Live Casino Maryland Poker Room
The 14,800 square foot, state-of-the-art Poker Room at Maryland Live! The casino is one of the largest in the country. With 52 tables, the Poker Room offers a variety of games to accommodate every level of player from the casual player to big games, including Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and 7-Card Stud. Thank goodness for Maryland Live. Huge selection of slot machines and a great poker room which had a great $4-$8 limit game and $2100 per hour in promotions on the days I was there. Located within easy drive of both Baltimore and Washington DC. It also looked nice. Half the poker rooms in Florida looked dinghy and some of the rooms in California look overgrown Moose lodges. As a $2-5NL player I have a much better luck in rooms where they are playing higher stakes at other tables. Maryland Live was running a $10-25NL which meant there were fewer serious players stuck at $2-5. Casino has one of the largest poker rooms in the country with 52 tables. Whether you’re a casual player or a card shark, the Poker Room offers a variety of promotions and tournaments. The Poker Room features great POKER PROMOTIONS every month. Take a look at the latest SPECIAL POKER TOURNAMENTS. View all the upcoming events on the TOURNAMENT CALENDAR. Improve your game using The Poker.
The Texas holdem poker scene is alive in the state of Maryland.
The recent addition of the MGM National Harbor casino and poker room has only
further strengthened this. While Maryland Live! dominated the poker scene for
several years, they now have tough competition in MGM. But given how the game is
expanding in the state, and the fact that more players will be commuting in from
neighbouring states, this isn’t too much of an issue and there’s certainly
enough demand for both large rooms to be running.
On top of these two premier rooms you’ll also find poker at the Horseshoe
Casino in Baltimore, which is operated by Caesars Entertainment, and the
Hollywood Casino in Perryville. While these are both a little bit smaller than
MGM and Maryland Live! they still offer a wide range of games and always have
some action.
The game of choice in Maryland is no limit Texas holdem. All tournament play
in the below listed poker rooms are in this variant, with only some cash games
tables offering Omaha, limit holdem and mixed games. If you prefer these
variants you’ll need to visit the larger poker rooms on the weekends and when
it’s busier, to ensure there is a suitable game running.
Stakes wise you should be able to find a game that suits your budget. For all
you high rollers out there you’ll find some larger games at Maryland Live! and
MGM, while these rooms, and the others in the state, also offer low stake games
generally starting at $1 / $2 no limit Texas holdem. One of the better things
about poker here is that the buy in ranges are very wide, so you can come into
games with a deep stack so you can extract maximum value if you have a solid
game. This is always a good thing for the player.
Gaming in Maryland is quite common and accepted, with multiple casinos
running in the state as well as lottery, bingo, horse and dog racing, and
raffles. You won’t have to go far to get a taste of gaming with the casinos and
establishment being evenly spread geographically around the state.
The industry is highly regulated though and there’s a stringent permit and
regulation process for operating and running casinos or gaming establishments.
The state has always been supportive of gaming in one form or another, mainly
because they have a long history with horse racing and the fact the Preakness
Stakes is held each year in Baltimore. This is, of course, one of the famed
Triple Crown races and is held on the third Saturday in May each year.
Online Poker
Online poker is not permitted under Maryland law and they have no legislation
in place for organisations to receive a permit to run an online card room out of
the state. This law doesn’t extend to Maryland residents however, and there’s
nothing that specifically states you can’t play at an off shore online poker
room.
Although at the federal level this isn’t really permitted and the government
has held the major sites to account in this respect, you can still play online
although at most reputable sites you’ll be breaching their terms and conditions.
While a simple VPN set up can get you around this, it’s unadvisable and we
wouldn’t recommend you do this.
Not only is it opening you up to a grey area of legislation in the United
States, but you’re also risking the integrity of the games online by doing so.
Due to the relaxed nature of Maryland in respect to live poker games, it’s
likely that in the next few years they may regulate online play, but it’ll take
some time and some other key neighbouring states to take the plunge first.
In general, your prospects are quite good if you live in Maryland and like to
play Texas holdem poker. You have some great rooms in MGM National Harbor and
Maryland Live! and the popularity of the game is still strong.
