Rivers Casino Philadelphia formerly SugarHouse Casino

The new Sugarhouse Poker Room is better than expected in several ways. Although a temporary structure (the real room will be part of the casino expansion now underway), this is a surprisingly pleasant and well-appointed space. The tables are amoung the more elegant on the east coast (although not quite to the standard of the wonderful tables at the Aria in LV) with charging stations for smart phones and a nice playing surface. The dealers and floor-people are heavily weighted to local pros familiar from other rooms now faded with a mix of new, less experienced and awkward dealers thrown in. The crowd is very much the same crew that moved from AC to Parx and Chester and now to the more convenient Sugar House. That said, there have been an encouraging number of maniacs and ilregulars on recent visits, and it may be that the room's proximity to Center City will draw in a new, fishier player pool as well as visiting conventioneers and tourists out for a good time. It has to be noted that restrooms are in the building next door, so taking a break in bad weather is not going to be fun, but waitress service seems good, booze flows copiously and for free at stakes over 1-3 NL and there is a dedicated corp of 2-5 players banging away every night. Personally, it's compelling that what used to be a sixty minute drive and then became a 25 minute drive is now only 15 minutes away, so I am hooked. Free valet parking too.