There are around half a dozen New York poker rooms offering tournaments and Hold’em cash games. Play for real money in The Empire State and join a rewards program for added comps.
New York State has around 16 casinos, some of which run cardrooms. The state has a mix of tribal casinos with cardrooms and commercial casinos.
Turning Stone Resort is a premier hotspot for Hold’em and Omaha enthusiasts from around NY. With an impressive 32 tables, it proudly holds the title of the biggest cardroom in the Empire State.
For keeping track of tournaments, we find the easy-to-use Bravo app to be an essential tool. This is essential, given the array of live tournaments that Turning Stone regularly hosts. The $100 tournaments are a testament to the resort’s commitment to providing engaging experiences for low-stakes and mid-stakes players.
Beyond the usual games, Turning Stone also features a robust schedule of significant tournaments. Past events include the New York Poker Classic and the October Poker Weekend.
Regular tournaments at Turning Stone Resort Casino are normally pitched at the $150 mark. With $10,000 guarantees on many events, that’s sweet enough to attract casual players from across the state and New York City itself.
However, Turning Stone is big enough to host large-scale tournaments too. It’s played home to the New York Poker Classic and October Poker Weekend (with a $100,000 guarantee) in recent years.
Hold’em and Omaha are the main live poker options for cash game players. However, the cardroom at Turning Stone is one of the few places in NY that offers Stud too. Button straddles are permitted on most cash games.
We recommend you check out the local loyalty program: TS Rewards. You accrue points for each tournament you enter or cash pot that you play. You can redeem points later on for comped hotel rooms and discounted meals.
Following the relaxation of casino laws in New York, Resorts World was inaugurated in 2018. It holds the title of being the largest commercial casino in New York and boasts a cardroom that aligns with its grandeur. The poker room at Resorts World is home to 19 tables, making it one of the most expansive cardrooms in The Empire State.
The casino offers a wide array of cash tables that are designed to cater to players of all skill levels. Whether you are just starting or are a seasoned pro, you will discover a game for your level.
The cardroom at the Resorts World Catskills property predominantly features Limit and No Limit Texas Hold’em cash games. A myriad of promotions is also offered during the whole week, such as Splash Pots – where the pot is juiced every half hour.
In addition to hot cash game action, you can jump into lots of deep-stack tournaments at Resorts World. The ‘Megastack’ tournament starts you with a 100K start stack – more than enough to do some damage as you play.
The poker room at Resorts World also introduces a rewarding loyalty program. As you indulge in more games, you accumulate points. You may exchange these later for a range of rewards. This not only offers a return on your play but also encourages repeat visits by adding an extra perk.
Tioga Downs Casino Resort has one of the best poker rooms for cash players. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday. While it’s not the top option for players who want action all week, it does offer lots of games.
Despite having just six regular tables, the cardroom covers all standard variations. Players can engage in Hold’em and Omaha. Stud games are also available in a range of variations and limits.
Beyond the usual cash game activity, keep an eye out for unique promotions like the bonus for the best hand. The tournaments start at $125, making the entries accessible to all.
Apart from games, Tioga Downs runs a loyalty program for its patrons. The Rewards Club offers regular players the opportunity to earn points. You can then exchange these for a variety of perks. This feature elevates the overall poker room experience, offering an extra enticement for you to come back.
For instance, patrons can accrue points to gain complimentary show vouchers, hotel enhancements, complimentary play, and meal vouchers.
If you’re in NY and looking for cash jackpots and an impressive promotional fund, del Lago Resort is your destination. The resort cardroom operates from 9 a.m. and extends its hours to 4 a.m. at the weekend.
The cardroom is home to 14 tables spreading Limit and No Limit Hold’em cash, PLO, and 7-Stud too. On Fridays, there’s a high-hand bonus where you can win $200 every 30 minutes. Look out for hand qualifications (full house, deuces full) in order to win.
