Encore Boston Poker
The 1,800+ slot machines at Encore Boston Harbor offer games for every enthusiast, from video slots to reel slots, video poker and electronic table games. Enjoy baccarat, blackjack and roulette at our fully automated or dealer assisted tables, with the ease and fun of faster play. The Encore Boston Harbor poker room’s amenities include real money cash games around the clock, “tableside” dining options from a “dedicated poker grill,” complimentary beverages for players, along with a number of jackpot poker promotions, automatic shufflers, and other convenience considerations. Stuck in the MIDDLE of Two Poker PROS! Encore Boston Harbor 2/5 NLH - YouTube Hey guys, we play a 2/5 session at our new home casino - Encore Boston Harbor. We get stuck in a seat between 2.
With Poker games seemingly in no position to return to Massachusetts casinos any time soon, many former Poker dealers at Encore Boston Harbor have begun to train for other permitted games like Blackjack.
Encore Spokesman Eric Kraus said that 70 Poker dealers at Encore have participated in a new program offered by the company to train for other permitted games, those mostly being Blackjack.
“Because we shut down the Poker Room and furloughed several of those Poker Room employees, we have started training those Poker dealers and others with game experience in dealing. We are offering them to train on Blackjack dealing mostly. We don’t like furloughing employees. They are family members. So, we tell them about all open positions and see if anyone furloughed is a good fit for those positions. If they’re furloughed and would be a good fit, we can bring them back to open positions. We invest a lot in our employees, whether finding them, training them and keeping them. We don’t want them to leave during a furlough.”
He said there are approximately 70 dealers of Poker that are or have re-trained for Blackjack, one of the only table games now allowed in the state.
At the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) meeting last Thursday, the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) gave one of its first updates on the possibility of returning Poker, and the long and short of that is Poker is currently not possible.
The IEB explained that Poker requires many people at the table to be worthwhile and profitable for the casino, and at the moment the best that can be done is four players at a time.
“In order to make Poker a safe game, we could put only about four people at a table,” said one of the members. “In discussions with operators, this would mean Poker would not be profitable. At this point, we wouldn’t recommend Poker until we can get more players at the table and do that safely.”
Its Encore Boston Harbor segment operates 210,000 square feet of casino space with 161 table games, 2,833 slot machines, gaming areas, and a poker room; a hotel tower, including 671 guest rooms and suites; 16 food and beverage outlets and a nightclub; 8,000 square feet of retail space; 71,000 square feet of meeting and convention space; and a. From daily, weekly, and monthly promotions to the vibrant gaming atmosphere, luxurious accommodations and unique dining options, there is still more to experience at Encore Boston Harbor. February $100,000 Cash Giveaway Earn entries February 1 through 28 for your chance to win $25,000 in cash. View February $100K Cash Giveaway Details.
The IEB indicated some other states with gaming are returning Poker and allowing many people at a table. With COVID-19 restrictions as they are, it isn’t a course the MGC is willing to forge.
“That’s not what I would consider a safe situation for employees or players,” he said. “Poker at its heart is a marginally profitable game for casinos. We would at best get four players at a table and that’s a very, very low profit, it at all a profit, for casinos.”
Encore Boston Poker Rake
At Encore, the Poker Room and Poker areas have largely been repurposed to accommodate more Blackjack tables at greater distances.