what makes you say that?

It's against the rules here to post anyone's face. It might be ok to link to a tweet though.

there's tons of threads dedicated to scammers on this forum that include pictures of people and even their IDs

if this is a rule, I've never seen it in action

Yes, it is definitely not permitted here, V&C (and CCP) have a privacy rule against it.

I have a question for those of you who've been playing at the various NE rooms. But first some context. Apologies in advance for the length - TL; DR at bottom.

I don't want to turn this into a COVID thread derail, but let me just say that I've always been a germaphobe (https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/3...phobe-1422913/), so COVID has kind of been my worst nightmare come true.

And although I haven't barricaded myself in my house, when I'm indoors I still mask. I also still don't eat at indoor restaurants, and I've avoided large gatherings such as concerts, sporting events, and the like, as I felt that even if masked I'd be putting myself at too much unnecessary risk. And before you ask, I have actually had COVID (my wife gave it to me) but that hasn't allayed my concerns as I'd hoped it might.

I've come to a point though that when numbers inevitably start to come down again in the coming weeks I might be so bold as to play live poker again, wearing an N95 mask and with a full bottle of Purell by my side. The question is, where should I play? My location is such that Encore, Chasers, Boston Billiards, Twin River, Mohegan, MGM, and Foxwoods are all viable options.

Is there one room where people feel someone like me might be less uncomfortable and less at risk? I realize that even pre-COVID poker players weren't known for their hygiene or for staying home when they might be unwell. But I figured I might as well ask in case certain rooms stick out in a good or bad way. As of now, my thinking was MS, FW or Encore due to, if nothing else, less cramped conditions and likely better HVAC.

Does anyone have any firsthand recommendations?

TL; DR - OP is a germaphobe and wants to know if any NE rooms are better or worse in the age of COVID

I guess if I had to answer this the best I would say is probably Foxwoods due to having more room between tables. Also I believe that their tables are slightly larger than most other rooms giving them the edge in terms of being slightly less cramped between other players.

Haven't been to NH, but CT casinos are 9 handed. Most vegas rooms are 8 handed since the pandemic

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

To the poster looking for the cleanliest room. I would suggest Boston Billiards. It has the biggest space; good HVAC, high ceilings, a decent sized crowd but nothing crazy compared to Encore or Foxwoods during the weekends. The room is also very clean, and has a decent amount of mask-wearers where I have never seen anyone looking at them sidedeyed or any unwanted comments.

What room I would not recommend is Chasers. The room has plenty of action and may even outdraw Boston Billiards, but the room is trash. Small ceilings, jam packed, single bathroom etc.

In order based on my experience (assuming travel isn't an issue)

1. Foxwoods
2. Mohegan
3. Billards
4. Seabrook
5. Encore
6. Manchester (only been there once for a tournament not sure how the cash action is)
7. [left blank]
100. Chasers

Never played at Twin River or MGM so I can't speak to them.

Covid spreads by respiratory droplets in the air. So you want a room that is well ventilated. Encore is the most likely to have that given that it is the newest and was developed by the guy who first introduced rapid replacement of air in the room.

As someone who is serious about avoid germs, you probably already know that an N95 mask (not a KN95 which is less effective) is difficult to breathe through when worn properly. If you're breathing easy, you don't have the mask on right. In addition, you know that washing your hands with warm water and soap is much more effective at killing the covid virus than Purell.

Ne poker current rankings
1. Mohegan
2. Foxwoods
3. The brook
Nothing else worth playing Imo

Anyone who ranks Foxwoods over MGM has no credibility.

I’ve never been to mgm so can’t rank.
Plo at Foxwoods is fun and in my rankings because of it

Appreciate the advice, but if you read my germaphobe AMA you'd be able to surmise that I'm fully aware of these things.

it was my understanding that kn95 and n95 were the same standards with only difference being which governing body issued the certification

You are correct for the legit KN95. But during peak covid there were a bunch of KN that were not legit.

I had a box of pre covid 3M N95 and then some post covid KN95. Breathabity was the same.

One other clarification. Covid is spread by aerosols not droplets. This is why the efficacy for masks is lower for covid than common flu which are spread more by droplets.

So why are you using Purell instead of washing your hands? Are you planning to apply Purell after every hand?

Having a standard and manufacturing to that standard are two different things. My experience with China manufacturing is that the gap is often wide, especially for a disposable product.

Anyone know how long the Filitimo tournaments in Manchester run for? For example if the 50/50/50 starts at 5:30 when would it end? Also any info on the length of the saturday ones would also be appreciated.

No; however, I will do it from time to time not in lieu of but in addition to periodically taking breaks to wash my hands. And of course, most importantly, I will avoid touching my face at any point in time.

Saturday tournaments go around 8 hours before the bubble, then sometimes another couple of hours before the inevitable chop.

On topic, you would be looked at as weird for wearing a mask, but probably less likely overall to be exposed. Nobody will make a big deal of it.

In terms of cleanliness, Encore has many employees (often masked) walking around cleaning stuff full-time. Restrooms are the best in the country. BBCC has tired old felt and dirty chips, but they do clean the felt at closing every day. You're standing in piss when you go to the bathroom. Manchester is decently clean, and chips are fairly clean. Pro tip is to use the handicap restroom behind the tourney area for a cleaner experience. Agree with everyone else to avoid Chaser's.

Poker rooms are filthy places full of pigs who don’t wash their hands. If you’re really that much of a germ freak you wouldn’t go to the poker room at all.

So tough to decide where to be a regular from just north of Boston, for a guy wanting to play 1/3-2/5…

Encore - Closest and convenient, gorgeous place and a ton of games running all the time. But OMG THE RAKE and don’t want to support treating poker players as a scourge.

Boston Billiard Club - Comfy and good action, but so limited as to actual tables running regularly that aren’t 1/2.

Chasers - More options than BBC, but last time I was there it just felt dirty and not a place I’d want to bring the missus with me.

And honestly, outside of those 3 I don’t see any other real options within 45 mins.


I’d love y’all’s latest thoughts on this. Thanks y’all.

A manager in the cage at Filotimo said they will be upgrading the table games and poker tables with shufflers and rewards card integration when I asked about poker comps. There was no time frame mentioned, but it's a "multi-million dollar upgrade", so I guess they need to rake a few more million off of the slots before they can do it.

Tried searching this thread but didn’t see it answered, so any of the NH rooms have shuffling machines or are they still only hand shuffling?

Chasers uses them