Connecticut Poker Tournaments

Important CT Notes

• Mohegan Sun Connecticut Poker Tournaments
• Connecticut Poker Tournaments Foxwoods
• Connecticut Poker Tournaments

Although the state of Connecticut only offers two poker rooms, they still have a massive poker scene with thousands of players taking to the felt each week. This is because one of these rooms is in the huge Foxwoods Casino, which is known worldwide for its huge poker tournaments and a room that boasts just fewer than 150 tables. Connecticut casinos and gambling information including poker tournaments, slots info, pari-mutuel (dogs & horses), texas hold'em, and more. Find contact information and view pictures of casinos in Connecticut.

• Players from CT can legally play at offshore poker websites
• Need for state revenue may help push online poker
• Live poker is popular in Connecticut
• Legal gambling includes lotteries, horse racing, tribal casinos
• State compact necessary with population at 3.6 million

“Reviewed by Chuck Humphrey – 50 year Gaming Law Practitioner”

The Department of Consumer Protection[A] of Connecticut clarifies that the state does not authorize, license, permit or regulate in any manner any online gambling in any form, including online poker. Playing poker from within Connecticut at a website regulated outside of the United States is legal. Online gambling has not been legalized by the state to operate such business as of now.

Future Outlook of Online Poker in Connecticut – Estimated date of legalization: 2020-2021

The following graph tracks our expected legislation of online poker in Connecticut on a state law level. It is currently already legal on a Federal level. This graph monitors the current rise or fall of expected legalization.

Recent Activity
There are no bills pending in the Connecticut legislature that seek to legalize and regulate online gambling in any form. However, a November 2012 report in The Hartford Courant[B] indicated that some legislators should re-examine the matter. State Representative Stephen Dargan, co-chairman of the legislative public safety committee that oversees legalized gambling, pointed out that revenue from licensed casinos had been dwindling since 2007 and Connecticut needs to look at online gambling but no action materialized. It seems likely that legal online poker will come to Connecticut through a federal law or compact with other states. Any online gambling within the state would have to address the concerns of the Indian tribes that are already operating land casinos.

Illegal and unregulated online gambling is available in Connecticut as it is in other states of America. This was pointed out by Charles Bunnell, the Mohegans chief of staff for external and governmental affairs, to the General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee according to a report in CBS New York[C].

Current Gambling Laws in Connecticut

Gambling is covered in the Connecticut General Statutes in Title 53 (Crimes) Chapter 946 Offenses Against Public Policy[D]. Section 53-278a[E] contains the definitions. Clause (2) of this section states:

“Gambling means risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance or the operation of a gambling device, including the playing of a casino gambling game such as blackjack, poker, craps, roulette or a slot machine, but does not include: Legal contests of skill, speed, strength or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries; legal business transactions which are valid under the law of contracts; activity legal under the provisions of sections 7-169 to 7-186, inclusive; any lottery or contest conducted by or under the authority of any state of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any possession or territory of the United States; and other acts or transactions expressly authorized by law on or after October 1, 1973.” Clause (3) defines “professional gambling” as accepting or offering to accept gambling wagers.

Section 53-278b defines the criminality of gambling offenses. Clause (a) states that any person who engages in gambling, or solicits or induces another to engage in gambling, or is present when another person or persons are engaged in gambling, shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor. Clause (b) states that any person who engages in professional gambling shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. The punishments are specified elsewhere in the statutes.

Other sections of the Connecticut General Statutes deal with other specific forms of gambling.

History of Gambling in Connecticut

Land Based Poker in Connecticut

Connecticut General Statutes allow home poker as social gambling by providing an exclusion in Section 53-278b that states “… provided natural persons shall be exempt from prosecution and punishment under this subsection for any game, wager or transaction which is incidental to a bona fide social relationship, is participated in by natural persons only and in which no person is participating, directly or indirectly, in professional gambling.” Two issues are important here. No player or organizer of such poker games must profit in any way for hosting the game. The players must have something in common outside of the home poker game. However, “a bona fide social relationship” has not been defined in the statutes, not been clarified by any enforcement agency and not been tested in Connecticut courts.

Connecticut General Statutes permit limited forms of gambling for charity, but those do not include poker tournaments.

Live poker is allowed only at the two Indian casinos, apart from home games defined above. The Division of Special Revenue has expressly clarified through a press release[F] in 2004 that it is illegal for private clubs, bars and such organizations to host poker games under Connecticut laws, especially because poker playing under these circumstances violates state-tribal agreements that give the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans exclusive rights to conduct casino gambling, including poker, in return for a percentage of their slot revenue.

Gambling Laws in Connecticut

No forms of online gambling are presently allowed in Connecticut. Traditional forms of gambling such as off track betting, reservation casinos, state lottery and charity bingo are permitted. Presently the regulation of gambling in Connecticut has been consolidated under the Department of Consumer Protection, Gaming Division.

