October 1st seven days

Why does nobody else understand this??? With $10 rake that's soon to be $10+$3 the hours and number of tables is irrelevant my friends... totally irrelevant.

Who said they're raising the rake? Where did you hear that?

They are assuming when the jackpot money runs out they start charging more. I don't know what will happen then and I'm curious what they will do. I can't see any universe where they go below the $10 base rake so sure it could end up being $10+ whatever. I'm not sure how they'll decide but I'd hope they don't start taking more because then it really gets bad and there'd be times where you are paying for a jackpot that you can't win. part of what makes the $10 rake doable is the free promo money flowing right now.

The current promo's are funded by jackpot drops collected before the pandemic, they're not currently taking a drop from every pot like all other poker rooms do. Because of this the current rake structure is $10+$0 so having promo's currently cost players nothing because it is funded by players who played there before Covid.

It's confirmed from several sources that the current surplus of jackpot money will be running out soon (next few months)... at that point they have two choices, either start taking a jackpot drop or stop doing promotions... taking the promo money out of the current $10 rake is NOT an option nor is lowering the $10 rake.

Management is shocked at the popularity of the room and despite terrible hours, horrendous rake, and lousy comps ($0.60/hour) that people are still flocking there by the boat load so them doing ANYTHING that's financially player friendly is out of the question... they know that they have an audience that will fill up the room no matter how bad they are getting screwed.

To stay competitive with NH and CT card rooms they will have no choice to continue with promo's so they will have to take a jackpot drop... from what I've heard $10+$3 is likely but I guess we won't know till it happens.

To me when they start taking a drop it will make a brutal game beatability wise an impossible game to beat over the long term... short sample size you can win but long term $13 per hand leaving the table will make the house the ONLY long term winner.

High rake, adding a bonus drop, and giving only $0.60 per hour in comps makes it probably the worst room in the USA to play in which sucks because when they first opened it was all around the best (at least that I have played in)

P.S. Sorry for the long winded rant

Not a rant at all. I’m with you and I’m afraid you might be right.

As of right now, I’m beating the 1/3 over a good sample with current rake. Obviously long term and live is a bit lol but I think it’s doable and most certainly for 2/5 which I haven’t played many hours at.

But 10+3 I think might be too much for me personally and who knows what I’ll do. Probably less live and more online (which I kind of hate) and maybe I’ll do more tournies elsewhere and just say **** cash for a bit.


I would disagree that they need the promos to stay competitive. The high hands dictate some but outside of a small few high hands won’t matter too much. I’m hoping they say no promos then as they realize 10+3 would be so absurd.

But then again how many will actually stay away then?

I was told today by a friend of mine in management, they are adding tables ( he thinks 9-10) to the old tournament area. The current tables will be left alone.

Encore management is refusing to staff the cage like 25% of the day with a half hour break every 3 hours and then anytime after 1am it's unstained. No chip runner either of course.

Now they instruct the floor and dealers to be really pissy when players sell chips to each other at the table or even next to the table

Hey guys
I might be visiting encore soon. Do they run any PLO tables at all these days?

Tried to find them on bravo app but doesn't seem to be listed

2/2 every day.

Download the poker atlas app you cab get on the waitlist and see live games there. 90 mins to arrive

Ty Sir

I honestly would prefer no jackpot drop. If you want jackpot high hands and bad beats go to the other places. This in turn would reduce the foot traffic. Just a thought....

100% agree. $13 rake on a $100 pot would feel like a stab in the heart every time you win a hand.

I agree 100% that's what i liked about Twin River the few times I went there... no drop, play poker well and win money, play bad lose money!!!

The high hands and bad beats are like carnival games to me... I almost feel like the fish chase promo's from room to room depending on who has the best promo that day. I truly believe the promo's are bad for the game long term... usually any promo money won (especially bad beats) leave the poker community and are spent elsewhere.

Unfortunately I don't think Encore will ever get rid of promo's as the type of nitwit's that go there and pay $10 rake to play $1/$3 are they exact type of player that gets a pants tent because there's a high hand promo running... I almost feel like the bad players want it because it's the only chance they have with the high rake to be a winning player.

I think people need to write the MGC with complaints about Encore gouging poker players by charging double what they charged just 3 years ago. Unfortunately, the MGC doesn't have a clue about what the standard rake is in poker rooms around the country and they don't understand that the consumer is getting gouged. Maybe, once they understand that we are paying twice the normal rate to play poker they will force Encore to lower their rake.

