SugarHouse Casino’s Poker Night In America Poker Room Officially Open
The temporary poker room that opened last year is now closed, and the permanent poker room is now open at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On March 23rd the SugarHouse Casino unveiled its new Poker Night in America branded poker room at an impressive ribbon-cutting ceremony. On hand at the ribbon-cutting were a pair of Philadelphia sports legends — former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil and Philly legend Vince Papale, whose story made him a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and was the basis for the movie Invincible.
“Being the first-ever Poker Night in America Poker Room is a big honor for the SugarHouse team,” said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse Casino. “In addition to continuing our high-caliber tournaments, poker fans will get to see some of the game’s best players here in Philadelphia.”
The official opening of the PNiA poker room got underway with the SugarHouse Poker Night Classic tournament series. The series was the brainchild of Philadelphia poker pro Matt Glantz, who was brought on by PNiA parent company Rush Street Gaming several months ago to oversee the development, programming and promotion of all poker-related operations, and as the producer and event manager for Rush Street Productions (PNiA).
The SugarHouse PNiA Poker Classic created by Glantz features 35 tournaments and runs from March 23 to April 11. The Poker Night in America production team will be on hand to record the Main Event final table on April 11, as well as the PNiA cash game, which will feature a lineup that includes (among others) Glantz, Todd Brunson, Shaun Deeb, and 2015 World Series of Poker Champion and Philadelphia native Joe McKeehen.
The PNiA Poker Room at SugarHouse
The 6,000 square foot area is conveniently located inside SugarHouse, and contains 28 dedicated poker tables. Each table is a state of the art affair, with built in charging stations and neon under -ighting. The room also offers call ahead and mobile app reservation seating, text-to-order food options, and complimentary beverages.
The opening of the permanent poker room (during the construction process SugarHouse had opened a 24-table temporary poker room) puts the final touches on SugarHouse Casino’s $164 million expansion project they began back in 2014.
The PniA poker room at SugarHouse is also the only poker room in Philadelphia, although nearby rooms include Harrah’s and Parx.
The first of many?
SugarHouse may be the first PNiA-branded poker room in the United States, but it will likely won’t be the last.
SugarHouse is just one of four casinos — including Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh — owned by Rush Street Gaming, which also owns Poker Night in America. Rush Street is also a finalist for a casino in Massachusetts, although their project has run into a serious snag.
The Rush Street properties are:
- Rivers Casino, Des Plaines (just outside of Chicago)
- Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh
- SugarHouse Casino, Philadelphia
- Rivers Casino, Schenectady, NY (under construction)
Glantz has already discussed the proposed poker room at the still-under-construction Rush Street New York casino project that will be opening in 2017, the Rivers Casino in Schenectady, New York.
“I’ll be there a lot in the beginning,” Glantz said of the soon to be opened Rivers Casino in Schenectady.
“Before we open the poker room, I’ll make sure everything is exactly what we want. I would expect to be there at least once a month and do everything we can to bring great poker tournaments and the TV show twice a year up there. Then Schenectady will get a chance to see those big-time players.”
Glantz also discussed how he and Rush Street are trying to grow their poker rooms in Pennsylvania, at both SugarHouse and Rivers.
“I’m trying to build poker and make those places as player-friendly and customer-friendly as possible to give them the best experience and a lot of competition,” Glantz told the Daily Gazette a month ago. “I have a following of poker players in the area so I always want to make sure they come to the rooms I’m attached to.”