There are limited ways to enjoy live poker in Kansas today. Read our guide to Kansas poker rooms, and find one or two alternatives if you’re venturing across state lines.
There are nine B&M casinos in Kansas, with a mix of tribal casinos (operating since the 1990s) and four commercial casinos available. For the most part, table games and slots are offered, but poker is permitted too. A recent change to the law made sports betting legal in The Sunflower State.
The Hollywood Casino Kansas Speedway poker room is an exceptional destination for poker enthusiasts. The room features a dozen poker tables, providing ample space for a considerable number of players.
This spacious set-up allows for an array of cash games, from Limit and No Limit Hold’em to Pot Limit Omaha, Hold’em with Full Kill, Round-of-Each, and Hold’em with Rock.
As a player, you will find the room operational from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday. The hours extend to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, accommodating the increased weekend crowd. You can take advantage of the convenience of calling ahead to join waiting lists, saving valuable time.
You will appreciate the modern amenities provided, such as USB outlets at every seat and free Wi-Fi within the cardroom. These features contribute to a comfortable and convenient playing environment, enabling you to focus on your game.
The Hollywood Casino Kansas Speedway poker room hosts a daily tournament with a buy-in of $100. If you’re looking for a deeper challenge, the Sunday deep stack tournament, priced at $150, is worth considering. These tournaments offer an opportunity to test your skills against a diverse pool of players.
As for loyalty schemes, the Hollywood Casino Kansas Speedway poker room is part of the PENN Play reward program. This scheme allows you to earn points as you play, which can be redeemed for various rewards. You must be a PENN Play member to qualify for any of the cardroom’s Bad Beat Jackpots.
Boot Hill Casino’s cardroom is temporarily closed. However, when open it boasts a 5-table room brimming with cash games and tournaments. In addition to poker, the casino at Boot Hill also offers slots, table games, and a new DraftKings-branded sportsbook.
You may earn points when you play poker at Boot Hill Casino. You receive food vouchers when you join Club Fun, in addition to entry into prize drawings. The more loyalty points you rack up, the more you can earn.
Most casinos in Kansas focus on slots, table games, and sports betting. We’ve omitted them from our list to concentrate on the places where you can enjoy live poker in Kansas.
| Cardroom Name | Address | City | Phone Number |
| Boot Hill Casino & Resort | 4000 W Comanche St, Dodge City, KS 67801 | Dodge City | 1-620-682-7777 |
| Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway | 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66111 | Kansas City | 1-913-288-9300 |
No Kansas poker room is enormous, with even the Hollywood Casino spreading just a dozen tables.
| Cardroom Name | Games Offered | Number of Tables | Major Events |
| Boot Hill Casino | Hold’em, Omaha, cash games only | 5 | n/a |
| Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway | Hold’em, PLO, Half-Kill, Round-of-each, freezeouts, bounties | 12 | Deep-stack |
No Kansas poker room has a hotel attached. However, they are keen to keep you in the vicinity. That’s why most poker rooms and casinos have partnerships with local hotels in Kansas City and beyond. Check the casino website before you travel to see available room deals.
Kansas isn’t blessed with a lot of live poker options. However, just over the border, one or two excellent cardrooms are a short drive away.
Kansas City straddles the borders of two states: Kansas and Missouri. Step over the border into Missouri to visit one of America’s best cardrooms: Harrah’s Kansas City.
Harrah’s Kansas City is home to the WSOP Poker Room. It’s open from 9 a.m. daily (over-21s only) and has 13 poker tables spreading cash games and tournaments. The WSOP Poker Room has also hosted WSOP Circuit events in the past, including deep-stack tournaments, satellites, and main events.
You can play a familiar range of games at Kansas live poker venues. Hold’em is offered across the board, in addition to one or two interesting variations.
Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker, and it’s available across cash games and tournaments. Cash games are where things get interesting, with the Half-Kill and Full-Kill rules coming into play.
Omaha is generally played as a cash game at Kansas poker rooms. It’s a variant of Hold’em, where you are dealt four hole cards at the start of every hand instead of two. You form the best poker hand with two of your cards, plus three community cards from the table.
Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway is the largest cardroom in the state that spreads mixed games. It’s a way for cash game players to enjoy a mix of Hold’em and Omaha in the same session. The discipline simply changes on each rotation.
We should quickly mention that most casinos in Kansas offer table games that you play against the house. Though not on par with traditional poker games, they do offer a gambling thrill for players. Always gamble responsibly when you play casino games.
Kansas poker rooms offer tournaments and cash games. You can play Kansas live poker games provided you meet the minimum age for gambling in the state. That’s currently 21 or over.
Cash games tend to run as soon as the Kansas poker room is open. Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em are among the most popular variants. You can also play Pot Limit Omaha from $1/$2, though it’s unusual to find anything smaller.
Kansas poker rooms spread a few interesting variants, such as Half-Kill, Full Kill, and Rock. In Half-Kill and Full-Kill, the blinds are increased for one hand, usually after a player has won two consecutive hands. You may also have a Kill Button which you can activate at any time.
In Hold’em with Rock, every player must make an obligatory straddle if requested by the winner of the last hand.
Every good Kansas poker room offers a full calendar of tournaments. Re-buys are common, but you’ll also find bounty tournaments where you win a payout by eliminating a player.
Kansas doesn’t boast a lot of special events but check back for big tournaments at large cardrooms like the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway.
In Kansas, live poker can earn you extra perks – just for playing your favorite games. Casinos issue reward cards that let you build up points whenever you play cash games or enter tournaments. The more points you accrue, the more benefits you can enjoy.
For example, as a poker player at Hollywood Casino Kansas Speedway, you can accumulate player points through the PENN Play Rewards program.
