The City of Brotherly Love will soon have another major attraction. After years of delays, Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia is being built and the owners, The Cordish Companies, expect the project to be completed sometime in 2020. The state-of-the-art facility will boast more than 1.5 million square feet of hotel, gaming, dining, retail, and entertainment space. The hotel will be a 12-story building with over 200 rooms while the casino floor will feature 2,200 slots and electronic games and over 150 gaming tables. The site will also boast a poker room and current sportsbook.
The addition of Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will serve to further the transformation of the Philadelphia Stadium District into the sports, entertainment, and casino destination that planners are striving to achieve. The site is adjacent to Xfinity Live which was conceived and owned by The Cordish Companies and Comcast Spectacor. The revitalized district will be the only one to incorporate major professional sports action, first-rate dining and entertainment, and world-class casino gaming and hotel accommodations.
Visitors will be able to go to Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, or Philadelphia Flyers game and then enjoy a formal or casual meal, see some of the hottest entertainers, and soak in the most exciting nightlife in the state. All of this in a single centralized location. Of course, Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will have the most up-to-date casino in Pennsylvania which will itself attract a wide range of visitors. The area already brings in around 8.5 million visitors each year.
Whether or not Live! Hotel and Casino will apply for a Pennsylvania online gambling license is still not known but with the entry barrier of a $10 million license fee and high tax rates in the Keystone state we can only wait and see what the The Cordish Companies decide as next steps for this new casino venue.
Gambling at Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia
Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will surely be busy with so many gambling options and amenities being offered. Here’s a preview of what casino enthusiasts can anticipate finding on the 100,000 square foot gaming floor.
Slots and Video Poker 🎰
Slot machines are the main attraction at casinos all over the world. People like playing them because most games require minimal skill or none at all. Most slot games, especially the classic three-reel machines, only involve placing your bet and hitting the Spin button. It’s the same with the new generation of multi-reel and multi-payline slot games. Only a small percentage of modern slot games require a modicum of skill.
One of the greatest things about the new wave of video slots is that they are far more entertaining. There are loads of games that feature interesting storylines, mini-games within the games, bonuses, and stunning animations and sounds. Instead of being hypnotized by the perpetual spinning of the reels and repetitive sounds, players are immersed in intriguing narratives that give them a sense of adventure.
The slots at Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will be suitable for almost any budget. Expect a variety of penny and nickel slots as well as slots that cater to those with fatter wallets and bigger betting appetites. There will also likely be VIP slot areas where high rollers can play for high stakes while enjoying VIP treatment. The slots will feature a wide range of themes too. Ancient Egyptian themes are among the most popular.
Cleopatra, Crown of Egypt, and Medusa attract plenty of fortune hunters. 88 Fortunes, Lucky Dragon, and Spring Festival are just a few of the many Asian-themed slots while Jumanji, Silent Movie, and Casino Royale are some of the titles that appeal to film buffs. Do you like television game shows? Try your luck at The $100,000 Pyramid or one of the Wheel of Fortune slots. Other exciting video slot titles include:
| Wild Wild Gems | African riches | Chilli gold |
| Triple Strike | Arabian Nights | Enchanted World |
| White Ice | Blazin’ Bucks |
Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will also have many of the latest slot releases like:
| Wizard of OZ: Munchkinland | Magic of the Nile | Ultimate Fire Link |
| Griffin’s Throne | Jurassic Park Trilogy |
The progressive jackpot slots are favorites among those who want to cash in on a huge chunk of change. Unlike regular stand-alone slots, progressive slots are connected to a network of slots that take a portion of each bet and divert it into a single massive and ever-increasing jackpot. In some cases, thousands of machines from all over the country are connected. The jackpots can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars. It’s easy to understand why progressive jackpot slots are so popular.
