Head down to The Bayou State today with the top live poker in Louisiana. We have everything you need to know about every Louisiana poker room, with information on the very best games.
There are several Louisiana casinos and riverboats that offer poker games. We’ve managed to narrow our recommended list down to an easy top 5.
Formerly known as Eldorado Shreveport, Bally’s is one of the biggest casinos on the road to Bossier City. Though the cardroom is small, it is open throughout the week. There are 8 tables in total, offering a nice blend of Hold’em tournaments and plenty of action for cash game players.
One of Louisiana’s friendliest cardrooms deserves an equally friendly tournament calendar. And that’s what you get at Bally’s Shreveport.
There are two regular tournaments a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, priced at $130–$140. There’s also the option to buy an add-on for an extra $100.
Also, look out for the odd special event at Bally’s. The Bally’s Southern Poker Texas Stack Series is held every year, with a schedule that includes a $500 Main Event with a $100k guarantee.
In terms of live poker options for cash players, Texas Hold’em and Omaha Ho-Lo are the main games at Bally’s. There is also a host of poker promos running every day.
For instance, you can win $500 for hitting a royal flush during any Hold’em game. You may also win $200 for the same hand during any Omaha Hi-Lo game.
While that amount might seem small, Bally’s makes up for it with a $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Bad Beat promo. You win $2,000 if your quad-eights-or-better hand is beaten during an Omaha hand.
The WSOP poker room has 20 tables, friendly action, and games to suit both Hold’em and Omaha players. There’s not a lot in the way of mixed games at Harrah’s, but this is the place to come in New Orleans if you want no-nonsense NLHE tourneys and cash games.
Throughout the year, you’ll find that the poker room hosts several large-scale tournaments. These events are part of the WSOP Circuit, attracting a diverse mix of players from across the region and beyond.
In addition to the WSOPC, the Poker Gras tournament is the big local event at Harrah’s New Orleans. The packed schedule includes over 10 individual tournaments, culminating in the $1,100 Main Event.
The poker room also has space for games of chance too, including Mississippi Stud, Three-Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
Promotions are regularly offered, with details posted clearly for all to see. The poker room also features a bad-beat jackpot, providing an extra layer of excitement to the game.
The Total Rewards program allows you to earn points for every hour you play. These points can be redeemed for a variety of perks, from dining and hotel stays to entries into exclusive tournaments. It’s a system that encourages and rewards regular play.
The Horseshoe is, like Harrah’s New Orleans, another property in the Caesars chain. It’s also one of the newest Louisiana poker rooms, opening its doors in 2022. The rebranded Isle of Capri is now home to the WSOP Room.
The poker room at the Horseshoe Casino is all-new, and there are 10 tables in total. That’s enough space to guarantee a good turnout for the $150 NLHE weekly tournaments, but it also ensures healthy numbers for larger events like the WSOPC.
Omaha Hi-Lo and No Limit Texas Hold’em are the only games in town at the Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles. Cash games run every day, but there’s still space for weekly $150 NLHE freezeouts.
Don’t leave the Horseshoe before visiting the Caesars Rewards desk next door to the poker room. You can sign up for the rewards program and start earning loyalty points every time you play poker.
Bossier City’s Horseshoe Casino is the last of the Caesars properties on our list. It boasts one of the largest cardrooms in Louisiana (with 14 tables), and – like most poker rooms – offers just Omaha and Texas Hold’em.
However, the poker room is far from being 24/7. It’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and open only until midnight most nights.
The poker room is also known for hosting big tournaments. These tournaments are part of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit, drawing in a diverse pool of players from across the region and beyond. Whether you’re a participant or a spectator, these events offer an engaging experience.
Regular promotions are available at the Horseshoe Casino Bossier City. The High Hand Splash rewards an additional $25 in the pot (up to three times per hour) if the board flops a flush.
As a Horseshoe property, you can join the Caesars Rewards program and rack up loyalty points when you play Louisiana poker tournaments and cash games. Plus, you may apply for a Caesars Rewards Visa card to earn Reward Credits and Tier Credits to use around the United States.
Coushatta Casino doesn’t have the largest cardroom in Louisiana. However, it does boast being the “largest resort” in The Bayou State. It’s also the best tribal casino in LA for poker.
The 10-table Louisiana poker room is mid-sized by the standards of other casinos in the state. Friday night Hold’em tournaments draw in 50–100 players every week.
Watch out for staffing fees of around $15 on a $200-buyin tournament. That’s on top of the $20 entry fee. Also, note that you must join the casino’s rewards program – the Coushatta Advantage Club – to play in their tournaments.
Cash games run from 10 a.m. until midnight every day. While games are restricted to Hold’em and Omaha, you can take advantage of lots of promotions every day.
The mini bad-beat jackpot is the biggest promo, where you can up to $2,500 24/7 if your quads get busted. Other promotions include high-hand jackpots and Splash the Pot. You also win $100 each time your aces are cracked.