Every time you play a hand, you earn points. The number of points depends on the rake taken from the pot. The rake is a commission fee taken by the casino for operating the poker game.
To earn these points, simply ensure your PENN Play Rewards card is properly inserted into the card reader at your table. The system will then automatically track your play and award points accordingly.
Once you’ve accumulated enough points, you can redeem them for a variety of benefits. For instance, you can use your points for free play on the casino floor, discounts at the casino’s dining venues, or even free hotel rooms with local partners.
Poker and casino gambling are legal in Kansas if offered by tribal casinos, or by commercial casinos regulated by the state. Some forms of gambling are classed as “crimes against [the] public morals.”
Public morals crimes in Kansas can include “commercial gambling,” “gambling,” and “unlawful wagering”. The KRGC has concentrated its attention on shutting illegal poker rooms, and this would seem to include home games that aren’t addressed explicitly by Kansas gambling laws.
Find out more about legislation with our guide to US gaming commissions.
Find out more about gambling in Kansas with our dedicated guides:
Kansas has produced its fair share of famous poker pros over the years. Brandon Steven is the most successful player from KS: he’s racked up nearly $7m playing Kansas poker tournaments and major events.
Under most US state gaming laws, including Kansas, you won’t have to pay tax on small poker wins. But what if you win big at the Kansas cash games?
Anything under $5,000 won’t be reported to the IRS. However, anything over that will be subject to 24% federal tax and 5% state income tax. The Kansas poker room will withhold this and issue you with a Form W-2G. A copy is also sent to the IRS.
It’s important to register all winnings at Kansas poker rooms when you come to make your annual tax statement. You can include small wins too.
In 2014, Kansas prohibited gamblers from deducting losses from their winnings when calculating taxes. In 2021, however, a new bill was proposed – SB111 – which proposed to allow for itemized gambling losses to appear on all federal tax returns. The bill ultimately failed to make it through the Senate.
You may have to pay tax on any winnings made from online gambling sites too. As a professional poker player in Kansas, you may want to report all online poker wins and losses under income. Check out our online gaming tax guide for more information.
Poker in Kansas has only been a reality for a few years. The Kansas Expanded Lottery Act was introduced in 2007, allowing the state to run its own casino resorts. There are currently four casinos that fall into this category:
Casinos are state-owned under KA gambling laws. B&M casinos are also permitted to offer traditional games like slots, roulette, and blackjack.
Kansas has been behind the curve when it comes to online poker. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was the main barrier to legalizing online Hold’em and Omaha.
Kansas made online sports betting legal in September 2022, and the state is now home to over half a dozen state-licensed sportsbooks. However, you can still bet offshore with sportsbooks that target US players.
Yes, you can legally play poker in Kansas. The state has several licensed casinos where you can enjoy a game of poker. Kansas law also allows for social poker games, provided no one profits from operating the game. Always ensure to follow the rules and play responsibly.
There is just one cardroom where you can play live poker in Kansas. Hollywood Casino runs tournaments every day of the week, as well as a healthy range of cash games including Omaha, Hold’em, and Half-Kill formats.
Hollywood Casino was the first Kansas live poker establishment. It opened in 2011 with a full 14-table poker room operating alongside the casino floor. You can play cash games and tournaments at Hollywood Casino if you are 21 or over.
There are no regulated poker sites in Kansas. However, you can join offshore poker sites to play tournaments and cash games to suit your budget. You may also join a loyalty program to earn points that can be redeemed for cash.
No. Most of the KS cardrooms don’t have hotels. However, they have partnerships with local hotels that may offer exclusive room rates when you play poker. Ask at the desk when you visit to see what deals you are eligible for.
The legal age for gambling in the state of Kansas is 21. You won’t be able to enter tournaments or sit at cash tables if you are under that age. You may also be asked to provide photo evidence of your age when you enter the casino.
Poker rooms in Kansas operate a casual dress code. You can wear relaxed clothing, provided you aren’t semi-clothed.
Poker and gambling are regulated by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. They oversee four casinos in the state and ensure that games are conducted safely and reliably.
Some charitable gaming is permitted in Kansas through the Lottery. However, private home games are generally considered to be illegal under the state’s constitution. You risk a fine or prosecution if you’re caught operating illegal card games.
Yes, provided your total wins from tournaments or cash games are $5,000 or over for the year. The casino will inform the IRS if you win over $5,000, plus you must declare your winnings on your annual federal tax return.
Yes. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) provides a 24-hour problem gambling helpline at 1-800-522-4700. You can also request self-exclusion from all Kansas poker rooms and casinos by calling 1-785-296-5800.
Yes. Grant Hinkle and Brandon Steven are among the most successful poker pros from Kansas. They have won millions of dollars between them in tournaments, as well as WSOP bracelets.
Yes. Rake is a charge on every pot you play in a cash game. Rake isn’t charged on all pots, and the amount is usually capped. Check the cardroom before you visit to see what rake they charge on all their tables.
Kansas houses over half a dozen tribal casinos, but none currently offer cardrooms. You can play live poker in Kansas at one of the commercial, state-run casinos. These poker rooms offer cash games and tournaments.
Yes. You are eligible for a player’s card when you visit the cardroom. You collect player points for every dollar you spend in cash rake and tournament fees. You can get cashback on fees, or redeem your points for free meals and comped hotel rooms.
No. At present, there are no plans to open any new cardrooms in Kansas. However, we will update our pages as soon as any new developments are announced. For now, you can play cash and tournaments at the best live poker rooms in the state.
Charitable gaming is allowed in Kansas, but this only applies to raffles and bingo. Gambling laws currently prohibit fundraising poker tournaments. This also applies to social poker games played from home that award prizes.
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