Discover leading Pennsylvania poker rooms with our in-depth guide. Try cash games and poker tournaments in PA, or take down the high-hand jackpot when you play.
There are over half a dozen legal poker rooms in Pennsylvania. Most offer an even mix of cash games and tournaments during the week.
Parx Casino has the largest cardroom in Pennsylvania. With 48 tables offering a blend of cash game action and tournaments, there’s always something to play. There’s even a 3-table VIP room for the bigger players.
Cash games at Parx Casino cover Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em, as well as PLO and mixed games. Blinds start at $1/$3. You can even watch one of the 22 HD TVs and catch the sports action while you play.
When it comes to tournaments, the Friday afternoon game is the big draw. Parx runs a $340-buyin freezeout that usually fills at least half the tables. Also look out for regular promotions, including high-hand jackpots, bad-beat jackpots, and monthly prize drawings.
The casino also offers a loyalty scheme, known as the Xclub. Players earn points for every game they play, which can be redeemed for various perks such as free play, food and beverage discounts, and priority service at the cashier. This rewards program provides an additional incentive for regular players to continue their patronage at Parx Casino.
Wind Creek’s poker room isn’t quite as large as the one at Parx, but you won’t be worried about tournaments and cash games to dive into at one of the 20+ tables.
You’ll find a selection of cash games available, most notably No Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud. The stakes are varied, catering to both casual players and high rollers.
Wind Creek Bethlehem is known for hosting big tournaments. These events are a highlight for many poker enthusiasts, attracting a broad spectrum of players. The friendly $100 freezeouts are pitched just right for casual players and experience grinders alike.
Promotions are a regular feature at Wind Creek Bethlehem. High-hand promotions and splash pots add an extra layer of excitement to the games.
The Bad Beat Jackpot is a crowd favorite. This promotion offers players the chance to win big, even if luck isn’t on their side.
As for loyalty schemes, Wind Creek Rewards is worth mentioning. This program rewards regular players with points that can be redeemed for a variety of perks, including dining, hotel stays, and more.
Mohegan Sun doesn’t have the long opening hours of some PA cardrooms (only noon to 3 a.m.) but it does cover the majority of poker disciplines for players. The small cardroom houses 9 tables, but there are flat-screen TVs for sports-watching, and free drinks service throughout the day.
Daily tournaments at Mohegan Sun are all in No Limit Texas Hold’em. Disciplines cover freezeouts and bounty events. You can also play cash and aim to win a bad beat jackpot if you’re lucky. High-hand jackpots run from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. three days a week.
The poker room also offers a loyalty scheme. The Momentum Rewards program allows players to earn points as they play, which can be redeemed for various benefits. This program is designed to reward regular players and enhance their gaming experience.
Live! Casino & Hotel has one of the biggest cardrooms in Pennsylvania. There are 29 tables in total: enough space to house all manner of cash games and tournaments. The good news is that the Live! Casino cardroom is open 24 hours.
The poker room at Live! Casino is open 24 hours, accommodating both daytime and nocturnal poker enthusiasts. During these hours, you can engage in a variety of cash games. These include popular options such as No Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud.
The big draw of the poker room at Live! Casino & Hotel is the new PokerStars Summer Series. This branded series offers a guaranteed prizepool worth $1 million. The schedule ends in a $2,200 Main Event that carries a guaranteed prizepool worth $500,000.
Promotions are a consistent feature of the poker room. Regular high-hand promotions and splash pots provide an added layer of excitement to the games. The poker room also offers a Bad Beat Jackpot.
In terms of loyalty schemes, the poker room rewards regular players through its Live! Rewards program. This scheme allows players to earn points as they play, which can be redeemed for a variety of perks and benefits.
Mount Airy Casino Resort has a bustling poker room with 12 tables in total. There are no tournaments (only cash games) so don’t turn up expecting much in the way of SNG or freezeout action.
That said, the cash games are very good and cover Limit/No Limit Hold’em and Omaha. You can also earn a slice of the jackpot if you hit a high hand or suffer a bad beat.
Mount Airy is moving places after a deal it struck with PokerStars to supply online casino games and poker. Expect to see a lot more promotions and PokerStars-themed events in the future.
You can earn tier points every time you gamble at Mount Airy Casino Resort. Rack up points at the cash tables, then redeem them for free play, comps, and discounts.
