

Pennsylvania online poker players, take a bow. Your collective efforts led to eclipsing the PokerStars PA SCOOP prize guarantees on the first weekend of events and that by a comfortable margin. Your success should breed more opportunities, too.

PokerStars’ Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP) is still ongoing with many events remaining. Find the full schedule here.

Beyond PASCOOP, exciting times could be ahead for online poker players in the Keystone State if another market reaches maturity soon.

PokerStars PASCOOP guarantees quickly came and went

When PokerStars started PASCOOP on April 17, it guaranteed at least $280,000 in prizes over the first weekend. Over those two days, Pennsylvanians actually claimed $350,000 in prizes. In fact, the first 10 tournaments exceeded guarantees by an average of 40%.

That percentage dropped a bit over the following 11 tourneys, but still produced a respectable 16% above guarantees. Part of the success is due to PokerStars’ experimentation with expanding access to the events.

For the first time in a US Series event, PokerStars granted three buy-in tiers. The result was more players taking virtual seats in tournaments regardless of the size of their bankrolls. The math was simple from there; more players means more winnings.

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That didn’t mean the tournaments with the highest buy-ins went neglected, either. The PASCOOP Event 04-H $100 buy-in Sunday Special actually attracted its largest field ever, totaling over 1,000 entries. Players split a pool of over $92,000, which was $17,000 more than the guarantee.

It isn’t too late to get in on PokerStars’ offerings in PA, either. Overall, PASCOOP guarantees over $2 million in prize pools and continues through May 3, with dozens of events still on tap. As a matter of fact, you can try it out for free this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. That’s when PokerStars will offer a freeroll with no deposit necessary and a main event seat at stake.

That $300 Main Event goes down on May 2 with a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000. There are also smaller Main Events the same day priced at $75 ($40K GTD) and $30 ($20K GTD).

However, there could be a lot of action on the horizon should regulatory frameworks allow.

Playing poker across Lake Erie?

Online poker sites like PokerStars have also launched in Michigan, the lower peninsula of which is just across Lake Erie from PA. PokerStars is running its first MISCOOP next month, as a matter of fact.

So far, the regulatory landscape in MI does not allow for multi-jurisdiction play. The law in the Great Lakes State does allow for the MI Gaming Control Board to form compacts with regulatory bodies elsewhere, though.

There’s no telling how soon that could happen between MI and PA, but when it does, it would open up an entire host of potential new events for players in both states. If the same thing happens with New Jersey as well, then the possibilities grow exponentially.

Speaking of exponential growth, the prize pools for PA online poker players are on that same trajectory. With so many events and buy-in options, PokerStars PASCOOP is a can’t-miss event.

Lead image via Dreamstime.

The post PokerStars PASCOOP On Pace To Crush $2 Million Overall Guarantee appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.

There has been plenty of poker news lately, both in the live game and online world. That runs from the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour to jurisprudence and major industry moves.

Regulated US online poker also saw a major final table this week featuring plenty of big names. Once again, Chip Chatter brings you plenty of headlines from the poker world.

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New WSOP deal with CBS presents some interesting speculation

Poker fans awoke on Monday to the news that the WSOP is moving to CBS Sports Network this year. The series has been shortened and moved to the fall this year.

Certainly moving to CBS Net has its drawbacks. Fewer households receive the network, about 25 million to be exact. The network also doesn’t have as much prestige as ESPN.

However, there may be some interesting things to watch. The network already carries PokerGO events and this adds even more poker. Could CBS be trying to attract more poker fans all in one spot? Also, is it possible the WSOP could stand out a little more without being crowded by the NFL, MLB, NBA, and soon the NHL?

Also, how much will CBS promote the series? That remains to be seen, but some ramped-up marketing efforts could help the product. The network also promises significant streaming on its Paramount+ service.

Along with PokerGO that means even more live poker for fans. It will be interesting to see how things play out.

Kentucky Supreme Court rules against PokerStars

Flutter Entertainment, parent company of PokerStars and FanDuel, may be facing a $1.3 billion judgement in Kentucky. The state’s Supreme Court affirmed the judgement in March after its initial ruling in December.

“The case stems from PokerStars’ illegal operations in the US prior to 2011, long before Flutter acquired the company,” Online Poker Report notes.

“Kentucky sued PokerStars for illegally collecting wagers from online poker players. The state is known for the Kentucky Derby, which generates hundreds of millions in bets annually. Yet Kentucky has been slow to adopt more modern forms of gambling, including online poker.”

The state has apparently begun efforts to collect the first $100 million from the judgement. Stars posted that amount in bonds in 2015 to begin the appeals process.

Flutter disagrees with the size of the award and is considering its legal options including an appeal to the US Supreme Court.

WSOP.com High Roller final table features huge names including Negreanu, Schulman, Dunst 

The Spring Online Super Circuit Series is underway at WSOP.com and one event attracted a big final table on Tuesday night. The $2,000 Super High Roller Six-Max came with a $150,000 guarantee and plenty of big names looking for a championship ring.

The event produced a field of 62 players with 35 rebuys for a $184,300 prize pool. Roland Israelashvili took the top spot and his seventh WSOP Circuit ring and Nick Schulman finished runner-up.

