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A chicken that plays Tic Tac Toe, car giveaways, and lucrative poker tournaments are on the table this month as casinos shower players with offers.
On April 15, the Sands aims to take minds off income taxes with prizes of up to $1,500 in slot free play. Mount Airy offers the chance to challenge a live chicken at tic tac toe. The Heartland Poker Tour stops at the Meadows, and SugarHouse’s Big Rush tournament guarantees a $100,000 prize pool.
Here’s a look at some of Pennsylvania’s best casino promotions and attractions for April:
Hollywood at Penn National
777 Hollywood Blvd.
Grantville, PA 17028
(717) 469-2211
Back in Blackjack
From 1 to 7 p.m. April 6, five players will be selected every 20 minutes to play “Back in Blackjack.” Players who win the hand get $200 cash. Those who lose get a $50 dining credit. Bonus prizes will be awarded for a player or dealer blackjack. To be eligible for the drawings, players must have an open table rating or have a Marquee Rewards card inserted in a slot machine.
Break the Bank
Marquee Rewards members have a chance to win slot free play or a top prize of $100,000 cash by trying to unlock a “vault.” Each day in April, Hollywood Casino players can swipe their card at a kiosk for a chance to break the bank by entering the correct vault combination. Earning 100 tier points gives a second chance to play that day. Incorrect combinations win slot free play or tickets to weekly drawings for free play.
There will be drawings every 15 minutes from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 10, 17, 24, and May 1 will each award 10 prizes of $100 in free play.
Lady Luck Nemacolin
4067 National Pike
Farmington, PA, 15437
(724) 329-7500
($10 resort purchase required to enter casino)
10X reward points
Lady Luck Nemacolin Fan Club members will get 10X points for play from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 5 and 12. Players must register at the club booth before playing. Reward points are capped at 25,000 per day.
Eggstravaganza drawing
A top prize of $1,000 cash will be offered in hourly drawings from 3 to 5 p.m. each Sunday in April. Fan Club members get one free entry for each day they play at Lady Luck plus one extra entry for every 100 tier points earned playing slots or every five minutes played at table games. Five non-guaranteed winners will be selected at each drawing to pick from hidden prizes of slot free play or cash.
Meadows
210 Racetrack Road
Washington, PA 15301
724-503-1200
Heartland Poker Tour
The Heartland Poker Tourreturns to the Meadows with 11 events from April 4 to 15. The opening event carries a $350 buy-in and guarantees a $100,000 prize pool, with the winner receiving a Heartland belt.
The Main Event has a buy-in of $1,100 with a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000. Satellite tournaments offering seats in the opener will be played April 4 to 6. satellites to the Main Event will be April 6 and April 10 to 13. Other events include:
Casino Poker Free
- Seniors (age 50-plus) No-Limit Hold’em tournament, with a $200 buy-in
- Two tournaments with $50 bounties and one with $100 bounties
- A seven-game mixed tournament with eight-handed tables and a $200 buy-in
- Short-deck No-Limit Hold’em, a game in which deuces through fives have been removed from the deck
Kentucky Derby Mustang drawing
Meadows players start earning entries on April 11 for giveaways of slot free play, table game match play, and a top prize of a 2019 Ford Mustang. Players get one entry for every 10 tier points earned between 6 a.m. April 11 and 11 p.m. May 4.
On April 13, 20, and 27 and May 4, hourly drawings from 8 to 10 p.m. will award 25 prizes of $100 in match play or match play. An 11 p.m. drawing will award five prizes of $500 in slot play or match play.
The car will be given away at 11:15 p.m. May 4. Winners must be present to claim their prizes.
Mohegan Sun Pocono
1280 Highway 315
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
(888) 946-4672
Free lottery tickets
Momentum Club members can get a free Pennsylvania Lottery ticket by showing up at Mohegan Sun between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. April 7. Members at the Core, Ignite, and Leap levels get their tickets at the Sky Bridge. Those at Soar and Ascend levels go to the Promotions Booth. One ticket per person while supplies last. Value of ticket varies by tier level:
- Soar: $20
- Ascend: $10
- Leap: $5
- Ignite: $3
- Core: $2
Beanbag blitz
Momentum Club members could win slot free play and toss a beanbag for a shot at winning up to $5,000 cash. Every 30 minutes from noon to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. April 28, three active slot or table game players will be chosen to receive free play and show their skill at tossing a beanbag. Any player who can toss all four beanbags in the hole will win $5,000.