This means you’ll come across a good mix of professionals, amateurs, and
first time players at the table which always makes things interesting and
ensures that the poker economy is strong. The game will only continue to improve
if they regulate online poker soon and continue to offer great service in the
live rooms.
List of Maryland Poker Rooms
Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find in the state of
Marlyand:
Hollywood Casino Perryville
- Location: Perryville, Maryland
- Hours: Monday to Thursday from 9am until 5am, Friday to Monday open 24 hours
until Monday at 5am - Tables: 8
- Games: Up to three no limit holdem tournaments are held here each day, with
free-rolls up to $100 buy ins being available, you should be able to find a game
at the right price for you. If you are looking for a cash game you’ll find $1 /
$2, $2 / $5 and $5 / $10 no limit holdem games running here. - Ambience: This poker room features red felt tables against a modern decor.
The room is completely non-smoking and they have TVs on the walls to keep you
entertained while you play. There is plenty of space in the room and it’s
partially separate from the rest of the casino in one corner so you won’t be
distracted too much while you play. - Hospitality: Comps can be earned while you play through the Club Hollywood
program and you’ll also receive cocktail and food service at the table while you
play. They also offer promotions and jackpots including a high hand prize. - Players: The standard of play in this room is decent, somewhere in between
terrible and tough. You’ll usually come across one or two hyper aggressive
players on the table and the rest will be mostly standard players who are in it
for a bit of fun. Dealers and staff in the room are helpful and knowledgeable
and will ensure you are looked after when you play.
Horseshoe Baltimore
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 25
- Games: If you are looking for tournament play you will find at least one, and
sometimes two, no limit holdem events each day. The buy in ranges from $65 up to
$350, depending on the day and time of the event. For the cash players they
spread $1 / $3, $2 / $5, $5 / $10 and $10 / $20 no limit holdem, $3 / $6, $5 /
$10, $10 / $20, $20 / $40, $30 / $60 and $40 / $80 limit holdem and $5 / $10
limit Omaha 8 or better. - Ambience: This no smoking room features TVs on the walls to keep you
entertained between hands and clean and well maintained tables and comfortable
chairs. The green felt tables sits in well with the brown and beige decor in
this modern yet traditional poker room, it’s well-lit and is a really nice place
to play. - Hospitality: This poker room offers a huge number of cash prizes for bad
beats and also high hands. So make sure you check in with room staff on what’s
available when you play. You can earn comps here through the Total Rewards
program, and they’ll also provide you with frequent food and cocktail service so
you need never miss a vital hand during your session. - Players: The dealers in this room are great, and run a fast and accurate
game. Management is OK but they seem to favor regulars a little bit which is a
bit backwards. You’ll find some very loose action in this room which means
you’ll need to bring a solid game and some patience. On weekend evenings the
room is pumping and you’ll be able to find a lot of value in most of the limit
and no limit games.
Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills
- Location: Hanover, Maryland
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 52
- Games: You’ll find up to two tournaments every day here except Saturday. The
game is mostly always no limit holdem and the buy in ranges from $100 to $150.
For the cash players out there they spread $1 / $2, $2 / $5, $5 / $10 and $10 /
$25 no limit holdem, $2 / $2, $5 / $5 and $10 / $10 pot limit Omaha high, $4 /
$8 limit Omaha 8 or better, $4 / $8 limit holdem and $8 / $16 mixed games. - Ambience: This no smoking poker room is huge and features clean red felt
tables with brown trim against a modern brown and beige decor. The lighting is
soft and the chairs comfortable which is great for a long session. In the room
itself they also have TVs placed on the walls to keep you entertained between
hands. - Hospitality: Maryland Live! poker room offers players cocktail and food
service at the table while they play, as well as the opportunity to earn comps
at a rate of $1 per hour through the Live! rewards program. They also run a
range of promotions and jackpots including high hand bonuses. - Players: You’ll find some very tough players in this poker room, particularly
in the higher limit games. In the low limits the play will be softer yet very
aggressive, so you’ll need to show some patience and think every hand through in
order to do well. They really do look after the player here and offer some
excellent amenities and services, especially since some stiff competition opened
up. This is one of the premier rooms in Maryland and it’s always a relaxed and
fun place to play.