Looking for live poker in Louisiana? Look no further with our helpful list of casinos with cardrooms in The Bayou State.
| Cardroom Name | Address | City | Phone Number |
| Bally’s Shreveport Casino & Hotel | 451 Clyde Fant Pkwy, Shreveport, LA 71101 | Shreveport | 1-877-613-0711 |
| Harrah’s New Orleans | 228 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70130 | New Orleans | 1-800-427-7247 |
| Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles | 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake, LA 70669 | Westlake | 1-337-430-2300 |
| L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge | 777 L’Auberge Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70820 | Baton Rouge | 1-225-215-7777 |
| Coushatta Casino | 777 Coushatta Dr, Kinder, LA 70648 | Kinder | 1-800-584-7263 |
| Boomtown Casino & Hotel New Orleans | 4132 Peters Rd, Harvey, LA 70058 | Harvey | 1-504-366-7711 |
| Golden Nugget Lake Charles | 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd, Lake Charles, LA 70601 | Lake Charles | 1-337-508-7777 |
| Horseshoe Casino Bossier City | 711 Horseshoe Blvd, Bossier City, LA 71111 | Bossier City | 1-800-895-0711 |
| Paragon Casino | 711 Paragon Pl, Marksville, LA 71351 | Marksville | 1-800-946-1946 |
| Jena Choctaw Pines Casino | 149 Chahta Trails, Dry Prong, LA 71423 | Dry Prong | 1-318-648-7773 |
Over half of Louisiana’s casinos offer poker. Here are the largest cardrooms, with some details on what games you can expect to find.
| Cardroom Name | Games Offered | Number of Tables | Major Events |
| Bally’s Shreveport Casino & Hotel | Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, daily poker promotions Inc. royal flush bonus and bad-beat promos, NLHE tournaments | 8 | n/a |
| Harrah’s New Orleans | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, $120 NLHE tournaments | 20 | WSOP Circuit, Poker Gras |
| Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles | Texas Hold’em, Omaha / Omaha Hi-Lo, $150 weekly tournaments | 10 | WSOP Circuit |
| L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge | Hold’em, Omaha cash | 4 | n/a |
| Coushatta Casino | Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi-Lo, $200 NLHE tournament, high-hand jackpot, Splash the Pot bonus | 10 | n/a |
| Boomtown Casino & Hotel New Orleans | Hold’em, Omaha / Omaha Hi-Lo, weekly $60 tournaments | 7 | n/a |
| Golden Nugget Lake Charles | Hold’em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud | 6 | n/a |
| Horseshoe Casino Bossier City | Hold’em, Omaha, bi-weekly $200 NLHE tournaments | 14 | WSOP Circuit |
| Paragon Casino | No Limit Hold’em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud, high-hand giveaways | 8 | n/a |
| Jena Choctaw Pines Casino | Hold’em, Omaha, easy bad-beat jackpot | 5 | n/a |
Some of the largest casino resorts in Louisiana offer hotel rooms for weary poker players.
| Casino Name | Number of Rooms |
| Golden Nugget Lake Charles | 1000+ |
| L’Auberge Casino Resort | 995+ |
| Horseshoe Casino Bossier City | 600+ |
| Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles | 493 |
| Harrah’s Casino New Orleans | 450+ |
Poker and casino gambling was legalized in Louisiana in the early 1990s. Following the legalization of the LA lottery, riverboat casinos were allowed for the first time.
With a change in the law, most riverboat casinos are now permanently moored, rather than sailing along the Mississippi. They’ve also expanded to become casino resorts in their own right. You can find out more in our guide to state-by-state gaming laws.
Some online gambling has been legalized in The Bayou State. Online sports betting is now regulated, though the shadow of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act means that poker is still being left behind.
Though online poker is not strictly licensed in Louisiana, you can still access several offshore sites offering regular tournaments, freerolls, and cash games. Despite the DOJ’s new stance on the Wire Act, online poker legislation is some way away in Louisiana.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) is responsible for regulating over a dozen of the state’s riverboat casinos and resorts. You’ll find more information in our gambling commission directory for the USA.
The variety of poker at LA casinos isn’t enormous. Hold’em and Omaha are well-covered, but you may have to travel to other states if you want a lot of Stud and high-stakes action.
You can play Hold’em at Louisiana poker rooms in tournaments and cash games. Exotic variants like satellites and bounties are reserved for larger series, such as the WSOPC. The game is played with two hole cards per person. You make the best poker hand with any of your hole cards, plus any five community cards.
Omaha Hi-Lo seems to outweigh the Omaha Hi variant of the game at a Louisiana poker room. Some cardrooms run bad-beat jackpots for Omaha cash games too.
In Omaha, you are dealt four hole cards instead of just two. You must use two hole cards, and three of the community cards, to make the best 5-card poker hand.
Stud isn’t widely available at Louisiana poker rooms. Only 7-Card Stud is played at the Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles. It’s an old-fashioned format of poker involving Limit betting and a series of up and down cards where players must make the best 5-card hand.
Cash games and freezeout tournaments are the two main options for live poker in Louisiana. Larger series may include some mixed games, but no Louisiana poker room strays too much from tried-and-trusted formats.
