Poker in Maryland

Poker in Maryland

The large East Coast state of Maryland is home to legitimate brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. Even more surprisingly for the United States, a bill legalizing online sports betting was passed in April 2021. Sadly, the online poker in Maryland was left out of this legislation. Many in the business are optimistic that Maryland will be the next state to legalize online poker in light of these recent developments.

The history of gambling in Maryland dates back hundreds of years. In the 1740s, before the United States were even a nation, the Pimlico Race Course in the state of Maryland hosted wagering horse races. Horse racing was first subject to government oversight and taxes in the year 1870.

In 1973, the state lottery was established, and in 2008, land-based casinos were authorized there.

There are only four poker rooms listed on Pokeratlas.com for the entire state of Maryland. However, Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, MD was left off the list. The World Poker Tour will be making an appearance in this major venue in 2021. For the month of October 2019, the Horseshoe Baltimore hosted WSOP Circuit events.

Quick Summary

• Humans on Maryland: 6,046,000
• Annapolis is the capital.
• Funds in U.S. Dollars ($)
• Area Code: 5 (UTC)
• Maryland is abbreviated as MD.

Where You Can Play Poker in New York Casinos:

Poker Stars from the State of Maryland

The Old Line State is home to not one but two of the poker world’s all-time greats.

Born in Bowie, Maryland, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates is a local legend. He was notorious for his play at the highest stakes cash game tables, both NLHE and PLO, on the now-defunct poker site Full Tilt. One of the most talked-about scandals in recent poker history involves his uncompleted heads-up challenge against Tom “durrrr” Dwan.

In addition, Cates has won more than $9 million from live tournaments. This includes a €1.284 million payout for placing second at the 2014 EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller event.

The city of North Potomac, Maryland, is where Phil Galfond grew up. On Full Tilt, he was also a well-known high-stakes cash player. He’s won three gold bracelets at the World Series of Poker.

Galfond created the poker website Run It Once Poker. He competed in a number of heads-up PLO challenges for large stakes on this website. While trailing “VeniVidi1993” by €900,000 at the challenge’s midpoint, he came back and won their first match.

In terms of live tournament earnings, Anthony Gregg, a resident of Columbia, MD, currently holds the top spot on Hendon with $11.980 million. For the 2013 World Series of Poker, he won the $111,111 One Drop High Roller and a whopping $4.831 million.

How to Participate in Live Poker in Maryland

Live Poker Laws in Maryland

Legalized gambling in Maryland is governed by Section 12-102 of the Criminal Law Code.

Without the proper licensing from the state, it is against the law to even possess any form of gambling equipment. Thankfully, land-based casino licensing applications have been accepted by the government since a constitutional referendum in 2008. The Maryland State Lottery & Gaming Control Agency is responsible for issuing these licenses and for regulating the state’s gambling industry.

Poker Rooms in the Maryland Area

You can find a wide variety of tournaments to participate in at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Maryland. Every day, they hold multiple tournaments. The minimum buy-in is $50 for satellites, and the maximum is $1,100. Although most tournaments are No-Limit Hold’em games, 5-Card Omaha tournaments are also available. They held the WPT Maryland Main Event, which had a $3,500 buy-in, in September of 2021.

In terms of cash games, they offer a diverse and exciting variety. There are $1/$2, $2/$5, and $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em, $4/$8 Limit Hold’em, $20/$40 Limit Hold’em, $2/$2 and $5/$5 5-Card PLO, $4/$8 Limit Omaha 8-or-Better, and $6/$12 Omaha8/Stud8 mixed game tables available in their poker room.

In Horseshoe Baltimore, which is owned by the illustrious gambling corporation Caesars Entertainment, you can participate in a variety of cash games. No Limit Hold’em (from $1/$3 to $10/$20), Limit Hold’em (from $3/$6 to $40/$80), and Pot Limit Omaha (with $1/$2 and $2/$2 blinds) are all available at their tables. As we mentioned in the introduction, they have played host to WSOP Circuit tournaments in the past. There, you could get in for as little as $135 or as much as $3,250.

The Hollywood Casino Perryville in Perryville, Maryland, is another option for regular poker play.

Gambling Halls and Poker Clubs in the Free State of Maryland

Internet Poker in the Free State of Maryland

In 2021, Maryland passed HB940, which legalized online sports betting across the state. FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are three completely legitimate online sports betting sites that Maryland residents can use to wager on their games of choice.

One thing they can’t do, however, is using any of the major online poker sites to play poker.

In the interim, they can try out one of the sweepstakes-style real money poker apps and join private rooms in PPPoker. Alternatively, they can try out a site like America’s Cardroom, which operates in an unregulated offshore jurisdiction.