I travel around the United States and the world playing and writing about poker. I love the combination of travel and playing our favorite card game. It’s exciting and, usually, remunerative. There’s something exhilarating about leaving my local surroundings, playing with and winning money from people in every state and every land.
Even so, I have a special place in my heart for the New England poker rooms closest to my home in Boston. This article is dedicated to them – the POKER ROOMS OF NEW ENGLAND.
Overview: History of Poker in New England
There are six New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Up until the 1990s, there were no public poker rooms in any of the states. If you wanted to play poker you had to play in someone’s home or in a private club like the Elks, Eagles, Italian American Club, or Greek American Club. Poker was plentiful back then, but it was all private and, in many instances illegal.
To find a legal public poker game you had to travel to Nevada, Washington state, or California.
That all started to change in 1992, when the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, in Ledyard, Connecticut opened their full-service casino, Foxwoods Resort Casino, and with it the first public poker room in New England. It opened with 102 tables, instantly becoming the second largest poker room in the world (behind the Commerce in California).
Connecticut opened its second room, Mohegan Sun, in 1997. The other New England states were slow to join in. New Hampshire began with charity poker rooms in 2007. Maine opened a room at the Hollywood Casino in Bangor in 2012. Rhode Island opened their room, Twin River (now Bally’s Twin River) in 2015. Massachusetts, very late to the game, after a lengthy public debate, opened the MGM in Springfield and Encore in Everett in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Vermont, alone among the New England states, to this day has no legal public poker room.
Poker in New England Today
Today, New England is one of the most “poker rich” areas of the United States. There are 19 public poker rooms in New England (17, if you don’t count the two in New Hampshire that are “temporarily closed”). New Hampshire leads the pack, with 13 licensed rooms – giving it the unique distinction of being the US state with the most poker rooms per square mile, and third in density by population (after Montana and Nevada).
Below is the current list of poker rooms in New England, broken down by state, city, and room. I’ve played at each of them, and include a quick summary of what I have found, including age restrictions, number of poker tables, contact information, hours of operation, and a link to their website.
Finally, note that there is a lot of poker information available online these days. Unfortunately, with the frequent changes in the poker world, information can quickly be out of date. For example, I’ve written about poker in New England before, during the pandemic years. If this information differs from any other source of poker information, you can trust this list to be the most accurate and up-to-date – as of April 5, 2025).
New England Poker: NEW HAMPSHIRE
Belmont
Lakes Region Casino, 1265 Laconia Rd., Belmont: 603-267-7778, 10 tables. 18+.
- Open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 2pm to 1am; Saturday, Sunday noon to 1am. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
https://www.lakesregioncasino.com
This cozy poker room (formerly a greyhound track known as the Belmont Lodge) is not far from the largest lake in New Hampshire, and vacation hotspot, Lake Winnipesaukee. It’s roughly two hours north of Boston. During the colder months, the clientele are almost entirely local. In the warmer months, the room also attracts a sprinkling of vacationing poker players.
Locals tend to be welcoming to outsiders; but they will notice you. They have regular tournaments and cash games. There’s a restaurant with a liquor license on site, which serves up decent food (table-side if you like). It is also a major corn hole venue, with tournaments twice weekly.
Conway
Revo Casino and Social House, 234 White Mountain Highway, Conway: 603-452-0111. 3 Tables. 21+.
- No fixed schedule of games. Call or check out Poker Atlas (that has an updated live list of games, with an interactive waiting list).
https://revocasino.com/conway-casino/
This is a brand-new room, very near the Maine town of Fryeburg, having opened in March 2025. (NOTE: It is NOT in North Conway, NH as some articles misstate, but rather in Conway, NH). It’s about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Boston. Weekday games are not guaranteed, though they have been getting a game consistently on Friday and Saturday evening.
If you’re there early, you can try out their very good kitchen, with $5 lunch specials from noon until 3PM and 25% off all food from 4pm to 7pm. I especially recommend their $5 burger. Call in advance or check out their listing on Poker Atlas to insure there is action when you want to play. They do not yet offer tournaments, but management says they are considering it.
Dover
Revo Casino, and Social House, 887b Central Avenue, Dover: 603-516-1608. 6 Tables. 18+
- No fixed schedule of games. Call or check out Poker Atlas (that has an updated live list of games, with an interactive waiting list).
https://revocasino.com/revo-dover/
In spite of their advertised hours of 10am -1am seven days a week, the room does not consistently have poker action, even on the weekends. The best bet is to call in advance or check out their listing on Poker Atlas. They are most likely to have a game on Thursday nights. There are no regular tournaments scheduled. When I played there, the game was made up entirely of locals who nursed small stacks with tight and timid play.