Additionally, every hour on Saturdays, a special high-hand jackpot is up for grabs. However, to be eligible for the jackpot, you must possess a valid casino loyalty card.
The del Lago Rewards Club is your ticket to earning comps on hotel rooms and meals. You accrue loyalty points for every cash hand you play and tournament you enter. You may redeem points for cheaper meals and gifts.
Part of all pots that are worth $10+ have up to $3 removed and added to a promotional fund. This prize money is given away during opening hours while you play cash games.
It was set up as a fairer way to distribute cash than the standard bad-beat jackpot offer. Whatever the reason, it’s made del Lago a prime place in New York to play poker right now.
You might know the Rivers Casino brand from gambling properties across the US. Like those in states like Pennsylvania, the Schenectady casino is owned and operated by Rush Street Gaming. And if you are interested in making the trip out of New York City, the cardroom is well worth the drive.
The Rivers Casino Schenectady cardroom is open 24 hours, meaning you can play poker until the sun comes up. There’s a big focus on Hold’em and Omaha, so you may want to look elsewhere if Stud is your thing.
However, like other NY cardrooms, Rivers Casino runs its own bad beat jackpot where you win a prize for having your quads busted. The jackpot continues to increase until you fulfill the specified loss conditions. Extra payouts are given for achieving quads+ in your cash hand.
You aren’t ignored if you love tournaments, either. The $10K-GTD freezeout is one of the best low-stakes Hold’em games in the state. Plus, of course, your poker fees go toward racking up loyalty points for the Rush Rewards Club.
Rivers Casino & Resort hosts some regular tournaments, such as the Hold’em freezeout with a $10K GTE. It’s perfect for a little midweek poker action. Your participation in these games can also contribute to accumulating points for the Rush Rewards Club.
This scheme is highly regarded for its rewards program that carries several tiers. The more points you rack up, the more benefits you can unlock. It’s just another reason to visit Rivers Casino Schenectady today.
Of New York’s 15+ casinos, only a handful currently operate a poker room.
| Cardroom Name | Address | City | Phone Number |
| Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady | 1 Rush Street, Schenectady, NY 12305 | Schenectady | 1-518-579-8800 |
| Del Lago Resort & Casino | 1133 NY-414, Waterloo, NY 13165 | Waterloo | 1-315-946-1777 |
| Turning Stone Resort Casino | 5218 Patrick Rd, Verona, NY 13478 | Verona | 1-315-361-7711 |
| Tioga Downs Casino Resort | 2384 W. River Road, PO Box 509, Nichols NY 13812 | Nichols | 1-607-699-7588 |
| Resorts World Catskills | 888 Resorts World Dr, Monticello, NY 12701 | Monticello | 1-833-586-9358 |
Most New York poker rooms offer lots of tables and games. Here is a round-up of what you can expect to find at each New York poker room.
| Cardroom Name | Games Offered | Number of Tables | Major Events |
| Resorts World Catskills | Hold’em, Stud, Omaha, bad-beat jackpots, splash pots | 19 | $100,000 Hold’em event |
| Turning Stone Resort Casino | Hold’em, Omaha, bounties, high-hand bonus | 32 | October Poker Weekend, WSOP Circuit |
| Tioga Downs Casino Resort | Texas Hold’em Omaha, Stud | 6 | n/a |
| Del Lago Resort & Casino | Texas Hold’em, PLO, Stud | 14 | n/a |
| Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady | Texas Hold’em, PLO, jackpot bonuses | 16 | WPTDeepStacks |
All NY casinos have rooms for weary cash game players looking for a place to rest.
| Casino | Rooms |
| Turning Stone Resort Casino | 260+ |
| Tioga Downs Casino Resort | 161+ |
| Resorts World Catskills | 329+ |
| Del Lago Resort & Casino | 200+ |
| Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady | 159+ |
New York poker rooms have been open at tribal casinos since the 1990s and at commercial casinos since the mid-2010s. There is also a long history of underground poker clubs in New York City.
