163 reviews from Rivers Casino employees about Rivers Casino culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more.
The property also features a 30-table poker room, which is by far the most attractive option for card players in western PA and neighboring Ohio. Rivers also (simultaneously with its sister Rivers Philadelphia) opened a functioning sportsbook operation in December 2018.
Four live poker rooms are now open in Pennsylvania. The rooms where you can find live poker right now are:
The Meadows
Mount Airy Casino
Mohegan Sun Pocono
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
Rivers Casino is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is open daily 24 hours. The casino's 120,000 square foot gaming space features 2,693 gaming machines and 154 table and poker games. The property has five restaurants and three bars. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room Review, download blackjack mobile usa, casino roulette gif, casino theme party costume ideas-9.
These five live poker rooms are currently closed:
Parx (opening Dec. 15)
Hollywood Casino
Presque Isle Downs
Wind Creek Casino
Rivers Casino Philadelphia (reopened but closed again on Nov. 20)
In the New Year, players will also have another live poker option in Philadelphia. Live! Casino and Hotel in Philly will open in early 2021, and a 29-table poker room should open with it, pending COVID-19 restrictions.
We will continue to update casino and poker room closings and reopening plans in this second wave at our live updates page here.
Parx poker room reopening in mid-December
Pennsylvania’s largest poker room announced a date for its long-awaited return. Parx Poker Room will reopen on Dec. 15 at 9.m. with all of its usual games and be open 24 hours. The news came via Parx’s website.
What’s up at Wind Creek’s poker room?
With 26 tables, Wind Creek Casino has one of the larger poker rooms in PA. A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open.
A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. Read the full story here.
PA poker rooms opening one by one
Other poker rooms in Pennsylvania could be reopening any day. According to a spokesperson for the PGCB, casinos submit plans and safety protocols for review. Once they receive final approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), they can reopen.
It’s positive news for poker players who have been waiting a long time to get back to live games. Casinos in Pennsylvania started shutting down to slow the spread of coronavirus in mid-March. They did not begin to welcome back guests until June, and poker rooms were not open due to the social nature of the game.
PlayPennsylvania has contacted poker room reps for Hollywood Casino, Wind Creek Casino, and Presque Isle Downs Casino but they had no concrete plans to share.
We will continue to update you here as more rooms open or set a date for reopening.
Live Poker returned to Rivers Philadelphia but closed again
Rivers Casino Philadelphia reopened its poker room on Oct. 23. It did so with approval for up to 14 tables with a capacity of 100 guests. Under normal circumstances, the room has 28 tables and offers a variety of poker games but now the action returned with primarily No Limit Texas Hold’em cash games.
According to a recent press release, in addition to the existing casino-wide safety measures, the following precautions are in effect for the poker room (when it is open):
Masks must be worn at all times
Poker dealers will wear both a mask and a face shield
Each poker table in play will have plexiglass dividers, separating players and the dealer
A maximum of seven players allowed per table
Frequent and thorough cleaning of all cards, chips and surfaces
Only sanitized chips bought from the poker room cage will be used in play
No food, beverage or smoking is permitted in the poker room or anywhere on the Rivers Casino gaming floor
Peter Longi, assistant general manager at Rivers Casino Philadelphia, commented:
“Poker players are excited to be back at the tables, enjoying the game they love. Our reopening was carefully planned with the safety of our team and guests being the primary concern. We’re eager to welcome back our poker team.”
To assist with social distancing, players are encouraged to call the poker room at 215-717-3883 to put their name on the waiting list when the room reopens. Guests can also check the Bravo Poker Live online or the website’s mobile app for the Rivers Casino poker room up-to-the-minute game status. In addition, players will have a chance to win their share of the $100,000 Bad Beat Jackpot. The minimum qualifying hand is quad 2s.
Rivers had to close its poker room once again along with the rest of the casino until at least Jan. 1, 2021.
Here’s a look at a poker table at Rivers Philadelphia:
Players pine for poker
When the PGCB released its casino reopening protocols in late May, part of them stated that poker rooms were not authorized to operate due to players’ handling of cards and chips. They also said poker room operations would be re-examined based on changes in the CDC’s and PA Department of Health’s guidance.
