Penn State Poker Club
Poker in Pennsylvania
103 HUB-Robeson Center University Park, PA 16802. Phone: 814.863.4624 Student Organizations studentorg@psu.edu. The President’s Club also recognizes donors at two higher levels: The Edwin E. Sparks Circle, named for the eighth President of Penn State, recognizes those whose gifts total $5,000 or more in a fiscal year, and its members will be invited to experience Penn State for a day at a special annual event, in addition to the preceding benefits.
Live Poker Rooms in Pennsylvania
- Hollywood Casino Penn National (Grantville, PA)
- Mohegan Sun Pocono (Wilkes Barre, PA)
- Mount Airy Casino (Mt. Pocono, PA)
- Parx Casino (Bensalem, PA)
- Presque Isle Downs (Erie, PA)
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
- Rivers Casino-Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)
- The Meadows Racetrack & Casino (Washington, PA)
- Wind Creek Casino (Bethlehem, PA)
Pennsylvania Poker Information
Pennsylvania’s poker players are fortunate to have the choice between around 10 poker rooms across the state. Eastern Pennsylvania is the main poker hotspot, although western residents are within range of good games at Presque Isle Downs and Rivers Casino. Philadelphia poker tournament experts are mainly attracted Parx in nearby Bensalem, which operates some of the most well-attended daily tourneys in the northeast, as well as its Big Stax series events. Harrah’s Philadelphia Poker Room also gets its share of the regular action, and hosts the WSOP Circuit every April. The same venue is the home of the Philadelphia Poker Room, which offers more affordable events in the colder months of the year. Cash-game players in Philadelphia have the advantage of relaxed rules on minimum buy-ins in many poker rooms, meaning that recreational players are more likely to juice up the action.
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Pennsylvania boasts 10 Texas holdem poker rooms which are
spread out nicely, meaning you won’t ever have to travel far to
find a table. Most poker rooms here are in the casino section of
race tracks. This doesn’t mean they aren’t nice though, with
almost all of them well maintained.
Most players you come across will be tougher regulars;
although the low minimum buy-in’s for most cash games in the
state means you’ll get good action from amateurs on the weekends
and during busier times. This is always a good thing for the
game.
No limit holdem is the game of choice in Pennsylvania, with
only a handful of the poker rooms running regular Omaha and Stud
games. If you’re looking for other games, you’ll have to
restrict your play to mostly the weekends.
List of Pennsylvania Poker Rooms
Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find
in the state of Pennsylvania:
Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Location: Chester, PA
- Hours:24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 28
- Games: This WSOP poker room offers Texas Holdem, Stud, and
Omaha. You’ll find limit games with stakes ranging from $2 / $4
/ $6 and no limit games feature stakes from $1 / $2 up to $10 /
$25. This room also runs two no limit holdem events per day with
buy in’s ranging from $55 to $75. They also sometimes hold a
WSOP circuit event here. - Ambience: This poker room is partially separated from the
rest of the casino by a half wall. The wood and yellow décor
matches well with the brown and red chairs and tables. TV’s
cover the walls to keep you up to date in your tournament or
across the latest sports scores. The room is naturally
non-smoking, although it does connect to the casino and a fair
bit gets through. - Hospitality: You can earn comps through the Total Rewards
program here while you play. The comp rates start at $1 per hour
and go up to $3 per hour if you are playing $5 / $10 no limit
holdem. They also feature some high hand prizes. Food and
cocktails are available at the table. - Players: You’ll find decent play in the tournaments here so
if you bring your game and play well you will be respected. In
the cash games, you may come up against groups of regulars that
will low-ball each other than play big against visitors and new
players. This is a shame, although it means you can still cash
in if you play a solid game.
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
- Location: Wilkes Barre, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 18
- Games: The Mohegan Sun poker room offers two daily no limit
holdem tournaments with the buy in ranging from $30 to $230. On
busier days, they may also run a third tournament. If you are
looking for cash games you’ll find $1 / $2 and $2 / $5 no limit
holdem, $1 / $5 stud, $2 / $4 limit holdem, $4 / $8 limit Omaha
8s or better and $15 / $30 HOSE. The higher stakes games will
only run when it’s busier. - Ambience: This is a truly exquisite poker room with high
ceilings in a bright and open space. The blue table felt clashes
nicely with the dark carpet in this spacious room. The room is
non-smoking and separated from the rest of the casino only
partially, so a fair bit still gets in. TV’s are hung from the
ceiling so you can stay entertained between hands. - Hospitality: You can get food at the table while you play and
cocktail service is available and frequent for players. On top
of this they also hold a high hand jackpot to keep you
interested. - Players: Generally, the play will be a bit weaker here,
especially if you play a solid poker game and have many hours of
experience under your belt. The morning tournament is basically
a crap shoot, so maybe skip this one.
