Live poker in Michigan is legal and available at commercial casinos and tribal cardrooms. There are around 20 Michigan poker rooms that offer Hold’em and Omaha cash games and tournaments throughout the week.
Tournament and cash game players are spoilt for choice when it comes to poker in Michigan. Detroit has commercial casinos with poker rooms, but there’s a wide choice of tribal casinos elsewhere in the state.
MotorCity is one of Michigan’s biggest casinos. It also houses one of the state’s largest cardrooms with 17 tables. Opened in 1999, MotorCity is the premium choice for players in Detroit. It also offers one of the best rewards programs targeted squarely at poker players.
You can join the Poker Club to get exclusive access to special deals. You earn $200 in comps every quarter as a VIP I player and $100 per quarter as a VIP II player.
Elsewhere, MotorCity Casino’s MYRewards program is a loyalty scheme that provides numerous benefits to its members. One standout feature is the Comp Converter, which allows players to convert their earned comp dollars into bonus play.
This offers more flexibility and value to the gamers. The Comp-a-Room is another attractive feature. It enables members to use their comp dollars to pay for their room expenses. This way, members can enjoy a luxurious stay without worrying about the costs.
MotorCity runs two bad-beat jackpots for Hold’em and Omaha. The progressive Quads-over-Quads Jackpot is the largest on offer and regularly hits six figures.
FireKeepers Casino has the largest cardroom in Michigan with 26 tables. That’s more than enough space to cram in Hold’em, Omaha, and big-money championships.
There’s tournament action all week at the FireKeepers poker room, and unlimited re-entries are permitted for all tourneys. The cardroom also hosts satellites for its larger events.
The highlight of the FireKeepers calendar is the annual Michigan State Poker Championship. Part of the Mid-States Poker Tour, this 4-day event carries a buy-in worth $1,100 and a $1,000,000 guaranteed prizepool. Satellites and mega-satellites give you a shot at winning your entry for as little as $70.
In addition, if you’re a regular player, you can accumulate points every time you visit the FireKeepers poker room. The top 90 players battle it out in the Tournament of Champions for a share of $100,000. No wonder FireKeepers regularly hits the must-play list for poker players around the United States.
Hollywood Casino operates several casinos with cardrooms in the area (the best being the Toledo property over the border in Ohio). The poker room at Greektown has moved recently and can now accommodate more tables. It’s open from noon every day, with a closing time of 4 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. on weekends.
Most of the action at Hollywood Casino Greektown is centered around the cash games. You can play Limit or No Limit Hold’em, in addition to PLO and Limit Omaha. Splash Pots run every 30 minutes on eligible cash tables.
There are a few other promotions if you want to earn comps. Make sure you sign up for a PENN Play Card to get special offers as you play poker. You can get food delivered directly to your seat while you play.
PENN Cash Rewards is a lucrative incentive program that rewards players for their loyalty. The program offers various bonuses, rewards, and comps that players can earn as they engage in gaming activities.
Bonuses may include extra play money or discounts on dining and entertainment. Rewards can range from free game plays to exclusive event invitations. Comps, or complimentary gifts, can include anything from free meals to hotel stays. The more you play, the more rewards you earn, enhancing your gaming experience.
Hollywood Casino Greektown may claim to be “Detroit’s best poker room,” but MGM Grand Detroit gives it a run for its money. There are 14 tables in a cardroom that runs 24/7. Games include Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, and Pot Limit Omaha. You can also watch sports as you play on one of 18 TVs.
Jackpots are in evidence in this Michigan poker room every night of the week. “Monster Monday” awards high-hand jackpots from noon. The poker room gives away a cool $1,000 every hour. Elsewhere, you can claim up to $2,000 in high-hand jackpots on Tuesdays if you play at 1 p.m.
MGM Grand Detroit is also one of the only Michigan poker rooms to run Bomb Pots on its cash games. Every player agrees to put in a set stake before the hand is dealt. The action skips immediately to the flop, after which the hand continues as normal.
Plus, MGM Grand has one of the biggest bad-beat jackpots in the region. $2 per hand is collected for the bad-beat pool. You win the jackpot if your quad fives are beaten by a higher four-of-a-kind.
As an MGM Resorts cardroom, you can join the MGM Rewards scheme to earn loyalty points every time you play poker. There are five tiers in the MGM Rewards program. Exclusive benefits include everything from free parking to dining credits and even air travel.
Soaring Eagle is the second tribal casino on our top 5 list. It’s owned and operated by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation and opened its doors in 1998. However, the tribe itself has been active in Michigan poker rooms since the early 1990s.
