Poker in North Dakota

Poker in North Dakota

North Dakota is a massive but sparsely populated state with a northern border shared with Canada. The local gamblers can rest easy because gambling is legal there. A total of 28 casinos have been granted a license to operate in the state. For a city with under a million residents, that’s quite an achievement! Six large tribal casinos are responsible for the vast majority of the gambling income.

Since they are exempt from paying taxes on their gambling earnings, they run an especially profitable business. Native American casinos are exempt from paying any sort of profit. Thus, you can expect that one can play poker in North Dakota without minding laws that may fine you for merely attempting to play poker.

Location-wise, most casinos can be found in or around Fargo, the state capital. As stated on the aforementioned website, there are a total of 10 casinos in the area. The Roughrider Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments held at various locations throughout the state on a regular basis throughout the year. Multiple locations across North Dakota play host to its events.

The typical entry fee is $200, with $100 as the low end. Events for the 701 Poker Tour, the Mid-States Poker Tour, and the Heartland Poker Tour have all been held in the state. The latter, HTC, is a nationally syndicated show that was also created in the state of North Dakota.

Quick Summary

• With a total of 762,062 people, the population is at its highest ever.
• Bismarck, the capital.
• Dollars (USD) are the currency in use.
• Location: UTC+6
• North Dakota Abbreviation is ND.

Where You Can Play Poker in Nebraska Casinos:

Prominent Poker Players From North Dakota

Greg Raymer, also known as “the Fossilman,” was born in Minot. In 2004, the year that Moneymaker’s victory sparked a poker boom, he won the WSOP Main Event. He won $5 million as the first person to defeat a field of more than 2,000 competitors. That is his personal best in a single live tournament.

In 2009, he placed third at the WSOP 40th Anniversary NLHE event for $774,927. He is currently sitting on a total of $8.036 million in liquid assets.

However, Hendon’s database does not include him as a North Dakota player. To the contrary, he falls under the jurisdiction of North Carolina, where he currently resides.

Thus, Tom McCormick of Fargo, ND, who has made $2.181 million over the course of his career, is currently the wealthiest North Dakotan of all time. The $118,552 he won for finishing fifth in the 2018 World Series of Poker $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event is his largest live cash to date.

Enjoying Live Poker in North Dakota

The Legal Status of Live Poker in North Dakota

North Dakota Century Code, Title 12, Chapters 12.1-28 and 53.06.1-01, regulates gambling offenses.

Most of the time, casinos can only be found on Native American reservations. Because of a 1988 federal law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, this is perfectly legal. A large number of other gambling games or skills managed to play for money are, thankfully, exempt in North Dakota.

The only stipulation is that the event is organized by a registered non-profit. Poker, thankfully, falls into that category.

Gambling laws in North Dakota are enforced by the Gaming Division of the Attorney General’s office.

North Dakota Casinos with Live Poker

According to Google reviews, the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, ND is one of the most popular casinos in the state. However, there is scant info about their poker room available online. We only know that they hold No Limit Hold’em tournaments with a “low buy-in and rebuy.” Time: Wednesday – Friday – 6:00 p.m. / Saturday – 2:00 p.m.

Weekly tournaments are also held at the Sky Dancer Casino in Belcourt, North Dakota. All of their tournaments are NLHE and have a $20 entry fee and a $10 rebuy. Tournaments begin at 7 p.m. during the week, 5 p.m. on weekends, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. I find it interesting that all of them allow for unlimited rebuys up until the halfway point.

According to their website, they host weekend cash games of Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Low, Tahoe Hi-Low, and 7-Card Stud every Friday at 4 PM. The stakes, however, are not made clear.

Poker players in Minot, North Dakota, can enjoy $1/$2, and $2/$5 No Limit and Limit Hold’em cash games at the Vegas Motel.

In our opening, we discussed the Roughrider Poker Tour. The 281 Stop & Grill Bar in Pingree, ND, the Almost Home Tavern & Grill in Pettibone, ND, and the Sidelines Sports Bar in Bismarck, ND are just a few of the locations that have hosted events during these poker festivals because these cities do not have a year-round poker room.

Online Poker for ND Players

To make matters worse, gambling online is illegal in North Dakota. Internet gambling is not specifically mentioned in the penal code, as is the case in the vast majority of states. But because of preexisting federal legislation, it is automatically forbidden.

House Concurrent Resolution 3012 was introduced in the State Senate in March of 2021. If passed, this bill would have created the conditions for online poker to become legitimate. However, it was rejected by the Senate on a voice vote. Thus, this only means that online poker and the access or signing up to join clubs such as KKPoker would be punishable by the law in North Dakota.