Author: Paul

In the fall of 2017, Chasers entered the competitive Southern New Hampshire poker scene with a bang. Granted a smallish bang, at only 16 poker tables, but the immediate returns were very good. On any given night Chasers poker room fills a large portion of those tables with active cash games. Although, we don’t play a lot of cash poker, we came away impressed. There is a lot of energy in the room and the cash players were clearly excited about this Salem, NH poker room. Over four years later, Chasers has held up well over time.

Setting

Chasers Poker Room occupies the basement of a now defunct Chinese restaurant. From the outside, the building does not inspire confidence. As you enter, the initial impression is “this is dark.” But the dark feeling quickly yields to a nice homey feel, atypical for your average poker room. There is a small bar immediately to the right of the door, with seating and a few high-top tables. Along the right wall is an attractive brick fireplace which we assume will never be used. In front of this wall are the table games: roulette, blackjack, and a couple of poker variations played against the dealer.

Although the room has a dark feel, the tables are very well lit from above. We had no problems seeing the cards. The chairs are padded and very comfortable, especially in comparison to some of the surrounding New Hampshire rooms. The footprint of the room is not huge, however, so the tables are a bit cramped. Read More

The Borgata is widely thought of as one of the East Coast’s premier poker destinations. I think this is primarily because… it’s true!

The Borgata Poker room is an attractive, spacious 80+ table venue that is quite comfortable and professionally run. To remain top dog in the Northeast, the Borgata must withstand pressure from newer venues like Maryland Live! and National Harbor. It is up to the challenge.

Setting

The poker room occupies such a large space within the Borgata that it almost feels like a separate venue. When playing there you likely will not hear the clatter of the slot machines or hubbub of table games. For those of us focused solely on poker, this is Nirvana.

Add to that very high ceilings and wide spaces between tables, and you have the perfect spot to play poker. I usually do not care about decor in poker rooms. However, the Borgata poker room’s thick carpet, soft tan hues and stately columns render the room quite pleasant. The chairs are comfortable, but not so large you knock into your neighbors. Extras like charger ports at your seat are a plus for those of use whose cell phones are always near death.

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Note: The Casino de Montreal Poker Room remains closed following the pandemic. We will update this post once it reopens. 8/16/2022.

Heather and I spent a previous New Year’s vacation dodging frostbite in Montreal and retreating to the poker room of Casino de Montreal for warmth. That bitter cold experience has not dissuaded us, and this year (December 2019), we were back for our fourth Montreal poker jaunt. Our Montreal trips have been profitable, so we’re always itching to return. On this trip, we played four tournaments at the Playground Poker Club outside the city and two at the Casino de Montreal.   This visit was break-even, but that did not take away from our Montreal poker experience.

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