Most of our Minnesota coverage centers on the state’s largest poker rooms. But we can’t overlook several other successful rooms throughout the state, such as Prairie’s Edge Casino in Granite Falls, Minn.
Prairie’s Edge Casino has had a poker room since 2005 and recently had a fairly major remodeling, which included moving to a new non-smoking area next to one of the casino entrances.
The room has an open feel and its location allows you to get to the room without walking through the smoking area of the main casino. The room has four tables plus two blackjack tables. I arrived on a Friday night and played $2-$10 spread-limit hold’em with a full kill. The staff was friendly and moved the game along at a decent pace.
I spoke with poker room supervisor Megan Howell to find out how players have reacted to the new room.
“It’s been really good,” Howell said. “They like the openness of it. They like having the door they can go out to have a cigarette. And you don’t have to come into the casino and walk through all the smoke.”
The room opens 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday as $2-$4 and $3-$6 limit hold’em and $2-$10 spread-limit hold’em are most common and usually played with a kill. One of the advantages of this small poker room is its rake structure. They rake 10 percent up to $3 plus $1 for a jackpot. “I do believe we are the lowest in Minnesota,” Howell said of the rake.
They also offer a no-limit hold’em tournament every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. that has been quite popular. This tournament occasionally supports a charity or may be a satellite into a World Series of Poker event.
Don’t forget about all of the poker rooms around the state. If you find yourself near Granite Falls, you can stop in for a fun game with a courteous staff.
Upcoming Tournaments: The last event of Season 2 of the Mid-States Poker Tour will be at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. Some $250 qualifying heats will run Dec. 7-10 and the $1,100 main event will be Dec. 11-12.
— John Somsky is the Ante Up Ambassador for Minnesota. You can email him at john.somsky@gmail.com.
