Does Wind Creek Casino Have Poker

Map-cache creek casino resort 14455 Highway 16, Brooks,California View Cache Creek Casino Resort on Google Map Toll Free: 1-800-992-8686 Cache Creek Casino Resort Tollfree number Getting Here Learn more Contact link. Poker Rooms; Wind Creek; Wind Creek Casino formerly Sands Casino. Facebook; Twitter; 5 4 3 2 1. 77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem, PA 18015 (Directions).

Wind Creek Bethlehem’s $200,000 Poker Tournament, scheduled for March 15 th – 21 st, has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will update you once a new date has been set. Any players registered for the tournament should check-in at Poker Room for more information. With 26 tables, Wind Creek Casino has one of the larger poker rooms in PA. A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open. A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Wetumpka features over 2,500 exciting games in our Vegas-style casino, which delivers the highest payouts in the Southeast. Join us for exciting casino promotions every month that offer chances to win CASH, FREE Play, cars, trips, and more!

Coordinates: 40°36′53″N75°21′33″W / 40.6148°N 75.3591°W

The Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem) is a casino hotel located in the Bethlehem Works development site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is owned and operated by Wind Creek Hospitality, an entity of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

History[edit]

The property is one of five stand-alone casinos that was awarded a slots license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on December 20, 2006.^[1] It was developed by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. The casino was slated to open in July 2008, but demolition took longer than expected due to the heavy concrete foundations of the old steel building. Its opening was delayed until the second quarter of 2009. The first concrete for the complex, which is located on the former Bethlehem Steel land on the south side of the city, was poured on November 15, 2007.

It opened on May 22, 2009. While the Las Vegas Sands owned several properties, this was the only casino in the United States to carry the Sands brand in its name, since the original Sands Hotel in Las Vegas was demolished and replaced with The Venetian, and the Sands Atlantic City was closed and demolished.

In the winter of 2009–2010, the casino was granted a license for table games which allowed the casino to expand to include 180 table games, including poker, blackjack and craps.^[2] Table games began operation on July 18, 2010. The Sands Hotel opened on May 27, 2011.

Following the addition of table games, the casino has become a popular destination for Asian Americans from New York City, who frequently travel to the casino on motorcoach buses operated by Chinatown bus lines. More than 3,000 riders a day traveled by bus to the casino from Asian American neighborhoods in New York City. The casino has the busiest motorcoach business of any casino in Pennsylvania.^[3]

Sands had offered $45 in free play vouchers for slot machines to riders who paid $15 for a bus ticket. This offer led to the creation of an underground market where Asian American bus riders from New York City, often low-income or homeless people, would sell their free play vouchers upon arriving at the casino and would hang around Bethlehem for the day without gambling before returning by bus to New York City. Casino patrons would buy the free play vouchers in bulk at a discount and use them in the video poker machines, which have a lower house advantage, and attempt to make a profit. On March 31, 2014, in an effort to end this practice, the video poker machines at Sands stopped accepting the free play vouchers given to bus riders.^[3]

It was the only property in the company to end 2014 with a profit, doing better than Sands' Vegas and Asia properties.

In November 2016, a planned expansion of the gaming floor, along with, two additional restaurants was announced.

In March 2018, it was announced that the property would be sold to Wind Creek Hospitality for $1.3 billion.^[4][5] Wind Creek Hospitality had plans for a $190-million expansion to the property that would add a 300-room hotel and possibly an indoor water park.^[6] The sale was completed in May 2019,^[7] and the property was renamed as Wind Creek Bethlehem in July 2019.^[8]

On June 10, 2020, Wind Creek Bethlehem was granted approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to offer sports betting. Construction of the sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and located at the site of Buddy V's Ristorante, began around August 18, 2020 and opened on November 18, 2020.^[9][10]

Wind Creek Event Center[edit]

The Wind Creek Event Center was designed by Howard Kulp Architects of Salisbury Township. The event center features 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m²) of flexible multipurpose space, which accommodates meetings, conventions, and a variety of entertainment events.^[11][12] The venue can house 3,800 in a general admission setting and 2,500 in a reserved seating setting.^[13] Operated by Live Nation Mid-Atlantic, it was opened on May 16, 2012 as the Sands Bethlehem Event Center, with a concert by Incubus.^[14]Janet Jackson performed to a sold-out crowd at the venue in November 2017 for her State of the World Tour.^[15]Britney Spears performed at the venue in July 2018 on her Piece of Me tour.^[16]

Facilities[edit]

Gaming[edit]