Momentum giveaway
All Momentum Club members are eligible for drawings awarding prizes of free slot play every 15 minutes from 2 to 9 p.m. April 26. To participate, print your entry at a casino kiosk and put it in the appropriate barrel on the Sky Bridge. Prizes vary by tier level and drawing time. For drawings from 2 to 8 p.m.:
- Core: $100 in slot free play
- Ignite: $200 in free play
- Leap: $300 in free play
- Ascend: $500 in free play
- Soar: $1,000 in free play
Prizes increase for drawings at 8:15, 8:30, 8:45, and 9 p.m.:
- Core: $200 in free play and $200 cash
- Ignite: $300 in free play and $300 cash
- Leap: $500 in free play and $500 cash
- Ascend: $750 in free play and $750 cash
- Soar: $1,500 in free play and $1,500 cash
Mount Airy Casino Resort
312 Woodland Rd.
Mount Pocono, PA 18344
(877) 682-4791
Chick Tac Toe
Match wits with a live chicken at Tic Tac Toe every Wednesday in April from noon to 8 p.m at Mount Airy Casino.
Players who earn 250 points are eligible for the game and a prize of up to $250 slot free play. If the chicken lays an egg, the first 10 people in line each get $10 in free play.
Lucky number drawing
Somebody else’s luck could be yours as well. From 2 to 9 p.m. April 11, one person will be chosen every hour to win $250 in slot free play. The winner then spins a wheel to pick a lucky digit. Anyone whose Instant Rewards number ends with that digit gets $10 in free play. Players earn one drawing entry for every 777 points.
Parx
2999 Street Road
Bensalem, PA 19020
(888) 588-7279
Wheel of Fortune slot tournament
A Wheel of Fortune slot tournament is open to anyone at Parx who earns 80 entries between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 14. Each player who registers gets $20 in slot free play. The tournament is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 14 at the Xcite Center, with participation capped at 888 players. Prizes are:
- First place: $7,500 in slot free play
- Second: $5,000 in free play
- Third: $2,500 in free play
- Fourth through 10th: $1,000 in free play
Players earn one entry for every $20 played on slots or every $60 on video poker. The use of free play or Xtra play does not count toward entry earnings. The $20 in free play awarded to each contestant is valid until 5:59 a.m. April 15. The free play for the top 10 finishers is valid for 90 days.
Philly Pops Big Band
The 18-member Philly Pops Big Band will put swing in the air at 8 p.m. April 25 with a mix of music by:
- Frank Sinatra
- Harry Connick Jr
- The Beatles
- Prince
- Bruce Springsteen
Matt Gallagher, principal trumpet for Philly Pops, leads the band. He has performed with Broadway shows, the Boston Symphony, and Aretha Franklin. Doors to the Xcite Center concert open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $40.
Presque Isle Downs
8199 Perry Highway
Erie, PA 16509
(866) 374-3386
Rollover riches
Each day from April 15 to 30, drawings will offer a cash prize of at least $1,000 and five prizes of $50 in slot free play. Winners must be present at Presque Isle Downs to receive the prizes, and unclaimed cash prizes will roll over to the next day. Drawings will be at a random time between 4 and 8 p.m. Players can get one entry every day starting April 15 by earning 500 points through slot play or by playing one hour at table games. In the finale at 8 p.m. April 30, drawings will continue until the rollover jackpot is awarded.
Minute Madness
A prize of $100 in slot free play will be awarded every minute for 100 minutes starting at 8 p.m. each Friday in April. Players Club members must activate their entries at a casino kiosk starting at 5 p.m. Players may win only once per night and must be present to claim the prize.
Rivers
How To Play Casino Poker
777 Casino Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(877) 558-0777
Mini-Bac tournaments
Rivers is hosting weekly mini-baccarat tournaments with a buy-in of $50 offer cash prizes to the final 15 players, with the first-place finisher getting $2,000. Tournaments will be every Monday in April, with registration from 7 to 9 p.m. and play starting at 8 p.m.
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler, a group that has blended elements of soul, blues and Southern rock for more than 30 years, will perform at 8 p.m. April 27 at Rivers’ Event Center. The group, fronted by singer and harmonica player John Popper, is known for its improvisational shows and its encouragement of fans to record concerts. Blues Traveler’s latest album, Hurry Up and Hang Around, was released in October 2018. Concerts tickets are $25 to $35. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Sands
77 Sands Blvd.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
(877) 726-3777
Mega Monday
Tax Day could bring free play for lucky MySands members. Hourly drawings from 1 to 7 p.m. April 15 will award five prizes of $250 in slot free play, with the prizes increasing to $1,500 each for the 8 p.m. drawing. The first entry is free, with additional entries based on slot play from 6 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. April 15.
