The smaller resort of the two and within a 20-minute ride of Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun is stunning in a unique and glitzy way. A little more hip and contemporary, it has a tribal-inspired design aesthetic that has been carried throughout the property. This is a discussion on Foxwoods Vs.Mohegan Sun Vs. Atlantic City within the online poker forums, in the Poker Rooms section; Since it's been 2 years since the last discussion on this, I decided. As a precaution due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Poker Room and Tournament Area are closed until further notice. When it comes to poker, Foxwoods is aces. At Foxwoods, we have the largest poker room on the East Coast and it’s filled with every type of poker game imaginable. Foxwoods is much larger than the Mohegan Sun. It's like its own self-contained city. There is more to do at Foxwoods; more gambling, restaurants, hotels, museum, etc. Mohegan Sun, in my opinion, is much nicer in terms of atmosphere, decor, etc. But, it has fewer restaurants, hotel rooms, and tables/slots.

1. Foxwoods Or Mohegan

NOTE: This review was updated in September of 2019 to reflect substantial changes in poker room location, cash room activity, and tournament offerings.

Mohegan Sun moved its poker room in 2019. We recently stopped in for a visit to play a tournament and update this review. Previous to the move, having to wind through the Casino of the Sky and the Casino of the Wind, to find the poker room wasn’t an easy task. You had to pay pretty close attention to the signs at every bend. The journey was always worth it, as the Mohegan Sun poker room always provided a top-notch experience. However, the decision to move across the casino near the Autumn entrance, convenient to both the Indian Summer and RiverView garages, has made access to the room much better.

Mohegan Sun employs 4,500 workers, down from 4,810 in the previous year. The filings show that the two casinos have eliminated 866 positions. Foxwoods said in its report that it achieved its goal.

Mohegan Sun Setting

Mohegan Sun sits in the woods of Southeastern Connecticut right off of I-395 and not far from I-95. It’s very convenient to access, more so than its nationally recognized nearby rival Foxwoods which is farther off I-395 toward the Rhode Island border. Conveniently, if you want to sample both poker rooms, they are only about a 15-minute drive from one another. Mohegan Sun’s setting is slightly less scenic than Foxwoods, but you definitely know you are far from any large cities here. Nonetheless, you can reach several beautiful Connecticut and Rhode Island beach towns and coastal communities in under 30 minutes. One of our personal favorites is Mystic, Connecticut which is worth visiting in its own right.

Non-Poker Amenities

The Mohegan Sun casino is a large full-service casino with a variety of gaming, entertainment, and dining options. The Connecticut WNBA team plays its home games here in the summer and top comedy and music acts visit on a weekly basis. There are many great dining choices at Mohegan. Jasper White’s Summer Shack, however, is our favorite. The clam chowder, fried shrimp plate, and fried chicken are all very good. Oh, and there is a Ben & Jerry’s on-site as well.

Mohegan Sun Poker Room Comfort

Unlike some casino poker rooms dropped amidst the hustle and bustle of slot machines and table games, the Mohegan Sun poker room has its own space. One enters through glass doors into a room with high ceilings and well-spaced tables. To the right is a Johnny Rockets with a small dining area in the poker room itself. To the left lies a bar with video poker built-in. And right in the front of the room sits an area with automatic baccarat and roulette machines.

The decor is pleasant. The room is hung with faux animal skins featuring the name of Native American tribes. The entire room has a nice look and feel, with rounded corners in the front and back of the room. Because it is closed off from the casino floor, and further buffered by a no-smoking slots area, the air quality is excellent. The acoustics in the new room are also excellent. The room was filled with cash players the night we were there, but never felt too loud. The only small drawback is that the lighting is a bit dim in some spots.

The chairs are adjustable, without arms, well-padded, and comfortable. The tables are generously sized with felts that are in good shape and clean. The chips and cards were also of high quality.

Mohegan Sun Poker Room Staff

We have played both cash and tournaments at the Mohegan Sun poker room over the years. We have consistently found the dealers to be professional and skilled. They rarely make errors or seem uncertain, and the built-in card shufflers move the action along briskly. While the entry of the Encore into the New England poker scene has impacted the personnel at some rooms, Mohegan Sun appears to have maintained an excellent staff.

Serving staff is attentive in seeking drink orders, circulating frequently and delivering promptly. Among the free drinks on offer are milkshakes. Get one. They are surprisingly good for a casino freebie.

