If you’re keen to experience live poker during an upcoming visit to Atlantic City, you have several decent options, although maybe not as many as in years gone by.
There are several Atlantic City poker rooms to try at some of the most popular local casinos. Read on to discover how to test your luck against fellow players and which games you can play at the best poker rooms in Atlantic City, NJ.
What makes a good poker room?
A poker room – sometimes known generically as a card room – is a dedicated room within a casino that enables players to play traditional poker games against each other instead of playing casino poker games against the house.
Poker rooms let you play the most popular games like Texas Hold’em or Omaha, offering licensed and safe environments to test your skills and put on your poker face.
While many of us are used to online poker rooms, brick-and-mortar poker rooms add a key social element to your poker experience. Some rooms have dozens of tables, offering a mix of cash games and tournaments, with various buy-ins catering to all bankrolls.
The most significant advantage of poker rooms is that you play against other people and can win some decent money.
So, what are the best poker rooms in Atlantic City if you're looking to play poker in a real-life room in New Jersey?
How many poker rooms in Atlantic City?
There are three poker rooms in Atlantic City – one at the Borgata, one at the Tropicana, and one at Harrah's Casino.
The Borgata is a world-renowned poker venue with live tournaments that attract international players and a number of cash games available to all players. The Borgata is also the biggest poker room in Atlantic City, with more than 50 tables available to players.
While the Tropicana and Harrah's don't currently offer live poker tournaments, they host live cash games for you to join throughout the week and at weekends, ensuring that you can play poker whenever you visit the casino.
Let's take a closer look at what you can expect from the three available Atlantic City poker rooms, starting with the legendary Borgata Casino. It's not a huge choice - there are many more poker rooms in Michigan, for example - but they are all good.
Borgata Atlantic City Poker Room
Introducing the Borgata as the best poker room in Atlantic City is fair. The casino has been a mainstay of the NJ gambling scene for more than 40 years, and there are 52 card tables open to poker players around the clock.
The sheer number of tables means you can usually join a game quickly, and you don't need to wait a long time for a spot to open up.
The most common game at the Borgata is $1/$3 no-limit Texas Hold'em, but many games suit all bankrolls, including high rollers.
The tables run daily and around the clock in this 24-hour Atlantic City poker room. As for the high stakes games - $25/$50 hold'em and above- typically scheduled at weekends and during peak hours.
In addition to Texas Hold'em, the Borgata Casino poker room also offers $2/$2 and $5/$5 pot-limit Omaha games, which run throughout the week. You can also join stud games at Borgata, although they're less frequent and range from $40/$80 to $75/$150. If you want a seat at a Stud game, it's best to contact Borgata in advance to enquire about the schedule.
You may also be aware that Borgata is home to several high-profile poker tournaments that attract national and international players. In addition to World Poker Tour-sponsored events, Borgata runs weekly low-stakes tournaments for regular players, with buy-ins ranging from $150 - $500.
The casino is also home to flagship events like the Borgata Poker Open and the Borgata Winter Poker Open – both of which have previously awarded millions of dollars in prize money.
Ultimately, if you want to play at the best Atlantic City poker room, Borgata is the place to be.
Tropicana Atlantic City Poker Room
Second to the Borgata is the Tropicana Atlantic City poker room, with 18 tables that run games around the clock, and it's the only poker room situated on the famous boardwalk.
The main game available at the Tropicana is $1/$2 no-limit Texas Hold'em, although there are sometimes higher stakes games during peak casino hours.
The other format that sometimes runs at the Tropicana is $3/$6 limit hold'em, but these games are usually only available when the casino is busy, often at weekends.
Since the pandemic restriction eased, the Tropicana has yet to announce a resumption of its daily poker tournaments, and so it’s cash games that dominate the landscape here.
Harrah's Atlantic City Poker Room
Harrah's Casino hosts the third and final Atlantic City poker room. There are 50 tables at Harrah's, and the poker room is open from 11 am – 6 am during the week and 24 hours at weekends.
At Harrah's, you can play $1/$2, $1/$3, and $2/$5 no-limit Texas Hold'em, with buy-ins for $1/$2 games ranging from $60 - $300.
Like the Tropicana, Harrah's has yet to announce the resumption of their weekly poker tournaments, which ran before COVID-19 hit live poker and had a buy-in of $100.
It remains to be seen whether Harrah's and Tropicana will reintroduce their poker tournaments or whether Borgata will remain the only poker room in Atlantic City that offers regular events for the foreseeable future.
The verdict: which is the best poker room in Atlantic City?
The poker room at the Borgata Casino is arguably the best in Atlantic City. It features 52 tables and round-the-clock cash games for players to get involved in. There are also regional, national, and even international tournaments at the Borgata, offering players the opportunity to test their poker skills against some of the best players in the world.
In addition to the Borgata, the Tropicana and Harrah’s poker rooms are also great places to play poker in New Jersey. So, you now know about the three Atlantic City poker rooms, which will help you take a seat at a table during your upcoming trip to the boardwalk.
Are you preparing to play at the Atlantic City poker rooms? Now that you have the necessary information, it’s time to buy your rack of chips and take a seat. And if you're wondering how to find poker rooms near you, see our handy guide.