Hampton Beach
Aces & Eights Casino, 169 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton: 781-706-2822, 3 tables 18+ TEMPORARILY CLOSED
https://www.acesandeightscasinos.com
Aces & Eights has a beautiful location, right across the street from Hampton Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. When I’ve played here, the action has been extremely loose and easy. Unfortunately, according to the manager, the casino is “temporarily closed” at least until Memorial Day.
Beach Club Casino, 81 Ocean Blvd, 2nd Floor, Hampton. 603- 601-6690, 3 TABLES. 18+ TEMPORARILY CLOSED
https://www.beachclubcasino.com
The Beach Club Casino, formerly the Ocean Casino, though listed in Poker Atlas as having 3 tables, no longer has poker, and has gotten rid of their poker tables. They still have a license for it, however. With the volatile climate in the New Hampshire poker industry, who knows what the future holds.
Keene
Revo Casino and Social House, 172 Emerald Street, Keene . 800-501-4143, 2 tables . 18+ See below for schedule and games.
https://revocasino.com/revo-keene/
The Revo Casino in Keene, formerly known as the Wonder Casino, has a small room that accommodates a table or two of poker a few times a week. They are not currently a full-time room, but they do have regular PLO games, both double board and PLO8. Currently, according to their poker room manager, their schedule is: Tuesday starting at roughly 3 PM, double board
Omaha (high only ); Friday starting roughly at 3PM, NLHE; Saturday starting roughly at 10 AM, PLO 8 or better. Call or check out Poker Atlas before going, just to make sure. When I was there playing PLO8, all of the players, except for me, knew each other and the dealer. The game was extremely soft and passive.
Lebanon
Revo Casino and Social House, 369 Miracle Mile, Lebanon. 603-678-5906, 5 tables 18+. See below for hours.
This is a new room, located in a strip mall. It’s roughly two hours north of Boston, on the Vermont border. You drive right near it on the way from Boston to Montreal. Plainly appointed, nothing fancy, but there’s a regular tournament and cash game scene that draws locals. The schedule for the game isn’t set in stone, as it is dependent on when and if players arrive. But they have had $1/2 blind no limit hold’em games consistently on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with 1PM tournaments starting things off on Saturday and Sunday. Cash games tend to start by 4 or 5 PM.
When I visited, the games were sedate and relatively short stacked affairs, with the occasional plunger sitting in to make things interesting. I especially enjoyed their food offerings early in the afternoon during the tournament, with $5 burgers and sandwiches until 3, then 25% off all menu items until 7PM. I wouldn’t make a special trip to Lebanon for the poker action, but if I’m planning to drive through on my way to the north country or to Montreal, or if I’m taking a vacation within an hour of Lebanon, I’d surely plan on at least a short session here.
Manchester
Revo Casino and Social House, 1279 South Willow St., Manchester
603-668-6591 15 tables. 18+. Poker tends to start around noon – and goes until the last game breaks.
https://revocasino.com/revo-manchester/
The poker room offers both cash games, that tend to get started a little after noon, and tournaments, that go off on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. The cash games go, but tend to be relatively sparse during weekdays. I’ve noticed that on the weekends there is a busy and active crowd– especially young guys with plenty of action (and alcohol) in them.
Food offerings are okay (not as good as they used to be), with a $5 menu during the early afternoon (including a decent $5 burger). And there are dozens of restaurants and fast-food places within a 10 minute drive. There is a lot of gossip about a plan to relocate nearby to a beautiful new room, but no specific date has yet been set. The current location is somewhat dark and well worn.
Nashua
Gate City Casino, 55 Northeastern Blvd, Nashua 603-943-5630, 15 tables. 21+. Games tend to start around 10am and go until the last game breaks.
https://www.thegatecitycasino.com/poker/
Formerly Boston Billiards, Gate City is a well-run room with consistent daily $1/2 NLHE and PLO cash games. They also have been getting one and sometimes two rocking $1/3 NLHE “match the stack” games that plays more like $5/10, with a “voluntary” under the gun $5 straddle. The deep stacks and aggressive players scared me away after only an hour of play. But if big stack aggressive poker is your baby, this is a great place for it.
The room also has very successful tournament action, including a $2,250 high roller event this month. The food here is very good, reasonably priced, and can be served in the poker room (though not at the table). It’s just about an hour from Boston.
The Nash, 310 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua 603-751-6274, 19 tables 21+ 10a-4a (or when last game breaks).
The Nash is one of the brand-new rooms in New Hampshire, having opened in March. It is beautifully appointed. They have started out with a bang, offering $1/2, $1/3 and $2/2 PLO games 7 days a week. The poker room isn’t as busy as Chasers, which is consistently the busiest room in New Hampshire, but they often have five or six games going by mid-afternoon., and 9 or 10 on weekend evenings. They also offer weekly tournaments on Wednesday starting at 5PM.
