Cash Poker Activity Analysis: Midwest US

Poker Pilgrims is happy to continue our Cash Poker Table Activity analysis. We recently completed collecting data on cash poker table activity across the Midwest US. This region includes the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. While the Dakotas do have a few poker rooms, only two (Deadwood and Four Bears Casino) have 6 tables, and neither report their cash activity.

Our page with Midwest results is now live.  Cash Poker Activity Midwest can be accessed via the drop-down menus at the top of the homepage (under Poker Room Information). Note that there are filters on the page for venue, day, or game ($1/$2, $2/$5, PLO, or Other).

Sites such as Poker Atlas and Bravo Poker Live offer users the ability to see the current numbers of cash players at a venue at any given time. However, they do not allow you to plan your next poker visit in advance. Currently, if I want to know how many $1-$2 no-limit tables the Ameristar Casino St. Charles gets on a Thursday evening, there is nowhere to go to find that information. Poker Pilgrims hopes to fill that gap.

Whether you are figuring out where to play poker next weekend, or where to plan your next poker vacation, our cash poker table activity pages will hopefully be of help.

Cash Poker Activity Midwest Analysis

As of Fall 2022, there are 17 poker rooms in the Midwestern US with 6 or more tables that report cash poker table activity to either Bravo Poker or Poker Atlas. There are a few poker rooms in the South Central US that do not report to either Bravo or Poker Atlas. These include the very small rooms in the Dakotas mentioned above, a couple of Charity rooms in Illinois (Central Illinois Charitable Games, and Chicago Charitable Games), the St. Croix Casino in Minnesota, and a couple of others.

Indiana is clearly the biggest poker state in the region. The River Casino Des Plaines and Horseshoe Indianapolis have by far the greatest number of active $1/$2 tables on weeknights. These rooms, along with the Ameristar St. Charles in Missouri also dominate weekend play. Across the region, only the River Casino Des Plaines sees more than one or two $2/$5 tables on any given night. PLO games are also rare across the region outside of Des Plaines, and almost non-existent on weeknights.

Games beyond low no-limit hold’em and the occasional PLO game are most often played at Canterbury Park in Minnesota.

• Maryland Live! Poker Room Review
• Map of US Poker Rooms
• An Extended Poker Road Trip Through Florida

Our Plan

Our poker table cash activity pages will be updated regularly.

In the past year, we have tracked cash poker activity across the country. In areas where a poker player has options, this information, along with room reviews and poker tournament activity can help you make a discerning choice. Be patient with us as we work to populate these tables. In the meantime, feel free to visit our  Cash Poker Activity page and see how many tables your favorite room hosts on an average Saturday night. Or check out our Map of Poker Rooms in the US if you are wondering “are there poker rooms near me?”.

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