Players at Mohegan Sun Poker Room

Mohegan Sun draws a pretty wide variety of player skill. One ATM machine at a cash table I played last spring re-bought a stack of $100 five times during my three hours playing. There was no apparent limit to the hands he would play. There were also a couple of very skilled players who extracted maximum value from their made hands, rarely showing down poorly. Tournament players likewise range from novice to skilled grinders.

Tournament Structures

Most of Mohegan Sun’s daily no-limit tournaments have reasonable buy-ins (most ranging from $75 to $150) with decent structures (such as $150 Saturday tournaments with 20K starting stack and 25-minute blinds). Mohegan also hosts larger buy-in events during special series, like the $1,100 buy-in with 100K guarantee during their Fall Showdown. Again, the tournaments I have played there tend to have a fairly wide range of player skill and an equally wide range of player attitudes, with some welcoming and gregarious, and others visibly irritated by what they consider the poor play of others.

Cash Game Activity

As of August 2019, the Mohegan Sun poker room runs about 4-6 $1/$2 NLH cash tables and 1-2 $2/$5 tables on most weekdays. On Wednesday evenings they typically see 10-12 tables of $1/$2 and 2-4 tables of $2/$5 due to special high hand promotions. On weekends there will be 8-14 $1/$2 tables and 3 to 5 $2/$5 tables, peaking on Saturday night. Mohegan Sun occasionally gets some limit Hold’em games going, higher limits, or other poker variants. In general, if you want high limit games, Omaha, or other poker variants, head over to Foxwoods. They continue to dominate that scene in this immediate area.

Overall

Mohegan Sun has always provided a high-quality poker experience, but its new room is a substantial leap forward. If you are a poker player visiting New England, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods should be priority destinations. Right now, if I had to pick one, Mohegan Sun wins out. Foxwoods has also upgraded their room this year, and it too is an improvement. But Mohegan Sun really did it right on nearly all measures. Large, airy, comfortable and filled with lots of extra amenities, this is one of the best poker spaces we have seen. It even gives the beautiful new space at Encore Boston Harbor a run for its money.

Update: See why we think Mohegan Sun is one of the Best Poker Rooms in New England!

• Comfort
• Tournament Structures
• Personnel

Summary

Mohegan Sun provides a quality poker experience amidst a large casino setting in an area that is convenient to Hartford, Providence, RI, and the Connecticut and Rhode Island shores. If you are a poker player visiting New England, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods should be priority destinations.

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Fans of the Connecticut casinos: Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut plan to re-open on Monday, June 1.

Foxwoods guidelines for guests:

Phase 1 opening includes the Grand Pequot and Great Cedar casino floors, the Grand Pequot Hotel, Tanger Outlets.

Valet parking will not be available. Instead, please park in the Grand Pequot or Great Cedar parking garages.

When you arrive, an employee will take a non-invasive temperature checks with thermal cameras.

Guests are asked to wear a mask at all times, and keep a distance of 6 to 10 feet from each other.

The Grand Pequot Ballroom will have an area set up for socially distanced dining. Dining will be grab-and-go at David Burke Prime Steakhouse, Dunkin Donuts, Regina Pizzeria, Sugar Factory, Starbucks, Subway, Veranda Café, Spin Bar.

Poker, Bingo, Keno, and The Rainmaker Buffet will not be open during this first phase.

Things to do will include Monza World-Class Karting, Tanger Outlets, Essentials, and Outpost.

Smoking will be limited to designated areas.

More than 300 sanitization stations throughout the property are available for guests’ use.

The number of guests will be limited to 25 percent of capacity to allow for social distancing of six to 10 feet apart.

The Foxwoods Mobile App, through the iTunes App Store and Google Play, will help keep you up to date on what’s going on and will help guide you through these changes.

Mohegan Sun guidelines for guests:

A simple, non-invasive temperature check will be performed on all guests as they enter.

Guests and employees must wear masks unless eating or drinking. If you do not have a mask, security will provide one.

Smoking will not be permitted indoors anywhere. Please use designated smoking areas outside.

Open restaurants and bars will reduce seating to allow for physical distancing during dining and only patio or atrium seating will be provided.

Open: Casino of the Sky, Sachem Lounge, Sky Essential Stores, Sky Hotel, Todd English’s Tuscany, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Sky Food Court.

Closed: Box office, line run and charter buses, Mandara Spa, Mohegan Sun Arena, poker room, pools, spas, fitness centers, race book, Seasons Buffet, valet parking, Wolf Den.

Foxwoods Or Mohegan

At the Sky Hotel, turn down service will not be offered at this time.