The wait at Encore Boston Harbor is finally over. On January 31, 2022, the poker room at Encore Harbor opened its doors for the first time since it closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, the poker room only opens for a few hours and hosts a limited number of players per session.
The poker room was the most popular before its closure. With its return, the games at the poker room are filled up with a lengthy waitlist.
One of the reasons that led to the waitlist is that players were eagerly waiting for the casino’s reopening. The other reason is that the poker room returned with only 12 tables, 60 less before the pandemic.
Unfortunately, there are no signs that Encore Harbor plans to add more poker tables. Encore had to respond to a controversial poker room reopening earlier in December.
According to Rosie Abrams, a Public Relations Executive Director, the poker room was closed under the COVID-19 restrictions. The room was not reopened along with other gaming operations in the casino. But, Rosie said that the brand would decide on the room’s return before December 31.
Rosie also said the operations at the gaming property did not allow for more poker rooms. The PR Executive Director said that the property did not have the real estate to return poker to pre-pandemic capacity.
During the second day after the reopening, many people had booked to play. There were $1/$3 no-limit hold ’em games running. Also, there were $5/$10 no-limit hold ’em and $2/$2 pot-limit Omaha tables.
All these games had a significant waitlist. Yet, some of these players did not get a chance to play because the room closes at 8 p.m.
High Cash Game Rake
Several poker players expressed their disappointment on social media regarding the limited playing time and few poker tables. But, the biggest worry is the unusual high cash game rake.
Chase Bianchi is one of the players not pleased with the high rake. Chase finished ninth in the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event.
Encore’s poker room is asking for a 10 percent rake for up to $10 per hand. The low-limit games are charged a 10 percent rake which will be difficult to achieve even for a professional poker player.
What’s the Big Deal?
There are many poker rooms across the country. This pops up the question of why players are not choosing other poker rooms to play at.
Players are willing to pay the rake to play at Encore Harbor. One of the reasons for their choice could be the distance to the nearest poker rooms.
For example, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods have legendary poker rooms. But, they are a two-hour drive away from where Encore is standing.
Meanwhile, players in Boston have one decision to make, cope with the high rake or drive all the way to Connecticut. Players at Foxwoods pay a rake of up to $5 in a $1/$2 or $2/$5 game.
This is half the amount players in Boston have to pay. Moreover, it creates a significant difference in profits for players. As for the casino, the high rake is highly beneficial unless players decide not to play at the casino anymore.
For now, Encore Boston Harbor is offering live poker games. It has no scheduled tournaments, and it is still unclear whether they will run poker tournaments.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.