Parx Casino
- Location: Bensalem, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 60 to 80
- Games: This large poker room offers no limit holdem
tournaments every day of the week except Friday. The buy in will
range from $80 up to $230. If you are looking for a cash game
you’ll be able to find no limit holdem, limit holdem, pot limit
Omaha high, mixed games and Omaha 8s or better. Small stakes
games will be running all the time with the others spreading
when it’s busy. - Ambience: The dark earthy tones of this poker room make for a
great playing environment. The bright green table felt
accentuates the play making it clear where all the action is
happening. It’s a very nice poker room which is smoke free and
TV’s cover the walls to keep you up to date and entertained.
This is a nice poker room with a lot of space and action. - Hospitality: You can earn comps while you play here at a rate
of $1 per hour for small stakes and $2 per hour for mid to high
stakes games. They also offer food at the table and cocktail
service is provided for players. Moreover, they also have a high
hand bonus prize and a bad beat jackpot. - Players: The play will be quite tough here as it’s a hot spot
for most of the better players in the state. The Big Stax
tournaments are excellent if you want plenty of time to make
your moves. Cash games are always running and the action will be
juicy but tough. If you are a beginner player you may want to
start out at a smaller poker room to refine your game.
Rivers Casino
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 30
- Games: The Rivers Casino poker room offers two no limit
holdem tournaments per day with the buy in ranging from $45 up
to $145 on weekends. If you are looking for cash games you’ll
fine $1 / $3 no limit holdem always running and $1 / $3 / $6, $5
/ $10 and $10 / $20 no limit holdem, $1 / $3 and $5 / $5 pot
limit Omaha high, $4 / $8 limit holdem and $5 / $10 limit Omaha
8s or better being played when there’s demand. - Ambience: This poker room is spacious and open and most
separate from the main casino area. The dark carpets, walls and
chairs pair up nicely with the green table felt and provide a
nice environment to play in. TV’s are viewable from most seats
and the room is non-smoking. - Hospitality: You can earn $1 in comps per hour played here
and you’ll also be served cocktails at the table and food is
available 24 hours. They also offer a bad beat jackpot which
heads well north of $100,000. - Players: This is a fun and welcoming place to play poker and
you’ll come across good and bad players. It depends on the table
you draw. You can find juicy games at night and on the weekends
and you’ll usually come across more tough regulars during the
week.
SugarHouse Casino
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 28
- Games: The poker room at SugarHouse holds one to two no limit
holdem tournaments each day of the week except Tuesday. The buy
in will range from $40 up to $250. They also offer a range of
cash games including $1 / $2, $1 / $3 and $2 / $5 no limit
holdem. - Ambience: This recently refurbished poker room is nice and
open with beige table felt and comfortable chairs. TV’s cover
the walls and the room is non-smoking. - Hospitality: You will get food and cocktails at the table
while you play here and they also run a range of jackpots. On
top of this you can earn comps through the Rush Rewards players
club. - Players: You will find a mixed bag of players here including
regulars, visitors and amateur players. The room is really nice
and will mostly offer you no limit holdem action. The games are
at their most juicy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National
- Location: Grantville, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 16
- Games: This poker room runs a daily no limit holdem
tournament with the buy in ranging from $80 to $120. On
Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s they run two tournaments,
one at 11:15am and the other at 7.15pm. You can also find cash
game action here including $1 / $2 and $2 / $5 no limit holdem,
$1 / $2 pot limit Omaha 8s or better and $2 / $4 limit holdem. - Ambience: This is a nice poker room with clean and
comfortable tables and chairs. They have TV’s on the walls and
the room is non-smoking. The yellow table felt fits in nicely
with the overall Hollywood Casino décor. - Hospitality: Players are provided with cocktail and food
service while playing and you can also take your shot at the
progressive bad beat jackpot. - Players: You’ll find the best games on the weekend,
particularly on the $1 / $2 no limit holdem tables. During the
week, the games will be a lot harder. So, pick your times and
play solid poker and you should do well here.
