Heather, Author at PokerPilgrims

A Quick Guide to WSOP Logistics

September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 Heather Leave a comment

The World Series of Poker has returned! For many years, the WSOP has taken place at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino, which is off-Strip in Las Vegas. If you are staying on the Vegas Strip, this can be more of a challenge than you might imagine. There are a number of issues and WSOP logistics to grapple with in order to maximize your play and your stay. Finding meals between (and during) poker tournaments, traveling from your hotel to the Rio and back, and managing the hordes of players at the World Series of Poker all present challenges.

This year will be our third time attending the WSOP, and we believe that any hassle is worth it to participate in the poker world’s biggest party. The WSOP is great fun. However, you need to know how to navigate a number of WSOP logistics before you go that will help enhance.

5 Ways to Enjoy the WSOP in 2021 Without Spending $10,000

August 27, 2021September 14, 2021 Heather Leave a comment

Paul and I are heading to Las Vegas in October for the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP). No, we are not laying down $10,000 and playing in the Main Event. While that is a bucket list item for us, we imagine fulfilling that dream many years down the road. Instead, we are lucky enough to be heading to Vegas for the entire month of October to live and work in the shadow of the WSOP.

We have attended the WSOP in the past in our role as ambassadors for Advanced Poker Training, the poker training site for which we also blog. However, we have never been able to spend more than a week in Las Vegas at a time. This month, due to our flexible work situation and the recent departure of our youngest children to college, we are able to spend an entire glorious month in Las Vegas. Do to the aforementioned college tuitions, we are not looking to play tournaments with high buy-ins (although we may sneak in a Seniors, or Ladies Tournament for the first time). We have always found numerous lower-stake options during the WSOP for our poker pleasure, and look forward to partaking in as much poker as we (and our bankroll) can stand.

Low Stakes Tournament Options During the WSOP

There are plenty of options to play well-structured low stakes tournaments during the WSOP. For the purposes of this article, we define low stakes as anything at or below $200. If you are looking for such a game, here are your top five options:

Lebanon Poker Room and Casino Room Review

August 19, 2021August 19, 2021 Heather Leave a comment

The Lebanon Poker Room and Casino is a small poker room (8 tables) in Lebanon New Hampshire. It is connected to the larger Filotimo Casino and Poker Room in Manchester, the Keene Casino Poker Room in Keene, and a couple of other small rooms across New Hampshire. As a result, the structure of Lebanon’s single weekly tournament will feel familiar to those players who frequent the other rooms.

The Best Tournaments in New England Right Now

August 11, 2021August 11, 2021 Heather Leave a comment

As we recently covered, a good poker tournament is hard to find right now. And New England is no exception. The two Massachusetts casinos (Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield) have made clear that they are in no rush to return to poker play. The single Rhode Island Casino (Twin River) keeps promising the return of poker, but it has yet to happen. Finally, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have happily opened their poker rooms, but have been slow to bring tournaments back (see note on this later). All of the above leaves New Hampshire as the only game in town for those seeking New England tournament poker action.

Fortunately, there are three tournaments now running in New Hampshire that we really love. In fact, we feel quite comfortable saying that these are the three best tournaments in New England at the moment.

Where Have All the Poker Tournaments Gone?

June 15, 2021June 14, 2021 Heather Leave a comment

The sun is shining, birds are singing in the trees, and the world is opening back up again. Casino after casino has reopened, and many states have expanded to nine or ten-handed poker. Finally, after a long, hard wait, we get back our beloved poker tournaments. Or do we?

We live in New England, which we once named one of the five best places in the country to live if you love poker. In February 2020 there were no fewer than seven poker rooms hosting large tournaments (which I define as regularly having over 50 entrants) in New England. Today there is one (Filotimo Casino in Manchester, New Hampshire, if you are interested). All but one of those businesses are still open. Two, Encore Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield, continue to thrive as casinos, but have dropped poker “indefinitely”. The other four are seating as many cash tables as space will allow, but have decided not to resume tournaments “at this time”.

Recently I reached out to other players to see whether this is a local phenomenon (time to move?) or whether tournaments have been back-burnered elsewhere in the country as well. Reports indicate that this is, in fact, a widespread concern. Players reported a dearth of tournaments in places as varied as Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Seattle, Detroit, and even LA. However, there are some areas where tournament poker still thrives. Florida, Texas, Maryland, and of course Vegas all have plenty of tournaments on offer.

Author: Heather