Encore Boston Harbor has quietly reopened its poker room, marking the first time one of the Northeast U.S.'s largest rooms has spread poker since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The room reopened slightly ahead of schedule after indicating three months ago that it would open at an unspecified date sometime in February 2022.
Monday's reopening at Encore Boston Harbor means both major casino-based poker rooms in Massachusetts are again accepting players, if only on a limited basis. The other prominent Massachusetts poker room, at MGM Springfield, reopened in early November. Both rooms had remained shuttered for an extended period while the remainder of the two casino properties returned to relatively normal operations, following Massachusetts' state officials rescinding early restrictions on occupancy and seating.
Though open, Encore Boston Harbor's poker offerings remain slim for the time being. Pre-pandemic, the busy Boston room offered 74 tables of action, including both cash games and tournaments. Monday's reopening, as previously announced by Encore, included only 12 cash-game tables. Reservations were also being required, with the room running waiting lists for its limited seats.
Until further notice, the hours and days poker will be offered also remain quite limited. The room is open only Monday through Thursday, and only from 10 am to 8 pm. A local update on Boston's WBZ-CBS4 declared that players can reserve seats online. However, an online signup is not evident on the encorebostonharbor.com website, though it might be contained within the casino's downloadable smartphone app.