The room charges a higher rake than the other NH rooms, taking a sixth dollar at $100 and a seventh dollar at $200. They also take $4 for the promotional drop (as opposed to $3 in the other NH rooms). That’s $11 total! My experience is that though they are a new room, they have excellent and experienced dealers and a good floor team.
Rochester
Lilac Club Casino, 7 Milton Road, Rochester 603-441-4175, 12 tables 21+ 11 AM (or so) to 2AM.
https://www.lilacclubcasino.com
The Lilac Club is located near the Maine border, a little less than two hours north of Boston, in the small city of Rochester, right off route 16. It is brand new, having opened in March, with luxury appointments, excellent lighting, and very new dealers. They are friendly, eager, and still error-prone, sometimes making minor rookie mistakes in dealing, pot awarding, and decisions at the table. Make sure to be ready to correct them (nicely) or call over the experienced floor person or poker room manager.
The room typically spreads $1/3 no limit; but they also have the distinction of spreading a twice weekly mixed game: Omaha8/Stud8 (OE) on Tuesdays and Fridays. Rochester (known as “Lilac City”) is a two-hour drive from Boston – a bit far to make a special trip. But if you’re a mixed game fancier, it’s a great place for a poker adventure.
The brand new poker room at Lilac Club Casino
Salem
Chasers Poker Room, 7 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Salem 603-912-4604 11am-2am. 13 tables 18+.
Chasers is the busiest and, in my opinion, the best NLHE and PLO poker room in New Hampshire, with consistent action, a large group of regulars and a good mix of travelers visiting the games and keeping the tables busy during their hours of operation. They are always ready to go when they open their poker tables precisely at 11AM. Players tend to congregate at the doors early, and file in at 10:30 am to lock up their seats. They regularly spread $1/2 and $1/3 NLHE as well as $2/2 and $5/5 PLO.
They have good food options; you can eat at the table; their promotions are among the best in the state (all player-funded with a $3 drop to be sure); and they have ample and large televisions throughout the room. Their only disadvantage is that if you don’t arrive early in the day, you may have a bit of a wait for a seat. There is plenty of talk about moving into a new bigger poker room. But as of this article, it is just speculation.
Seabrook
The Brook, 319 New Zealand Rd., Seabrook, 603-474-3065 . 10 tables, 18+
Games get started around 10AM and can go late into the wee hours.
https://www.livefreeandplay.com
The recently shrunken Brook poker room (formerly the greyhound track known as Seabrook), is a vibrant room in the seaside city of Seabrook. They have daily $1/2 and usually a $2/5 game. The action and money on the table can vary substantial between games, so the successful player will need to practice good game selection. The number of tables in action is directly proportional to the high hand promotions, so make sure to check things out before committing to a session. The food offerings at the nearby restaurant have been consistently excellent. I always plan on a meal when I go.
New England Poker: MASSACHUSETTS
Everett
Encore Boston Harbor: One Broadway, Everett, 857-770-3090, 24 tables, 21+ 24/7
https://www.encorebostonharbor.com/casino/poker
The Encore, located just north of Boston in Everett, MA, is surely the busiest poker room in New England. It’s open around the clock. At 7 AM on a Saturday morning, when none of the other rooms in New England had a game, Encore had four $1/3 games, one $2/5 game and a $2/2 PLO game. It’s ironic, to me, as it is also the room that, since its reopening after the pandemic, has the highest maximum rake in the United States ($10 plus $2 for promotions). They run $200-$400 tournaments, three or four days a week. They are planning to move the room to a larger space at the end of the year.
Springfield
MGM: 1 MGM Way, Springfield, 413-273-5767, 15 tables 21+ 7 days a week, 11 am – 3 am
https://mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com/en/casino/poker-room.html
The MGM poker room in Springfield is an excellently run room, with consistent games, a regular and steady player base that draws from western Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as from eastern New York. They have daily $1/2 and $2/5 NLHE games, a $4/8 limit hold’em game, an occasional bigger game, weekly tournaments, and excellent experienced dealers and floor staff.
I’ve found the $1/2 game to be beatable, even with the $6 max rake, while the $2/5 is among the toughest games around. There is no eating in the room, but a decent food court is located within the casino right next to the poker room. The room also features a free coffee and soft drink dispenser for easy access. Also, perhaps the best pizzeria in Massachusetts, The Red Rose, is located less than a five minute walk from the casino.