MGM National Harbor
Live Casino Maryland Poker Room Atlantic City
- Location: Oxon Hill, Maryland
- Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
- Tables: 39
- Games: You’ll find $1 / $3, $2 / $56, $5 / $10, $25 / $50 and $50 / $100 no
limit holdem, $1 / $2, $5 / $5, $5 / $10, $10 / $25, $25 / $50 and $50 / $100
pot limit Omaha high and $10 / $20 and $15 / $30 limit holdem cash games in this
poker room. For the tournament players they run no limit holdem events on
Monday and Wednesday at 11am with a buy in of $120. - Ambience: This brand new non-smoking poker room is well-lit, modern and great
on the eye. It’s a comfortable place to play with TVs on the walls to keep you
entertained between hands and comfortable beige chairs. The light brown and
beige felt tables clash well with the similarly colored walls and carpets. It
feels like you are playing in a coffee themed room which works very nicely, even
though it sounds strange. The room itself is connected to the rest of the main
casino floor so you do get a bit of flow through in respect to noise and foot
traffic. - Hospitality: Comps can be earned at a rate of $2 per hour in all games, and
$3 per hour in time raked games, through the MLife rewards program. While
playing here you will receive food and cocktail service at the table and they
run a series of promotions and jackpots for players including high hand bonuses
and a progressive bad beat jackpot. - Players: This room only opened in late 2016 and they have really hit the
marketplace hard in Maryland. The player pool is still increasing and the games
are becoming more popular here and it’s a great alternative for many who used to
play at Maryland Live!. The standard of play will be quite different depending
upon when you visit, with the games being tougher during the week and loosening
up on the weekend. Dealers and staff here are good and attentive and if you have
played recently at Horseshoe or Maryland Live! you should recognise a few of
these faces.
Conclusion
Maryland is a great place to live if you play Teas holdem and it’s great to
visit for poker play. With two big casino players in the small state and two
other poker rooms you don’t need to travel far to play.
The casino poker room at Maryland Live! is nicely appointed, the dealers are pretty sharp and most are fairly good (Although quite a few are international and therefore hard to understand at times which makes them not very interactive or sociable). The cocktail waitresses are nice, but somewhat scarce. You will be paying for every single drink (except soft drinks) and its regular bar prices, so be ready to pay for your buzz or play strait.
I recently moved to the Annapolis, MD area. I'm primarily a LV player. I try to get to Vegas at least 3 times a year and poker is always the main priority while I'm there. I rarely leave much money in Vegas either. I like the fact that low cost tourneys seldom have more that 1 couple dozen players and my odds are good of finishing in the money. This is do to the shear volume of opportunities to find a tourney LV. And cash games are rich with guppies wanting to know what it feels like to sit at a big casino poker table and throw chips into a pot with someone other than their drinking buddies at their regular home games. And in the rare instance that you do find yourself at a cash table with someone else who's there to make real money and not just playing games with a quarterly work bonus, you cash out walk across the street and fish in another pond.
In Maryland on the other hand, although there are now several casinos to choose from, there are not enough yet to thin the herd at any one. So, all the serious players are there all the time. The last low cost tourney I played in at Live! was a $100 buy-in, Monday morning game. I was playing with over 100 other players. I broke out in 23rd place and was still nowhere near the money bubble.
I play cards a lot. I do it as practice for my Vegas trips. But, I find the game play in MD at Live! to be very different from the poker room play in other cities with a more heavily diluted player pool.
I saw another review of Live! on PokerAtlas that claimed Live! has a 30% fish population... I'm no mathematician, but that sounds like Live! has a 70% shark/semi-pro population. If 70% of the population are sharks... It sounds like Live! is a shark tank. That's not for me. If I want to be challenged to that level of play, I'll wait for the big tourneys. I play poker for the pay off... give me the fish ponds of Vegas and AC, I prefer not to swim with sharks unless I have a cage around me.
Live Casino Maryland Poker Room
Add to all this the fact that not even drinks are comped, I'll stick to online apps and tavern leagues for practice and continue to save my money for the neon streets of the strip.