Got word this weekend that the poker room at pocono downs is set to open up any time between June 28 and July 5.....from what I hear these dates are set in stone

My sources are from a few of the dealers taking the class....

Some other tid-bits I'm hearing is......

16 table room
Dealers keeping own tips
24 hours a day

Also which is gonna be a player favorite is the lowest rake in the state!!!!! $4
10-20 limit and up will be a time charge of $5 a half hour

Dealers are taught all games

Now being I'm new to the area what games are going to be in demand I'm curious to all feedback any questions anybody has I'll be happy to see if I can get answers

Sup ! - I was there on Saturday and spoke with a guard who said soft opening on June 27 and open for business on the 28th. Poker room will be next to the horses and not on the main floor. I can't wait ! No more crazy AC runs...

Also from what I was told is there's gonna be chip runners also

i was wondering if any of the dealers or supervisors at mt airy sands or pocono downs heard anything in regards to exact dates limits and tourney info.....

the prior posts were told to me by a dealer attending school... woluld like supervisor verification on the afformentioned question

anybody have any rake information that is rock solid??????

1/2 NLHE and 2/5 NLHE and 10/20 limit are played in most of the clubs around here.
I also know quite a few PLO players but I don't know if it's that big of a demand that they will have PLO games yet.
Not to sure about tourney's.

I as well hear the rake will be $4.

yeah thats what i hear...... i just stopped there for lunch and i saw them putting in the blackjack tables and dice tables....

im pretty sure if you go out to hte apron on the track in the coming days u may see them rolling in the poker tables..

got to admit its pretty exiting to see legalized poker coming to our back yard

Hopefully all the PA casinos will follow suit.

from what i hear this isnt gonna be the case

Wondering if the room is going to spread Omaha 8/B ?? If so....4/8 ? 5/10 ? Planning a trip in early Aug to check it out.

I dont know what the other poker rooms in the area are going to offer but this is what I know we have planned so far.

1. 16 tables for cash games and maybe Sit n Go's
2. Genesis Bravo system
3. Planned $4 rake on lower limit games. 2/5 NL is more than likely going to be $5 time per half hour.
4. 20-25 tournament tables(hopefully soon after opening)


No date has been "set in stone" for an opening like a previous poster stated but once I get confirmation I will let all of you guys know.

Yes Omaha 8/B will be offered

You're right. Got it from a pretty good authority last night Hollywood Casino will be $6.

Where is this Pocono downs going to be at? I live in Philly but have a house in Arrowhead, anyone know the limits being spread and how the action is going to plan out ?

Pocono Downs is less than 1 mile from Wilkes-Barre. Take the North East Extension of the Pa. Turnpike to the Pittston Exit, one exit past the Wilkes-Barre exit. This will take you about 3 miles out of your way but it will avoid some traffic, a nasty hill and easy to confuse directions.

Once off the Turnpike in Pittston you are on Route 315. Head south 4 miles, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is on your right.

Less than two and a half hours from the Philly exit of the North East Extension with a long coffee stop thrown in.

I will take a wait and see attitude about the rake. The Mohegan Sun management greatly over stated the wages being offered to more than five job applicants that I know. They reported no wages correctly and underestimated none any to my knowledge. Not a good record.


I have zero direct information on the rake.

( Please no comments on too small of a sample. B/c it is not.)

As far as I know management did not over state the wages. I do know for a fact however, that a local paper did misquote someone by saying that dealers were going to get $25/hr plus tips. It should of said $25 including tips which of course is a guess at this time. No one can really say how much the dealers will make. Every dealer was told they would make $4/hr plus tips when they started dealing school, nobody was mislead.

I do have direct information on the rake and if the Poker Room was to open tomorrow the rake would be max $4. This is a fact.

If you have any other questions I will be more than happy to answer them.

I do hope that you are correct about the rake. I hope that it will not only be $4 if it opens tommorrow but $4 when it opens.

I do not know what the dealers were told nor was I referring to them. I was referring to employees hired for the slot only casino. What they were told at the interview and what they were offered when called for work was not the same. Wages were dropped by 50% or more.


Will they be an additional dollar rake for the bad beat? Do they expect to have a PLO running most nights?

i think there may be a plo game here or there but heres how i envision the room on a friday nite

7 1-2 nl

3 2-5nl

2 10-20lhe

2 4-8lhe/oe one or the other

2 2-4lhe

now u may see some stud in there but i would say those will be the staple games

i would love for the 10-20 to be a staple game......

one way or the other looks like the room will be juicy and a fishpond

I have no idea what the slot department was told they would be paid. Since this is a Poker thread I thought you were talking about Tables games/Poker employees.

There will NOT be a Bad Beat Jackpot when the Poker room opens. There may be one in the future.

1/2 PLO and 1/2 PLO 8/B will be spread if there is a demand for it.

oh man i cant wait for this... ablanda i would like to make a few points being im from the greater scranton area for 16 years

the vibes i get around here it almost seems if u stumble getting out of your car youll find yourself ina 4-8 oe game

now factor that in with the racetrack railbirds that ALL play cards u have yourself a guarenteed 8-10 games a nite

now add on all the people coming down the I84/81 corridor that play at ts or anywhere else your gonna run into the same problem they ran into in jaws.......YOUR GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

with that being said it would be HUGE to throw a teller and some autotote machines for the horseplayers down there cuz nothing goes hand in hand like poker and ponies

I am told that the poker room will be near to the race track. Sweet.

Don't forget Mount Airy is also like 30 min from the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area. And they are a hotel casino I can see those games being realy fishy with tourists since the Poconos is a big tourist area.

Anyway we can expect really good games in our area for at least the first year.

Yummmm.

Don't care for the live harness racing but as long as I got a cashier taking simulcasting, You'll probably see me living in this poker room, handicapping Pick 4s in between hands.

Like that this thread has started all ready.

A set in stone date is going to be hard to come by since nobody knows how long the PGC is going to take to approve the whole set up. However, as I said in another PA poker post, they really love the marketing of Pennsylvania's First Casino and they are determined to keep that mantle.

Dude, you need to to not fall asleep in Allentown since you take about an hour longer than I do to get from Philly

Fishpool sounds like an understatement from the people I have talked to. My one friend likes to get people to tell their bad beat stories just to make me drool.

I know alot of the old timers play a ton of stud still, a few who are the simulcast regs. They don't really like hold'em.

I was in the room for a few events before it became a construction site. If it turns out to be what was described to me it will be real nice.

metsman i know for a fact now that they are going to have 3 auto tote machines in the room so in my opinion pick 4s will be flying...

in terms of the harness racing pk 4s im not really high on pick 4s outside of yonkers and the meadowlands

def send me a pm and we can talk some horses.....

now in my opinion i think the morning/day crowd is gonna be old school in terms of 2-4 and 3-6 limit and tons and i mean tons of stud...

i see it already...."excuse me ladies and gentlemen we are calling down ANOTHER 1-5 stud game outside in the winners circle"....... guess well have to take the wait and see approach

went down today for a little simulcast action and poked my head in the door the poker room is taking the shape of a actual poker room

if anybody remembers pd from the days of the old school track u can make out a little part of that still....

from what i saw i saw theres gonna be a oval shaped bar in the back or front and the room is gonna look like a section of 6 tables 6 tables and 5 if im picturing it the rite way it may resemble the trop or something similar