New England Poker: RHODE ISLAND
Lincoln
Bally’s Twin River: 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, 844-922-5597, 10am – 2 am. 8 tables 18+
https://casinos.ballys.com/lincoln/table-games.htm
The only casino in Rhode Island with poker, Bally’s has regular $1/2 and $2/5 NLHE games. They do not spread PLO; and the days of them getting a limit game are long gone. You’ll need to get on the list early in the morning to lock up a seat in the $2/5 game – as it is immensely popular – being the only consistent $2/5 game north of Foxwoods.
The rake at this poker room increased substantially after COVID, now at a maximum of $8 a pot. They do not have promotions, so unlike all of the other rooms in New England, there is no additional promo drop. I’ve found the $1/2 games to be extremely soft; and the $2/5 game to be relatively tough.
MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND
Eastern Poker Tour
This wonderful poker organization, with venues in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, has been around for 20 years, and offers poker tournaments (and, unofficially, cash games as well) nearly every night of the week. They operate as free pub poker, or as charity gaming, depending on the venue and night of the week. Check out their website to find out the latest information, including the many locations of and the extensive schedule of their charity and pub tournaments throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
https://www.easternpokertour.com
New England Poker: CONNECTICUT
Ledyard
Foxwoods Resort Casino: 350 Trolley Line Blvd, Ledyard.
- Sunday-Thursday: 9a -1am; Friday and Saturday: 9a – 4am. 35 tables, 21+
https://www.foxwoods.com/casino/choose/poker/
The granddaddy of poker and full-service casino gambling in New England, Foxwoods, has lost much of its allure, with the downsizing of the room and the rise of so many other places with casino gambling; but it remains the largest and most diverse poker room in the area. It offers the widest array of games, with consistent $1/2, $2/5 and occasional $5/10 NLHE, $4/8 limit hold’em, $1-5 and $20/40 7-card Stud, $2/5 PLO, a Saturday O/E game, and the fairly regular bigger game of $75/150 stud or $100/200 mixed, depending on the wishes of the high rollers in the room.
The rake is $6 (maximum) plus $1 for promotions. Big games pay time. There are also regular tournaments throughout the week, including a regular poker series, and WSOP qualifiers (and qualifiers for qualifiers). There is table-side drink service, no eating in the room, and an inconveniently located cashier, a 3- to 4-minute walk from the room. The dealers are typically very experienced and excellent. During weekday mornings and afternoons, the games are filled with tight, grumpy regulars (like me) and small pots; but the place changes completely at night, especially on weekends, when young drinking players start to fill up the games – bringing looseness and wildness with them.
Uncasville
Mohegan Sun Casino: 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville, 860-862-2638
- 7 days a week, 9am to 4am. 33 tables. 21+
https://mohegansun.com/playing/poker.html
The Mohegan Sun room is a very comfortable place to play poker, with excellent lighting, nicely spaced tables, an extremely skilled staff of dealers and floor people, and cashiers and bathrooms located within the spacious room. The room offers $1/2, $2/5 and $5/10 no limit hold’em and $2/5 pot limit Omaha. Like Foxwoods, there’s a rake of $6 (maximum) plus $1 for promotions. There are also daily tournaments. The casino itself is a full-service resort facility, complete with every type of table game, sports betting, race book, luxury rooms and suites, sports and musical performances, high level restaurants, excellent shopping, as well as convention and banquet facilities.
New England Poker: MAINE
Bangor
Hollywood Casino: 500 Main Street, Bangor, 877-779-7771.
- Thursday and Friday the room opens at 2PM. Saturday and Sunday the room opens at noon. The room is closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
Maine has a good poker room at the full-service Hollywood Casino in Bangor – about 4 hours north east of Boston. It’s the only legal public poker room in the state (the other casino, in Oxford, has never had a room). Their regular $1/2 game is filled almost entirely with local players who take their poker seriously. Though they list a $2/5 game, and say they’ll spread PLO as well, you’ll rarely find anything but $1/2 NLHE. There are no tournaments now, and no plans for any in the future, but people still hold out hope. They rake up to a maximum of $6 a pot plus a promotional drop that funds bad beats, high hands, and frequent player bonuses.
Conclusion
There is a lot to recommend New England as a place to visit. American history started here. There are beautiful parks and walks, four seasons of outdoor activities including mountains, lakes, rivers, and ocean beaches, a plethora of world-class museums and restaurants, top-of-the line shopping, dozens of first-rate colleges and university, and many different and fascinating small towns and cities nearby.
Surprisingly perhaps, New England poker is now a major attractions, too – both cash games and tournaments. And now, with the addition of three brand new poker rooms in New Hampshire, no matter where in New England you might find yourself (with the exception of Vermont), you’re never very far away from a poker room.
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