I doubt the rake has changed. However, they introduced a new loyalty program like most other card rooms that allow you to redeem your points for food now. Drinks remain free of charge.

https://www.playgroundnews.ca/2019/c...-have-arrived/

Hey guys,

What does the live poker landscape in Canada look like at the moment?
Im thinking about making the trip from Europe to one of the big Canadian cities to go grind for a few months. Been to the US a million times but wanted to give Canada a try now.
Montreal would be my best option I guess? I mainly play 2/5 NLHE with some 5/10 and PLO mixed in. Are games running 24/7? Any help would be appreciated.

Funny how it's impossible to find info on the rake on the playground website.

What's happening with Playground? First the downgrading of the BBJ and now no more free food?

Hey guys,

Just a note to say that while I am still an eager Playground customer and player, I have stepped back from my job there due to some difficult family issues I've had to attend to. My father took ill a few months ago and it's serious enough that I've been attending to him on a daily basis.

The current promo changes were made since I stepped back from my daily responsibilities at Playground, so I don't have all of the details to answer. I will signal to one of my colleagues to come in here and answer these questions officially.

That being said, as both a player and someone who has worked with Playground promotions intimately for over 6 years, I strongly support these changes and I am sure that in the long run, all players will see the benefits of this system.

I think they will give both casual and more frequent players rewards that will be comparable to what they have enjoyed until now. As well, the rewards available will be more varied that simply "free food". There have always been a significant number of players that don't eat at the tables, and this will give them the opportunity to benefit from rewards in ways they haven't been able to in the past.

BTW drinks are still covered as always - and unlike in the past, top-shelf liquor will be available to those who have the rewards points. This is new, and an example of how the new system is more flexible.

As far as the BBJ is concerned, this is being rolled out at the same time but IMO this is just a coincidence. The basic change is to give out more and larger prizes on a daily and weekly basis rather that have all of the drop go to a promotion that relatively few players benefit from in a big way. Check out the new cash game promotions that have been added - Playground is now offering over $75K in prizes every week.

Again - I'll get someone from the team at Playground to come in here to give a more detailed response and engage with the group on any questions you might have.

These changes at Playground are a big downgrade for the pokerplayers and I Heard they decided to change the free food promo because the slots machines players were complaining about it. So overall they take from poker and give to slot players as simple as that. There is now, no meaning to have such a high rake at poker cashgames.

That would be a sucky reason. Isn't PG primarily a poker destination, for players, by players bla bla bla? Not for slot players by slot players.

Somebody should've seriously thought this through, such major changes all of a sudden with no clear upside.

I for one, Don't really mind the changes.

Question really is..how well is Playground doing financially? Even with the rake, free drinks, food, rent for a place of that size, dozens of employees on a busy night making at least the minimum wage as well as various promotions.

I doubt Playground poker was raking in money. They need their slot machines. They need to keep those players happy. And if slot machine players mean Playground stays open longer when it could face problems later on..I'd say it's worth it.

I would hazard a guess they are doing well, hence the massive additions to the existing building. The thing is their staff seem a bit disgruntled and overworked. They really should work on staff moral and doing better in that department.

As for the recent changes, they could've "promoted" better if in fact the net effect to poker players remain unchanged. Right now it looks bad.

Yeah, I'd be interested to hear an official response in here. Partly to see if they actually address questions or just give a corporate response. Would appreciate seeing some numbers showing how this is better for players.

Was considering making a trip there this summer, as I'll probably be moving to Ottawa area soon.

+1 to this I am also interested in the response and specifically how this affects food/meals for poker players. Any numbers would be great but I'm not sure how specific you can be.

Was debating driving up Friday from NY to play. Sad to see they got rid of free food... I hope that means rake will be reduced , but I doubt it will be.

This really is my favorite place to play and thought things were perfect... not liking the addition of slots but as someone else said, if it means they stay open longer so be it. I have no idea how well they were doing previously.

You still can use points earned at the table to get food. Basically, you earn $1.2/h at 1/2 and $2/h at 2/5.

So, dear 1/2 player yous still can get your all dressed pizza for free, and beloved 2/5 reg you still don't have to pay for this NY Steak... All you have to do is only play for 12 hours straight !

Seriously, this is a huge downgrade for players, as there is absolutely no change on rake. Only *good* point is every sunday there's a $30.000 giveaway promo ($500-$5000 hot seat every hour, $500 high hand every 30mn) instead of once a month.