The poker room at Soaring Eagle Casino Resort has 14 tables, and the opening hours have been extended to 3:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Elsewhere, the room is open 10 a.m. until 1.30 a.m.
In addition to Hold’em and Omaha cash games, you can enter two promotions during the week. The Soaring Hands bonus runs Sunday through Thursday. You win $200 for the highest recorded hand at hourly intervals during the day. You must have aces full of jacks or better to qualify.
The “High Hand Saturdays” promotion runs at irregular times. You win $500–$1,000 for hitting the best hand on a Saturday. There are winners on the hour, every hour, during qualifying periods.
You can make the most of your visit to Soaring Eagle Casino Resort if you’re coming from out of town. The casino resort runs a Play N’ Stay upgrade deal where you can bag extra meals and room options if you are coming to gamble.
Looking for the best Michigan poker room to play at? Here is the ultimate list of places to play live poker in Michigan.
| Cardroom Name | Address | City | Phone Number |
| MotorCity Casino Hotel | 2901 Grand River Ace, Detroit MI 48201 | Detroit | 1-866-782-9622 |
| FireKeepers Casino | 11177 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, MI 49014 | Battle Creek | 1-269-600-5631 |
| MGM Grand Detroit | 1777 3rd Ave, Detroit, MI 48226 | Detroit | 1-313-465-1070 |
| Momo’s Poker Room | 5841 Telegraph Road, Taylor MI 48180 | Taylor | 1-313-492-2692 |
| Gun Lake Casino | 1123 129th Ave, Wayland, MI 49348 | Wayland | 1-269-792-7777 |
| Soaring Eagle Casino Resort | 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 | Mt. Pleasant | 1-989-775-5777 |
| Odawa Casino | 1760 Lears Rd, Petoskey, MI 49770 | Petoskey | 1-877-442-6464 |
| Island Resort & Casino | W. 399 US Rte 2, Harris, MI 49845 | Harris | 1-800-682-6040 |
| Burton Eagles Poker Room | 3317 East Bristol Road, Burton, MI 48529 | Burton | 1-810-853-7343 |
| Hollywood Casino at Greektown | 1211 Chrysler Dr, Detroit, MI 48226 | Detroit | 1-313-223-2999 |
| One-Eyed Jacks Poker Room | 48922 Van Dyke Shelby Township, MI 48317 | Shelby Township | 1-810-246-0089 |
| Rosemack Poker Room | 20791 E Thirteen Mile Rd, Roseville, MI 48066 | Roseville | 1-586-495-0202 |
| Huron Poker Room | 849 State St, Oscoda MI 48750 | Oscoda | 1-989-305-2310 |
| Kings Poker Room | 6209 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49548 | Grand Rapids | 1-616-550-7399 |
| Muskegon Poker Room | 1751 Evanston Ave, Muskegon, MI 49442 | Muskegon | 1-231-450-2912 |
| Saginaw Poker Room | 7212 Gratiot, Saginaw MI 48603 | Gratiot | 1-989-297-4645 |
| Westgate Poker Room | 4486 Alpine Ave NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321 | Comstock Park | 1-616-802-0205 |
We’ve highlighted some of the best casinos for live poker options in Michigan. We have also included commercial casinos, tribal cardrooms, and charity poker properties in our list.
| Cardroom Name | Games Offered | Number of Tables | Major Events |
| MotorCity Casino Hotel | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, progressive quads-over-quads bad beat jackpot | 17 | n/a |
| FireKeepers Casino | Hold’em, PLO, bad-beat jackpot | 26 | Michigan State Poker Championship |
| MGM Grand Detroit | PLO, Limit/No Limit Hold’em, Bomb Pots, High-Hand Jackpots | 14 | n/a |
| Momo’s Poker Room | Hold’em, Omaha | 14 | n/a |
| Gun Lake Casino | Hold’em, Omaha | 8 | n/a |
| Soaring Eagle Casino Resort | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, bad-beat jackpots, high-hand jackpots | 14 | n/a |
| Odawa Casino Petoskey | Hold’em, Omaha | 6 | n/a |
| Island Resort & Casino | Hold’em, Omaha, cash games, weekly tournaments | 10 | Midwest Poker Challenge |
| Burton Eagles Poker Room | Hold’em, Omaha | 8 | n/a |
| Hollywood Casino at Greektown | Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, Limit Omaha / Omaha Hi-Lo, PLO, Splash Pot promotion, High-Hand cash giveaway | 10 | n/a |
| One-Eyed Jacks Poker Room | $1/$2–$2/$5 NLHE, $1/$2 PLO, $50–$100 tournaments | 8 | $250 NLHE (monthly) |
| Rosemack Poker Room | $40–$70 NLHE tournaments, $1/$2 to $2/$5 NLHE, $1/$2 PLO cash games | 9 | n/a |
| Huron Poker Room | $1/$2 NLHE cash | 6 | n/a |
| Kings Poker Room | $1/$2 NLHE cash | 6 | n/a |
| Muskegon Poker Room | $1/$3 NLHE cash, $1/$2 PLO cash | 6 | $100 NLHE (100k stack) |
| Saginaw Poker Room | $1/$2 NLHE cash, $1/$2 PLO cash, $1/$2 Round by Round cash | 6 | Monthly $220 NLHE (unlimited re-buys) |
| Westgate Poker Room | $1/2 NLHE cash games | 5 | n/a |
There are over 20 tribal casinos in Michigan, some of which offer poker.
