Plainridge Park Casino was the first property to open after Massachusetts approved casino construction. However, as a slots parlor with only electronic gaming, attached to a horse racing track, the casino is not the same level as the gigantic Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun properties in Connecticut, nor as fully fleshed out as MGM Springfield or Encore Boston Harbor.
That said, being linked to Penn National’s mychoice program, it has ties to other market, which can be a plus for New Englanders looking for a connection to places like Las Vegas. So let’s talk about what one can expect visiting Plainridge Park.
The Casino Floor
Plainridge Park Casino has 1200 machines, and fall into three categories: Slots, video poker and electronic table games. This makes it smaller than any of the other casinos floors in either Connecticut or Massachusetts.
The slot parlor opened in 2015, and as such has mostly newer games since they acquired all new machines when they opened. There are a handful of older games on new cabinets where remakes were available. Despite that, the game and denomination variety was pretty solid, and the video poker section was robust in selection, if not always in pay table.
The table games were a bit of a disappointment. They did have the core games you would expect, such as blackjack, craps and roulette, but there’s a limited selection of table types (one manufacturer in most cases), so if you didn’t like the type of electronic Blackjack, for instance, you weren’t going to find other options.
Robin of NETimeGambling.com notes in the comments that they offer virtual Three Card Poker, which I didn’t see in my previous visits, but is a very rare offering, and given Plainridge’s lack of live tables by requirement, it’s a nice addition.
Players Club
Plainridge Park Casino is part of Penn National Gaming’s offerings nationwide, and was part of the Marquee Rewards program before merging into the mychoice program last year.
I have received offers for not only Plainridge Park, but also for Las Vegas, when I’ve played there in the past. Offers fall off after about a year, but tend to be reasonable for the amount of play I’ve given them. Since they’re a bit far from where I’m located, they haven’t generally enticed me to go up necessarily, but it’s nice to know they incorporate not only free play, but also food comps.
The earned comps expire pretty quickly under the mychoice program, so you do need to ensure you use them up pretty quickly, especially if you don’t plan to get there in awhile. But comps earned at one mychoice casino can be used at another around the country, and their network is fairly substantial.
Other Items of Note
Like all Massachusetts casinos, it’s a smoke free casino, which I personally enjoy. They do have cocktail servers roaming the floor, but also (like MGM Springfield) have soda/water/coffee stations that you can self-serve, located in a few places around the edge of the floor. The cups are small but it’s nice to be able to have access to a beverage for free whenever you want it.
There is a bar and stage built into one side of the casino floor that has live music on busier nights of the week, which is a nice change-up from piped in casino music. Most of the bands I’ve seen have been solid cover bands and entertaining on their own.
They have a food court and restaurants, a solid diversity for a property its size. You certainly won’t go hungry or thirsty if you spend awhile at the casino, and you also won’t run out of choices too quickly.
For those who live in proximity to the casino, it certainly gets the job done, but for someone like myself that have three closer casinos that are larger and more complete, it won’t be a destination for me anytime soon. But I do like the affiliation to other casinos and the ability to earn comps there and be able to leverage them elsewhere.
Love your posts, but I have to differ with a few points.
Electronic table games include 3Card Poker. Not seen much in that virtual format I’ve enjoyed it when playing. You are so correct about the BJ.
What do mean robust video poker? The pay tables aren’t bad for quarter single line, but multi hand ultimate X isn’t good. One lacking component is even if you play at the Revolution Bar (9/5 DDB), you still have to pay for your drinks.
Im glad you covered it. The staff is terrific. IMO, it would benefit the
MGC to allow a small expansion for adding live table games, just a few like Hollywood Bangor, also a Penn National property.
Great work. Jason.
Robin
Hey Robin! I always appreciate your input. I did not see the Three Card Poker myself when I visited last, so I must have missed it, but that’s pretty cool to have in place! I can’t say I’ve seen that virtually before.
By robust video poker I meant the variety for a facility that size – I’ve been to larger casinos that didn’t have the amount of choice. In this case I was more talking variety of options vs. pay tables, which I would agree are uneven there. I don’t think I’ve had anything other than self-serve sodas from Plainridge, so the information around the Revolution Bar is quite good for players to know!
I agree about the live table games being allowed at some point would be nice – nothing too substantial, but just fill out the options available a bit. And I’ve made a couple of article edits to add in some clarifications based on your comment. Happy new year!