The casino features over 3,000 slot machines, 200 table games, several electronic table games, and sports betting. Sands spent $26 million in 2009 to add 119 table games: 41 blackjack tables, four craps, four roulette, four three-card poker, fourteen mini-baccarat, four midi-baccarat, three pai gow poker, two pai gow tiles, one Big Six, two Let It Ride, two Caribbean stud, four Texas Hold'em Bonus, one Casino War, one sic bo and 12 poker tables. Later a 30-table poker room was built off of the main floor. Table games began operation on July 18, 2010.^{[citation needed]} The sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and opened on November 18, 2020, has 79 TV screens, 13 self-serve sports betting kiosks, and 8 teller windows. Wind Creek Bethlehem also offers online sports betting.^[9][10]

Dining[edit]

• Burgers and More by Emeril (BAM)
• Carlo's Bake Shop(also known as Carlo's Bakery)
• Chopstick
• Croissanterie
• Steelworks Buffet & Grill
• The Market Gourmet Express Food Court, currently including:
  • Bananas
  • Casa Java
  • Far East
  • GreenLeafs
  • Mo Burger
  • South Philly Steaks & Fries
  • Villa Italian Kitchen

Nightlife[edit]

• Molten
• Coil Lounge
• Vision Bar

Shopping[edit]

The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem is an indoor shopping mall that connects the casino and the hotel.^[17] The outlet center, which opened on November 1, 2011 and is located under the Minsi Trail Bridge, comprises 133,000 sq ft (12,400 m²) of retail space and includes a food court, near the casino entrance.

Events[edit]

Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival[edit]

The hotel hosts the yearly Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival, held at the end of May/early June to benefit the culinary and hospitality program at Northampton Community College.^[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'PA Gaming Control Board Approval'(PDF). PA Gaming Control Board. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
2. ^'PA Gaming Control Board Renews Slots License For Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem - Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board'. gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
3. ^ ^abAssad, Matt (April 12, 2014). 'Sands Casino cracks down on bus riders'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
4. ^Radzievich, Jon Harris, Nicole. 'Sands Bethlehem casino to be sold to Alabama Indian tribe for $1.3 billion'. Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
5. ^'Las Vegas Sands selling Bethlehem casino for $1.3 billion'. lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
6. ^Backover, Justin; Lewis, Will (January 15, 2019). 'Sands Bethlehem expansion plans include 300-room hotel, possible water park'. Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
7. ^Harris, Jon (May 31, 2019). 'The deal is complete: Sands Bethlehem casino is now owned by Wind Creek Hospitality'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
8. ^Gore, Leada (July 16, 2019). 'Sands Casino renamed by Poarch Creek, now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem'. The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
9. ^ ^abHarris, Jon (June 10, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem's sportsbook, to be built in current home of Buddy V's, plans to open in November'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
10. ^ ^abBresswein, Kurt (November 18, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem now open for sports betting in newly renovated space'. LehighValleyLive. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
11. ^'Venue - Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. Sands Bethlehem Event Center. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
12. ^'Sands Event Center to expand, with new balcony, before 2nd anniversary Howard Kulp Architects'. www.hkulparchitects.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
13. ^Moser, John J. (February 12, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center: Here's what it looks like, what's ahead, and why it will succeed'. The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
14. ^Olanoff, Lynn (May 16, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center holds grand opening before Incubus concert'. The Express-Times. Advance Publications. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
15. ^Moser, John (November 10, 2017). 'Janet Jackson seeks respect, wins with hits, at Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. The Morning Call. Retrieved November 13, 2018. But it also wasn’t a surprise when, after all that, Jackson told the sold-out crowd, “Get the point? Good, let’s dance,” and spent most of the rest of the 34-song show doing a litany of hits.
16. ^Moser, John J. (July 18, 2018). 'Britney Spears' Vegas-style show borders on boring at Sands'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
17. ^Darrow, Chuck (November 1, 2011). 'Sands opens shopping mall'. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
18. ^'Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Fesitval'. Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival Website. Retrieved 2017-08-23.

Four live poker rooms are now open in Pennsylvania. The rooms where you can find live poker right now are:

• The Meadows
• Mount Airy Casino
• Mohegan Sun Pocono
• Rivers Casino Pittsburgh

These five live poker rooms are currently closed:

• Parx (opening Dec. 15)
• Hollywood Casino
• Presque Isle Downs
• Wind Creek Casino
• Rivers Casino Philadelphia (reopened but closed again on Nov. 20)

In the New Year, players will also have another live poker option in Philadelphia. Live! Casino and Hotel in Philly will open in early 2021, and a 29-table poker room should open with it, pending COVID-19 restrictions.

We will continue to update casino and poker room closings and reopening plans in this second wave at our live updates page here.

Parx poker room reopening in mid-December

Pennsylvania’s largest poker room announced a date for its long-awaited return. Parx Poker Room will reopen on Dec. 15 at 9.m. with all of its usual games and be open 24 hours. The news came via Parx’s website.

What’s up at Wind Creek’s poker room?