Connecticut allows casino style gambling only on Indian reservations. The two reservation casinos in Connecticut, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, are among the largest casinos in the world. Foxwoods, located in Mashantucket, opened in 1986 as a bingo hall, which is now the world’s largest. In 1992, table games were added. In 1993, slots and video poker were added. Foxwoods offers a 100 table poker room, thousands of slots, as well as 350 tables for casino games like Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Craps, Paigow Poker, Roulette, Sic Bo and others.

There is also a large race book offered. Mohegan Sun is located in Uncasville. It is not as large as Foxwoods and offers only 40 poker tables. The table games have the same range as Foxwoods. Both casinos pay the State of Connecticut 25% of the casino’s slot win. The detailed terms and conditions of the tribal compacts with the state are available on the Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division website.

Pari-mutuel wagering is permitted in the state by the Connecticut General Statutes in Title 12 (Taxation) Chapter 226 Gaming Policy, Regulation and Revenue. The detailed regulations formulated by the Division of Special Revenue are available here[G].

Though wagering is allowed on horse and greyhound racing and jai alai games, these activities are not conducted within Connecticut. Horse racing was never started and greyhound racing and jai alai have been discontinued. However, Connecticut residents can wager through the more than a dozen off track betting parlors within the state. Some of these parlors are dedicated solely to betting, while others offer to their patrons services like sports bars and restaurants. Wagering on telephone is also accepted at these off track betting centers.

Lottery is covered by the Connecticut General Statutes in Title 12 (Taxation) Chapter 229a Connecticut Lottery Corporation. From 1996 the state lottery is operated by the Connecticut Lottery Corporation[H] under the oversight of the Division of Special Revenue. The lottery offers lotto drawings and scratch off tickets. It also participates in multi-state lotto drawings including Powerball and Mega Millions.

Charitable gambling is covered by the Connecticut General Statutes in Title 7 (Municipalities) Chapter 98 Municipal Powers. The forms of charitable gambling allowed are bingo, sealed tickets, bazaars and raffles. Commercial bingo is only allowed on the Indian reservations. Section 7-170 defines bazaar as disposal of merchandise awards by means of chance. Bingo is the dominant form of charitable gambling in Connecticut.

The detailed regulations for operation of bingo charities have been formulated by the Division of Special Revenue. Similar regulations have been prescribed for other charitable gambling products. The Charitable Games unit of the Department of Consumer Protection regulates and monitors this activity. The Commissioner of Consumer Protection is the permit issuing authority for the bingo and sealed ticket activities, and the chiefs of police and first selectmen of small towns are the permit issuing authorities for bazaar and raffle activities.

Author:Joseph Falchetti (twitter)
(C) Copyright PokerWebsites.com, 2018

References and Citations

Although the state of Connecticut only offers two poker rooms, they still
have a massive poker scene with thousands of players taking to the felt each
week. This is because one of these rooms is in the huge Foxwoods Casino, which
is known worldwide for its huge poker tournaments and a room that boasts just
fewer than 150 tables.

The lesser known Mohegan Sun poker room also offers 42 poker tables and has
an excellent reputation for taking care of regular players and welcoming new
players.

Mohegan Sun Connecticut Poker Tournaments

These two poker rooms are in casinos located on native Indian reservations.
While some forms of gambling are permitted elsewhere in the state, including
horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai, and lottery, you won’t find casinos on
state land with only these reservations being entitled to run game of chance
tables and machines.

While Texas holdem poker doesn’t really fall into this category, at least not
for the poker purists, it does mean the state has two great rooms which attract
players from across the country and around the world.

While the game of choice in Connecticut is no limit Texas holdem, there’s a
thriving stud and mixed game scene running as well, so you won’t be short on
choice if you want to change it up every now and then.

Limit holdem is also regularly available in both poker rooms which is a great
game for those who can’t stand the variance in the no limit game. You’ll find
plenty of tournament action with both rooms offering at least one event a day,
with up to four or five on weekends. This is great for the amateur player and
will ensure that new players are joining these poker rooms all the time.

Comps are also offered in the two poker rooms and you’ll get free alcoholic
drinks while you play like you would in Las Vegas. This is great for those that
enjoy a beer while they play poker and for the serious players, as many amateurs
will partake in some drinking which results in looser action on the tables. It’s
a win win situation for everyone.

The poker scene is alive and well in this state and won’t be going anywhere
soon. Although the fall of online poker has impacted every single live poker
room in the country, these two rooms are still doing well and attracting many
players. Massachusetts has recently allowed a few casinos to open to compete
with the Connecticut casinos and to ensure not too much tax revenue is being
lost, but this hasn’t impact these two poker arenas too much.

If you haven’t played poker at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun before, it’s well
worth a visit if you’re in the area, or even if you live on the east coast.
These poker rooms really are a lot of fun and offer great value for solid
players.

