Atlantic City’s Deathtrap
From a major tourist destination and the Gambling Capitol of the Northeast coast, Atlantic City has a storied history. In 1976, legal gambling for Atlantic City was approved by voters. However, poker was not legalized until 1993.
During the first ten years of legalization, the epicenter for East Coast poker instantly became the Trump Taj Mahal where Seven-Card Stud was the most popular game. As poker game stakes increased Seven-Card Stud wase replaced by a new king, No-Limit Hold’em Poker.
Enter Indian Casinos
In 1995, New Jersey got an unwelcome challenger to the north. Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, opened and divided the New York City poker market. Half the poker players headed north up to Connecticut, the other half traveled south to Atlantic City.
Tournament Poker
Tournament poker was never a big deal in Atlantic City until Bally’s ran the first poker tournament in New Jersey in 1995. However, the Taj Mahal’s “United States Poker Championship” in 1996 represented a hallmark moment for East Coast poker and was televised by ESPN. When the Borgata opened in Atlantic City in 2003 they started hosting the World Poker Tour.
Eventually Indian casinos, Las Vegas expansion and the Internet started to draw crowds away from Atlantic City and casinos started to close. The poker landscape shifted dramatically and the poker monopoly Atlantic City once had eroded. As of 2024, there are only nine casinos currently operating in Atlantic City.
The Game of Monopoly
The game of Monopoly is based on the streets and locations in Atlantic City such as Boardwalk, Park Place, and Marvin Gardens. Atlantic City nicknamed “Monopoly City,” is like traveling on the board game itself.
Poker Origins