Poker in Louisiana

Poker in Louisiana

Along with Texas poker rooms (the home of Texas Hold ’em) and Nevada (the gambling mecca), poker in Louisiana is one of the most significant places in poker’s past. Simply put, modern Louisiana’s largest city, New Orleans, is also the likely birthplace of poker. The Crescent City was the gambling capital of the United States in the early 1800s because it was the only city in Louisiana where casinos were legal. As early as 1815, it had casinos that required licenses and taxes. Sadly, in 1835, a statewide ban on gambling put an end to that.

A new card game swept New Orleans and involved dealing out five cards from a standard deck of twenty (Tens through Aces in four suits) face down and then betting on who had the best hand. Only pairs, two pairs, three of a kind, full houses, and quads were considered made hands back then; straights and flushes were not even considered.

In time, players incorporated a drawing and betting round, creating 5-Card Draw, the earliest form of poker still played today. The game was reportedly played in 1829 in New Orleans, as the English actor Joseph Cowell reported.

The new card game first gained popularity in the bar rooms of Mississippi River cruise ships, and then quickly spread to the rest of the country.

There is widespread agreement among poker historians that the game was influenced by the medieval French card game poque. This is consistent with its presumed origin, as Louisiana was a French colony until President Jefferson bought it in 1803.

Casino games other than poker also have a long tradition in Bayou State. There were government-run lotteries in 1753, a full decade before the United States were even formed. The United States’ first public horse track, Eclipse Park, opened in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1837.

In 1868, the Louisiana State Lottery, a private company rather than a government agency as one might assume from the name, began selling tickets and holding statewide drawings. There was also a ban on any other forms of gambling in the state at the time. What many people suspected was true: the company did bribe lawmakers to legalize only their operation and outlaw all other forms of gambling. As a result of the fallout from the scandal, anti-lottery activists gained prominence, and by 1893, the lottery had been abolished altogether.

There is now a legitimate gambling industry in the so-called Pelican State. The state is home to a total of 52 legal casinos, all of which can be found on WorldCasinoDirectory.com. 13 feature poker rooms, as stated by the same source.

Quick Summary

• Estimated Population: 4,650,000
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Money in U.S. dollars ($)
• Location: UTC+6
• Louisiana is the abbreviated state name.

Where You Can Play Poker in Louisiana Casinos:

Well-known poker players hail from the state of Louisiana

New Orleans native Brandon Adams has accumulated $5.2 million in earnings to date, putting him at the top of Louisiana All-Time Money List on Hendon. In addition to his professional poker career, Adams is well-known for his lectures at the illustrious Harvard University.

So far, Adams has won one gold bracelet at the WSOP. In 2019, he won $411,561 at the $3,200 No Limit Hold’em Online High Roller event. He has also made guest appearances on legendary poker TV shows such as Poker After Dark (NBC) and High Stakes Poker (The Game Show Network).

After Adams, the next highest money winner is Kevin Eyster of Lafayette, Louisiana, who also won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker and who cashed for $4,977,050. He won the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event in December 2015 for $10,400 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The $1.587 million he took home is the most he has ever won at a single live tournament.

Live Poker in Louisiana

Poker Laws in LA

The state of Louisiana legalized casinos on land in 1993. At first, gambling licenses were only granted to establishments located on rivers.

The “Louisiana Economic Development and Gaming Corporation Act (Landbased Casino)” was passed in 2011 and is the current gambling law in effect. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is responsible for licensing and regulation in the state.

Poker Rooms in the State of Louisiana

A poker room is available at the Eldorado Casino Resort in Shreveport, Louisiana. In addition to Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and No Limit Hold’em, they also feature No Limit Stud and Razz.

The only catch is that every single one of their weekly tournaments is No Limit Hold’em. You can participate on Tuesdays ($60 buy-in plus $10 add-on), Thursdays ($30 buy-in plus $10 add-on), Fridays ($50 buy-in plus $10 add-on), and Sundays ($120 buy-in plus $50 add-on).

The annual WSOP Circuit New Orleans tournaments are held at Harrah’s New Orleans. The 2019 event featured buy-ins from $250 up to $1,700 for the Main Event.

The poker room is open all year and has a wide variety of cash game tables. Here you can play No Limit Hold’em for $1/$3, $2/$5, and $5/$10, Limit Hold’em for $4/$8, Pot Limit Omaha for $5/$10 and $10/$25, and there’s even an NLHE-PLO mixed game table for $4/$12 stakes if you’re feeling adventurous.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana is home to L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge. There is a poker room there as well. A $100 NLHE tournament begins at 11 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. They also offer high stakes “nightly feature games” and cash tables with a variety of promotions. Sundays and Thursdays feature a $15/$30 Pot Limit Omaha game, Mondays and Wednesdays feature $20/$40 Limit Hold’em, and Tuesdays feature a $5/$10 No Limit Hold’em cash game at medium stakes.

Jena Choctaw Pines Casino in Dry Pong and Poker Palace Casino in Laplace both offer poker games.

Louisiana Gambling Halls and Poker Halls

Play Legal Online Poker in Louisiana

Louisiana is, unfortunately, one of the many states that do not permit online poker.

The Senate still needs to approve a bill legalizing online poker, but at least the State House has done its part. Louisianans interested in playing US online poker must, for the time being, make do with “the usual” options, which include connecting to a virtual private network (VPN), visiting an unregulated site, or downloading a sweepstakes-style poker app such as Upoker.