Poker is rapidly growing in South Korea, however, gambling and poker both are illegal in the country, mainly for the locals. On the other hand, foreigners won’t have to stop themselves from playing at the Korean casinos as it is legal for them.
The South Korean government has a strict gambling law, which prohibits the locals from gambling in casinos. However, international tourists can legally play in the casinos. Because of the strict rule, there are a number of casinos operating in the country, and not all of them offer Texas Hold’em or any poker variants.
Despite strict rules, Poker is booming in the country, mainly among young players. The South Korean government even extended the seating capacity of their Incheon International Airport flights to Macau on weekends, which will benefit the country.
While South Koreans prefer going to Macau for gambling, many Macau and Chinese players prefer coming to South Korea because of the number of poker tournaments the Korean casinos host. Many South Korean casinos host prestigious tournaments like the World Poker Tour, Asian Poker Tour, and much more. Here are the top 5 live poker rooms to check out in South Korea.
Top 5 Live Poker Rooms in South Korea
1 – Landing Casino Jeju Shinhwa World, Jeju Island
Situated within the Jeju Shinhwa World, which is known as South Korea’s biggest resort, Landing Casino offers a variety of attractions to both classic casino games and electronics table games enthusiasts Players can play games like roulette, blackjack l, Tai sai, baccarat, and texas hold’em.
Landing Casino Jeju Shinhwa World Poker Room features 8 tables, in which players can compete in several poker games, including Stud, 3-card poker, Texas Hold’em, and Poker 36. However, the poker room is now only used for tournaments, so you won’t get cash games.
Jeju Shinhwa World is known for hosting prestigious poker tournaments, such as the World Poker Tour, Asian Poker Tour, Triton Super High Rollers, and many more.
- Address: Jeju-do, South Korea
- Contact Number: +82 64-908-8880
2 – Paradise Casino Walker-Hill, Seoul
Part of the Paradise Casino franchise, Paradise Casino Walker-hill, is one of the popular casinos in Seoul as it offers poker. The casino operates 24/7, featuring 79 table games, and offers classic casino games like baccarat, blackjack, roulette, and poker.
The poker room in Paradise Casino Walker-hill has 10 tables and offers cash games ($1/$2) as well as weekly tournaments. The room also offers a bad beat jackpot, which can go up to $10,000.
- Address: Gwangjin District, Seoul, South
- Contact Number: +82 1899-0700
3 – Paradise City, Incheon
Located near the Incheon International Airport, Paradise City Casino is home to the Asian Poker Tour. It has hosted prestigious tournaments like WPT Korea and Asia Pacific Poker Tour.
While the poker room has stopped hosting WPT, and APPT, it still hosts the All Japan Poker Championship (AJPC) and Asian Poker Tour (APT). It also offers low-stakes cash games. However, the cash game action is very tight because of the 10% rake.
- Address: Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea
- Contact Number: +82 1833-8855
4 – 7 Luck Casino, Seoul Gangnam
The 7 Luck Casino is one of Seoul’s most renowned casinos, known for attracting foreigners because of its amenities. The casino features a lounge and 5 restaurants serving Asian and Western cuisines. Aside from the amenities, it offers casino games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, seven-luck poker, and Texas Hold ’em.
The 7Luck Casino Poker Room features 4 tables, offering No Limit Texas Hold’em 24/7. Which aren’t always full, as locals aren’t allowed in the casinos.
- Address: Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
- Contact Number: +82 2-3466-6000
5 – The Daegu Casino, Daegu
Situated within the Inter-Burgo Hotel Daegu Casino, the poker room operates between 3 PM and 5 AM and offers weekly tournaments only on Sundays and cash games.
To attract players, the poker room offers Bad Beat Jackpot and much more. While the guaranteed prize pool isn’t massive, the 1st place finisher will get around $1k. Daegu Poker Room is the first live poker room to use social media to promote its poker room.
- Address: Suseong District, Daegu, South Korea
- Contact Number: +82 53-602-7114
The list could have been longer, but many other casinos in Korea have stopped offering poker since the pandemic, which gives us only a handful of casinos that offer poker legally.
However, there are a lot of so-called “hold’em pubs” operating in South Korea, which don’t offer direct cash, but rather coupons that you can redeem later or gifts. These pubs are legal and authorized by the government, so many locals prefer to play at them.
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