Where to Join the Poker Crowd

There are only five poker rooms in all of Atlantic City and only two of them are really worth mentioning -- the Trump Taj Mahal, which has 68 tables and is home to the U.S. Poker Championship; and the year-old Borgata, which has 34 tables and is rapidly replacing the venerable Taj as the "it" Atlantic City poker destination among hard-core players.

"I'm a big Borgata fan," said Daniel Negreanu, the youngest poker professional to ever win a world championship event. "I hated playing in Atlantic City for years. It was dreary and grungy. But at the Borgata, it's like I'm back in Las Vegas. It's the only casino where I feel like I'm at home. It's classy, the poker room is clean and it's well organized."

Indeed, the poker room at the Borgata has moved away from the chintzy, gold-plated, blinking-lights aesthetic found in other casinos and towards a contemporary, elegant and downright muted feel that has attracted a vibrant mix of poker enthusiasts.

The Borgata's poker room hosts daily tournaments, holds regular lessons and is set apart from the rest of the casino, far from the clanking slots. The room has a private snack bar, so you don't need to wander around the casino in search of food, but if you're hungry for more than a nosh, there are a wide-variety of upscale eateries, including a steakhouse and two fine Italian restaurants.

"The Borgata is redefining Atlantic City gaming. It's the number one place. Its poker room has really raised the bar. It's different than anything else out there," said Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of the World Poker Tour. "On the east coast, with the exception of Foxwoods, I haven't walked into a place and gasped like that. It's just beautiful."

In fact, the biggest knock on the Borgata is that it's too popular -- the poker room is usually jam-packed even during weekdays -- which is why the casino plans to double its size when the Borgata expands. And the only thing harder than finding a seat at the tables is finding a room in the hotel over the weekend, when rates run as high as $400 a night. The best deals can be found during the week, with rates starting at $170 a night, including a complimentary breakfast buffet.

If the Borgata's too crowded, don't worry: The Taj has twice as many tables up the street.