The Detroit casinos and some Michigan tribal casinos have hotel rooms. You can also take advantage of spas, restaurants, and shopping facilities at some MI casino resorts.
| Casino Name | Number of Rooms |
| MotorCity Casino Hotel | 400+ |
| FireKeepers Casino | 243+ |
| MGM Grand Detroit | 400+ |
| Gun Lake Casino | 252+ |
| Soaring Eagle Casino Resort | 510+ |
| Island Resort & Casino | 454+ |
| Hollywood Casino at Greektown | 400+ |
You can read about US gambling laws by state in our top guide. What you need to know, however, is that Michigan has some of the most liberal poker laws in the country.
The Wolverine State has a mix of tribal casinos and commercial gambling properties. Commercial casinos with poker rooms are concentrated in Detroit. Tribal casinos are spread across Michigan on reservation land.
Michigan also boasts around a dozen charitable poker rooms, some based in bowling alleys and bingo halls:
Charities can apply to the Michigan Gaming Control Board for licenses to run their gaming nights. There’s a cap on how many game nights the room can offer, in addition to how much money can be given away in prizes.
Following the implementation of UIGEA, online poker was largely unavailable in Michigan, save for offshore gambling sites.
However, that has all changed in recent years following a change in attitude toward the Federal Wire Wager Act. Online gambling has now been all but legalized in Michigan.
The Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2019 paved the way for regulated online poker, casino games, and sports betting. Over-21s in Michigan can now play games like Hold’em, Stud, and Omaha perfectly legally at home via smartphones and computers.
Other forms of legalized gambling in Michigan:
Texas Hold’em and Omaha are the two main variants that are available at any Michigan poker room. Under Michigan gambling laws, charity poker rooms can also operate. They run Hold’em cash games and small-stakes tournaments throughout the week. The larger cardrooms in Detroit and around Michigan may also run GTD-prizepool tournaments.
All Michigan poker rooms offer Texas Hold’em as standard. Cash games and tournaments differ mainly in structure.
In cash games, players exchange money for chips and can leave anytime, with the value directly convertible to cash. Tournaments have a fixed entry fee, and players compete until one player has all chips, with payouts based on finishing position.
You can play Omaha at almost every Michigan poker room. Omaha poker is a popular variant of poker where each player is dealt four private cards. The main difference between Pot Limit and No Limit Omaha is the maximum bet allowed. In Pot Limit, the maximum bet is the current pot size, while in No Limit, players can bet any amount.
Some mixed games are available on request at the bigger Michigan poker rooms. In truth, the mixed formats are Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi-Lo. Even one or two charity poker rooms allow “Round of Each” games during the week.
Here are some of the more popular options for live poker in Michigan. Live poker is legal, provided it’s played in casino properties or at charity gaming establishments.
In Michigan, cash games are available to play during opening hours at all cardrooms. Minimum blind levels are $1/$2 for most No Limit games. The larger casinos have $2/$5 and up for those with deeper wallets. You can even enjoy Bomb Pots at one or two Michigan poker rooms.
You can play tournaments at most Michigan poker rooms. Charitable poker rooms have the lowest buy-ins around $40–$50. Detroit casinos and the larger tribal casinos in Michigan also run weekly and monthly re-buys.
Large-scale poker events like the Mid-States Poker Tour usually have satellites attached. Satellites are lower-buyin tournaments that allow you to qualify for the main events. You’ll find a full schedule of satellites on the casino’s website.
You can sometimes enter bigger tournaments when you play in Michigan. Poker tournaments with big-money guarantees are held throughout the year. Check out the homepages of tours like MSPT (Mid-States Poker Tour) to see what’s coming up.
