The Boston Billiard Club & Casino Poker Room Review

Holding down the New Hampshire poker scene at the central Massachusetts border is the Boston Billiard Club poker room.  The Boston Billiard Club (or BBC) offers distinct advantages to the Central Massachusetts and Southwest New Hampshire poker player. Making inroads against the established Filotimo Poker Room 15-20 minutes north, and the cash game venue Chasers to the east, is no easy task however. The BBC came out of the 2020 poker stoppage with guns blazing, and has become one of the top cash poker rooms in New Hampshire.

Editor’s Note September 2023: This room was recently re-named Gate City Casino. An updated review is pending.

Setting and Non-Poker Amenities

The Boston Billiard poker room is just a couple of minutes off Route 3 in New Hampshire, about 10 minutes north of the Massachusetts line. The neighborhood doesn’t hold much promise, as The Boston Billiard Club sits in a nondescript industrial park. However, the inside of the Boston Billiard Club quickly sets a very upscale tone. You walk into the attractive open space of a large billiards room. Up and to the left is an equally attractive bar area, to the right the greeter station and an event room with a few pool tables. That event room is particularly stunning, with elegant wood-framed bookcases encircling the room. There are several comfortable chairs and couches around the main and event room. The difference in tone between the outside and inside of the BBC is among the greatest we’ve seen. Only the Playground Poker Room near Montreal even comes close.

The back of the main room features extensive casino gaming tables. None of the other New Hampshire gaming rooms come close to the number of non-poker gaming tables running at Boston Billiards. Nor can any match the activity the casino gets on weekends. There were 6 to 8 highly active blackjack tables going on a recent Sunday afternoon and two active roulette tables. The BBC also has a craps table, highly unusual in New Hampshire. There were several more tables set up to support games like Mississippi Stud and Spanish 21, along with two more vacant roulette tables.

While not a full restaurant, the bar offers an extensive menu of appetizers (wings, nachos, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, etc.) along with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. As well as seating in the bar area, there are several small tables in the front of the room. There is also a patio with more tables outside which in the summer sports an active container bar. The food at the BBC bar is excellent, and you will not find harder working waitresses anywhere. We have visited the BBC for a late dinner or snack on many occasions, and the bar is always packed with an energetic crowd of mostly younger patrons. The poker room is hopping, and the billiards tables busy deep into the evening.

The Boston Billiard Poker Room Comfort

The Boston Billiard Club is loud. It is loud at night, and it is loud in the afternoon. The main area is a cavernous space with high ceilings and a lot of people. Fortunately, the BBC walled the poker room off from the rest of the venue. Boy, what a difference it makes. The atmosphere of the poker room is much quieter and more pleasant than the central area. Restrooms are conveniently right next to the poker room. Note that currently the poker room is reserved for the very active cash play. There have been no tournaments at BBC for several months now, and none are expected in the near future.

In the poker room, the BBC’s 16 poker tables sit in two long rows of eight, giving the room a long narrow feel. However, there is plenty of space around each table. The room’s black ceilings and dim lighting make it quite dark. However, the overall feel of the room is quite warm, similar to the pool room outside. There is also great targeted lighting above each table, so you’ll have no problem seeing community or other cards.

The tables themselves are modern and very clean. While the chairs are not the fancy adjustable type, they are well padded and  comfortable. The cards seem a bit small, but are otherwise fine. The chips are clean and bright with distinctly colored denominations. Several New Hampshire poker rooms offer chips in terrible condition. The BBC’s chips, however, remain nice. It is a joy to play with chips that don’t stick together and aren’t speckled with dirt, or so worn that you can’t tell a $500 tournament chip from a $5,000 one.

Related Articles:

• Filotimo Poker Room Review
• Cash Poker Activity in New England
• The Anatomy of a Poker Room Review

Poker Room Staff

The Boston Billiard poker room has good, solid dealers who are quiet and competent but friendly. The floors are generally attentive and friendly.  Even though tournaments are not Boston Billiard’s main attraction (it is more of a cash poker site), tournaments (when they have run) run smoothly. The BBC has a professional floor staff who have worked at other New Hampshire venues, and their experience shows.

Wait staff circle frequently and are generally friendly. As mentioned above, the waitresses are some of the hardest working wait staff we have seen, but the room is quite busy and sometime it takes some time to get your order.

Players at the Boston Billiard Poker Room

There is a wide range of players at the BBC. However, the venue tends to attract a more professional clientele and the play is rarely soft. Players come from all over New England to play here.

Tournament Structure

Boston Billiards has become a New England cash game magnet. As such, it’s poker room is highly active whenever the facility is open. Rather than lock lucrative cash players out by using their tables for tournaments, the BBC has paused all tournament activity.

Delaware North (which also owns Boston’s TD Gardens) recently purchased The Boston Billiard Club. They are reputedly focusing on bringing in the newly legal in New Hampshire Historic Racing slot machines. It remains to be seen whether tournaments will ever regain a place at this venue.

Cash Game Activity

Boston Billiard poker room is primarily a cash venue. On average, the BBC sees around 7 to 9 $1/2 or $1/$3 tables on a weeknight and up to 11 on weekends. They also generally have a couple of $2/$5 games running and a couple of other cash tables (often including PLO) running on a given evening. See our New England Cash Poker chart for further details.

Overall Assessment of the Boston Billiard Poker Room

The extremely attractive Boston Billiard poker room has become a drawing card for New England poker players. This is especially true for someone looking for an experience beyond the poker tables. If you want to try out the table games and maybe even a little pool, Boston Billiard is a great environment. Of all the New Hampshire poker rooms, Boston Billiard Club feels the most like an upscale casino. They currently offer one of the most active cash rooms in New England. We just wish they would bring back the occasional tournament.

Updated 9/24/22