With 26 tables, Wind Creek Casino has one of the larger poker rooms in PA. A representative from Wind Creek told PlayPennsylvania they had no update on when the poker room would open.

A Wind Creek employee provided an update on some of the happenings at Wind Creek including the poker room. Read the full story here.

PA poker rooms opening one by one

Other poker rooms in Pennsylvania could be reopening any day. According to a spokesperson for the PGCB, casinos submit plans and safety protocols for review. Once they receive final approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), they can reopen.

It’s positive news for poker players who have been waiting a long time to get back to live games. Casinos in Pennsylvania started shutting down to slow the spread of coronavirus in mid-March. They did not begin to welcome back guests until June, and poker rooms were not open due to the social nature of the game.

PlayPennsylvania has contacted poker room reps for Hollywood Casino, Wind Creek Casino, and Presque Isle Downs Casino but they had no concrete plans to share.

We will continue to update you here as more rooms open or set a date for reopening.

Live Poker returned to Rivers Philadelphia but closed again

Rivers Casino Philadelphia reopened its poker room on Oct. 23. It did so with approval for up to 14 tables with a capacity of 100 guests. Under normal circumstances, the room has 28 tables and offers a variety of poker games but now the action returned with primarily No Limit Texas Hold’em cash games.

According to a recent press release, in addition to the existing casino-wide safety measures, the following precautions are in effect for the poker room (when it is open):

• Masks must be worn at all times
• Poker dealers will wear both a mask and a face shield
• Each poker table in play will have plexiglass dividers, separating players and the dealer
• A maximum of seven players allowed per table
• Frequent and thorough cleaning of all cards, chips and surfaces
• Only sanitized chips bought from the poker room cage will be used in play
• No food, beverage or smoking is permitted in the poker room or anywhere on the Rivers Casino gaming floor

Peter Longi, assistant general manager at Rivers Casino Philadelphia, commented:

“Poker players are excited to be back at the tables, enjoying the game they love. Our reopening was carefully planned with the safety of our team and guests being the primary concern. We’re eager to welcome back our poker team.”

To assist with social distancing, players are encouraged to call the poker room at 215-717-3883 to put their name on the waiting list when the room reopens. Guests can also check the Bravo Poker Live online or the website’s mobile app for the Rivers Casino poker room up-to-the-minute game status. In addition, players will have a chance to win their share of the $100,000 Bad Beat Jackpot. The minimum qualifying hand is quad 2s.

Rivers had to close its poker room once again along with the rest of the casino until at least Jan. 1, 2021.

Here’s a look at a poker table at Rivers Philadelphia:

Players pine for poker

When the PGCB released its casino reopening protocols in late May, part of them stated that poker rooms were not authorized to operate due to players’ handling of cards and chips. They also said poker room operations would be re-examined based on changes in the CDC’s and PA Department of Health’s guidance.

On June 9, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh was the first to welcome back visitors. When asked when poker rooms would return, PGCB Director of Communication Doug Harbach said poker rooms present a different type of challenge since people are sitting close together in a room. He said at the time:

“The casinos want to walk before they run and make sure they are getting the venue open and then move on to opening up other areas once they know the protocols are working well.”

PokerStars, the state’s lone online poker site, has posted healthy numbers in PA, but players are still pining for in-person play.

Harbach gave this update to PlayPennsylvania in late August about poker rooms in Pennsylvania:

“There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts’ guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely, which would be reviewed by the board on a case-by-case basis.”

Poker is back in New Jersey, too

New Jersey also had a long poker pause. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa reopened its poker room, the largest in the state, on Oct. 21. The room is operating with 30 socially distanced tables. It’s about a third of the room’s 85 tables when operating at full capacity.

The Bellagio in Las Vegas opened its poker room in June. Nevada state guidelines mandated five-handed play in rooms without dividers or plexiglass partitions. However, the Bellagio’s request for six-handed poker games with partitions was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Other poker rooms in Nevada have also reopened with virus protocols in place.

When will poker rooms in Pennsylvania reopen?

Play Pennsylvania will continue to provide updates here as more casinos announce plans and reopen live poker.

Hollywood Casino live poker update

Currently closed.

Information about Hollywood Casino Poker Room:

• 17 tables
• Monday nights, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Wednesdays and Thursdays, $200 high hand, every 30 minutes; Fridays, $500 high hand, every 30 minutes; Sundays, hourly high hand prizes.
• Bad Beat Jackpot
• Weekly Rack Back Bonus

The Meadows live poker update

The Meadows poker room opened on Oct. 23 with daily hours of 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.

Welcome back Poker Players! pic.twitter.com/9X66QuZqXp

— Meadows Casino (@MeadowsCasino) October 23, 2020

Information about The Meadows Poker Room:

• 14 tables
• Live games such as Texas hold’em and Omaha every day
• Progressive bad beat

Mount Airy Casino live poker update

Mount Airy’s poker room reopened on Oct. 16 and is open 24 hours.