List of Texas Holdem Poker Rooms in Connecticut

Foxwoods Casino

• Location: Mashantucket, Connecticut
• Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
• Tables: 147
• Games: If you are looking for tournament play you will find a huge number of
  events at Foxwoods, ranging from standard weekly tournaments up to a World Poker
  Tour festival and World Series of Poker circuit event. Most days of the week
  you’ll find up to four tournaments with the game being no limit hold’em and the
  buy in ranging from $60 up to $400. During special events, you’ll find deep
  stack tournaments and other poker variants being played including pot limit
  Omaha, razz, stud and 2-7 draw games. Cash players will be in absolute paradise
  here with a huge number of games being offered. You’ll find $1 / $2, $2 / $5, $5
  / $10 and $10 / $25 no limit Texas holdem, $1 / $2 pot limit Omaha high, $1 / $2
  pot limit Omaha 8 or better, $2 / $4, $4 / $8, $5 / $10, $10 / $20, $20 / $40
  and $40 / $80 limit holdem, $1 / $3, $1 / $5 $5 / $10, $10 / $20, $20 / $40 and
  $75 / $150 stud, $5 / $10 limit Omaha 8 or better and $10 / $20, $75 / $150 and
  $150 / $300 mixed games.
• Ambience: This poker room is a nice mix of modern decor and poker basics
  which makes for an excellent playing environment. You will immediately notice
  the blue waves on the high ceilings when you enter this non-smoking poker room,
  this is complimented by basic green felt tables with comfortable fabric chairs
  which are perfect for a long session. Flat screen TVs are strategically
  positioned around the room so you can stay up to date with the latest sports
  scores while you play. This area is mostly dedicated to cash games with another
  section opening upstairs when larger tournament fields are expected. Overall you
  won’t find a much better place to play poker, with Foxwoods being up there with
  some of the best in Las Vegas.
• Hospitality: Comps can be earned while you play here at a rate of 1 to 2
  points per hour depending on the game and stakes you are playing. These points
  are collected through the Foxwoods Rewards program and points can be exchanged
  for dollar value at a rate of 2 points to $1. If you play for 75 days and 500
  hours you can get a Poker Black Card which earns you comps at double the
  standard rate. While playing here you will be served cocktails at the table
  including free alcohol for players, and they also run a series of promotions and
  jackpots to keep you coming back. This includes a hold’em and stud bad beat
  progressive jackpot. On top of this they also offer high hand prizes during
  certain times of the week. Be sure to ask the poker room manager upon arrival
  what bonuses are currently in play.
• Players: This huge poker room attracts pretty much every type of poker player
  you will ever come across. A huge professional pool frequents the tables here
  during the week with more amateurs and weaker play gracing the table during the
  busier hours in the evenings and on weekends. This room is also home to a large
  stud cash game scene which is quite strong, so if you don’t play stud that well
  then you should hone your skills elsewhere before taking to the felt here. If
  hold’em is your game, then you’ll be spoilt for choice with a lot of tables
  always running with both high and low stakes of no limit and limit varieties.
  Staff, dealers and management go out of their way to make you feel welcome in
  this room and they truly try to make the place the ideal spot to play poker.
  Many players consider this to be the best option on the east coast, with the
  large tournaments being your best option to find a large edge.

Connecticut Poker Tournaments Foxwoods

Mohegan Sun

• Location: Uncasville, Connecticut
• Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
• Tables: 42
• Games: If you are looking for a tournament you will find at least one each
  day in the Mohegan Sun poker room. The game is usually no limit hold’em with
  the buy in ranging from $75 up to $150. Cash players will find $1 / $1, $1 / $2,
  $2 / $5 and $5 / $10 no limit Texas holdem, $2 / $4 limit Texas holdem and $1 /
  $5 stud tables running most days of the week.
• Ambience: This no smoking poker room is open and spacious with blue felt
  tables against a golden decor. The room is well lit and the chairs are
  comfortable for long sessions. TVs hand from the ceiling to keep you entertained
  between hands and so you know what the average stack is in the tournament
  anytime that you need to. The room isn’t too cluttered, except for one or two
  exceptions, so you won’t be backing on to someone else whenever you try to stand
  up from the table.
• Hospitality: Comps can be earned while you play cash at a rate of $1 per hour
  for the smaller stakes games. If you play at higher stakes you can earn more.
  One cool part of the rewards program is that you can use earned comp dollars to
  enter tournaments. They also run a high hand jackpot and a range of other
  promotions to keep you coming back for more. You will also receive cocktail and
  food service at the table while you play so you need never miss a hand.
• Players: You’ll come across a good mix of players in this room with lots of
  regulars and amateurs battling it out on the felt. If you are a frequent player
  you will be looked after, but the room also strongly caters to amateur and new
  players so you will always be welcomed here. The overall vibe in the room is fun
  and relaxing with no one taking it too seriously, which is always a good thing
  in a poker room. Although Foxwoods has often taken the title as the best poker
  room in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is fast catching up because of how they service
  players.

Conclusion

Connecticut Poker Tournaments

Home to one of the largest poker rooms in the US at Foxwoods, Connecticut is
a good state for Texas holdem players. Even the other poker room at Mohegan Sun
is larger than most rooms in other states. Even if you don’t live in Connecticut
it’s worth the trip to visit if you’re a serious Texas holdem player.