In Louisiana, cash games are available in all cardrooms. Not all poker rooms in the state are open 24/7, so you’ll need to be wrapped up by midnight. Most cash games are $1/$2 NLHE or $2/$2 Omaha Hi-Lo. The larger cardrooms may go to $1/$3 or $5/$5 on weekends.
In Louisiana, live poker tournaments are hosted at least once per week by casinos and riverboats. Buy-ins don’t tend to divert too much from the $120–$150 level, although some cardrooms offer lower-buy-in games. You can also buy an add-on in some tournaments.
Louisiana is home to one or two special poker tournaments, though they do seem to be few and far between. The WSOP Circuit has been held in Louisiana in the past. With so many Caesars properties, we expect the WSOPC to return in due course.
The WSOP-C is the low-buy-in version of the World Series of Poker. You win a gold ring by taking down one of the festival tournaments, the biggest of which is the $1,700 Main Event. The guaranteed prizepool for that showpiece is $100,000.
Some Louisiana poker rooms run their special tournaments offering big-money prizes. You can revisit casino websites or download a tournament app like Bravo Poker to keep abreast of big upcoming series.
Every good Louisiana poker room runs some kind of promotion to keep players coming. You can sign up for the Caesars Rewards card if you play regularly at cardrooms like Horseshoe Casino or Harrah’s.
With a rewards card, you can claim player points when you spend time at the poker tables. That includes playing time in cash games or tournaments.
With loyalty points under your belt, you can cash them in for credits to use at other casinos and resorts in the chain. You can also claim cheap hotel rooms (if accommodation is available) or free meals.
Other poker promotions:
Louisiana has multiple online gambling options. Click on the links for more information.
In addition to riverboat casinos, Louisiana has one or two tribal casinos that offer poker. LA tribes operate via a tribal-state compact with the Louisiana
Here are some of the biggest poker players to come out of The Bayou State:
The tax rules on winnings are pretty clear in Louisiana. Live poker winnings are classed as gambling income and are therefore subject to state tax. The casino is obliged to withhold tax at a rate of 6%.
In addition, you are liable for federal income tax on tournament winnings of $5,000 and above. The casino will automatically withhold 24% in tax and provide you with a Form W-2G. It’s important to report all your gambling wins and losses when you come to complete your annual tax return.
You can play poker online at offshore gambling sites too. Tax won’t be withheld at offshore poker sites. However, you are responsible for handling your tax affairs when you play. Find out more in our online gambling tax guide.
Absolutely. Poker and games of chance are 100% legal if played at licensed riverboat casinos. Cash games and tournaments are open to members of the public who meet the minimum age requirement for gambling.
Poker rooms and casinos are regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. The board is responsible for ensuring that all Louisiana poker rooms are run responsibly and handle taxes and prizes in the right way.
There are 10 poker rooms in Louisiana. Cash games and tournaments are held regularly throughout the week for players from across The Bayou State. You can also enter some big-money events and championships that run during the year.
The first poker room opened in Louisiana in the 1820s. However, the first legal riverboats with cardrooms opened to players in 1993. You can now play at 10 cardrooms offering a mix of cash and tournaments.
Poker sites are not regulated in Louisiana. However, you can play games at offshore poker sites for real money. Oftentimes, these online poker rooms boast welcome bonuses and lots of promotions.
You must be 21 or over to play poker at LA casinos and cardrooms. Be prepared to present a photo ID when you visit any Louisiana poker room to play cash games and tournaments.
No, most casinos in Louisiana have a casual dress code provided you don’t break the rules. Some high-stakes areas of the casino may require jackets and smart clothes.
Only a handful of Louisiana casinos open round-the-clock. However, you can play poker until the small hours at most cardrooms. Cash games start running as soon as the cardroom opens. Tournaments tend to be held once or twice a week.
Some Caesars casinos in Louisiana have hosted WSOP-C events in the past. WSOP Circuit series usually includes multiple poker events, culminating in a Gold Ring main event.
Playing poker in public is strictly forbidden according to Louisiana state laws. However, there is nothing to stop you from organizing private games at home. It’s illegal to make a fee or profit from running private poker clubs.
Yes, you are liable for a 6% state tax on poker wins at a casino. However, you can deduct losses from your profits when you come to complete and submit your annual tax return.
Of course. The best option is to call the Louisiana Problem Gamblers Helpline at 1-877-770-STOP to get immediate assistance 24/7. All LA casinos operate a responsible gambling policy and allow self-exclusion for all players.
Louisiana has produced several successful poker pros, including Brandon Adams and Kevin Eyster. Adams is #1 on the Louisiana All-Time Money List and has several WSOP titles to his name.
No. Generally, LA casinos do not run freerolls for players. However, you can claim freeroll tokens if you are a new customer at poker sites based outside Louisiana.
Yes, you can. Every good Louisiana poker room offers a rewards card that lets you gain points by playing your favorite games. You can earn points by playing cash games or entering tournaments. You redeem points for bonuses, free meals, or hotel rooms.
No. Some casinos are being refurbished in Louisiana, but currently, there are no plans to build a brand-new poker room in The Bayou State. However, we will update our pages should the situation in Louisiana keep changing.
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