Live poker is permitted under PA law. You can browse a full list of US gambling laws by state before checking out these Pennsylvania poker rooms.
| Cardroom Name | Address | City | Phone Number |
| Parx Casino | 2999 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020 | Bensalem | 1-215-639-9000 |
| Wind Creek Bethlehem | 77 Sands Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18015 | Bethlehem | 1-877-726-3777 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | 1280 Highway 315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 | Wilkes-Barre | 1-570-813-2100 |
| Mount Airy Casino Resort | 312 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono, PA 18344 | Mount Pocono | 1-877-682-4791 |
| Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia | 900 Packer Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148 | Philadelphia | 1-833-472-5483 |
| Rivers Casino | 1001 N. Delaware Avenue, PA 19125 | Philadelphia | 1-877-477-3715 |
| Hollywood Casino at the Meadows | 210 Racetrack Road, Washington, PA 15301 | Washington | 1-877-824-5050 |
| Rivers Casino Pittsburgh | 777 Casino Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 | Pittsburgh | 1-412-213-7777 |
| Live! Casino & Hotel Pittsburgh | 5256 Route 30, Greensburg, PA 15601 | Greensburg | 1-878-787-7770 |
No Pennsylvania poker room has fewer than seven tables. Some of the large cardrooms run over 40 tables and operate 24 hours.
| Cardroom Name | Games Offered | Number of Tables | Major Events |
| Live! Casino & Hotel Pittsburgh | Bankroll Builder, high-hand jackpot, PLO Omaha tournaments, NLHE tournaments, NLHE F/O | 7 | n/a |
| Parx Casino | Limit Hold’em, No Limit Hold’em, PLO, mixed games, bounty tournaments, NLHE freezeouts, bad-beat jackpot, high-hand jackpot | 48 | Parx Big Stax |
| Wind Creek Bethlehem | Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, bad-beat jackpot, high-hand jackpot, $100 NLHE freezeout, deep-stacks | 20 | Deepstacks |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | No Limit Texas Hold’em, bounty tournaments, bad beat jackpot, high hand jackpot | 9 | n/a |
| Mount Airy Casino Resort | High hand jackpot, bad beat jackpot, NLHE, Omaha, 7-Card Stud | 12 | n/a |
| Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia | Hold’em, Omaha, mixed games, freezeouts | 29 | PokerStars Summer Series, MegaStacks Series |
| Rivers Casino | Bad beat jackpot, Hold’em, Omaha, bounty, deepstack, high hand jackpot, royal flush jackpot | 30 | $500 Deep Stack |
| Hollywood Casino at the Meadows | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, mixed games, tournaments | 14 | n/a |
Why just play live poker in Pennsylvania when you can stop the night? Here are some of the best cardrooms with hotels in PA.
| Casino Name | Number of Rooms |
| Valley Forge Casino | 490+ |
| Lady Luck Casino | 320+ |
| Wind Creek Bethlehem | 280+ |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | 230+ |
| Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia | 240+ |
| Mount Airy Casino Resort | 180+ |
Poker is 100 percent legal under the current Pennsylvania gambling laws. You can play real-money cash games or other live poker options at licensed casinos and racinos. Of the state’s 16+ casinos and racinos, around half currently have their cardrooms open.
Online gambling in PA has moved on since the relaxation of the Federal Wire Wager Act. Online poker is now legal in The Keystone State, along with sports betting, casino games, and daily fantasy sports.
While UIGEA was king in Pennsylvania during the 2000s, some of the biggest operators have now set up licensed online casinos and poker sites.
You can play online for free or real money, but you may be liable for taxes on your winnings. Check out our full online gambling tax guide for more information.
Other forms of legal gambling in PA:
Pennsylvania live poker casinos spread an impressive mix of tournaments, cash games, and promotions at their cardrooms. Some poker rooms are located at Pennsylvania race tracks, often with views over the course while you play.
The biggest cardrooms cater to all stakes and even find space for mixed games in addition to the usual Hold’em fare.
Hold’em is the most popular variant of poker in Pennsylvania. You can play Texas Hold’em at the smallest and largest cardroom in the state. Cash games start at $1/$2 for No Limit Hold’em, and a little higher for Limit games. Tournaments include freezeouts, bounties, and deepstacks.
You can play Omaha or Omaha 8 at the larger cardrooms in PA. It’s a 4-card variation of Hold’em where you must use two of your hole cards to make the best possible 5-card hand. Cash game limits on Omaha usually begin at $1/$3.
7-Card Stud is the perfect old-school game for anyone playing live poker in Pennsylvania. Stud is normally served up as a cash game or included in mixed games like H.O.E. and Omaha/Super Stud.
You can play mixed games at select Pennsylvania poker rooms, such as Parx Casino. Mixed games are played as cash and feature a round of each of the most popular variants.
For example, H.O.E. includes rotating rounds of Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better (E). Limits tend to be on the high side, around $15/$30 for Omaha/Stud Hi-Lo, and up to $300/$600 for full mixed games featuring Hold’em, Stud, Big O, and Super Stud.
A large Pennsylvania poker room, such as the one at Parx Casino, will offer some unusual variants you might not find in other cardrooms. Big O is a variant of Pot Limit Omaha where you start with five cards instead of four.
In Super Stud, meanwhile, you receive four down-cards instead of two. You discard two of your down-cards if you want to continue. Parx Casino offers Big O/Super Stud round-of-each cash games.
