Twin River Casino Poker Room Review
Review of Twin River Casino Hotel Reviewed December 24, 2015 poker room is new about 3 weeks old dealers are the slowest ever.floor doesn't know whats going on.sighing in is also behind the times.only good thing are the players poor will chase anything.avoid for now.
- Twin River Casino is adding poker to their selection of table games. According to a news release, 16 poker tables will be built inside the casino’s new poker room and eight traditional games, such as Blackjack, will round out the other additions. Twin River Chairman John Taylor said the gambling expansion will create 120 more jobs.
- Twin River Casino Poker Room Review STJ 4012, Malta and by EveryMatrix N.V., a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Curacao, bearing company registration number 108354 and having its registered address at Dr. Hugenholtzweg Z/N, Curacao.
LINCOLN, R.I. – There’s only one guarantee for your next visit to Twin River casino: You’re going to leave smelling like Twin River casino.
Even after the coronavirus kept its doors closed to the public for 86 consecutive days, that distinct aroma — which kind of smells like a stew of Marlboro cigarettes, well liquor, and the cologne sample from GQ magazine — was still in the air when Twin River in Lincoln welcomed back a select group of its prized players Monday morning.
The look and smell of the casino may be familiar, but it’s hardly business as usual. From temperature checks at the door to social distancing restrictions that leave two or three slot machines between players, the casino is slowly adjusting to the new normal while still trying to entice customers after months with virtually zero revenue coming in — for Twin River, and the state.
This is what it was like to be at Twin River on day one of its reopening.
Not every Joe from Cranston, R.I., was allowed to visit the casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton on Monday. Twin River sent invitations to 4,000 players, and officials expect roughly 1,500 people to visit each day over the next two weeks. Craig Sculos, a vice president and general manager at Twin River, declined to say exactly how the 4,000 people were chosen, but he acknowledged that frequent use of their player rewards cards played a role in the invitations.
As visitors drove into the parking lot shortly before 10 a.m., they were stopped by security and asked to show their invitation. A woman in a Jeep with a Massachusetts license plate was told to leave because she wasn’t invited. Those with a golden ticket (or a reporter’s notebook) were instructed to park in one of three parking lots because the casino is now separated into sections called “north,” “south,” and “west.”
The longest lines were at the north casino, considered by many gamblers to be the main entrance, where about 50 people backed up into the Twin River hotel as they waited to get in.
At each entrance, every player and employee was required to stand in front of a thermal camera (which costs $10,000 to $15,000 each), to have their temperature taken, which is over in less than five seconds. The temperature pops up on a screen, and if you’re over 100.4 degrees, you’re not allowed to enter.
If you do find yourself running hot, Twin River is actually a convenient place to be: CVS Health has a coronavirus rapid testing station set up in the parking lot. (Note: At this point, if you have a temperature but test negative, you can’t just use a doctor’s note to get inside.)
From there, visitors are required to hand over their driver’s license so they can be checked into the casino’s contact tracing system. If a player tests positive for the virus, Twin River will send an e-mail to everyone who was in the casino that day to inform them of the infection.
“It’s no different than going to Whole Foods,” Sculos said, referring to the extra precautions that all businesses are taking in a world of the coronavirus.
Once you’re in, and wearing a mask (the casino will provide one if you don’t have it), you’re free to gamble like its 2019 all over again. Kind of.
There are no table games (no one wants to touch your sticky betting chips), poker games, or off-track betting allowed for the time being. Even sports betting, Rhode Island’s best advantage over the casinos in Connecticut, is out unless you have the Sports Book Rhode Island mobile app.
Before you ask whether there are even sports to bet on right now, you should Google “Russian table tennis.” In April, while the casinos were still closed, the sports book accepted just under $600,000 in wagers, and cleared $27,000 in revenue. More than 65 percent of the bets were for table tennis, and 32 percent were for soccer, according to Paul Grimaldi, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Lottery.
At the casino, the games include slot machines, video table games (you haven’t lived until you watch a Rhode Islander cuss out a scantily-clad digital blackjack dealer), and stadium games, which allow you to play blackjack, roulette, and mini baccarat with dozens of other players while the dealers stand behind tables set up several feet away.
With the exception of a handful of two-seater slot machines located throughout the casino, it’s nearly impossible to avoid social distancing. For every one machine that is running, the two or three next to it are turned off and the chairs have been removed.
Twin River Casino Poker Room Reviews
And you know how casinos are famous for their eyes in the sky, the thousands of cameras placed in almost every section of their facilities? In addition to catching cheaters, they’re now being used to ensure that players are keeping a safe distance from one another, Sculos said.
“Our mantra is, play smart, stay apart,” Sculos said.
If you don’t want to gamble, you probably won’t want to visit Twin River during its first few weeks of reopening. With the exception of the food courts, restaurants are closed. The hotel still isn’t welcoming visitors. And the Julio Iglesias concert that was scheduled for July 3 is already canceled, as are any other events scheduled for the near future.
