Cancun and the resort cities to the south of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, are popular tropical vacation spots, located in the southeast of Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula. Cancun is an easy flight from Europe and the Americas, and a very popular site for conventions and holidays. The entire area is known for picture-perfect beaches, resorts, beautiful fresh water cenotes, and year-round warm weather. So, as you might imagine, it can be quite appealing to play poker in Mexico.
The area is also known for extensive Mayan ruins. The largest Mayan ruin in the area is two hours west of Cancun at Chichen Itza. Tulum has a beautiful ruin overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The third ruin is about 40 minutes west of Tulum in Cabo. It is massive, with nearly 3 miles of pathways to and from different ruins, and includes the tallest pyramid in the Mexico. Many travelers visit the area just to see these amazing representations of the ancient Mayan culture. I traveled there for all of that, and to play poker.
Just about 45 minutes to the south of Cancun is the resort community of Playa del Carmen (PDC). It, too, has beautiful beaches, many resorts, cenotes, and a vibrant nightlife. Though the beaches aren’t quite as spectacular as Cancun’s, and the nightlife not as filled with high-end nightclubs, it has a more laid back vibe that many prefer.
Between the two resort cities is a 50-mile stretch of beach known as the Mayan Riviera. On it are enormous, and often highly expensive and exclusive, beach resorts. About 45 minutes south of PDC, and 90 minutes south of Cancun, is the city of Tulum. It, too, is a very popular vacation destination, known chiefly for the two sites of extensive Mayan ruins: Tulum and Coba.
In addition to these three cities on the Yucatan Peninsula, there are also two well-known and frequently visited islands: Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. Isla Mujeres is right off the coast of Cancun, while Cozumel is 10 miles off the coast of PDC.
Beautiful though the beaches are, once the sun goes down, tourists and residents alike look to other activities to keep them engaged. There’s barhopping of course, and nightclubbing too, to be sure. But for some of us, nothing quite completes a great day like a session on the felt. Fortunately, for those of us who play poker, there are a few options in the area, and I’ll be telling you about them, should you someday be interested in playing poker in Mexico.
As recently as 2023, there were nine places that regularly had poker games – either cash, tournament, or both. As of December, 2025, however, there are just three – two in PDC and one in Cancun. They are all going strong, with regular schedules of tournaments, and consistent cash games seven days a week. I visited all three during my trip to play poker in Mexico. Each has something unique to recommend it.
(Places you might see listed as having poker that definitely DO NOT have regular poker games: Dubai Palace, Jubilee, Palace, Red Casino, Red Oasis Casino, Casino Macao, Queen Casino, Jackpot Casino, Codere, Casino Broadway, Casino Bahia, Moon Palace, Sam’s Club Casino, Secrets)
Poker in Mexico: Getting Around
There is a very good public transportation system running both within Cancun and between Cancun and PDC and Tulum. There are also all sorts of group trips, guided and unguided, to the historic ruins in the area. A visitor surely does not need a car to get around. Even so, I opted for the independence of a rental car.
I found the well-known American brands to be only slightly more expensive than other local options that I knew nothing about. So I picked one of them. My mid-sized car cost about $20 per day. I followed my travel consultant’s recommendation and took the optional insurance – bringing it up to about $50 per day for everything – about what I’d pay without the option insurance for a car in Las Vegas. I found the roads very good, traffic only moderate, road signs ample and easy to figure out. Driving in and around Cancun was much like driving in the US or Canada. Parking by my convenient hotel was very easy – as there were always many empty spaces nearby.
Exchanging Money for Mexican Currency
I looked into all of the options for getting local currency. I checked out wiring money from my bank, using an ATM machine, and bringing cash. Without question, for me, the best option was to bring a couple thousand dollars in cash, changing it to pesos at a currency exchange, and using that to buy chips in the casino. If I needed more cash, I would get it at a bank from my international debit card (Revolut or Wise are each free and highly recommended).
I also discovered that it paid to shop around for the best exchange rate. Rates ranged from the best of 17.6 pesos per dollar, at a currency exchange store 5 minutes from my hotel; to 17.1 at a large bank; to 16.8 at the airport, to the very worst of 15 at the casino. When I withdrew some money, as a test, at an ATM I was charged a 100 peso fee (about $5) and got a 16.5 rate – a double whammy!