At Pennsylvania casinos, you can enjoy a mix of cash game action and tournaments.
Cash game players have a wide choice in PA. Every Pennsylvania poker room spreads at least one variant, including Limit and No Limit Hold’em. The larger cardrooms run mixed games too.
In tournaments, you start with chips and then exit the game once you bust. Most tournaments are re-entries, meaning you can buy back in if you run out of chips. We recommend you download the Bravo Poker app for your smartphone, which keeps you up to date on the latest schedules at all Pennsylvania poker rooms.
Most big cardrooms in Pennsylvania run bounty tournaments. In bounties, you receive cash every time you knock a player out.
In Pennsylvania, live poker games contribute toward a rewards program. You earn points every time you pay tournament fees or rake on cash games. You redeem points from your card to earn benefits such as free hotel rooms or birthday bonuses. As with all types of play, we advise responsible gambling every time you visit the cardroom.
The rules on home games in PA are a little fuzzy. Officially, any poker games must be authorized by law or be classed “illegal”. That would make all home games for money against the law.
Want to know more about online gambling in PA? Click on the links below:
Pennsylvania is home to one or two special events during the poker calendar. The WSOP Circuit hasn’t yet arrived in The Keystone State, but there is a new online WSOP Circuit for players.
Parx Casino runs a semi-regular special event, but it’s the PokerStars Summer Series at Live! Casino Philadelphia that appeals. This is easily the biggest poker tournament in PA and guarantees one million dollars in total prize money.
There are no PA tribes that own and operate poker rooms in the state. However, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut and the Poarch Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama have a presence in Pennsylvania with casinos and cardrooms:
Pennsylvania has produced some of the biggest-winning poker players in the US of all time. Players like Jake Schindler, Joe McKeehen, and Matt Glantz are household names in the poker world.
Under Pennsylvania law, you are liable for tax on any cash winnings you make at the poker table. You’ll be charged 3.07% as if it were individual income. You must complete the PA-40 section on your tax return (Individual Income) when you file your return. The cardroom will automatically withhold the tax for you.
In addition, you must pay 24% federal income tax. The cardroom will issue a Form W-2G detailing your poker profit. Again, you must keep hold of your W-2Gs when it’s time to file your federal tax return.
You can read a full and detailed US State & Federal Gaming Commission directory to see how different regulatory bodies treat tax on poker.
Absolutely. You can play live poker in Pennsylvania at licensed cardrooms in casinos or racinos. Cardrooms offer cash games, tournaments, special events, and big promotions with real-money giveaways.
Around half of Pennsylvania’s casinos have poker rooms. Cardrooms are usually open 24 hours and spread a range of cash games and tournaments for real money. You can also play major poker events with large guaranteed prizepools.
Yes. Pennsylvania legalized online poker and gambling in 2017 following a change in the law. You can play at PA-regulated poker sites or sign up to offshore websites that offer cash games and tournaments.
There is a minimum gambling age for playing poker of 21. You must show a valid form of ID if asked on the casino gaming floor.
Every Pennsylvania poker room has a casual dress policy for gamblers. A T-shirt and jeans are acceptable at the casino, but vests and sandals may be rejected.
Some cardrooms in PA let you play poker 24 hours. Most large cardrooms in the state open at 9 a.m. and operate until the small hours of the night.
Yes. Some cardrooms run one-off poker events that offer big guarantees. The PokerStars Summer Series is one of the largest Pennsylvania poker tournaments and offers a guaranteed prizepool of $1 million.
Absolutely. All poker rooms in PA run cash games during opening hours. You can play Hold’em, Omaha, or Stud, in addition to mixed games such as H.O.E.
Yes, you may have to pay tax on any poker wins over $1,200. Poker wins are taxed on a state level and you may be liable for federal income tax too. Ensure you keep detailed records of all your activity when you play Pennsylvania cash games and tournaments.
Yes. The Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania provides resources for addicts in The Keystone State. In addition, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board lets you apply for self-exclusion from cardrooms.
Yes. Jake Schindler, Paul Volpe, and former WSOP champion, Joe McKeehan, are among Pennsylvania’s most successful players. Together, they have amassed over $60m in tournament winnings during their careers.
Rake is a fee charged by the cardroom every time you play a cash game. The pot must be large enough to trigger a rake, but it’s never higher than 5–10% (up to a maximum amount of $5–$10).
No. Poker rooms in Pennsylvania usually run real-money tournaments only. You can, however, play freerolls online at poker sites. They are a good way to learn the rules before you risk any real money.
Of course. You can earn loyalty points every time you play poker for a few hours or enter a tournament. You can redeem points for free meals, hotel stays, or gifts.
No. Parx Casino Shippensburg is the newest casino to be built in PA. However, the casino doesn’t have a cardroom and only offers slots and electronic table games.
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