I'm confident that rake will eventually be lowered at the Encore. Most likely by the MGC forcing them to have a more competitive rate. If not by the MGC, eventually the Encore itself will have plenty of parking and want to welcome poker players once again and lower the rake to something more reasonable.

I have spoken to multiple employees in the encore poker room that have indicated they are trying to at least get the rake down to $9 from $10. I can't believe I'm saying this but HOPEFULLY, the rake could look like $7 + $2 once the promo money runs out.

I've been meaning to write a letter to the gaming commission for some time now and will try and get one done in the next week or so.

I encourage all that care about playing poker in Boston to do the same. It certainly can't hurt the situation.

I don't know if I'm an exception here or not, but on my side:
1/I have never been back in Encore since 2020, boycotting the ridiculous rake
2/I have been writing to the MGC frequently about it (mentioning my tax dollars are basically going out of state)
3/Won't give a penny to EBH until things get better (and I am not talking about adding tables). Too bad because before I was the first to put some $ into a stupid slot, go there with friends for a beer, etc.

Suprinsingly, the MGC has shown several times that they listen more than I thought they would, and understand the issues. I love the videos stream where they ask questions to EBH, and the EBH employees squirm in their shares while giving fuzzy answers.

The state is currently collecting 3 million more a month in tax revenue from Encore than they were when the pokerroom was at its peak in 2020. I’m not sure if the tax dollars line will work with the MGC.

I'm not sure whether Encore will or won't get rid of the promos. All I can say is that Encore absolutely DOES NOT need to run promos to fill that poker room. I guarantee if they eliminated promos and bad beats etc., there will still be full tables with lists.

Encore is officially open 7 days a week 10 am to 4am. I am glad to see that they are open 7 days a week now, but a little concerned about the wait times on Friday/Saturday nights if they only keep the tables to 15. Any idea of if or when they increase the number of tables?

so are Mix games dead? I was considering scheduling a trip out, partially on having a good mix game, but if that's not on the table...

Rumor has it by the end of the month. I know for sure ten more tables are being added and they already have taken out a slot or two where that’s happening. Basically right by the elevator where you get off will be the new tables

I played last night for the first time post Pandemic.

Interesting rules situation at my table for a dealer on her first day at Encore:

Playing 2-5 NL. Board was something like 10-10-7-2 after the turn, two players in the pot with $1500 in there. Both players had about $500 remaining. Player 1 announces all in. Player 2 (who did have a bit of an accent) announces “call.” Dealer immediately swipes player 2’s cards into the muck. “Wait I said call!” Table agrees he called, floor called immediately.

Player 1 is angry because he holds 7-7 for a boat. Player 2 is (allegedly) angry because he has no cards and refuses to pay.

Floor says “I am going to be nice. You have to call 1/3 of the final bet because you did not protect your hand.”

Player 2 repeatedly says “but I have no cards. How can I call? She took my cards when I said call?”

After the debate continues, the floor then says “ok, now you have to pay the full bet.” Player 2 now begs for the 1/3 bet ruling but floor will not relent. “I have you a break but you argued.” Floor manager backs up floor and they tel player 2 he will be banned from all Wynn properties and maybe more if he doesn’t pay up.

Eventually player 1 says, “it’s fine if you pay me half the bet.” Player 2 agrees and we move on. Classy move from Player 1 who obviously had the winner. Player 2 never suggested what he held.

Other than that, decent action last night but it’s pretty full of regs in the 2-5.

That is absolutely wild. Dealers making deals? Outrageous behavior. Why would a dealer reach over and grab cards from a player anyway? I don't think I've ever seen that unless the cards were way forward near the line and they were in the 1 or 9 seat.

Yah what seat was Player 2 in. He does have the responsibility to protect his cards and it’s understandle on the flow in the dealer misheard “call” as “fold” if all that happened was verbal. Always helps to toss a chip.

But, now that the cards are mucked, id say hand is dead and you can’t make the guy call. You declared his hand a fold by the dealers actions. Kinda crazy imho but who knows the rules when he said no I called. Kinda lol.

Player 2 (mucked hand) was seat 5, face to face with dealer

I expected floor just to say “your hand is dead, nothing we can do” , but apparently since he was emphatic that he called (and table agreed), they determined he has to call and should have protected his hand