Indy vs. New Orleans: Which City is the Better Poker Town?
by Bodog Poker | Feb 4 2010
For the last two weeks the
New Orleans Saints have been compared to the
Indianapolis Colts in just about every way possible. One town has a reputation for partying and the easy life, while the other is better known for an industry-driven way of life with more blue-collar workers than in most other U.S. cities.
The game of poker has spread to the most remote reaches of North American culture, and just about every town is a poker town these days. But this is about Indy and New Orleans, and when it comes to poker the Big Easy has a big edge.
No one can argue that the city of Indianapolis isn't a sports town. Car racing and basketball are more like religions to the faithful in the Indiana capital, and the Colts are the big team in town. The game of poker is played in Indianapolis universities every day, but public gaming options are still limited in Indiana and the growth of poker hasn't been able to flourish there like it has in many other states. As recently as two years ago games were raided and people were charged with running illegal
poker tournaments. Even today much of the action is free tournaments organized only to get patrons into drinking establishments.
If you want to play in a
poker room in Indianapolis you choices are limited. The Indiana Live Casino has a decent poker room for medium-stakes action, and the automated poker tables are the next generation. These tables provide some advantages to the player, like increases in hands played and money saved on tipping the dealer. But the city hasn't attracted any professional tour action in years, and it is not a hotbed of poker by any stretch of the imagination.
New Orleans, on the other hand, has poker in its blood. The game of poker is debated to have originated in many different places. Many countries claim to have created it, and the subject of poker's birthplace is still under much debate.
But what is not under debate is that the modern variations of poker evolved from the games that were played on the Mississippi riverboats back in the early 1700's. In New Orleans in 1829 English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played with a deck of 20 cards and four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable.
If you want to find some poker action in New Orleans it won't be a hard thing to accomplish. All the biggest players in the casino industry are heavily invested in the region, where gaming has been a part of life since the Bayou was first settled.
The WPT annually makes a stop nearby in Biloxi, Mississippi and poker rooms are almost as common in New Orleans as they are in Atlantic City and Vegas.