The NY gaming laws have modernized in recent times. Commercial casinos were legalized in 2013. Initially, the State Legislature approved four commercial casinos in upstate New York for 2015 and 2016:
There are now 12 casinos in New York State, including tribal and commercial properties. Only half of these currently have live poker options. Read our guide to US laws on gambling to find out more.
Commercial and tribal casinos are overseen by the New York Gaming Commission. They oversee not only poker and casino games but sports betting and VLTs (Video Lottery Terminals) too.
Sports betting is now fully legal in New York State. Sportsbooks in New York are now operational and taking bets from over-21s.
The NY Lottery is also available to players aged 18 or over. However, so far, the new law does not stretch to NY poker sites.
There’s a good mix of poker variants and games at NY casinos. Hold’em and Omaha are by far the most popular versions of the game. Plus, you can try cash games and tournaments to suit most budgets.
Hold’em tournaments and cash games dominate live poker in New York State. Cash limits normally start around $1/$2, with Limit games beginning at $4/$8. Hold’em is played in freezeouts, re-buys, and bounty tournaments too.
You can play Omaha – the 4-card variant of Hold’em – as a Pot Limit cash game in most New York poker rooms. The draws and re-draws make Omaha one of the most exciting cash game poker variants.
7-Card Stud is available at virtually every New York poker room. In one or two casinos, such as Tioga Downs, you can also play Limit 5-Card Stud. It’s an old-school favorite featuring multiple rounds of betting.
Live poker in New York includes a mix of cash games and tourneys. You can earn player points for both disciplines, and cash games offer the chance to win bad-beat and high-hand jackpots.
In New York, cash games, you sit down wherever there’s a free seat and stay as long as you like. The blinds are fixed all the time, and some casinos juice the pot with Splash Pots.
Poker tournaments run nightly at the bigger cardrooms in New York State. $150 is the average buy-in, and re-buys are sometimes allowed.
Bounty tournaments award cash prizes when you eliminate someone. Turning Stone has the cheapest freezeout with bounties, but you can also play mystery bounties at the $400 mark at Resorts World Catskills.
Among the nightly $100 NLHE freezeouts, you can play special events at a New York poker room.
The WSOP-C (WSOP Circuit) is a small-scale version of the World Series of Poker Main Event. The WSOPC travels around US casinos with a Main Event priced at $1,700. Win the tournament and you bag a coveted gold ring.
The WPTDeepStacks has made regular stops in NY. Rivers Casino Schenectady has hosted the event as recently as 2019. The stop features multiple tournaments, including a $600 Monster Stack, and a $1,100 Main Event with a $200,000 guarantee.
The Turning Stone Resort & Casino October Poker Weekend is probably the closest thing New York has to a major championship. The series is mostly made up of turbo qualifiers into the $460 Main Event. The NLHE tournament offers a $100,000 guarantee.
At casinos in New York, cash games and tournaments can earn you loyalty points. You receive a player’s card when you start visiting the casino. For every hour of poker you play, you rack up points on your card. You can also earn points by playing raked pots on the cash tables.
Poker reward schemes operate in slightly different ways. In most cases, however, you redeem points when you’re ready for discounts on meals or rooms. High-tier VIP schemes may also get you entry to exclusive parties or birthday gifts.
Every New York poker room runs at least one cash game promotion. Part of every pot contributes toward a jackpot which you win by suffering a bad beat or getting the highest hand that hour. Casinos may also add money to the table with timed ‘Splash Pots’.
Bad Beat Jackpot rules differ from casino to casino. At Turning Stone Resort Casino, for example, you win a bad-beat jackpot when four-of-a-kind (tens or jacks) is beaten by a better hand. Qualifying bad beat hands change depending on what time of day it is too.
There are over half a dozen tribal casinos in New York, but only a handful offer mixed games, tournaments, and cash games. The most well-established tribal cardroom is at Turning Stone Casino, owned and operated by the Oneida Nation. Tribes like the Seneca Nation, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, and Cayuga Nation, own casinos with no cardrooms.