As for BBJ, it will now reset at $25.000 when hit, with AAAKK qualifying hand, so it's very unlikely it goes very high again


Word from a dealer I spoke with at Montreal casino where he was playing : PG intend to expand slots section by shrinking Tournament PR

So as for me from now, and like many I guess, I will only come to PG for tournaments and bet on Casino for Cash Game ($250 buy in on 1/2, $350 on 1/3 with same rake for both ($3 less than PG), and $1000 buy in for 2/5).

Damn that is all very disappointing if it's true. I may be spending a lot of time back in Canada over the next year and was hoping to get a lot of poker in and I just about locked in Montreal because of playground but now I'm not so sure.

I've never played Casino Montreal, is the rake as bad as playground? What about the action? Does 5/10+ ever go? What about PLO? 1k buy in 2/5 doesn't seem too bad but if it doesn't run 24/7 or the action and rake is bad I may have to spend more time in Ontario than I planned. Did we ever find out if that massive casino planned just north of Toronto will have poker? Apparently Great Canadian Gaming isn't too fond of poker and most people had their doubts but it's supposed to be one of the biggest casinos in North America, not having a poker room would be a massive mistake but what do I know.

Thanks for the update. I was afraid it was gonna be something like that. Double whammy on the food and BBJ.

What I'm surprised about is that it seems like PG mgt all of a sudden found out that slots were more profitable than poker! Gasp lol. I thought they wanted to built upon their poker brand, not downgrade it and sacrifice for slots. That's really disappointing and what's going to differentiate them from a regular casino? Might as well keep going to the traditional casinos.

A more accurate answer would be that players now earn points per hour played, which can be used to buy food (in tournaments, at the cash tables or seated in The Rail), redeem for cash back or buy merch - with more options on the way.

So, if the only comp that you’re interested in is free food, we still got you covered 👊🏻. We have revised pricing in place for all table side orders (tourney and cash) which are at a fraction of the prices when dining in The Rail. Furthermore, drinks remain 100% complimentary. Hope that clears it up 😊

Absolutely no truth to that rumor.

What looks bad?

Definitely make the trip!

Fire off your questions, and I'll answer.

What would you like to know?

Cash game players now earn a fixed amount per hour, the equivalent of $1.20/hr on 1-2, $2/hr on 2/5+.

The "points" can be used to buy food (on cash tables, on tournament tables or at the restaurant), buy merch or redeem for cash back - with more options on the way.

The menu has revised pricing for players, meaning the prices are a fraction of the cost when compared to dine-in. Further, the revised menu prices are also passed on to tournament players, who historically have paid restaurant price. You can see the gaming menu at the link below:
https://www.playground.ca/poker/food...everage#gaming

That pizza will take you 5 hours on a 1/2 or 3 hours on a 2/5.
As long as you come on a full stomach on your first sit (or buy the pizza for $6), you shouldn't be in a spot where you can't eat for free if you're hungry, and the only comp you're interested in is food.

As for the steak, some prices can't be reduced as they were already priced way below market value and they come at a high cost.

Along with the $33k given away on Sunday, we have an additional $44k in giveaways from Monday to Thursday on high hand and hot heat draws. Every week we're distributing $77k to 162 players. We've simply opted to try something different (keep in mind, we pioneered the high BBJ and room payout in the Canadian market). All we ask is that you give the new promotions a chance. From what we've seen so far, the players love them. People were vocal at first, but they're filling up the tables at the chance of winning between $250-$5000 just for being in the room.

Inaccurate. If we wanted to shrink poker, why would we build a 6 story extension?

Best of luck to you, regardless of where you play. At least we'll still see you for our kick-ass tournies

Come on man... This is just ridiculous.

Would I earn points directly on my player's card or do I need another card dedicated to that?
If it's the regular player's card, will I start earning automatically next time I sit at the poker table or do I have to register to this rewards program somewhere?

Nope it's the same card.

First of all, I assume so but can you confirm that you represent PG in an official capacity?

It looks bad because it is, instead of just sitting down at a cash game and ordering free food, now players have to play over 4 hours for just a pizza slice or whatever, not counting any sides. Of course it's worse than before and no amount of spin can change that.


What is ridiculous? The benefits of poker players are being taken away, whether they benefit the slot player, who knows, but the change definitely isn't a plus for those who play poker.

We all know that profit per sqft slots is more profitable than poker, but I thought that PG wanted to be first and foremost a poker destination, so it's disappointing that this change is downgrading on the poker side.