Mount Airy Casino
Penn State Poker Clubs
- Location: Mt. Pocono, PA
- Hours: Monday to Thursday from 11am to 4am, Friday to Sunday
from 9am Friday until 4am Monday morning. - Tables: 9
- Games: This smaller poker room doesn’t offer any tournaments
and only spreads $1 / $2 no limit holdem and $2 / $4 limit
holdem. When it’s busy they may open up $2 / $5 no limit holdem
tables. - Ambience: The poker parlor is separate to the rest of the
casino and well tucked away. The room has TV’s on the walls and
is non-smoking. The blue table felt is easy on the eyes in the
beige and purple room. - Hospitality: You can earn comps here while you play through
the Player’s Club reward program. They also offer cocktail
service. No food is available in the poker parlor itself. - Players: The play will be quite soft here with mostly
amateurs and weaker regulars. Because the poker room is so well
hidden from the rest of the casino you won’t get the gamblers
stopping it at the table to try their luck like you do in other
casinos.
Presque Isle Downs
- Location: Erie, PA
- Hours: Open every day from 10am
- Tables: 9
- Games: This room holds a weekly no limit holdem free-roll
tournament. On top of this they also run $1 / $2 or $1 / $3 no
limit holdem cash games all the time, and will spread $2 / $5 no
limit holdem and $2 / $4 limit holdem on weekends. - Ambience: This poker room is small and tucked away in the
main casino complex. It’s quite plain with blue pattern carpet,
beige walls and orange felt tables. They have plenty of TV’s on
the walls and the room is non-smoking. - Hospitality: You can earn $1 per hour in comps here and they
also provide cocktail service and food can be ordered and
consumed at the table. - Players: You’ll find mostly regulars in this poker room with
decent action on weekends. The games will be softer during those
times and tougher during the week. So, pick your times well and
play a solid game when you are here.
Sands Casino
- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 30
- Games: The Sands Casino poker room offers no limit hold
tournaments most days, except Thursday’s and Saturday’s, with
buy in’s ranging from $45 up to $200. They sometimes hold
special event tournaments on the weekend days also. For the cash
game players, they spread $1 / $2, $2 / $5, $5 / $5, $5 / $10
and $10 / $25 no limit holdem as well as $3 / $6 limit holdem
and $5 / $10 limit Omaha 8s or better. The higher stakes run
only when it’s busy. - Ambience: This poker room is truly dazzling and brilliant on
the eye. The hanging lights brighten up the room which features
a striking red carpet and green felt tables and comfortable red
backed chairs. The room is non-smoking; however, it’s only
partially separated by a rail from the main casino area. - Hospitality: You can get food and drinks at the table side
during peak hours, with the main food court offering food 24
hours. Basic drinks and provided to players for free and you’ll
also be in the running for the bad beat jackpot. Comps can be
earned between 70 cents and $1.05 per hour depending on the game
and limits you are playing. - Players: This room is very friendly and welcoming,
particularly to visitors, which is a really good thing. Some
other rooms in PA should take note of this. You’ll find lots
of action on friendly tables with decent play.
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino
- Location: Washington, PA
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 15
- Games: This poker room offers plenty of tournaments with one
or two no limit holdem events running each day. The buy in will
range from $31 up to $126. For the cash game players, they run
$1 / $3 no limit holdem all the time and will open $1 / $3 / $6
no limit holdem, $2 / $5 pot limit Omaha high and $2 / $4, $3 /
$6 and $5 / $10 limit holdem when it’s busier. - Ambience: This poker room is quite basic with beige walls and
purple ceilings. TV’s cover the walls and are viewable from most
seats at the table. The basic black chairs and green table felt
makes for a nice enough playing environment. The room is also
non-smoking and has a good view of the race track out the
windows. - Hospitality: You can get cocktail and food service at the
table while you are playing in this poker room. On top of this
you can earn $1 per hour in comps via the Meadows Players Club
rewards program. - Players: The games here will be solid and tough, with mostly
regulars and solid visiting players. You will be able to get
more action on the weekends. This room isn’t known for big
bluffs, so you may be able to exploit this when you play here.
Conclusion
Penn State Poker Club Poker
Pennsylvania has a large selection of poker rooms for Texas
holdem players of every skill level. While Texas holdem was
exploding in popularity in the 2000’s the availability of games
increased in PA just like in most states in the country. Use
this handy Texas holdem poker rooms guide to find a great place
to play if you live in Pennsylvania or to plan your next trip to
the state.