The reopening of various U.S. casino markets has continued over the last several weeks after months of forced closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But even in areas where casinos have reopened, many poker players that are ready to return to the felt are finding it hard to get in a game.
According to the American Gaming Association, 621 of the nations 989 commercial and tribal casinos are now operating again in at least some gambling capacity.
Florida is by far the state with the most plentiful game selection at the moment. With the Seminole tribe opening two of its South Florida locations in Hollywood and Coconut Creek Friday morning, nearly every poker room in the state is operational.
The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa location was one of the first to open in late-May and other major poker rooms like bestbet Jacksonville followed suit. Many are still adhering to short-handed play, but some rooms have already begun to transition to traditional nine-handed full ring games.
But as you look up the eastern seaboard, the pickings are slim for grinders.
In Maryland and New Jersey, casinos are still closed. Maryland casinos are set to reopen June 19, but there is no word yet on whether poker will be offered. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has yet to announce a timeline for the reopening of the Atlantic City casinos, but was hoping for a July 4 return.
In Pennsylvania, a handful of casinos in Pittsburgh are open, but neither Rivers Casino nor Meadows Racetrack and Casino have reopened their card rooms yet. Both will remain closed until further notice.
Upstate New York casinos have begun to reopen but Turning Stone Casinos poker room is the only spot for poker in the Empire State. Most of the New England gaming market is still completely closed.
Massachusetts has yet to open its three casinos, but it seems unlikely that the two poker rooms in the state will open for business when gambling is back. MGM Resorts owns MGM Springfield and Wynn Resorts is in charge of Encore Boston Harbor. Neither company opened any of its poker rooms in Las Vegas when Sin City reopened last week.
Connecticuts two tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, are both open, but without poker. All of Maines casinos are still closed as well. The lone New England poker room with a scheduled opening is Chasers Poker Room in New Hampshire, which will open on June 15.
The trend is similar across the Midwest. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan are all poker-less. Ohio casinos are eligible to reopen June 19, Indiana on June 15, while Michigan and Illinois have yet to put forth a timeline for its commercial casinos.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that when the states Detroit casinos reopen, poker rooms will remain closed until further notice. Poker rooms in Wisconsin and Minnesota are also closed.
As players move further west, poker options become more plentiful. Nearly every poker room in Texas is back in business with certain guidelines in place to prevent the spread of germs at the table, while Choctaw Casino is running games in its poker room just north of the Lone Star State in Oklahoma.
One of Arizonas largest casinos, Talking Stick Resort, opened its doors on June 1 and is running several games in its poker room.
Nevada reopened its gaming market last week, but there are only a handful of rooms to choose from. South Point, Venetian, The Orleans and the Golden Nugget are Sin Citys only options, while the Peppermill is the only spot to play poker in Reno.
Outside of Florida and Texas, California likely has the most options. Jamul Casino, a tribal casino in the San Diego area has been spreading poker games since late-May and has been joined by other properties throughout the state. Thunder Valley Casino near Sacramento and Towers Casino in Northern California are both showing active poker games on the Bravo poker app.
Stones Gambling Hall in Sacramento and Seven Mile Casino in San Diego are both scheduled to open Friday morning. The major Los Angeles-area cardrooms have yet to be given a timeline for a reopening.
The rest is here:
- Podcast: Lexi Gavin-Mather talks about her life in poker and finding love on the circuit - PokerStars - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Crypto Whales Bet 300K USDT On A Crazy Hand Of Poker At CoinPoker - Cryptonews - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Two implicated in poker box theft | News - Jamaica Star Online - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Taxi driver and tattoo artist held after cops find poker boxes in car | Loop Jamaica - Loop News Jamaica - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Two charged after theft of poker boxes from St Elizabeth bar - Jamaica Observer - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Introducing Lukas "RobinPoker" Robinson's Poker on a Boat: The WPT Voyage Experience - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Support The Quad City Areas VFWs During This Poker Run - 97X - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Poker Player Ryan Garcia Upsets Heavily Favored Devin Haney in What Should Have Been a Title Fight - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Dustin Melanson Crushes Final Table to Become WSOPC Playground Main Event Champion - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Above the Felt's Poker Room Grand Opening in Wisconsin - World Casino Directory - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Poker in the Ears Episode 305: Lexy Gavin-Mather Tells Her Poker Story - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington Passes Away at 85 - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The best NBA poker players of all time - Dunkest - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Best Offshore Poker Sites for the US Players in 2024 - ReadWrite - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- "Groundbreaking Ruling" Sees Poker Sites Ordered to Refund Losses to Players - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Josh Reichard Leads Final 16 in WPT SHRPS; Lonis, Linde & Tice in Contention - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- BetMGM And Z4 Nevada Online Poker Rooms Expected In 2025 - PlayUSA - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- BR Boat Club hosts 35th annual poker run to benefit Dreams Come True - Unfiltered with Kiran - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- News: Poker player forfeits chip lead for birth of his son - pokerstrategy.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The 6 Best Tether Poker Sites in 2024 USDT Poker Sites Reviewed - Cryptonews - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Lorenz Schollhorn Wins the Biggest-Ever WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- World Series of Poker Broadcast Schedule Released - CardsChat.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Tarpon man used housemate's shotgun to ambush him after night of poker, police say - Tampa Bay Times - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Bubble Bursts on Day 2 of WPT SHRPS as 101 Players Advance; Josh Reichard Leads - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- "Dirty Diaper" Comes Back to Haunt Rigby as Opponents Play it Back at WPT SHRPS - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- "One of My Biggest Dreams": Reigning POY Bin Weng Reflects on WPT SHRPS Victory - PokerNews.