RIVER CARD ROOM

I discovered The River Card Room a few months after it opened in January of 2008 and I've been playing there more often than anywhere else ever since. Here's why:

THE GAMES
Sit & Gos:
$40 NLHE full-table
$60 NLHE full-table
$150 NLHE 6-handed

Cash tables:
$1/$2 Spread LHE
$1/$2 Spread Limit Omaha Hi
$1/$2 Spread Limit Omaha8
$1/$2 Spread Limit 7-card Stud

River tournaments:
$50 River 4000
$100 River 8000
These are timed 1-table NLHE tournaments where the players agree prior to cards being dealt to chop at the end based on chips on hand, i.e. 100 in tournament chips = $1

Multi-Table Tournaments:
Sat $150 Deep Stack
Thu & Sun Freeroll w/ Rebuys
Wed, Sat & Sun $10 w/ Rebuys
Fri $20 w/ Rebuys
Sat $50 Bounty

Table Games:
Blackjack
Roulette
Let It Ride
3-card Poker
Casino War
Red Dog
Pai Gow Poker

THE STAFF
Dealers:
From a purely skill standpoint, the best River dealers are as good as any of those at other New England card rooms. The least technically-skilled at The River are better than those at other rooms. On average, dealer skill is higher at The River than elsewhere. As for customer service, there's no contest. Every one of The River dealers I've encountered (and I've played there 3+ days a week for the past 4 months) has been friendly, welcoming, and service-oriented. There's a lot to be said for dealer technical skills but it doesn't mean much if the dealer is surly, uncommunicative, sulky, or disinterested. At The River, you'll find technical skill hand-in-hand with a friendly and supportive approach to players.

The Floor Crew:
Knowledgeable, fair, alert and in-charge, and friendly. Need I say more? OK, I will. Dealers make a point of advising new players of important house rules before play starts. Floor rulings are made consistent with those rules and the rules of poker in general but always with the best interests of the game in mind. Most importantly, floor managers are there, alert and aware when need arises, courteously but firmly taking charge and resolving any questions or situations quickly, fairly, and effectively.

Support Staff:
The cashier's cage is well-managed and processes chip purchases and cash-outs quickly and accurately. The food and beverage concession is operated by Elisha's, a local restaurant with excellent food. Normal bar fare (hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches) is available on-site, while a la carte orders from the menu are available within minutes, as the reataurant is located just a few minutes away and delivery to the card room is free.

THE ENVIRONMENT
A spacious room, newly built, with new tables and comfortable chairs. Well-lit. Properly and evenly heated or cooled, as appropriate. Numerous large, flat-screen TVs spaced around the room for easy viewing from any perspective. Clean, well-maintained bathrooms. Even a small lounge-like alcove with its own TV for a brief respite from the games or relaxation for non-poker-playing family members (gasp!) All in all, a clean, comfortable, congenial place to play.

THE PLAYERS
Some of the nicest, most enjoyable people it's been my pleasure to play cards with - ever. Don't me wrong, most of these folks come to play and they won't just hand you their money. Well, OK, a few of them won't - the overall caliber of play is slightly softer than at other rooms but, hey!, if you're a soft player yourself, you'll feel comfortable while working on improvingn your game and, if you're not, you can have a good time while padding your bankroll. Most importantly, there's none of the bad attitudes, verbal intimidation, or player collusion that I've seen to one extent or another at all of the other southern NH rooms. That's largely due to the management philosophy of the room and the influence of the regular players, who know what a gem they've found and only want to see it better.

So, I strongly encourage you to head up (or down) Nashua way and then just a few miles west to The River Card Room.

PI Poker

P.S. BTW, just in case there's any question based on the nature of my review, I don't work for The River, I don't have any fiduciary relationship with it or its owners, and none of my family or close friends do either. I just think it's a great card room and I want to see it continue to grow, as well as see other like-minded poker players in the area have the opportunity to enjoy it, too.

I am frequently at the River in New Hampshire, and I'm a low stakes player - just for fun type and I had a Blast, Great - twenty Five table room- New - BJ-Let it ride- Three card also, best room in the State of New Hampshire , clean nice, cheap beer, Jerry the manager from a big room in K.C. is a gem.

nice poker room, horrible poker. the players in general are not great,but thatcould be anywhere. the dealers seem to have no training, very inconsistent. they have strange rules, odd blind structures, and really no idea how to run a proffesional poker room. carefull what you enter it might be a sattelite they wont tell you unless you specifically ask as if your asking a 10 year old.nice room horrible poker.

I have been playing at the river poker room in Milford since there opening day a few months ago. The feeling that you have entered a casino and not a poker room hits you as soon as you enter the door unlike the others located in NH. The dealers are extremely good and the players are of a much better quality then the other local poker rooms. The tournaments are second to none, they have 175 people usually for the Thursday and Sunday free-rolls. I urge all poker players to check it out!

I had an extremely enjoyable time when visiting the River cardroom in Milford, NH. The dealers were professional and friendly, and the floor staff were very helpful. I greatly enjoyed the atmosphere and the game selection.

The River Poker room in Milford is a nice facility but the dealers are not great and there are a lot of amateurs so you really cant improve your game. The tournaments are like cash games (people play every hand!). If you want to improve your game and you're an intermediate or advanced player this is not the place for you. If you are a beginner The River Poker room is for you.