Poker Pilgrims

Cash Poker Activity Analysis – South Central Region

September 26, 2022September 26, 2022 Heather Leave a comment

Poker Pilgrims is happy to continue our Cash Poker Table Activity analysis. We recently completed collecting data on cash poker table activity across the South Central US. This region includes the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missisippi, and Oklahoma. Other South Central states (such as Tennessee and Alabama) do not allow for legal live poker at this time.

Our page with South Central results is now live. Cash Poker Activity 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 Monarch Casino 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.

South Central US Region Cash Poker Analysis

As of Fall 2022, there are 24 poker rooms in the South Central US with 6 or more tables that report cash poker table activity to either Bravo Poker or Poker Atlas. There are few poker rooms in the South Central US that do not report to either Bravo or Poker Atlas. The Paragon Casino in Louisiana with 8 tables and the Grand Casino Resort in Oklahoma with 19 tables are the only rooms in the region currently open with more than six tables that is not reporting cash activity to either website.

Oklahoma is clearly the biggest poker state in the region. The Winstar World Casino and Riverwind have by far the greatest number of active $1/$2 tables on weeknights. These rooms, along with the Choctaw Durant also dominate weekend play. In New Orleans, Harrahs also gets up to 8 $1/$2 tables on the weekend. Across the region, only the Winstar sees more than one or two $2/$5 tables on any given night, and most rooms outside of Oklahoma see none. PLO games are also rare across the region and almost non-existent on weeknights. You’re best bet for PLO on the weekends is the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Games beyond low no-limit holdem and the occassional PLO game are rare to non-existent across the region. Your best bet for Limit poker and higher value games are the Coushatta Casino in Louisiana and the Winstar World Casino in Oklahoma.

Our Plan

Our poker table cash activity pages will be updated regularly. Over time we will add cash poker activity for all US regions . We are currently working on the Midwest Region, which we will have live in a couple of weeks. Once this region is complete we will have all cash poker in the US tracked with the exception of Texas. Texas cash poker activity will be tracked in the month of October.

Poker Pilgrims is proud to introduce tracking of Cash Poker Activity in the South Central USClick To Tweet

Ultimately, our vision is to track the number of average cash poker tables across the country. In areas where a poker player has options, this information, along with room reviews, 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 map of Cash Poker Activity and investigate poker in the regions where we have completed tracking.

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Cash Poker Table Activity Analysis – Mountain Region

September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 Heather Leave a comment

Poker Pilgrims is happy to continue our Cash Poker Table Activity analysis. We recently completed collecting data on cash poker table activity across the US Mountain Region. This region includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. Other US Mountain states (such as Montana and Wyoming) do not allow for legal live poker at this time.

Our page with Mountain Region results is now live. Cash Poker Activity 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).

Mountain Region Cash Poker Analysis

As of Fall 2022, there are 11 poker rooms in the Mountain Region with 6 or more tables that report cash poker table activity to either Bravo Poker or Poker Atlas. Five of these are in Arizona, Four in Colorado (all in Black Hawk), and two in New Mexico.

In Colorado, the Monarch and Ameristar have the most activity on a weeknight, with the Monarch being the only room where you will consistently find games other than $1/2 No Limit. The Monarch and Ameristar also dominate weekend cash games, with the Monarch again hosting the greatest variety. Interestingly, there is little to no PLO offered in Colorado.

In Arizona, Talking Stick and Lone Butte offer by far the most cash poker activity, whether weekday or weekend. Both poker rooms offer numerous $1/$2 games along with a wide variety of other games as well. PLO is again rarely played in Arizona. Desert Diamond Tucson appears to specialize in Limit poker and has very little No Limit, especially during the week.

There are only two poker rooms in New Mexico, and both have relatively low activity levels. Sandia Casino maxes out at about four $1/$2 tables on weekends, and Inn of the Mountain Gods at three. $2/$5 and other games are rare (but more common at Sandia on weekends), and there is again generally no PLO played in either room.

There are few poker rooms in the Mountain Region that do not report to either Bravo or Poker Atlas. The Midnight Rose poker room in Colorado with 8 tables is the only room currently open with more than six tables that is not reporting cash activity to either website.