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- 'Like poker night for women': Younger generations are clicking with mahjong - The Jewish News of Northern California - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Robin Weigert ('We Were the Lucky Ones') reveals that tennis, poker and water parks helped the cast bond for the ... - WiscNews - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Millions of Dollars on the Table in This Week's High Stakes Poker Episode - PokerNews.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Ben Ludlow Riding Wave of Momentum onto WPT Voyage - World Poker Tour - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- News: WSOP Mystery Millions to award the bracelet at random - pokerstrategy.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- ACR Poker Guaranteeing Thousands Of Online Seats With Venom Fever - Poker News - CardPlayer.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Blind River Bar Reopening In Time For Tickfaw 200 Poker Run - SpeedontheWater - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Mystery Bounties, Ontario Online Poker and the Sale: Q&A with Partypoker's Jaime Staples - Pokerfuse - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- News: Second half of 2024 WPT schedule is out - pokerstrategy.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Over $1500 Added Value in our PokerNews Home Games on PokerStars in April - PokerNews.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- PokerNews Freerolls Every Weekend on WPT Global - PokerNews.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- NFL Draft is poker season, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy might simply be its latest QB bluff - Yahoo Sports - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Local goes all-in with poker club - Sandusky Register - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- The Commerce Casino & Hotel and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Forge Historic Partnership - PR Newswire - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- World Series of Poker at Turning Stone awards record $6.2 million in winnings (See top players) - syracuse.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Jakub Michalak Puts on a Grand Performance in the Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller - PokerNews.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Snake Helps Thief With Casino Robbery - Poker News - CardPlayer.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Life Outside Poker: Farah Galfond on Days of Our Lives, Balancing Poker & Family - PokerNews.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Commerce Casino Announced As New Home of The 2024 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions - Poker ... - CardPlayer.com - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Attention, Ontario Poker Players: You Can Win a WSOP 2024 Main Event Seat for Just $20 - Pokerfuse - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- Everygame Poker Launches Fast Fortune - Their Own Spin & Go Game! - Business Wire - April 2nd, 2024 [April 2nd, 2024]
- PokerStars UKIPT and ESPT Team Up for Spectacular Summer Stop in Spain - PokerNews.com - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- How poker chips sparked Marquette to its 87-69 comeback win over Western Kentucky - Marquette Wire - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Brett Murray Embraces His Role as The God of Thunder - World Poker Tour - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- $100000 Paid Out to Whistleblowers: How WPT Global Rewards "Integrity in Poker" - Pokerfuse - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Video Poker Takes Your Money In 10 Lines Of BASIC - Hackaday - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Plug Pulled 500 Hours Into Poker Bankroll Challenge: "We Just Take the L" - PokerNews.com - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Everygame Poker Offer Free Spins on Popular Slot Releases - World Casino Directory - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Everygame Poker's Easter Free Spins feature New Rockstar World Tour and No Deposit Bonus for Chinese Slot - WebWire - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Balatro's dev doesn't really care for Poker, almost named the game Joker Poker - GoNintendo - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Junglee Poker's Dhina Dhin Dha Tournament Series Wraps up with a Bang More Action-Packed Events Anticipated Ahead - The Week - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Fausto Tantillo Goes Runner-Runner to Snag the Chip Lead on Day 2 of the Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event - PokerNews.com - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- World Poker Tour turns to AI dubbing - Broadcast - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Fouad Rabahie Becomes the Maestro of ESPT Madrid Main Event - PokerNews.com - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- John Malkovich Reflects on Iconic Rounders Role as Teddy KGB in GQ Interview - PokerNews.com - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- This Week in Poker Podcasts for March 25, 2024 - Pokerfuse - March 27th, 2024 [March 27th, 2024]
- Rumored Ryan Garcia in Millions of Debt from Poker - HighstakesDB - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- 'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond credits church and poker for family reunion - Yahoo Entertainment - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- FRIESEN: Poker game pays off, as Jets join shootout in the 'Wild West' - Winnipeg Sun - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Sugen Singh Takes The Trophy in the 2024 Sunbet Poker Tour Time Square Main Event - PokerNews.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- High Stakes Legend Tom Dwan Signs with ACR Poker As ACR Pro - PR Newswire - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- DeSantis gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to run online sports bettings in Florida. Now the states racetracks and poker rooms are fighting... - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Theres another run at opening Dallas poker houses - The Dallas Morning News - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Amidst Accusations, Tom Dwan Named Ambassador of Unregulated Poker Site - PokerNews.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Poker Returns to Potawatomi in Milwaukee on May 3 With Brand-New Room - PokerNews.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- PokerStars Players in India Moved to Junglee Poker Platform - PokerNews.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Triton Poker: Holz Cracks Aces for Fourth Title; Rokita Comes Out on Top in Rollercoaster Heads-Up - PokerNews.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Poker roguelike sensation Balatro sells more than 500000 copies in just 10 days - PC Gamer - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- News: Tomas Geleziunas goes back-to-back in the Dublin Poker Festival - pokerstrategy.com - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Top 10 Richest Poker Players Ever - Net Worth Rankings 2024 - Techopedia - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Your Questions About the Pennsylvania Online Poker Bill, Answered - Pokerfuse - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Virtue Poker (VPP) Do the Risks Outweigh the Rewards Monday? - InvestorsObserver - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Indie Poker-Like Game 'Balatro' Has Sold More Than 500,000 Copies in Two Weeks - Bloomberg - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- This Week in Poker Podcasts for March 11, 2024 - Pokerfuse - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]