Hi Luton ,London here , you know when Grosvenor will open the poker room?
I think only Empire have Poker at the moment

Is Aspers Stratford running poker?

I see, Empire on using Bravo app to keep us updated what games running.

Hippo using Twitter still...

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Looks like The Vic will be back open tomorrow!

7 handed, cash only...opening at 1600(4pm).

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Here is the Vic's set up...

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So are you still getting chips at the cashier or do you have to get them brought to you at the table by a chip runner?

Has anyone attended live poker post-lockdown thus far and can let us know what it's like? Those players at The Hippo look like regs. Also, what are those strange headbands those dealers are wearing at The Hippo? Cheers.

Is it not the top of one of those screens that go over the face?

Glimpse of the new poker room at Hippodrome, on 3rd floor. This will be used Sept 1st.

With a dedicated room for £2/£5 and PLO games, all players, all stakes will have direct access to an outside terrace, bar and all facilities.

Info came from Hippodrome...





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Any venues in London spreading 6+/short deck HE? Has anyone asked the staff at any venues? Been away from the local live scene for a bit but I think this game would be perfect if it did run. Curious what the venues think

Was in the Hippo back on the 21st between 1 & ~4 pm, had 4 £1/£2 games going.
Only things worth noting is your expected to sanitise your hands every orbit on the button (dealers were effectively using the bottle of sanitiser as the button). Cashing in and out is pretty much normal, can get chips at the table or at the cashier, which is split in two, one side for getting chips, one side for cashing chips out.

So it was my first visit to central London and the West End poker rooms since lockdown in March. Here's an account of my experience...

The TL : DR version:

1) Central London stll feels very empty. 2) The poker rooms are busy. 3) Get there early (on Friday) or you risk being put on a very long waiting list come ~7PM / 8PM. 4) Hygiene / sanitising is enforced and I felt safe and reasonably well protected. 5) The right sort of action abounds on a Friday night but you have to be on the right table. 6) Pandemic-Poker with masks and screens is more appealing now to those with social anxiety.


Long version:

1. There were about three people in the carriage on the train on the way.
2. No foreign tourists and zero clubbers and theatre-goers etc on a Friday night meant that I'd put it at around 25% of the usual amount of people milling about.
3. First up, The Empire. You have to sanitise as you enter with a sensor-powered sanitiser and have your temperature taken by putting your head up to a reader.
4. At the cloakroom, you put your bags into a plastic sack before they take it.
5. The room is down to six tables (as I recall) with screens between each player. It is 7-handed. Interestingly there were very few regs.
6. I put my name down and was 2nd on the list.
7. The casino floor was extremely quiet. It's 6PM on a Friday and there are far more members of staff than customers on the casino floor.
8. Went to get cash with my card from the cashier but was told - YET AGAIN - I'd have to fill in some form so I refused to do that out of sheer annoyance and headed for The Hippodrome.
9. Less stringent here. Entry is pretty much the same as usual.
10. Slightly more crowded than The Empire but not exactly filled to the rafters.
11. Got chips with my card - no problems.
12. Went up to 3rd floor and put my name on list - 16th!!
13. Went back to The Empire but told there was now a 1 hour wait so went back to The Hippo.
14. After about 100 minutes (8PM) finally got the text that my seat was available. At this point the waiting list has reached 25!!
15. Sanitised at the foot-powered dispenser next to the sign-in kiosk but this wasn't enforced and was an optional decision.
16. I think they have 8 tables (wasn't sure, didn't count) with screens separating players and it is 6-handed.
17. Sanitising bottle is used as the button but actually using it is optional (I think). I used it everytime anyway.
18. The room is on the 3rd floor which is MUCH better regarding ventilation and air-flow. Air-conditioning on the 4th floor was of the dodgy variety and it got hot and stuffy. Not sure if there is AC on the 3rd floor.
19. Again, I counted very few regs here which was great. My table had two beginners, an action-junkie who played virtually every hand and two fairly stable but predictable players.
20. Gameplay and dynamics suited my playing style and I felt very comfortable. Left after three hours just after the two beginners left and a more experienced player sat down.
21. Finished the session with a reasonable £154 profit. Might finally treat / reward myself to Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC.
22. Cashing out is as normal.
23. At 11:30PM (Friday night) there was a maximum of six people on the upper deck of the bus as I travelled home. On a normal night this would have been filled to capacity.

- Overall a positive and enjoyable experience.

Cool report Dr, live poker sounds alright especially as there isn’t much to do still at the moment.

Was wondering if anyone could help......

Can you just use your bank card to buy chips at a casino to play poker?

When I play live I’ve always just brought cash with me to the casino, think cause when I first went like 12 years ago they didn’t accept card, but last time I turned up with not even that much cash and they were a bit funny about it...... I guess if you buy on card they don’t ask where the money is coming from and I guess you can pretty much buy however many chips you want on card

And also if you win can they just put your chips back on the card ?

Thanks for any help

I always used to buy chips on card. It usually involves you setting up a withdrawal limit. It's worth noting that a debit card will be fine, but I think a lot of credit cards will charge you a heft vig if you use it at a gambling establishment.

Some places also used to offer the ability to refund it back on to your card, but that'll be place by place.

ah thanks for that, won't use a credit card then

You can't use credit cards in UK casinos any more. They changed the law earlier this year.

Yeh, I guess I shoulda mentioned; transactions were made using my debit card. Be warned though, I've been a member of The Empire for years yet they still ask me to fill out some withdrawal-limit form with annoying regularity. Always best to get cash using ATM if ya can live with that withdrawal limit.

As the new "Rule of Six" applies to all hospitality venues, I guess we'll see live poker put on hold once again? Shame.

Some card rooms are currently 6-max, so would they be alright? Ones that aren't, just loose one seat?

5 max with dealer :/

Ok, so I just got back from The Hippo and they reckon that it's gonna be business as usual because of all the precautions they have in place. So it's lookin' good.

Same with The Empire. Open as per usual.

Vic much the same as the above. One way system in operation. 7 handed. Quieter than usual but not too bad, only cash no tournaments. Now you can get chips at the front desk where they do the waiting list announcements from, but then you cash them in at the normal cash desk. Didn't mind the plastic screens, they dont really hinder the experience too much.

Aspers has reopened and they have an interesting way of playing 6 max - use two tables....

and yet players are still sitting less than a metre apart -_-

Casino ATM's tend to charge an annoying fee though?