Best Poker Destinations in the US

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Sunday, September 10th, 2017 | Written by Charles Washington

Las Vegas is the gambling capital of the United States, and as the summer home of the World Series of Poker, Sin City gets the most attention among all the poker destinations in the country. That doesn’t mean that enthusiasts have to head to the Strip to enjoy a bit of poker action, though, as there are numerous casinos and high-end casino resorts catering for the game spread out all across the USA.

1. Southern California.

In the 1930s, California legalized poker in card rooms, and today, the state has more poker tables than any other. Southern California houses some of the largest poker facilities in the world: the Commerce Casino with over 200 tables, the Gardens Casinos with 110 tables, the Hollywood Park with 90 tables, the Bicycle Club with 80 tables and the Hustler with 50 tables.

2. Greater Philadelphia and Atlantic City

Visitors to Philly have their choice of 207 poker tables at 14 different card rooms in the state. The Sugar House in downtown Philadelphia, for instance, has 28 tables, and the Parx and Harrahs just outside the city have 92 between them. Figure in nearby Atlantic City and three additional poker rooms in northern Delaware, and you have a wealth of opportunities to take to the tables in the region.

3. Southeastern Connecticut

In Connecticut, players can visit the Foxwoods in Ledyard, which hosts regular seven-card stud games catering for every stake. In addition, the 150-table Mohegan Sun is nearby in Uncasville, and the destination is readily accessible from the T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, and shuttles also run regularly from New York City and Boston.

4. Southeast Florida

Drive the Florida coast along Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Palm Beach, and you can stop by 12 different poker rooms. Furthermore, the Seminole Rock Hollywood, Hialeah Park and the Palm Beach Kennel Club have more than 375 tables between them.

5. West Florida

On the opposite side of the peninsula, opportunities to play poker are just as bountiful. There are six poker rooms in the area made up of Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, Naples and St. Petersburg, including the ones featured at the Hard Rock Tampa and Derby Lane.

6. Gulf Coast

Within 90 minutes of New Orleans, poker players can find numerous games. Within the city itself, there is Boomtown for low limit Texas Hold’em and Harrahs with numerous hold-em and pot-limit Omaha tables. Baton Rouge is home to L’Auberge Casino, and there are more casinos in Bay St. Louis and Biloxi, Mississippi.

7. Northern California

While the poker palaces may be smaller in the northern end of California, players have many options in the Bay Area, including Artichoke Joes, Bay 101, California Grand, Graton, Livermore, Lucky Chances, M8trix, Napa Valley, Oaks Card Club, Parkwest, Pete’s 881, San Pablo and The Palace.

8. Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Legalized gambling arrived at the Capital and Chesapeake Bay area later than it did in other parts of the country, but today, the landscape offers numerous spots to play. Poker enthusiasts can head to Maryland Live!, the Horseshoe, and the MGM near Washington D.C. and have their pick of more than 100 poker tables.

And Then There’s Vegas

Of course, a list of some of the top US destinations wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Las Vegas in the western state of Nevada. Needless to say, Nevada has the most thriving poker scene in the whole of the country, and in June its 724 cash game tables situated at its 63 poker rooms generated a total of $16.67 million, representing its best result since June 2007’s figure of $17.66 million.

Helping the numbers along was the 2017 WSOP, the world’s most prestigious poker tournament series, which each year attracts players from all across the globe, all of whom are hoping to win a coveted gold WSOP bracelet, as well as the prizes which accompany them. Nevertheless, no competition attracts more interest that the $10k Main Event, and this year’s was the third biggest in its history, with 7,221 players helping to create a massive prize pool of more than $67 million, and a top prize of $8.15 million.

In addition, Nevada is one of just three states that currently offer online poker games to its residents and visitors, with the Silver State having enacted a player sharing agreement with Delaware back in 2015.