Our Plan

Poker Pilgrims is proud to introduce tracking of Cash Poker Activity in the Mountain RegionClick To Tweet

Ultimately, our vision is to track the number of average cash poker tables across the country. In areas where a poker player has options, this information, along with room reviews, 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 map of Cash Poker Activity page and investigate poker in the regions where we have completed tracking.

Like this post? Want to learn more about where to play poker in the US? Head on over to the sidebar and subscribe. We’ll let you know whenever a new Poker Pilgrims blog post goes live!

Cash Poker Table Activity MI-OH-NY

August 29, 2022September 19, 2022 Heather Leave a comment

Poker Pilgrims is happy to continue our Cash Poker Table Activity analysis. We recently completed collecting data on cash poker table activity across the Northern Tier of Ohio, Michigan, and New York.

Our page with activity results is now live. Upper Tier Cash Poker Activity 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 Turning Stone 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 (along with our Map of Poker Rooms) will hopefully be of help.

Upper Tier Cash Poker Analysis

As of Summer 2022, there are 16 poker rooms in Michigan, Ohio, and New York with 6 or more tables that report cash poker table activity to either Bravo Poker or Poker Atlas. Among these, the MGM Grand in Detroit and the Jack in Cleveland offer the most consistently active cash games throughout the week. On weekends, the Resorts World Catskills and Hollywood Casino Columbus can also be quite active.

These same rooms are your best bets for $2/$5 games and PLO. There are very few other games played in this region at any time during the week. However, Turning Stone in New York will be your best bet if you are looking for some Limit or Mixed Game action.

Our Plan

Our poker table cash activity pages will be updated regularly. We have completed all but two regions of the United States, with only the Midwest and Texas remaining. Texas will be our final region, completed in October.

Poker Pilgrims is proud to introduce tracking of Cash Poker Activity in Ohio, Michigan, and New YorkClick To Tweet

Ultimately, our vision is to track the number of average cash poker tables across the country. In areas where a poker player has options, this information, along with our map of poker rooms and room reviews, 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 what cash activity is near you..

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Throwdown Thursday: Destination or Die? Or Sweet and Slow?

August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Heather Leave a comment

It has been a while since Paul and I have participated in a good Throwdown. I believe our last was close to a year ago when we reflected on our experience with Tru by Hilton. We have some big travel days coming up, however, and our natural inclinations are once again putting us at odds.

Let’s say you have about 600 miles to travel today. About an eight-hour drive in a theoretical universe. Some people say, well that’s a long day, let’s get to our destination as fast as we can. No muss, no fuss, put the hammer down. Other (insane) people might want to stop (frequently) and smell the roses. Read the road signs. Visit roadside attractions. Perhaps even sit down in a non-vehicular location to eat a meal. I think you can already tell which side of this particular coin I prefer…

Paul: What’s the point of traveling the country if you skip 80% of it? Even in the places where the top-flight attractions are minimal, there’s almost always something to see that is unique, compelling, or interesting in some way. Certainly more interesting than buzzing through a rest stop, and manhandling a Roy Rogers 3-piece and biscuit in under 5 minutes, only so you can get to a hotel and crash from the exhaustion of racing down Route 80 like it was Le Mans.

Heather: Driving is a way to get from here. To there. If something is really worth seeing, well that’s going to be a destination. Why stretch a tolerable 7-hour drive into a 10-hour hell scene just to be able to eat a meal in a quaint midwestern diner with adorably slow service?

Paul: Hey, but then we had your long-awaited stop at Cracker Barrel (we won’t admit to the general public that we actually liked our lunch there). Wasn’t that a pleasant surprise? Or how about if we blew by the Cadillac Ranch in Texas? We would never have experienced the joys of spray painting our initials on a vehicle vertically embedded in the ground. Stopping yields unexpected surprises that can never be duplicated.

Heather: Pulling out the Cracker Barrel is dirty pool. I have been trying to get you to go to a Cracker Barrel for a decade now. Finally, when it’s the only open lunch place in the state of Arkansas, you concede. And now you’re holding it up as an example of slow travel?! Cheater.