Other names scoring at the final table included Daniel Negreanu and WPT commentator Tony Dunst. A win for Negreanu would have meant a second circuit ring 15 years after winning his first.

Dunst has two WSOP bracelets, but it would have been his first championship ring. It would also have been the first Circuit championship for Schulman as well.

Ian Steinman and Martin Zamani also played at the final table. Steinman has one bracelet and looked for his fifth Circuit ring. He scored an online bracelet in last summer’s WSOP Online in a $400 No Limit Hold’em Freezeout event for $110,557.

Zamani was seeking his second ring. Here’s a look at the winnings for final six finishers:

• 1st – Roland “prngls12” Israelashvili, $44,785
• 2nd – Nick “cashusklay” Schulman, $33,911
• 3rd – Martin “BathroomLine” Zamani, $25,341
• 4th – Tony “Panoramic” Dunst, $18,983
• 5th – Ian “APokerJoker2” Steinman, $13,952
• 6th – Daniel “DNegs” Negreanu, $10,247

The Super Circuit continues through April 27. The site also has the Omaha Mania and Spring Online Championships series currently underway as well.

Mike Postle drops lawsuit, now faces his own suit 

The Mike Postle cheating allegations saga continues to take some twists and turns. Postle has been charged with cheating in Stones Gambling Hall’s live streamed cash games.

The allegations came to light by poker pro Veronica Brill. His play was subsequently analyzed by many players including Joey Ingram and Doug Polk. He seemed to win in extremely unlikely situations, with numerous players saying he must have had “help.”

Postle later filed a defamation suit against Brill and several others. He recently dropped that suit, but faces his own suit from some of those he accused, including Brill.

“Voluntarily backing out of the case won’t save Postle from the anti-SLAPP motion filed against him,” Online Poker Report noted. “In fact, it guarantees that he will lose it and be on the hook for the defendants’ legal fees.”

SLAPP stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation.” Anti-SLAPP laws are meant to defend victims of frivolous lawsuits meant to limit speech.

“These laws aim to discourage the filing of SLAPP suits and prevent them from imposing significant litigation costs and chilling protected speech,” according to the Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press. 

Brill now hopes to recover funds used to defend herself and hopefully the sordid affair fades from the poker world.

Mike voluntarily dropped the case against me and many others. Now he owes me my legal fees https://t.co/FgiHko57Vp

— Veronica Brill 2.2 (@Angry_Polak) April 2, 2021

WPT sale going forward with Element despite late proposal from Bally’s

The World Poker Tour announced in January that the company was being sold to privately-held investment firm Element Partners. The company has been part of Allied Esports Entertainment, but Element would be purchasing the company for $78 million.

That didn’t include the esports part of the company. However, shortly afterward Allied received a $100 million bid from Bally’s Corp. Formerly Twin River Holdings, that company has become Bally’s after purchasing the casino with the same name in Atlantic City.

Bally’s owns several casinos across the country and has moved to expand rapidly. The company recently announced the purchase of the Tropicana in Las Vegas, its first property in the city.

The Bally’s offer also included Allied’s esports properties and the offer was increased to $105 million in March. Element ultimately matched that offer for the WPT alone and the Allied board accepted that. The deal is expected to conclude this month.

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Hellmuth-Negreanu rematch coming soon

After staging a massive comeback against Daniel Negreanu in the High Stakes Duel at PokerGO, Phil Hellmuth will soon defend his title. The Poker Brat scored $100,000 in a matchup where not many in the poker community gave him a chance.

The two will now play for $200,000 in a rematch on May 5 at 8 pm (ET) on PokerGO. At one point in the first event, Negreanu had about 97,000 of the chips in play to Hellmuth’s 3,000.

After rallying for the championship belt, Hellmuth now has four wins in a row in the series. That includes three straight victories over Antonion Esfandiari.

Hellmuth remained confident in his skills against Negreanu despite his detractors. That looks to be carrying over to the Cinco de Mayo rematch and he credits his short stack game for the comeback.

“I’ve had so much practice playing a short stack and waiting for good spots, I guess that’s allowed me not really to panic,” he said on the No Gamble No Future podcast. “I was fortunate to come away with a victory in the first match.”

WSOP Classic episodes now available

In other news at PokerGO, the platform continues bringing poker fans more historic WSOP action. WSOP Classic now includes more than 1,200 hours from various events including WSOP Europe and Asian-Pacific.

The collection recently got even deeper by adding 17 episodes spanning from 1973 to 2010. The 2003-2005 episodes also include special commentary with champions Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, and Greg Raymer.

The pre-2003 collection also includes 14 episodes many poker fans may not have seen before. Some of those include winners like Bobby Baldwin, Hal Flower, Stu Ungar, and Doyle Brunson.

The 1990s episodes feature Russ Hamilton winning the 1994 WSOP Main Event and receiving his weight in silver. Fans may also enjoy Scotty Nguyen’s famous “You call, it’s gonna be all over, baby,” from during the last hand of the 1998 Main Event. The hand was featured in the film Rounders.

The post Chip Chatter: WSOP-CBS, WPT Bidding War, PokerStars Judgement, Negreanu-Hellmuth II, Mike Postle Lawsuit Fizzles, & More appeared first on .

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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