On June 9, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh was the first to welcome back visitors. When asked when poker rooms would return, PGCB Director of Communication Doug Harbach said poker rooms present a different type of challenge since people are sitting close together in a room. He said at the time:
“The casinos want to walk before they run and make sure they are getting the venue open and then move on to opening up other areas once they know the protocols are working well.”
PokerStars, the state’s lone online poker site, has posted healthy numbers in PA, but players are still pining for in-person play.
Harbach gave this update to PlayPennsylvania in late August about poker rooms in Pennsylvania:
“There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts’ guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely, which would be reviewed by the board on a case-by-case basis.”
On Deposit
100% up to $600 Match Bonus Offer
Poker is back in New Jersey, too
New Jersey also had a long poker pause. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa reopened its poker room, the largest in the state, on Oct. 21. The room is operating with 30 socially distanced tables. It’s about a third of the room’s 85 tables when operating at full capacity.
The Bellagio in Las Vegas opened its poker room in June. Nevada state guidelines mandated five-handed play in rooms without dividers or plexiglass partitions. However, the Bellagio’s request for six-handed poker games with partitions was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Other poker rooms in Nevada have also reopened with virus protocols in place.
When will poker rooms in Pennsylvania reopen?
Play Pennsylvania will continue to provide updates here as more casinos announce plans and reopen live poker.
Hollywood Casino live poker update
Currently closed.
Information about Hollywood Casino Poker Room:
17 tables
Monday nights, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Wednesdays and Thursdays, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Fridays, $500 high hand, every 30 minutes; Sundays, hourly high hand prizes.
Bad Beat Jackpot
Weekly Rack Back Bonus
The Meadows live poker update
The Meadows poker room opened on Oct. 23 with daily hours of 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Welcome back Poker Players! pic.twitter.com/9X66QuZqXp
— Meadows Casino (@MeadowsCasino) October 23, 2020
Information about The Meadows Poker Room:
14 tables
Live games such as Texas hold’em and Omaha every day
Progressive bad beat
Mount Airy Casino live poker update
Mount Airy’s poker room reopened on Oct. 16 and is open 24 hours.
Information about Mount Airy Casino Poker Room:
12 tables
Games such as Texas hold’em, Omaha and stud
Mohegan Sun Pocono live poker update
Mohegan Sun Pocono’s poker room reopened on Oct. 16.
Information about Mohegan Sun Pocono Poker Room:
Eight tables
Daily tournaments feature no-limit Texas hold’em and Bounty tournaments
Offering a Bad Beat Jackpot for BOTH cash and tournament play
Each day, $25 added to the Royal Flush Jackpot for each of the four suites
Parx live poker update
Parx sent out an email in mid-November saying they were finalizing plans but hoped to re-open poker “before the end of December.”
Information about the Parx Casino Poker Room:
80 tables — the most in PA
The room offers a variety of no-limit hold’em games (from $1-$2 up to $10-$25), limit hold’em ($3-6 up to $30-$60), pot-limit Omaha, Omaha eight or better and a variety of mixed and draw games
Weekly tournaments. Major tournament: Parx Big Stax
Presque Isle Downs live poker update
The poker room is currently closed.
Information about Presque Isle Downs Poker Room:
Seven tables
Games like hold’em and Omaha. Also offering multitable and single-table tournaments (sit and go’s)
Rivers Casino Philadelphia live poker update
Rivers Philadelphia reopened poker on Oct. 23. But it is closed once again as of Nov. 20 along with the casino to comply with city orders. It could reopen as soon as Jan. 1.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room Review Game
Cards are in the air! Welcome back players! $200 high hands are on every hour 24/7 all of October! Call 215-717-3883 to reserve your seat. pic.twitter.com/MwcxTABsNM
— Rivers Philadelphia Poker Room (@riverspokerphl) October 23, 2020
Information about Rivers Casino Philadelphia Poker Room:
28 tables
Rivers offers a wide variety of poker games, including, but not limited, to Texas hold’em, Omaha-high, Omaha-hi/lo split eight or better, seven-card stud high, seven-card stud low, seven-card stud hi/lo split and seven-card stud hi/lo split eight or better.
Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh live poker update
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh opened on Nov. 11. And beginning Nov. 16, Rivers Pittsburgh will operate 24/7, according to their twitter.
We are excited to announce that the Poker Room will be opening on Wednesday, November 11th at 4PM. We can’t wait to welcome you back!
Learn more about what you can expect and current hours: https://t.co/heQ3qJyQbV
— Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (@WinBigRivers) November 10, 2020
Information about Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room:
30 tables
Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available
Wind Creek Bethlehem live poker update
Wind Creek poker room remains closed.
Information about Wind Creek Bethlehem Poker Room:
26 tables
Variety of games such as limit and no-limit Texas hold ’em, stud and Omaha. Limits starting at $3 and $6
Automated shufflers on every poker game
Bad Beat Jackpot available daily
Massage service
Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge do not have poker rooms. PlayPennsylvania exclusively reported that Harrah’s Philadelphia closed its WSOP-branded room in August.
More online poker operators coming to PA
PokerStars arrived in Pennsylvania in November 2019 and has been the state’s only operator for 11 months. Partypoker was rumored to be coming in the early fall, but like most party plans in 2020, it hasn’t happened.
Last week, the PGCB approved Caesars‘ online poker partner 888 Holdings for an interactive gaming manufacturer license. 888 Poker was the No. 1 poker website in the country last year. It has a self-branded poker platform, and its software powers World Series of Poker (WSOP) online and mobile sites.
It seems only a matter of time before both partypoker and WSOP.com make their way to PA.
Health and safety at PA casinos
Here are a few things you should know in case you have not been to a casino since they reopened. Per the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, all casinos in the state must follow the COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols, which detail the minimum safety and health-related requirements that are mandatory before reopening.
Casinos may also choose to have additional measures, such as temperature checks at the entrance.
Key points to remember are:
Casinos can reopen at 50% capacity. (Rivers Casino Philadelphia is open at 25%.)
Employees and guests must wear masks.
There must be markings on the floor to promote social distancing.
Enhanced cleaning is required throughout the facility.
In addition, there is a current pause on smoking at casinos, no drink service on the gaming floor and no sitting at the bar.
Be sure to check back often as we continue to post updates on PA poker room reopenings here.
Lead image of Meadows poker room via AP Photo/Keith Srakocic.
Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino Ready to Roll With Sports Betting Approval
Pittsburgh area residents will soon be able to bet on their beloved Steel-town professional teams, or any professional team for that matter. The Rivers Casino has been given provisional approval to operate a sportsbook in Pittsburgh.
Early reports have the first bets being accepted in early December. The first bets must be made physically at the Rivers Casino location, but look for an online sportsbook to soon follow. Here’s what you’ll find at the Rivers Casino now, and what to expect from the sportsbook operations.
How We Arrived at the Doorstep of Sports Betting in Pennsylvania
ContentsAs one of the first states to have a lottery, Pennsylvania has frequently been a leader in providing enjoyable games of chance to state residents. It hasn’t always been easy though. It took over four decades of unrelenting efforts from casino advocates to get the first physical location opened in the early 1990s.
Many deemed the projected revenue from casino gaming to far outweigh any unproven problems. However, a majority of Pennsylvania‘s residents made the process a long and arduous one.
Even after the first casino resort opened in the Poconos in 1993, it was another decade before the stigma against gambling would subside. Today there are a number of highly successful gaming operations across the state. Many of the bigger casinos have already paid the $10 million fee required to accept bets on sports games.
Rivers Casino is one of the early facilities to have a solid reputation giving it strong odds to be Pittsburgh first physical sportsbook. Those who appreciate the massive amount of revenue the state will generate feel it’s been a long time coming.
Rivers Casino Online Poker
What’s at the Rivers Casino Now?
Pittsburgh’s finest casino is a picturesque design with over 120,000 square feet of gaming fun. There are nearly 3,000 slot machines with an assortment of payouts. If you just want to play for fun, there are dozens of penny slots. High limit machines spew out big time payouts and the pay them out often.
