Cash Games Return To Borgata From October 21

Cash games return to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey from October 21. It is fantastic news for the local poker community who have been unable to play live since mid-March.

Borgata opens its doors at 10:00 local time on October 21 with changes allowing for the return of cash games. The Borgata poker room is one of the largest in the United States. It previously housed 77 tables, allowing for more than 700 poker players to ply their trade. Only 30 cash game tables are available at the grand re-opening.

Each of the 30 tables is spaced out to promote social distancing. Polycarbonate panels divide the seats, further protecting players and Borgata staff. Cash games take place on seven-handed tables and offer cash games only. There are no plans to relaunch tournaments just yet.

Several changes, rules, and procedures are in place to allow the poker room to re-open. These include, but are not limited to, the following points.

• Players cannot eat inside the poker room
• A strict rule of no spectators
• Players are required to wear masks in the poker room and other public areas of the casino
• Hand sanitizing stations are positioned around the vast Borgata poker room
• Drinks are available via a valet service

Borgata COO Welcomes Back Poker Players

Melonie Johnson is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata. She took the time to welcome back the casino’s poker-loving customers.

“We are happy to welcome back our loyal players as we reopen Atlantic City’s market-leading East Coast poker destination. We have made some changes to enhance our guest’s experience and are excited to reintroduce live poker and the Borgata Poker brand more safely.”

Borgata reopening its poker room is big news for Atlantic City. Other Atlantic City casinos, including Bally’s, Golden Nugget, and Tropicana open their doors again before Borgata. None allow poker at the moment, making Borgata the first venue to host live poker.

All five Atlantic City poker rooms generated $28.5 million in revenue in 2019. Revenue from Borgata’s poker room made up just under $18 million of that sum.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy gave the green light for Atlantic City to reopen on July 2. Murphy banned indoor dining and drinking a few days after permitting venues’ reopening, which forced a reshuffling of Borgata’s pack.

This delay meant New Jersey fell behind in relation to states running live poker. New York and Massachusetts still don’t have live poker in their commercial casinos. California’s regulators allow poker outside.

Cash Games Are Just The Start

It is easy to see why cash games are the first live poker variant Borgata is allowing. Cash games are easier to manage than multi-table tournaments. Players in cash games tend to stay seated at the same table for several hours. Tournament players move around the venue as and when opponents bust, making management more difficult.

Tournament lovers hope cash games returning is just the start for Borgata. The venue regularly hosts World Poker Tour festivals and its own popular series.

The poker room also runs BorgataPoker.com, a skin of the partpoker US Network. BorgataPoker and partypoker US recently teamed up for hugely successful WPT Borgata Online festival.

Michael Gagliano is an ambassador for BorgataPoker. Gagliano has some incredible results in the live and online poker worlds. Gagliano is sticking to the virtual felt for now but is happy live poker is returning.

“It will be good to have that option available to those who want to play in a casino again. I really miss live poker and look forward to the next time I get to play. I hope everyone has fun, stays safe, and takes the proper safety precautions.”

Matthew Pitt

If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.

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