Here is a look at the three poker rooms in the Philadelphia area — Parx, SugarHouse, and Harrah’s — with a rundown what each has to offer. Harrah’s Philadelphia. Located in Chester (just outside Philadelphia), Harrah’s Poker Room is in the heart of Pennsylvania poker country. The room is of average size for the region, with 28 cash. Rivers Casino Philadelphia the first Philadelphia poker room to reopen. Rivers Philadelphia and Parx Casino represent the two major poker rooms in the Philadelphia area. The Rivers Philadelphia poker room reopened with a 14-table capacity and a number of new sanitation and safety protocols.

Like most other poker regulars, I was excited about the prospects of a new room. Naturally, on the first day i played there, someone walked off with my snack tray with mt beverage and a personal belonging on it. Management and security did nothing about it. It is not why I gave 1 star, but it didn't help. The pros and cons, compared to the old room, will tell all:
PROS:
* New room, so it is clean.
* Well lit.
* Limited number of oversized leather seats while you wait.

CONS:
* Room is far away from the average parking spot. Not close to the main entrance at all.
* Considering the high number of players they have regularly, the room doesn't have enough tables. This is beyond surreal to all of us.
* Front podium to get on a list or check-in is placed horribly. Once a line of more than 5 people forms, it is a fire hazard to the entrance/exit.
* Only one main podium in the center of the room that cannot be reached unless you bang into the chairs of players seated at the tables nearby.
* Poker management apparently had no input in the outlay of the room. Beyond incompetent by the property.
* Chip runners cannot squeeze their carts between any of the tables. My chair was bumped about 75 times during a 9 hour session.
* PA system obnoxiously loud - as bad as the Borgata, if that is possible
* Less security
* Bathrooms no longer in poker room.
* Closest men's bathrooms have less than half the urinals and toilets from the old room. More than half of the restroom is wasted with a maze of walls and a silly, pointless mirrored wall at the entrance (looks like a 1970's sleazy hotel room). Stalls are also very narrow.
* At 7pm on a Saturday night, I waited on a line of 15 guys for a urinal - like I was at Wrigley Field in the middle of the 4th inning.
* New poker room food menu is abysmal - they eliminated 75% of the options from the former one; new items are lousy and unhealthy.
* The new USB chargers protrude out, causing either destruction to clothing or a bent, destroyed charging cable if your chair is all the way in.
* Tables are no longer numbered with signs.
* TVs are large but on the perimeter, creating a limited viewing experience in half of the seats in the room. I couldn't watch anything from the table where I was seated.

Just a terrible job by Alex property management. They should be ashamed of themselves for producing this horrid experience for the players, who they have clearly shown do not matter whatsoever.

It was just over a month ago that the first Pennsylvania poker rooms began to reopen after all of them were forced to close in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alas, a renewed surge in cases has made it necessary for PA poker rooms to deal with the situation once again. In some cases, rooms have opted not to deal at all — not to deal hands, that is.

When Pennsylvania’s casinos began reopening over the summer, the poker rooms were all forced to remain shut per COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

In early October, the PGCB began accepting reopening plans from some of the rooms. A couple of weeks later, the first few poker rooms began reopening. But with coronavirus-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, those plans are being revisited and revised once more.

Here is a quick rundown of the current status of all 10 of the state’s poker rooms — or perhaps we should say all nine rooms, as one of them appears to have closed for good.

Reopened and still operating – Meadows, Mohegan Sun, Mt. Airy, Rivers Pittsburgh

Four of the five poker rooms that reopened continue to welcome players, at least for now.

The rooms at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Mount Airy Casino both reopened on Oct. 16. A week later, on Oct. 23, the poker room at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino reopened. Then a week ago, on Nov. 11, the room at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh reopened as well.

All four currently remain open and are operating as follows:

• Mohegan Sun Pocono (eight tables) – open daily, 12 p.m. to 3 a.m.
• Mount Airy (12 tables) – open 24 hours
• Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (30 tables) – open Mon.-Thurs., 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Fri.-Sat., 12 p.m. to 4 a.m.; Sun., 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
• The Meadows (14 tables) – open daily, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Mt. Airy is the land-based partner of the only online poker site in the state, PokerStars PA, which will continue dealing virtual hands through pandemic closures.

Reopened, but now temporarily closed – Rivers Philadelphia

Rivers Casino Philadelphia reopened its 28-table poker room on Oct. 23. In fact, just a few days ago, some lucky players enjoyed a windfall when the Bad Beat Jackpot hit.

🚨 BAD BEAT! 🚨 Quad 5s beats Quads 4s to trigger our $100,000 Bad Beat Jackpot! That’s $40,000 for our “losing hand” and $30,000 for the winning hand! Four other players each received $7,500 table shares. Our Bad Beat Jackpot immediately has reset to $100,000! pic.twitter.com/fMhqsATamq

— Rivers Philadelphia Poker Room (@riverspokerphl) November 16, 2020

However, on Monday, the city of Philadelphiaissued new restrictions that will force the casino to close on Friday, Nov. 20. The earliest the casino will be able to reopen will be Jan. 1, 2021.

The new guidelines cover a host of different businesses, including restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, and theaters. All Philadelphia high schools and colleges must move to online-only instruction for the rest of the year as well.

Still temporarily closed – Hollywood, Parx, Presque Isle Downs, Wind Creek

The following poker rooms have been shuttered since mid-March and remain closed at present:

• Hollywood Casino Penn National (17 tables) – closed
• Parx Casino (80 tables) – closed
• Presque Isle Downs (seven tables) – closed
• Wind Creek Casino (26 tables) – closed

It is unknown if or when Hollywood or Presque Isle plans to reopen. Wind Creek appears to be in no rush either, given that slot machines presently occupy the floor of its poker room.

Parx Poker Room Phone Number

By contrast, Parx does appear to be considering reopening its poker room, the largest in the state. Parx recently sent out an announcement of plans to reopen the room “before the end of December.” But COVID-19 numbers could deter those plans.

Permanently closed – Harrah’s Philadelphia poker room

Parx Poker Room Phone Number

Meanwhile, in late August, Harrah’s Philadelphia indicated it had closed its large 27-table World Series of Poker-branded poker room, with no plans to reopen.

While there was no formal announcement, employees of the poker room shared information about the closure on social media and elsewhere.

Pennsylvania’s two other casinos, Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge, are both currently open, though neither has poker rooms.

You can follow our live updates page at PlayPennsylvania for the latest on PA casino (and poker room) closures and reopening plans as they are made available.