There are table games such as blackjack, craps, pai gow poker and a string of roulette tables. There are 30 active tables in the live poker room for the poker enthusiasts. With dozens of poker tables, so there is a game for any skill level.
You don’t even have to sit down at a poker table to get in the game. At the Rivers Casino, there are 200 video poker machines. There are small ante games for a nickel, all the way up to $5 a hand deals. There is a non-smoking video poker room, plus one for smokers next to Andrews Steak and Seafood.
You dine at any of five primary restaurants at the Rivers Casino. You can enjoy everything from a steak to seafood. For variety, there is the Grand View Buffet. Flipt and Ciao are two smaller specialty restaurants, if you just in the mood for quick and casual.
What is the Timeline for the Rivers Casino Sportsbook?
Once the Rivers Casino received their provisional approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on November 30, they are waiting for a final approval. Many feel that with the casino’s excellent reputation in the Pittsburgh area, approval is a foregone conclusion.
Once they are granted approval, the Rivers Casino hopes to have a temporary facility completed quickly. This proposed initial Rivers Casino Sportsbook is actually being built right now. Again, reports are this will only be a temporary facility until a much larger permanent location is completed.
Rush Street Gaming, the owner of the Rivers Casino and the new Rivers Casino Sportsbook, is also ready to press the switch as soon as online betting is approved. Once this formality is completed, the Rivers Casino will open an online sportsbook far in advance of opening their permanent brick and mortar location.
What Will the Rivers Casino Sportsbook Offer?
Expect the Rivers Casino to be similar to other sportsbooks. You’ll have a standard betting platform with point spread, moneyline, plus game final score projections for the over and under. Bettors will also have the ability to make prop bets and in-game live bets as the odds change.
Since the live in-game bets are becoming widely popular, expect live streaming of game action and changing odds to be part of the Rivers Casino sportsbook. The physical location will have dozens of high definition screens, so that bettors can watch every game unfold in real-time.
As the online sportsbook grows in popularity, look for a similar live in-game feature. Not only do the sportsbook operators want to attract bettor interest, they hope to make it as convenient as possible. This is one reason the idea of mobile online betting is running hand-in-hand with the actual opening of physical sportsbook locations.
There is going to be a lot of competition for the sports bettor’s business. Expect a number of new and exciting promotions from the Rivers Casino Sportsbook. There will be a number of promo codes where you can earn free money to bet however you choose.
While they will obviously use many of the standard bonus offers, don’t be surprised if Rush Street Gaming produces a few promotional offers unique to the Rivers Casino Sportsbook. To get an indication of how many Sportsbook promotions there may be, all you have to do is look at the number of casino promotions offered.
The Final Verdict
The Rivers Casino is already one of Pittsburgh’s most popular entertainment attractions. They provide entertainment, dining opportunities, along with the excitement of a thriving casino environment. As they prepare to include a sportsbook in their operations, the appeal is going to explode.
The Best of Rivers Casino
Pa Poker Rooms
• Diversity – The Rivers Casino has thousands of slot games, video poker, plus dozens of live poker tables. In between games there will be a lot for the sports bettor to do. • Rewards – Not only does the Rivers Casino offer weekly and monthly promotions, they appreciate their frequent players. • Location – The Rivers Casino is located along the north shore area of Pittsburgh. It is within walking distance of both Heinz Field and PNC Park, homes to the Steelers and Pirates.
Needs Improvement
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room
• Dining Variety – While there are five different dining options inside the Rivers Casino, the variety could be improved by adding a couple more restaurants. • Entertainment Variety – While there are live shows and various things you can do at Rivers Casino, there could be a little more variety added to the schedule. If you want to dine out, take in a show, or just test your gaming luck, the Rivers Casino has a variety of choices. Soon, Pittsburgh area residents will also be able to wager on sporting events, while enjoying all the eloquence they have discovered at Rivers Casino.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker
Free Betting News & Bonus OffersFind Out When You Can Legally Bet in Your State