Midwest poker spotlight: New room opens for business in Chicago area

The American Place Casino cut the ribbon on its new Harbor Poker Room last week, adding another option to the growing poker scene for players in the Chicagoland area. 

The room, which features six tables next to the Circa Sportsbook in the casino's temporary complex at Fountain Square in Waukegan, Illinois, near the Illinois/Wisconsin border. It adds to a growing list of poker offerings in the area, which already includes rooms at Hard Rock Rockford, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Grand Victoria in Elgin, Rivers Casino Des Plaines, Horseshoe Hammond, and Potowatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Customer demand pushed American Place to open the poker room earlier than expected. “The Harbor Poker Room represents another step in delivering what our guests have been asking for,” said Jeff Babinski, Vice President and General Manager of American Place Casino. “Poker has been one of the most requested offerings since we opened, and we are thrilled to bring this experience to Waukegan now rather than waiting for the permanent casino.”

The new poker room will be situated near the Circa Sportsbook in the casino's temporary complex.

Regular games

The room will operate from 9 am to 2 am daily, with four different regular games that will run based on demand. Additional variations may be available on request. 

• $1/3 NLH ($100-$300 buy-in)
• $2/5 NLH ($300-$1,000 buy-in)
• $4/8 LHE ($40 minimum buy-in)
• $1/2 PLO ($100-$500 buy-in)

Andy Haugh will run the operation, jumping over from his experience at other rooms in the area. “The support from throughout our organization to bring this room to life has been incredible," Haugh said in a press release. "The dedication to providing our guests with what they've been asking for makes us all excited about the future and growth of poker at American Place Casino."

Eleven new team employees were hired specifically for poker with plans to add more, including existing dealers who will be trained on poker. 

Permanent casino in the cards

The Harbor Poker Room currently uses space in the corner of American Place's large temporary structure, which opened in 2023, with construction on a $375 million casino expected to be completed in 2027. It will house a boutique hotel, a 1,500-seat entertainment venue, and several restaurants. No official word has been given about the future of the poker room in the permanent casino, or its size, but it should draw enough demand from throughout the Chicagoland area and Southeastern Wisconsin to become a permanent fixture on the Chicago poker scene. 

Chicago area poker rooms

^{Images courtesy of American Place Casino.}