The Pennsylvania poker scene is delivering presents all month long in the form of big tournaments. Poker players can check off their wish list with some action this month. Live and online events will be on the nice list this December.
Each month, PlayPennsylvania showcases all the highlights in the upcoming poker tournament scene across the Keystone State.
Rivers Philadelphia $200,000 Mega Rush
Rivers Philadelphia is hosting a Mega Rush event this December. The poker room announced a $200,000 guaranteed multi-day event. The $560 buy-in tournament starts Wednesday, Dec. 7, and will have four starting flights. All flights combine and play on the final day, Sunday, Dec. 11.
The casino will also host daily events throughout the month.
- Mondays: $130 NLH Double Green Chip Bounty, 7:15 p.m. – $4,000 guarantee
- Tuesdays: $130 NLH, 6:15 p.m. – $6,000 guarantee
- Wednesdays: $50 NLH, 10:15 a.m. – no guarantee ($50+ to buy-in)
- Saturdays: $160 NLH, 1:15 p.m. – $5,000 guarantee (except Dec. 10, 24)
- Sundays: $230 NLH, 11:15 a.m. – $10,000 guarantee (except Dec. 11, 25)
Philadelphia Live! Casino guarantees $150,000 multi-flight
The 29 table Live! Casino Poker Room is coming back with another $150,000 guaranteed tournament. The event will kick off on Thursday, Dec. 15. Players will have multiple chances to enter over a three-day period. There are five starting flights to pick from at Live! Casino Philadelphia. Day two will combine all fields and restart on Sunday, Dec. 18.
The tournament is a $150,000 guaranteed event. Additional details include:
- $360 buy-in
- 30 minute levels
- 30,000 start stack
- Reentry until level 9
In November, the casino showcased its Megastacks tournament. Kevin Roche defeated Andrew Bernstein and won $45,707 for the victory. The total prize pool for the series was $247,192 and included 583 entries.
The poker room will host a daily tournament each day. Some of the weekly events include:
- Mondays: $120 NLH Fat Stacks, 11:15 a.m. – $4,000 guaranteed
- Tuesdays: $120 NLH Fat Stacks, 7:15 p.m. – $4,000 guaranteed
- Wednesdays: $140 NLH Quadstacks, 11:15 a.m. – $3,000 guaranteed
- Thursdays: $140 NLH Quadstacks, 11:15 a.m. – $3,000 guaranteed (except Dec. 15)
- Fridays: $250 NLH Bounty, 11:15 a.m. – $8,000 guaranteed (except Dec. 16)
- Saturdays: Varying tournaments each week
- Sundays: $130 NLH Triple Stacks Turbo, 6:15 p.m. (yes, even on Christmas night!)
Rivers Pittsburgh doubles down
Rivers Pittsburgh will play home to a $500 deepstack tournament that will launch on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. Seating is limited and registration is open one week prior to the event.
The poker room also offers other promotions such as:
- Rolling Royal Jackpots
- Bad Beat Jackpots ($229,891 as of Dec. 1)
- High Hands ($112,000 to be given away in December)
Live! Pittsburgh offers weekly games
There are no major events at Live! Pittsburgh this month, but it will offer multiple daily events each week.
Here’s a glance at the new monthly schedule:
- Sundays: $80 NLH Bankroll Builder – 2:15 p.m. (no game on Christmas)
- Mondays: No regular daily event (High Hand cash promos)
- Tuesdays: $120 NLH Bounty Fat Stacks – 11:15 a.m.
- Wednesdays: $80 NLH Bankroll Builder – 6:15 p.m.
- Fridays: $130 NLH Triple Stacks Turbo – 6:15 p.m.
- Saturdays: $160 NLH Green Chip Bounty – 11:15 a.m.
Bad Beat Jackpots are very enticing to players, so each month we round up which jackpots are climbing to epic levels. Here’s a look at all the live poker rooms and current bad beats (as of Dec. 1) in the Keystone State:
- Parx Casino: No daily tournaments update, current jackpot: $184,505
- Mohegan Pennsylvania: Weekly daily tournaments, current jackpot: $100,346
- Mount Airy Casino Resort: No tournaments, current jackpot: $54,174
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia: $50,000 set Bad Beat Jackpot, weekly tournaments
- Rivers Casino Pittsburgh: Monthly tournaments, current jackpot: $232,636
- Hollywood Meadows Racetrack and Casino: No tournaments, current jackpot: $37,840
- Philadelphia Live! Casino: Weekly tournaments
- Wind Creek Bethlehem: No weekly tournaments, current jackpot: $147,588
- Pittsburgh Live! Casino: No Bad Beat Jackpot, weekly tournaments
Pennsylvania poker online series
WSOP PA
Keystone State players will have some online action as well this month. The WSOP online circuit series runs Dec. 7-18.
The series Main Event will take place on Dec. 18. The buy-in will be $525 and comes with a $50,000 guarantee.
No Limit Holdem and one Omaha event will be offered during the series. Some highlighted tournaments include:
- $215 PLO Deepstack (Event 1, Dec. 7) – $15,000 guaranteed
- $320 NLHE PKO (Event 4, Dec. 10) – $20,000 guaranteed
- $320 Deepstack Freezeout (Event 6, Dec. 12) – $20,000 guaranteed
The entire schedule can be found below.
WSOP.com PA Online Circuit Series – December
BetMGM Poker PA
An online series hasn’t been announced for BetMGM Poker PA in December, but online qualifiers are now available for The Return live series taking place at the Borgata this January.
There are online qualifiers all month in December. The big winners can grab a seat into the Main Event happening Jan. 4. The prize package includes a $5,300 event seat, four-night hotel stay at Borgata and $200 in cash.
“BetMGM recognizes the strong legacy of tournaments at Borgata and is thrilled to collaborate with the team to bring online qualifiers to ‘The Return,'” said Luke Staudenmaier, Director of Poker, BetMGM. “In the upcoming months, we look forward to offering online poker players various ways to qualify for this momentous event which will kick off 2023 with a bang!”
Online registration will also be available starting in December. Players will be directly able to buy into the Main Event online between Dec. 1-31. At the Borgata, live in-person registration starts Jan. 2.
Even though it’s not announced yet, be on the lookout for more upcoming online series, including a tournament lineup from PokerStars PA.
New Jersey Poker prepares for The Return
The Garden State currently only has three poker rooms available. Out of those three, only Borgata currently offers weekly tournaments. The following three casinos offer 24/7 cash games:
- Borgata (52 tables) Bad Beat Jackpot: $100,000
- Harrah’s (40 tables) Bad Beat Jackpot: $50,000
- Tropicana (10 tables) Bad Beat Jackpot: $10,000
Borgata Poker returns this January
The Borgata is prepping for the “Return Series” this January. Players can qualify online all month long. It will include the following events:
- Jan. 2-3: $2,200 NLH Mystery Bounty – $1 million guaranteed
- Jan. 4-8: $5,300 NLH Borgata Championships – $3 million guaranteed
- Jan. 7-8: $1,100 NLH Survivor – $100,000 guaranteed
