Maine Texas Holdem

You don’t have many clearly legal options playing Texas holdem poker in Maine. The entire state only has one poker room offering four tables.

That being said, this poker room is great and offers a weekly tournament as well as no limit Texas holdem cash game action whenever they’re open. You’ll be treated like you would in any other poker room in the country, except for maybe the Las Vegas rooms, and the staff and management are excellent.

The state has only been recently opened to gaming with legislation being passed in 2012 to allow poker and table games. Previously the Hollywood casino only offered slots, yet they expanded into poker and other table games like blackjack and roulette once this was legalised.

Although this is the only room offering poker now, more casinos are opening in the state and it’s likely that once the game starts growing in popularity these venues will also offer poker rooms.

Although this will mean some competition for the Hollywood, it’s great for the game and poker economy in Maine. It’ll mean more amateurs players, better value in cash games, and larger scores for those lucky enough to ride out the natural variance and do well in tournaments.

Other Gambling Games

In general, you can gamble on most things in Maine at the state licensed casinos, and they also allow off track betting on horse and dog racing at tracks that are regulated by the Maine State Harness Racing Commission.

The state also offers the lottery and you’ll be able to play in charity based games of chance and luck such as bingo and raffles. Even though there are multiple native Indian tribes and lands in the state they aren’t currently permitted to operate casinos, which is kind of strange considering that this is the only place casinos can run in most other states.

Some attempts to get legislation passed to allow for native Indian reservations to open casinos have been attempted, but these have so far been unsuccessful. This may change soon which would be a good thing as it would mean more Texas holdem poker options for players in this state.

Online Poker

Online poker is not yet regulated in the state of Maine and therefore you can’t play on a local online licensed poker room. We’ve heard some reports of players playing poker on offshore poker sites from within Maine, however this is a bit of a grey area legally and you could end up in quite a bit of trouble if you do this. We certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

Most of the larger online poker sites have a blanket ban on US players, unless they operate a state based site, so you would also be breaking terms and conditions of the poker operator if you were to play on their site from Maine. It’s likely that the state will regulate online poker within the next five to 10 years, which is a great thing for players. The big tipping point in this happening will be if New York regulates online play. Being a large state and close to Maine this will certainly have a knock-on effect in the region. So, you’ll be able to see plenty of light at the end of the tunnel if you want to play online and live in Maine.

Home Games

Like most states in the US you can find private and home games in Maine. You need to use common sense and be smart, but if you know where to look and who to ask finding a safe game isn’t too hard.

Start by asking other Texas holdem players you know and check at your local bars.

Local Options

If you live in Maine, you at least have one decent option in Bangor to play some poker. If you’re in the southern part of the state, you can always skip over into New Hampshire to play poker as well.

In the north and west you can also enter Canada to play poker, including online poker, which is always a good thing. So even though there’s only one room in the state you should still have plenty of options available to be playing some live or online poker quite quickly.

The state has a generally decent approach to gaming so more options should open up soon, and online play should eventually be available. It’s just a bit of a waiting game at the moment in this respect.

In the meantime, enjoy live poker action in Bangor, and make sure you spread the word about the great poker games that are available there. Together, we can make sure that poker continues to thrive here and in the rest of the United States.

List of Maine Poker Rooms

Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find in the state of Maine:

Hollywood Casino Bangor

• Location: Bangor, Maine
• Hours: Open daily from 8am until 3am
• Tables: 4
• Games: This poker room runs a weekly no limit Texas holdem tournament on Saturday at 7pm with a buy in of $90. If you’re looking for a cash game, you’ll find $1 / $2 and $2 / $5 no limit Texas holdem tables running. Sometimes if there’s player demand they run limit Texas holdem or Omaha cash games.
• Ambience: The colors in this poker room will really smack you in the face when you first arrive. The beige felt tables and walls are nice and modern, but what stands out and adds to the room is the colorful carpets which are predominantly red and match with the chairs in the room. The room itself is completely no smoking and they have TVs placed around so you can stay up to date with all the latest sports scores while you play.
• Hospitality: You’ll receive cocktail and food service while you play in this poker room so you need never miss a hand. On top of this they offer comps for players through the Marquee Rewards program and run a series of jackpots and promotions including a progressive bonus prize when you a four of a kind, straight flush or royal flush.
• Players: You’ll come across a good mix of players in this poker room with the standard of play being quite good. Poker is lacking in Maine and this is the only option for live play so there will be some solid regulars at the table most of the time. If you want the best and softest action, visit on a weekend evening. Things will be at their best action wise on Saturday nights when the weekly no limit Texas holdem tournament is running. From all reports the staff and dealers are great in this room and the overall vibe is fun and welcoming.

Conclusion

While Maine only has one licensed poker room, you can travel into Canada or to a southern state to play Texas holdem as well. You can also find local private games in many cities in the state so the nearest Texas holdem game isn’t far away.