The good news is that Twin River has never been cleaner. The casino will close at midnight every night for the time being, and undergo a thorough scrubbing. It even has an electric thermal fogger that is supposed to sanitize entire rooms in minutes.
And yet it still smells like Twin River.
Twin River is a fairly small casino located in Lincoln, Rhode Island just outside of Providence. They are somewhat of a hybrid between a resort-casino and a racino, though they do not offer a hotel or any amenities. The venue started out in the 1940’s as “Lincoln Raceway” which strictly offered thoroughbred and greyhound racing. Since that time they have underwent several ownership/management changes, and it wasn’t until 1992 when they expanded their gaming options to feature slot machines. It is worth noting that the age to gamble here, like most Rhode Island casinos, is just 18 years old.
In 2013 Twin River started to expand its gambling options and began offering table games. This was in part due to nearby competition from places like Foxwoods, Mohegan and other resort casinos which opened up in neighboring states like Connecticut. On a side note, and probably irrelevant – but I found it entertaining; Unlike come other casinos which often picture big 6-figure winners, Twin Rivers does a pretty poor job of this, with their biggest winner holding a $2,500 check: http://www.twinriver.com/winner-photos/.
Casino at Twin River Casino
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The casino at Twin River offers both smoke-free and smoking floors, with the 1st floor allowing smoking and the second floor not allowing it. The casino as a whole currently has 108 table games and more than 4,200 virtual games like slots, virtual blackjack, video poker etc. Since they now offer live blackjack, I’m not sure why you would want to play it on a machine, but you do have the option. The slots available here include all the popular games like Buffalo, Quick Hit, Wheel of Fortune, Top Dollar and other casino favorites.
In their smoke-free second floor section, they have about 28 table games and 800 slots. This means that a large majority of the games offered at Twin River are located within the smoking area. The table games offered here include all the usual suspects like blackjack, Baccarat, Pai Gow, Roulette, Let it Ride, Craps, Three Card Poker and the likes.
They also have an all new Poker Room, though I have never been there. The Poker Room apparently has a total of 16 tables which offer a mix of 7-card stud and Texas Hold’Em (both limit and no limit). The last time I visited Twin River was probably in 2014, and from what I remember it was not very impressive. The casino seemed to be pretty depressing overall, and was also very smoky. Their virtual machines do not utilize RNG’s but rather use a video lottery terminal system, which is different from other popular gambling destinations like Vegas or AC.
Racebook at Twin River
The Twin River Casino offers a fairly large racebook which is now smoke-free. They offer free Greyhound and Harness Racing Programs, which can be a plus if you are a racing enthusiast. There are plenty of seats here, as well as a number of televisions with live simulcasts, so you are usually able to find a seat and watch the races you bet on. Though they had offered live greyhound racing for several decades, in the end it became to costly to operate (draining them of over $10 million per year). In 2010 they ceased hosting the live greyhound races, but you are still able to bet on similar races via the racebook which simulcasts events from other tracks. You can also bet on all types of horse races from around the world via the racebook.
Restaurants and Bars at Twin River
Twin River Casino Poker Room Review
One of the benefits of visiting Twin River is it’s large offering of food options. Though not as substantial as some of the larger names in gaming, they do offer a nice selection and also employ two world renowned chefs. Their dining options range from an upscale steakhouse to several food courts as well as a few bars, pubs and lounges. Below is a full list of dining options you have at Twin River.
Restaurant Food
– Fred & Steve’s Steakhouse
– Wicked Good Bar & Grill
Fast Food
– Johnny Rockets
– Dunkin Donuts
– Sbarro
– KFC
– Taco Bell
– Subway
– Haagen-Daza
– Colonel’s Buffet
Bars & Lounges
– Lighthouse Bar
– Shipyard Pub
– Blackstone Cigar Bar
– Rhodehouse Live
As you can see from the list above, Twin River offers more in the way of fast food and national food-chains then they do gourmet or upscale food joints. They do offer one somewhat upscale steakhouse, which I guess is a plus and they have a nice selection of bars. If you have a Twin River Rewards Card, you should be able to use your points at most restaurants.
Twin River Rewards Program
Twin River does offer a player rewards program. The program is pretty standard when compared to others such as the Total Rewards program from Caesars. When you are signed up for the program, you will receive a card, which will allow you to acquire points when playing. Points can be used for free play, buying gifts at their store or for food. They will also mail/email you promotions and free play. The only downside is, the points/card is not applicable to any other casinos, so it must be used at Twin River.
Hotel at Twin River
Like many other racetrack casinos, Twin River does not currently have an on-site hotel or resort. This means if you are visiting you’ll either have to plan a day-trip or choose a hotel that’s nearby. Needless to say, you can’t get comped rooms and all that good stuff, though some local hotel’s will offer exclusive deals if you mention you’re staying at the casino.
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