Many people prefer to play video poker when they visit a casino and Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia should have a good selection of video poker. You’re sure to find Joker Poker, Tens or Better, Deuces Wild, and all of the other well-known video poker titles. But Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia should have an abundance of other video poker titles such as:
- 5 Star Poker
- Multi-Strike Poker
- Triple Wheel Poker
- Ultimate X Poker
- Super Triple Play Poker
- Powerhouse Poker
- Double Super Times Poker
- Various progressive jackpot video poker games.
Table Games 🃏
Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia is going to be a hotspot for casino table game fans. With over 150 gaming tables expected to occupy the casino floor, Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia will have one of the most diverse table game menus around. If you go there to play Blackjack, be prepared to choose from several variants. Spanish 21, Double Hit 17, Double stand 17, and Pontoon will be among your options.
Baccarat players will also have to decide which variants they want to play. Table hosts will be dealing up Midi-Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, and Baccarat Banque among other versions. The Roulette and Craps pits project to be the liveliest tables. Both games have a dedicated following as the excitement typically rises to the next level. Both games have spawned vocabularies of their own and each offers many ways to win.
The casino video poker games will undoubtedly be a hit. Casino poker games are based on standard poker, but each variant involves a twist. Rather than playing against other players as you do in traditional poker, casino poker games usually pit you head-to-head against a dealer. Instead of winning a community pot, most casino poker games pay winners according to a predetermined pay scale. Some of the most popular casino video poker games are:
Caribbean Stud: After you place your ante, you and the dealer get five cards each. One of the dealer’s five cards is turned face up. You can then bet again or fold. After this, the player and dealer compare hands. However, the dealer needs a qualifying hand of at least an Ace and a King. If the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify, you receive 1:1 on your ante and the main bet is a push. If the dealer’s hand qualifies and you beat it, you receive 2:1 on your ante and the payout on the main bet depends on the strength of the hand.
Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em: Ante up and get two cards. You can bet or fold between the flop, fourth street, and the river. If the round reaches the showdown, the dealer must have at least a pair to qualify. The ante bet is pushed if the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify. If the dealer’s hand qualifies but your hand wins, you get 1:1 on your ante bet and your main bet is paid back according to the predetermined pay scale. For instance, a Full House pays 3:1 while a Royal Flush pays 500:1.
Three Card Poker: The object of this game is quite simple. You’re trying to get a better three-card poker hand than the dealer’s three-card poker hand. Because you are only using three cards instead of five, the hand rankings are a little different so be sure you know your hand strength. The rankings are:
- Straight Flush
- Three of a Kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pair
- High Card
Other popular casino poker games include:
- Pai Gow Poker
- Four Card Poker
- Triple Action Poker
- Let It ride
- Poker Pursuit
- Casino Hold ‘Em
If you aren’t sure how to play one or more of these games, the friendly and professional table hosts will be more than happy to show you how.
Poker 🃏
Poker enthusiasts can rejoice. The newest poker room in Philly will soon open at Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia. The room is expected to have 33 tables serving up your favorite poker variants like limit and no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, and Stud Poker. While Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia hasn’t officially announced blind structures, you can expect no-limit games to have blinds starting at $1/$2 and limit game blinds starting at $2/$4. You can also anticipate a solid schedule of regular tournaments.
Sports Betting 🏅
Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia received a sports betting license in October 2019. This means that sports bettors will be able to place wagers and relax in the comfort of the sportsbook while watching the games play out on dozens of big-screen televisions. You’ll be able to place your bets at self-serve betting kiosks or at teller windows. Order food and drinks to your seat as you scan the odds board for your next betting opportunity. This will be a wonderful venue for sports fans who don’t want to miss out on any of the action.
Conclusion
The eventual grand opening of Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia is something to look forward to. This will be the most modern casino resort in the region and it’s going to be in close proximity to some of Philadelphia’s biggest attractions. You’ll be able to book a room, watch three major professional sports teams, and then enjoy the thrill of Live! Hotel and Casino Philadelphia’s casino gaming and nightlife. On top of that, you can get in a workout at the fitness center, take in a soothing spa treatment, go shopping, and taste some of the best food that Pennsylvania has to offer.
