While covering the 888poker-powered 2024 UKPL Reading South stop, I’ll be spending a good amount of time inside the city’s Grosvenor Poker Room. In this article, I’ll be giving you a written and visual tour of the venue as well as the poker played inside it.
About Grosvenor Casino Reading South
One of 53 distinct Grosvenor Casinos that litter the UK countryside, the Reading South location boasts an impressive 1,800 square meters of gaming space (approximately 20,000 square feet). Located about 35 miles from London, it operates 24/7 and is home to a permanent 10-table poker room. The poker here expands into the facility’s Show Bar when larger events, such as the UKPL, are in session, with a total of a couple dozen poker tables in play at such times.
Non-UK citizens should be prepared to show their passport at entry so as to procure a Player’s Card, which you’ll need to play in any poker tournaments held at Grosvenor Casino venues. Once you’ve signed up for one, you can just swipe that each time you’d like to re-enter the casino.
As you make your way towards the poker room are, you’ll see about a dozen gaming tables (roulette, blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, 3-Card Whist, and others) sitting across from banks of slot machines and other electronic gaming machines.
As for non-gaming R&R, there’s ample lounge space, a raised seating area from which to chill and watch sports, an outdoor terrace area for some fresh air (or to catch a quick smoke), a restaurant, and even a dedicated area for Mahjong. Multiple bars are spaced throughout the single-floor building, with soft drinks available on the house along with alcohol and spirits for a fee. Within the permanent poker room, there’s also a self-serve coffee/tea station.
Just had a nice chat with one of the managers, who told me the Grosvenor Casino Reading South venue operates 24/7 and consists of about 1,800 square meters (20,000 square feet) of gaming space.
Nice lounge areas, plenty of gaming tables, slots, and of course poker tables. pic.twitter.com/w2E6OnWZUf
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) September 24, 2024
Grosvenor Poker Room Reading South: What to Expect
To get a better sense of the poker room activity, I had a lovely chat with Card Room manager Sean T. and Live Event Specialist-At-Large Dena H., both with Grosvenor Casinos.
During non-festival times, the 10-table poker room is plenty active, usually spreading anywhere from one to four £1/2 and £1/3 cash game tables. These run alongside a daily tournament or two that typically features modest buy ins of anywhere from £30-£100. Games typically begin during the evening hours and run into the wee hours of the morning.
Really nice venue!
Grosvenor Casino Reading South has spread out a couple dozen poker tables across two rooms to host this UKPL stop.
Nice self-serve coffee station and helpful, eager-to-please wait staff has twice already offered me an (on the house) beverage. 😀 pic.twitter.com/XpZD02XknB
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) September 24, 2024
In terms of the games spread, on the cash game side of things it’s usually a Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha affair. On the tournament side of things, it’s almost exclusively Hold’em, with occasional bounty tournaments thrown into the weekly schedule to spice things up a little.
Tables feature 9-handed poker play and while all cash game tables are equipped with built-in USB charging stations, I only noticed one with a mounted automatic shuffler.
The room, like all others in the Grosvenor Poker cross-country network, makes active use of the Grosvenor Poker Live app. The app includes a very useful ICM calculator feature along with an odds calculator feature. Once you sign in, using your player card number and date of birth, you can see what cash games and tournaments are running, plus you can even join the cash game waiting lists.
The Grosvenor Poker Room Reading South uses a 5% rake up to £10 rake structure with the caveats of “no flop, no drop” and similarly no rake taken for pots under £10. They always have one promotion or another running (e.g., jackpots, monthly freerolls, etc.), which a good portion of the aforementioned rake goes towards.
Grosvenor Poker Room Reading South: Overall Impressions
Whether you’re a local or visiting from out of town, the Grosvenor Poker Room Reading South offers a solid poker experience with a welcoming environment. Quite literally every member of the staff I’ve interacted with thus far has greeted me with a smile, endless patience for all my questions, and a genuine desire to be of assistance.
With a balance of cash games, daily tournaments, and occasional larger events, it caters happily to poker players looking to have a good time at the tables and hopefully make themselves some money. The well-appointed facilities certainly enhance the overall experience for visitors and players.
If you plan on visiting, you’d probably get the most out of your time here if you do so during a festival like the UKPL, when you can expect the action to ramp up significantly, but even during quieter times, the room provides ample opportunities for enjoyable and competitive play. All in all, it’s a great spot to get your poker fix.
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