Is Playing Poker at Playground in Montreal Worth the Hype?
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Hey guys, it’s Lukas Robinson (RobinPoker) here. I wanted to share my recent experience visiting Canada's legendary Playground poker room for the first time, playing the WPT Global Summer Million Series held there in July 2025.
Playing at this venue has always been on my poker bucket list. Why? I’m not exactly sure, but I think it comes from traveling the world, playing poker, and hearing how highly other players and content creators speak of Playground as one of the best places to play in the world.
I spent one week playing poker every day at Playground. Was it worth the hype? I’ll give you my answer at the end, but first, here’s my full experience.
Booking Accomodations
Playground doesn’t currently have its own hotel (apparently there are future plans). The nearest is The Host Hotel, but it was fully booked, so I stayed in an Airbnb in Châteauguay. This was perfect, just 10 minutes by taxi, right on the river, so I could walk and run in the sun every day before sitting for 10+ hours playing poker!
I used Uber throughout my stay. The taxi from the airport to the Airbnb took around 30 minutes and cost about $50. Daily taxis to and from Playground cost around $10 each way.
Signing Up and Filming
Walking into Playground for the first time felt like stepping into a Vegas casino. I’d signed up online beforehand (which I recommend), so check-in was quick. They even gave me a free $20 for following their Facebook and Instagram pages, so that was a nice little early bonus!
Security checked my bags and allowed in all my camera equipment. To film, you just fill out a form on their website. I confirmed with floor staff before filming, and as my name was on their approved list, there were no issues. They simply asked me not to film players’ faces, which is fair. This made anyone that didn’t want to be filmed at the tables feel more relaxed overall.
The free Wi-Fi was super fast, perfect for posting updates on social media.
Finding the Poker Room
On the first floor you’ll see mostly slot machines. There are signs directing you to the poker rooms. Because of the big WPT event, there were two poker areas:
Ground floor (to the right of the entrance) for overflow tables during big events.
Third floor: the main poker room for cash games, including VIP high-stakes.
The third floor is where the real magic happens. Dark, cool, and atmospheric. My ideal poker room. There’s also a restaurant on the first floor and two more on the second. You can also order food directly to your table.
Withdrawing Money & Buying Into Tournaments or Cash Games
I didn’t bring cash, so I used the first-floor ATM by the cashier, which lets you withdraw $1,000 CAD at a time for about a $5 fee. Pretty reasonable.
You can buy in at the cashier next to the ATM or at the cashier inside the poker room where your game is held. I never had to wait long and it was always a smooth and fast process.
The Staff
The staff at Playground were a huge part of what made the experience amazing. Everyone was friendly and professional. Dealers were some of the best I’ve seen, the floor staff were helpful, and the waitresses were quick and helpful. Even if none were nearby, you could ask a dealer to call one over via the click of a button.
Cash Games
I didn’t play cash games, but from what I saw, there were always 10+ tables running on the third floor, plus high-stakes VIP games in the back. Tournament players got free soft drinks; cash game players got free food as well.
Table Food and Restaurants
Table service: The third-floor poker room had a much better food selection than the first floor. On the first floor, you could get basics like burgers, salads, or sandwiches. I had a few chicken wraps, which were decent. On the third floor, the food was excellent. The Buddha bowl with added salmon and the chicken shawarma wrap with fries were standouts. Coffee options, including lattes and iced coffee, were also solid. What I liked is you were never waiting long for your food or drinks. In terms of price, honestly compared to Vegas, it was pretty cheap, for both the table service food and the restaurants.
Restaurants: Playground has three:
- The Rail Coal Fire Bistro (1st floor)
- Etc Steakhouse (2nd floor) – my favorite. The New York Strip was one of the best steaks I’ve had.
- Drunken Dragon (2nd floor, Japanese cuisine)
Just outside is Robbie’s Smokehouse, I got their meat platter, which is something I would only recommend if you want to feel like you’re doing an eating challenge. I did manage to finish it, but it was the biggest meal I think I have ever had. The food, though overall, amazing. I was also able to order Uber Eats to my airbnb on some mornings. So overall the food options both at Playground and around the airbnb were great.
Playing Poker at Playground
With it being a WPT event, I am sure anyone that has ever been to one, knows how well run these events are. This was no exception. The tournament structures, variety of buy-ins and formats was obviously great. The $500 6-Max being my favourite event I played. I am not too sure what their daily tournaments are like, but I assume they wouldn’t be much different in terms of how they are run.
The chips, cards, and tables were in excellent condition, and seating was comfortable. Side tables were everywhere, making it easy to manage drinks and food.
What I didn’t realise in Montreal is that the 1st language is actually French. So I was worried that communication would be an issue when playing here, but that was not the case. Although some dealers and players did speak to each other in French, the main language spoken was still English and honestly the local people were some of the friendliest I have met in the world. An absolute privilege to play poker with them. No one sat there not speaking with a hoodie and sunglasses on. Everyone is having a good time, communicating, smiling, and enjoying the beautiful game of poker.
Final Verdict. Is it worth the Hype?
YES! I absolutely loved my time playing at Playground and it 100% lived up to the hype. I know I tend to be more on the positive side of life than your average person, but I can’t think of one bad thing to say about this poker room. I cannot wait to return already for future events. It was in my Top 3 places I have ever played poker in the world. I would highly recommend you play poker here once in your life. Thanks to WPT Global for giving me the opportunity to go and play in their Summer Million Series.
