Live poker rooms in the US are slowly beginning to reopen for the first time since mid-March. But it will take quite some time before the game returns to its pre-coronavirus state.
The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa poker room installed plexiglass dividers to help slow the spread of COVID-19. (Image: shrtpoker.com)
If you’re looking for a card room to visit this week, that all depends on where you live. Most poker rooms remain closed, but many in the US are only a reasonable road trip away from finding a place to play. And there will be more casinos opening in the coming days.
Where Can You Play Live Poker in the US?
Las Vegas casinos are permitted to reopen June 4, although many will still remain closed temporarily. But you will only find a few places to play cards. That is due to the Nevada gaming board’s four-handed restrictions. The Venetian, however, will give four-handed poker a shot. South Point is also expected to reopen its card room.
Within a five-hour drive from Sin City, you’ll find a couple of card rooms open. That includes Talking Stick, the largest poker room in Phoenix (and all of Arizona), and also the Jamul Casino in San Diego.
Commerce, The Bike, and the other Los Angeles poker rooms remain closed until Gov. Gavin Newsom grants LA County permission to reopen the casinos.
In the Southern Oklahoma town of Durant, the popular Choctaw Casino, home to annual WPT events and WSOP Circuit series tournaments, is open for business. On Monday evening, five low-stakes cash games were in action. The poker room at Choctaw in Pocola, Oklahoma is also open.
The Texas Card House, along with a few other card rooms in Texas, is back in business. That includes its Houston, Rio Grande Valley, and Austin card clubs.
Florida has multiple card rooms open, most of which have been busy since reopening. That includes Oxford Down (Summerfield), Seminole Hard Rock (Tampa), Orange City Poker (Orange City), Daytona Beach Poker Room (Daytona Beach), and Kings Court Key (Florida City).
Most other poker rooms in the US remain closed, but the live poker scene will soon return.
Poker Room Changes, COVID-19 Complicate Things
Although the live poker scene is starting to return to the US, the game is changing in various ways. And it may remain that way for quite a while.
Many casinos in Las Vegas, for example, won’t reopen the poker rooms right away due to the stringent four-max restrictions. It’s unlikely the gaming board will relax those restrictions any time soon.
But other states have less strict guidelines for poker. In Florida, for example, most poker rooms are playing six-handed games. That is fewer than what poker players are accustomed to, but still more appealing than four-handed poker.
Many card rooms, including the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa, have installed plexiglass dividers to protect players from catching the coronavirus. Some poker players on social media have expressed their disdain for this, and argue that it takes away from the social aspect of live poker.
The live poker scene in the US is slowly but surely improving. But it could be months, or even more than a year before the casinos can seat nine-handed games. That all depends on the continued spread of COVID-19. And it’s anyone’s guess as to how many card rooms will never reopen.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/live-poker-slowly-but-surely-returning-to-us-casinos/
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