Information about Mount Airy Casino Poker Room:

• 12 tables
• Games such as Texas hold’em, Omaha and stud

Mohegan Sun Pocono live poker update

Mohegan Sun Pocono’s poker room reopened on Oct. 16.

Information about Mohegan Sun Pocono Poker Room:

• Eight tables
• Daily tournaments feature no-limit Texas hold’em and Bounty tournaments
• Offering a Bad Beat Jackpot for BOTH cash and tournament play
• Each day, $25 added to the Royal Flush Jackpot for each of the four suites

Parx live poker update

Parx sent out an email in mid-November saying they were finalizing plans but hoped to re-open poker “before the end of December.”

Information about the Parx Casino Poker Room:

• 80 tables — the most in PA
• The room offers a variety of no-limit hold’em games (from $1-$2 up to $10-$25), limit hold’em ($3-6 up to $30-$60), pot-limit Omaha, Omaha eight or better and a variety of mixed and draw games
• Weekly tournaments. Major tournament: Parx Big Stax

Presque Isle Downs live poker update

The poker room is currently closed.

Information about Presque Isle Downs Poker Room:

• Seven tables
• Games like hold’em and Omaha. Also offering multitable and single-table tournaments (sit and go’s)

Rivers Casino Philadelphia live poker update

Rivers Philadelphia reopened poker on Oct. 23. But it is closed once again as of Nov. 20 along with the casino to comply with city orders. It could reopen as soon as Jan. 1.

Cards are in the air! Welcome back players! $200 high hands are on every hour 24/7 all of October! Call 215-717-3883 to reserve your seat. pic.twitter.com/MwcxTABsNM

— Rivers Philadelphia Poker Room (@riverspokerphl) October 23, 2020

Information about Rivers Casino Philadelphia Poker Room:

• 28 tables
• Rivers offers a wide variety of poker games, including, but not limited, to Texas hold’em, Omaha-high, Omaha-hi/lo split eight or better, seven-card stud high, seven-card stud low, seven-card stud hi/lo split and seven-card stud hi/lo split eight or better.
• Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh live poker update

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh opened on Nov. 11. And beginning Nov. 16, Rivers Pittsburgh will operate 24/7, according to their twitter.

We are excited to announce that the Poker Room will be opening on Wednesday, November 11th at 4PM. We can’t wait to welcome you back!

Learn more about what you can expect and current hours: https://t.co/heQ3qJyQbV

Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler pic.twitter.com/FjgJY2cC7v

— Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (@WinBigRivers) November 10, 2020

Information about Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Poker Room:

• 30 tables
• Poker promotions and tournaments listed on site when available

Wind Creek Bethlehem live poker update

Wind Creek Casino Montgomery

Wind Creek poker room remains closed.

Information about Wind Creek Bethlehem Poker Room:

• 26 tables
• Variety of games such as limit and no-limit Texas hold ’em, stud and Omaha. Limits starting at $3 and $6
• Automated shufflers on every poker game
• Bad Beat Jackpot available daily
• Massage service

Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge do not have poker rooms. PlayPennsylvania exclusively reported that Harrah’s Philadelphia closed its WSOP-branded room in August.

More online poker operators coming to PA

Wind Creek Casino Pa

PokerStars arrived in Pennsylvania in November 2019 and has been the state’s only operator for 11 months. Partypoker was rumored to be coming in the early fall, but like most party plans in 2020, it hasn’t happened.

Last week, the PGCB approved Caesars‘ online poker partner 888 Holdings for an interactive gaming manufacturer license. 888 Poker was the No. 1 poker website in the country last year. It has a self-branded poker platform, and its software powers World Series of Poker (WSOP) online and mobile sites.

It seems only a matter of time before both partypoker and WSOP.com make their way to PA.

Health and safety at PA casinos

Here are a few things you should know in case you have not been to a casino since they reopened. Per the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, all casinos in the state must follow the COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols, which detail the minimum safety and health-related requirements that are mandatory before reopening.

Casinos may also choose to have additional measures, such as temperature checks at the entrance.

Key points to remember are:

• Casinos can reopen at 50% capacity. (Rivers Casino Philadelphia is open at 25%.)
• Employees and guests must wear masks.
• There must be markings on the floor to promote social distancing.
• Enhanced cleaning is required throughout the facility.

In addition, there is a current pause on smoking at casinos, no drink service on the gaming floor and no sitting at the bar.

Wind Creek Casino Bethlehem

Be sure to check back often as we continue to post updates on PA poker room reopenings here.

Does Wind Creek Casino Have Poker Tournaments

Lead image of Meadows poker room via AP Photo/Keith Srakocic.