The MSPT is one of the highlights in the Michigan poker calendar. The tour covers states from Nevada to Indiana, and Michigan casinos get involved. FireKeepers Casino usually hosts at least one stop on MSPT – the Michigan State Poker Championship – with a main event that carries a $1m guarantee.
The Midwest Poker Challenge is a regular stop at the Island Resort & Casino. The $350 buy-in qualifies you for the event, with 10 places paid. There’s also a bounty element to the tournament where you can win $25 for every player you knock out.
Poker rewards programs in Michigan work by incentivizing players to engage in more gaming activities. For instance, at the MGM Grand Detroit, you can earn M life Rewards for every dollar you spend on poker. These points can be redeemed for a variety of perks including room discounts, priority restaurant reservations, and invitations to exclusive events.
Similarly, at MotorCity Casino, their Club Metro rewards program offers you the chance to earn rewards for every hand that you play. The points accumulated can be used for free play, hotel stays, dining, and spa services.
Casino promotions are strictly regulated by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, more of which you can read about in our US State & Federal Gaming Commission Directory.
Most online gambling is now legal in Michigan. Check out our in-depth guides to Michigan poker sites and online casinos:
Michigan has produced some of the biggest players in poker history. The top two money-earners from The Wolverine State have secured millions of dollars in cash prizes, in addition to WSOP bracelets and other titles.
You must report all poker winnings when you submit your Michigan tax return. Poker wins, or any gambling profits, are taxed at 4.25%. That’s in addition to any federal income tax that you’re liable for.
It is possible to offset losses on tournament buy-ins and cash games at your favorite Michigan poker room. The tax rules in The Wolverine State were amended in 2021 after SB 764 was passed into law.
Similar tax rules apply to gaming online. For more information, read our online gambling tax guide.
Yes. In Michigan, live poker is permitted at commercial casinos in Detroit, tribal casinos, and charity gaming locations around the state. You can win money playing cash games and tournaments, or claim player points via a rewards scheme.
There are over 10 Michigan live poker venues that offer a mix of tournaments and cash games. Online poker is now 100% legal in The Great Lakes State.
FireKeepers Casino has the largest cardroom in Michigan. Poker tournaments, cash games, and major championships are all held at the FireKeepers cardroom. You can also enter the Michigan State Poker Championship, one of the biggest tournaments in the state.
Absolutely. Michigan has completely legalized online poker games. You can play at licensed poker sites that run Sit ‘n Gos, tournaments, and cash games. There is also a range of offshore poker sites that accept players from Michigan.
You must be 21 or over to enter a Michigan poker room to play games. Always carry a photo ID with you in case you are questioned. You can read more on the minimum gambling age at casinos in our guide.
Casual attire is welcomed at most Michigan poker rooms. A tee shirt and short pants are fine, but sandals or bare feet may find you being ejected from the casino.
Some cardrooms in Michigan open round-the-clock. Most casinos open their poker rooms from 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. so always check the rules before you leave home.
No. Currently, none of the Michigan poker rooms run WSOP Circuit events. However, you can enter local big-money tournaments, such as the Michigan State Poker Championship. Download the Bravo Poker app to discover the top upcoming tournaments around Michigan.
Charitable gaming fundraisers are permitted under Michigan law. Charities must apply for a license from the state to run a limited number of poker events each year. Poker games are overseen and regulated by the Michigan Charitable Gaming Association.
You may be liable for federal and state tax if your winnings are above the threshold of $1,200. Under new rules in Michigan, you can deduct gambling losses from your profits when you complete your annual tax return.
Yes. Michigan casinos operate a responsible gambling policy, meaning that you can self-exclude or request limits when you play. In addition, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has a free helpline (1-800-270-7117) if you need assistance over the phone.
Yes. Several stars of the World Series of Poker come from Michigan. 2009 WSOP champion, Joe Cada, is from Shelby Charter Township and has won over $14m in tournament cashes during his career.
Rake is deducted for every tournament that you enter and the cash game you play. A percentage of the rake is taken from the pot by the dealer. It’s usually capped to a maximum of $5 or $10, depending on what games you play.
Some cardrooms in Michigan run promotions that guarantee freeroll entry to the best-performing players over the year. Prizepools can be as much as $25,000, depending on the promotion.
Of course. Most MI casinos run reward programs that let you accrue points for playing your favorite games and tournaments. You may redeem points for free meals, cheap hotel rooms, or gifts.
Are you ready to take your online gambling experience to the next level? Sign up for the LetsGambleUSA newsletter and get the latest news, exclusive offers, and expert tips delivered straight to your inbox.
