Maryland Live! Casino Poker Room Still Packed Two Months After OpeningPoker Room Director Mike Smith Talks About Room Traffic And Player Response |
|
Two months after opening their doors, the Maryland Live! Casino poker room in Hanover is still going strong, according to Poker Room Director Mike Smith.
“The response from local players has been extremely positive and overwhelming,” he said. “There are many days we could use an additional 52 tables! Our intention is to make The Poker Room at Maryland Live! Casino a place for everyone to play and feel comfortable and we’re off to a good start. We offer a full array of games and tournaments to accommodate every level of player from the casual player to big games with all the amenities.”
In their first full month of operation, the poker room took in an incredible $2.3 million in rake, according to report by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.
The 15,000 square foot, 52-table room has a dedicated cage, a private bar, tableside food service and direct access to a smoking patio on each level. The room even has its own dedicated tournament space, but the room has been so packed that Smith is having trouble getting tournaments added to the weekly schedule.
“On any given day, we have between 8 and 14 different games and limits,” he said. “We are currently very busy with cash games, but the poker room does offer daily tournaments and a couple of them are larger buy-ins in the $200-$300 range. While we continue to review other tournament opportunities, nothing is finalized at this time. However, with 52 tables, the size of the room opens up opportunities for us to attract and host larger and more high-profile tournaments and events, including those which are televised nationally. We expect to attract poker enthusiasts from across the county.”
Live dealer table games, in addition to more casinos and 24-hour operating times, were part of a gambling expansion initiative last year. In November, the issue passed a statewide referendum.
Smith, who previously ran the poker rooms at both the Isle Casino and Racing and Seminole Hard Rock Casino in south Florida, says the only real issues he’s had in the new Maryland market is getting additional employees to handle the heavy traffic.
“The challenges I’ve experienced here are not much different than the challenges I’ve faced in other markets,” he admitted. "The poker room was unique in that it was brand new construction, so we were in a race against time to have all of our new team members hired, processed and licensed in a timely fashion before opening to the public. "
Smith has already implemented a mega and mini bad beat jackpot, as well as a $500 payout for any player who tables a Royal Flush.
Maryland Live! was the second casino to open a poker room, following the Hollywood Casino in Perryville. A third casino, the Rocky Gap Casino Resort, opened their room in early October.
Caesars Entertainment has broken ground on a Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore that is expected to be completed with a WSOP branded poker room in 2014.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
