Maryland Poker
Poker has been very popular in Maryland for a long time.In fact, some of the most recognizable names in the poker industry are fromMaryland, including Phil Galfond and Greg Merson. The industry itself has seenits ups and downs, but that doesn’t stop the game from continuing to grow inone form or another.
This page is all about poker in Maryland – the legalstatus, where to find games, and how to improve your own skill levels.
Online Poker in Maryland
- Located in Perryville, Maryland at 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Pkwy, Hollywood Casino Perryville is owned and operated by Gaming and Leisure Properties. It holds the distinction of being the first casino to open in the state on September 17, 2010.
- The Future of Online Poker in Maryland Considering that it is neighbours to 2 of the 3 fully regulated States in the whole country, there is hope that Maryland will soon join them in the near future.
- There are up to 100,000 reasons to play Giant Jackpots – a one-of-a-kind slots program in the State of Maryland. With each wager, the Giant and Junior Jackpot mystery progressives grow.
Online poker has had a rich history in Maryland eversince the early 2000s. Once Chris Moneymaker made his way from an onlinesatellite in Missouri to winning the 2003 World Series of Poker, a whole newbreed of poker player emerged – one that started their careers online. This iswhere the likes of Galfond and Merson cut their teeth, with Merson making hismark equalling that of Moneymaker by winning the Main Event of the WSOPhimself.
With online poker sites booming, Maryland residentsdidn’t even have to travel anymore to play in huge events. However, all of thatcame crashing down in 2011 when there was a widespread crackdown on the onlinepoker sites that had been accepting players from the U.S. illegally. Today,while some poker pros from Maryland have moved outside the country to continueplaying online, most casual Maryland poker players have gone back to theirregular lives, hopeful that one day the game will be regulated in their homestate.
Land Based Poker in Maryland
Maryland poker sites allow players to make their bets from the comfort of home. In fact, these websites offer poker games from anywhere with an internet connection. The majority of online poker sites in MD.
Thankfully for those poker players that learned to playonline only to have that option ripped away from them, the live poker scene inMaryland is also robust. What the state lacks in numbers of locations in morethan covered by the sheer number of tables at each of the facilities open toresidents and visitors to the state. Live poker in Maryland has always beenhighlighted by some major tournament festivals that have happened at MarylandLive over the years, producing some of the highest quality games seen in thestate.
Here are the places that you can play cash games and tournaments live in Maryland:
Maryland Live!
MGM National Harbour
Hollywood Casino Perryville
Horseshoe Baltimore
Social Poker in Maryland
Much of the play that occurred at online poker sites inthe 2000s when the game was at its peak in the U.S. was taking place at theplay money tables. AS it turns out, thousands of people like to play poker as ahobby, without gambling any money at all. Unfortunately, when the large realmoney sites left the U.S., the play money tables left with them.
Enter the social poker sites to the rescue! Piggybackingoff the popularity of the game and the emergence of social networks likeFacebook, a new hybrid of the game was born. Social poker is poker playedprimarily for recognition rather than for real money – something the onlinepoker industry struggled with for many years. Rather than charging people forentry fees, players could simply earn enough chips by playing and invitingtheir friends that they could qualify for larger buy-in events. However, therewas a way to bypass the effort and simply start at the more exclusive tables –buying chip packages. These chip stacks cost real money, but if you won atournament with them, you weren’t able to cash them back in for money.
It turns out this option was just what the public wanted.Before long, sites were earning billions of dollars from players buying theseplay money chips just for the exclusivity of the games they could enter. Thequality of the play at the exclusive tables was much higher, so if you arethinking of playing at a social poker site, you should consider buying chipsyourself. You can consider it an investment in your playing career.
Subscription Poker in Maryland
Maryland Poker Online
When real money online poker options appeared to belimited, players were scrambling for places to play, and operators were lookingfor different ways to monetize players. One solution that emerged from thisnecessity was the subscription-based model. Subscription sites like Club WPTare just that – a club with a membership fee due monthly or annually. As one ofthe perks for paying the fee, players were given access to multiple tournamentsat no further cost that gave them a chance to play for great prizes…but nocash.
Unfortunately for those of you sitting in Iowa readingthis, the Iowa government’s stance on online gambling has forced thesubscription sites to block play from the state. That isn’t to say that youcouldn’t try these sites out when you are traveling, but if you are sittingwithin the state borders, then you will not currently be able to play gameslike those found on Club WPT.
Mobile Poker in Maryland
Given how much we already do on our phones and tablets these days, the majority of us don’t even sit down to a computer anymore. When it comes to playing poker, the mobile channel has made the game even more accessible to people around the world. In places where you can play online poker legally, some mobile sites and apps allow you to sit at a table anywhere you can get a connection to the Internet.
Maryland Poker Room
In Maryland, with no legal online poker apps, you mightthink there is no way to play poker from your mobile device. However, thatwould be false – there are loads ofpoker apps in the app stores of iOS and Android devices. Even though you can’tplay any real money games on them, mobile poker apps allow you to practice thegames at any time without having to risk real money. This is a great way to trya game you have never played before or to brush up on the skills you currentlyhave at your disposal.
Online Poker in Maryland FAQ
Are there ways I can learn more about different pokergames?
Maryland’s land-based poker rooms are large enough to beable to spread not only Hold’em but games like Omaha, Razz and Chinese Poker insome cases. If you aren’t sure how to play these games, we suggest you startwith our Poker Game Guides, which outline all the basics of each game. Takingthe layer of complexity out of the game will give you the confidence to sitdown at any table and start playing.
Offshore sites claim to have great offers for me inadvertisements, but I thought the industry had been shut down? Is this a scam?
Well, that depends on how you look at it. There areindeed poker sites that are offering games to U.S. players even in states likeIowa. These sites are primarily hosted out of countries in Latin America, whereit is a very different process to get a license to operate. While the offersyou are seeing are not scams by definition, there is inherent risk in sendingmoney to a foreign country where there is no guarantee of receiving your moneyback if you are a winner. The horror stories online alone about theseoperations should be enough to have you stay far away from them.