New York has a full range of alternative gaming options. NY race tracks allow pari-mutuel betting, and you can play bingo for real prizes.
While the Wire Act denied many New Yorkers the chance to play online, there are still plenty of places to play. Check out these guides for more information:
The most famous New York poker players cut their teeth in underground cardrooms, such as the Mayfair Club. These included some of the most important figures in the world of poker, including Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington, and Erik Seidel.
Double WSOP champion, the late Stu Ungar, started as a professional backgammon player in New York City before turning to poker. He is regarded as one of the greatest poker players of all time.
New York imposes a gambling tax on any substantial wins you make at the tables. Any payouts or profits over $5,000 are subject to a local income tax of 12.7%. However, you may be able to offset some gambling losses on your tax return.
Federal tax is withheld by the casino and the IRS is informed. The cardroom will also issue you a tax form W-2G that details the date and size of your win. You can claim some of the tax back if you offset it against your yearly losses. There is a special section on your IRS tax return form for gambling winnings.
With New York now legalizing online gambling too, you may be liable for tax on your winnings made at home. We have a detailed tax guide for online gaming which tells you everything you need to know.
Yes. Live poker in New York has been available since the first tribal casinos opened in the 1990s. Underground poker clubs were shut down in 2000, but commercial casinos have been offering games legally since 2018.
Currently, there are around half a dozen New York poker rooms that offer cash games, tourneys, and promotions. Every New York poker room is open on weekends, but most casinos don’t keep their cardrooms open 24/7.
Turning Stone Resort Casino was the first tribal casino to open in New York in 1993 offering poker. All of New York’s new commercial casinos have live poker options.
No. UIGEA effectively bans the payment of money to online gambling sites. However, New York is free to legalize online poker if the State Legislature passes a law.
New York live poker is regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC). It licenses and regulates cardrooms and real-money games. Check out our US gaming commission directory to find more details.
The minimum gambling age is 21 in New York State. You won’t be able to play at a New York poker room if you’re younger. You may also be asked to present a photo ID in person at the cardroom.
Even the largest cardroom in NY operates a smart-casual dress policy. You can enter and play in casinos provided you are wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and shoes. Casino websites usually list a full list of prohibited clothing.
Most NY Cardrooms open at 9 a.m. Turning Stone Resort Casino has a cardroom that is open for cash games from early morning. Games usually stop around 4 a.m.
Yes. The Turning Stone Resort Casino in New York hosted the WSOP Circuit as recently as 2023. The schedule includes a $1,700 Main Event with a big-money guarantee.
Social poker games are allowed in New York State. However, you can’t host home games if you make a profit from cash games and tournaments. Most private poker clubs in New York were shut down after 2000.
Yes, you may be eligible for a 12.7% state tax on winnings, in addition to any federal tax. Any wins over $5,000 will have tax automatically withheld. It’s important to file your gambling tax returns to inform the IRS.
Yes. All licensed casinos practice responsible gambling. You can self-exclude from poker rooms by applying to the NYSGC. There are also helplines you can phone to get support over the phone. Call 1-877-8-HOPENY at the Office of Addiction Services & Supports.
Absolutely. Many of the most famous poker pros learned the game in New York City. Notable poker players from New York include Dan Harrington, Howard Lederer, and Stu Ungar.
Any pot large enough involving cash game players is subject to rake. This is the fee the casino takes for every cash pot over the threshold. Most small pots won’t have any rake deducted.
Absolutely. You sign up for a loyalty card when you first visit the casino. Earn points as you play poker, then exchange points for cash or free hotel rooms, meals, and birthday treats.
Yes. There are three licenses for operators to build new casinos in New York City and downstate New York. Potential casino bids have come from Caesars, Wynn, Genting Resorts World, and MGM Resorts. Successful casinos would likely house cardrooms, too.
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