Acura Sweepstakes
Sands Bethlehem is giving away a top prize of a 2019 Acura MDX and four prizes of $1,000 in a drawing at 7 p.m. April 28. The first entry is free, with additional entries based on rated slot play from 6 a.m. April 1 through 6:45 p.m. April 28.
MySands members get 25X entries for play on Tuesday and on April 26 and 27. Members get 10X entries for play on every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday through April 21.
A second-chance drawing at 9 p.m. April 28 will award five prizes of $1,000 in slot free play.
SugarHouse
1001 N. Delaware Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(877) 477-3715
Big Rush poker tournament
A two-day No-Limit Hold’em tournament with a $300 buy-in and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 will start April 10 at the SugarHouse poker room.
There will be two starting flights each day on April 10, 11, 12, and 13, with late entry and unlimited re-entry available through the first nine levels. Starting stack is $25,000 in tournament chips. Levels last 30 minutes on Day 1 and 45 minutes on Day 2, which will be on April 14.
Valley Forge Casino
1160 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 354-8118
7th anniversary hot seat
Valley Forge marks the seventh anniversary of its opening with hot-seat drawings awarding seven prizes of $1,000 cash on each Monday in April. Drawings, which are open to all Valley Club members playing a slot machine, will be from 1 to 7 p.m.
Honda Insight giveaway
Players start earning entries April 1 for a drawing with a top prize of a 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid. The first entry is free. Valley Club members also get five entries for every point earned from 6 a.m. April 1 through 8 p.m. April 27, with 10X entries for play on Mondays (20X entries for Elite members).
The drawing at 9 p.m. April 27 will pick five finalists, each getting a $1,000 Sunoco gift card. One of the five also wins the car. Winners must be present to claim their prizes
The number of poker games is countless. In this article, we discuss a few variations called draw poker. These games allow the player to trade in cards in the hopes of receiving better ones. They may be hard to find in poker rooms, and if you do find one, it may be offered at only one table. However, they're still fun, and represent a different kind of challenge. Try one of these games at your next poker party.
Five-Card Draw
Five-card draw is the first poker game that many people learned. Players usually post an ante, receive five cards, and have a round of betting starting to the left of the dealer. Then each player may trade in cards for new ones to improve their hand. This is followed by a second round of betting. It is rarely played in casinos or poker rooms, and it is not played as often as it used to be in home games. For many poker players, its biggest drawback is that it has only two betting rounds.
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Lowball
Lowball is a form of draw poker played for the lowest hand. Most Lowball games have a blind structure somewhat like Hold'em while others have an ante. When played with limits (like 5/10), the bet doubles after the draw. Each player receives five cards face down, and play on the first round starts to the left of the big blind with blinds or left of the dealer with antes.
With blinds, each player must call the big blind (some games require the minimum opening bet to be double the big blind), raise, call a raise, reraise, or fold. With antes, each player may check, bet, call the bet, raise, or fold. After this first round of betting, remaining players may trade any number of their cards for new ones (some games limit the number of cards players can draw). The final round of betting starts after the draw with the player to the left of the dealer. There are many different and unique rules that some card rooms use and others do not. It is advisable to read the posted rules and/or ask a floor person for them before entering a Lowball game.
Ace-to-five lowball: A-2-3-4-5 is the best hand in Ace-to-Five Lowball. Flushes and straights do not count against you. Many Ace-to-Five Lowball games are played with a joker, which is used as the lowest possible card. The joker, however, cannot match any card in your hand.
Deuce-to-seven lowball: The best hand in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball is 2-3-4-5-7--not all of the same suit. Flushes and straights count against you. The name deuce is what many players call a two. An ace is considered only as a high card and cannot be used as a low card.
When you want a break from hold'em and stud poker, it's always nice to come back to draw poker. The chance to trade up for better cards has timeless appeal.
For more information about draw poker and other variations, try the following links:
- To see all of our articles on poker rules and advice, go to our main article on How To Play Poker.
- Five-card draw is the game most often found on video poker machines. Learn to play the digital version by reading How to Play Video Poker.
- Should you find a draw poker table in a gaming establishment, you'll want to remember How to Play Poker in a Casino.
- No matter the game, how you bet can say a lot about your hand. These Poker Betting Tips will help you to spend your money wisely.