The Cadillac Ranch is an example of my mid-trip destination argument above. We planned that stop long before we were anywhere near the state of Texas. Found it in my trusty Atlas Obscura, (which I highly recommend).

So no, not conceding.

Paul: All this Cracker Barrel talk is giving me a preternatural chicken and dumpling craving!

Planned or not, Cadillac Ranch was a stop that broke up a drive and gave us a chance to see something unusual and stretch our legs. That brings us to the “stretch the legs” part of our show. If we spend 8-9 hours in a car with minimal breaks, we exit the vehicle at night and play the game “What punctuation mark does my posture most resemble?” (praying it is more comma than question mark). We’re in our 50s and our bodies just do not unfold after lack of use very easily. Midday walks, leisurely dining, etc. allow us to retain something at least resembling homo sapien form.

Heather: First of all, we can very well walk when we stop for food, gas, amenities etc. No reason for extra stops just to walk around. Secondly, if you would just use cruise control like I keep telling you, you would not get so cramped up driving. And thirdly, if we get to our destination faster, there will be plenty of time at the end of a day for a REAL walk, that doesn’t leave one of us (ok, me) antsy to get back in the car and make more distance.

Paul: Yes, because there’s nothing like the end of the day after a 9-hour drive that says “Let’s go for a stroll/walk/hike.” Let’s get honest here. The most we’ll hike after a drive like that is to the top of a bar stool for a couple of IPAs and fried food we had vowed never to eat again. You have to spread the exertion out to stay fresh, not grind it out with some elusive fantasy of post-death-drive square dancing.

Heather: Thinking back over our many long drives, you may possibly be right about the walking part.

But I still stand firm that the best way to get from Point A to Point B is AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. It is a law of the universe that a body in motion tends to remain in motion. As it should be. Until it gets to its destination.

Paul: And then at the destination prays for a sweet, sweet death from exhaustion.

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Cash Poker Table Activity Analysis California

August 1, 2022September 19, 2022 Heather Leave a comment

Poker Pilgrims is happy to continue our Cash Poker Table Activity analysis. We recently completed collecting data on cash poker table activity across California.

Our page with California results is now live. California Cash Poker Activity 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 Commerce Casino 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.

California Cash Poker Analysis

As of Summer 2022, there are 23 poker rooms in California with 6 or more tables that report cash poker table activity to either Bravo Poker or Poker Atlas. Among these, the Commerce and Hustler in LA, Oceans 11 in San Diego, and Morongo in Palm Springs offer the most consistently active cash games. Notably, several very large poker rooms in California do not report to either Bravo or Poker Atlas. These include the Bay 101 in San Jose, The Gardens and Hollywood Park in LA, and Oaks Card Club north of San Francisco.

Interestingly, there is very little PLO played in California. However, if you want to play higher stakes or other poker variants, LA is the place to play, with the Commerce, Bicycle and Hustler all offering a healthy collection of these games. You will find a variety of high stakes games at these casinos as well as Big O, the occasional limit game, and even some mixed games.

Outside of LA and the San Francisco area, rooms are smaller and offer less cash poker activity. There are only a handful $1/$2 or $1/$3 tables, with a couple of $2/$5 tables and little choice of venue for hundreds of miles.

Our Plan

Poker Pilgrims is proud to introduce tracking of Cash Poker Activity in CaliforniaClick To Tweet

Ultimately, our vision is to track the number of average cash poker tables across the country. In areas where a poker player has options, this information, along with room reviews, 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 map of Cash Poker Activity page and investigate poker in the regions where we have completed tracking.

Like this post? Want to learn more about where to play poker in the US? Head on over to the sidebar and subscribe. We’ll let you know whenever a new Poker Pilgrims blog post goes live!

South Central US Region Cash Poker Analysis

Our Plan

Mountain Region Cash Poker Analysis

Our Plan

Upper Tier Cash Poker Analysis

Our Plan

California Cash Poker Analysis

Our Plan

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