Similarly, it made sense to shop around when converting my pesos to dollars. I ended up buying back my dollars for just a couple of tenths of a peso more than I sold them for. That was a whole lot better than the rates of 18.1 and 18.5 that the nearby banks offered.
Health and Safety in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum
Crime:
The areas I’ve described and traveled to constituted what universally considered to be the safest part of Mexico. There is very little street crime. I’d say it’s less likely you will be robbed, mugged or assaulted than in any major American city. That being said, don’t be stupid. Carry your money in a locked pocket or on the interior of your pants or jacket. Be attentive to your surroundings. And don’t flash a lot of money around in the casino.
Sickness:
You won’t need any special vaccines or pills. But the CDC cautions visitors not to drink the water, not to eat lettuce and other fruits and vegetables that may have been rinsed with tap water, and to be careful of ice made from tap water. That being said, I’ve traveled to Mexico many times. I’ve had my share of lettuce and tomatoes on tacos, in soup, and even in a side salad. I’ve never gotten sick. Maybe I’ve just been lucky. But I do have a few suggestions to help you strengthen your immune system while visiting Mexico.
- Drink LOTS of bottled water. I buy a case of liter-sized bottles and drink 3 or 4 every day – in addition to anything else I might drink. Many people get sick because of dehydration. Drink a lot of water and stay healthy.
- Have at least one bowl of “caldo de pollo” (chicken soup) a day. It worked for my grandmother – who fed it to us when we were sick; and it seems to work for me as a prophylactic in Mexico!
- If you do get sick, you can buy your drugs at a “farmacia”. You can easily get those that require a prescription in the US. Prices for Lomotil, Imodium, Acidophilus, cortisone cream, antihistamines, and antibiotics are very reasonable – and usually less than what you’d pay in the US.
Cancun Poker Rooms
Palace Casino
Website: https://www.palacecasino.mx
Address: Av Tulum Esq Jabali, Av. Labná con, Colonia Centro
Hours: 5:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Phone: +52 55 7885 5001
The Palace poker room, up on the second floor of this small casino on the edge of the Centro district of Cancun, on the way to the hotel zone, offers a daily tournament at 5:00 PM (though you should check directly with the casino, as schedules change regularly). When I was there it was a $300 MX hold’em tournament, with 20-minute blinds, 20,000 in chips, and a $10,000 MX guaranteed prize pool. They had four full tables, and the tournament lasted until about 1:00 AM. I entered, busted out in about 90 minutes (playing hyper aggressively), and noticed a very casual, friendly, drinking, loose, and passive playing style. I conferred with a regular, who told me that this is the loosest tournament he knows of anywhere.
Cash games can start any time after 5:00 PM. They are typically $25/50 NLH/PLO or straight PLO, with a $2,000 minimum (roughly $100 US) and $10,000 (roughly $500 US) maximum buy-in. There was one game of each running at 5:30 PM when I was there my first night, and just the “mixed” game the second time I was there – starting at 7:00 PM. By the time I left at 11:00 PM there were two NLH/PLO games going and a list for a third. Though the doors of the casino officially close at 2:00 AM, and no new players will be admitted after that time, players already in the game continue often until 6:00 AM, with some games going until 9:00 AM, I was told.
I played in the NLH/PLO game one night, and observed another game that I never got called for my first night. There was a nice mixture of casual drinking gamblers (who played very slowly), and a few American tourists who were good but not great players. The house dealt about 18-25 hands per hour of hold’em and no more than 10-18 hands of PLO. As I said, it was a slow game. Still, for a skilled player, playing their best game, I think it would be profitable even with the rake. It was for me!
The games were not heavily raked by non-US standards – roughly 5% up to $150 MX (about $8 US). The dealers were good but not great. They didn’t make any obvious errors while I was there, neither flashing cards nor misdealing, but they engaged in regular conversations with the players – further slowing the games I played in or observed. On a few occasions, I had to urge them (nicely – as I was clearly an outsider) to continue with the deal.
There is a nice small restaurant, just downstairs from the poker room, with a wide variety of options, including soup, tacos, rice dishes, and desserts – and beverages of all sorts. Many players ordered food and ate at the table (further slowing the game). Also, as it happens, this casino is located in the heart of the area’s Jewish neighborhood. There is a highly recommended kosher restaurant, Yaffo Kosher Street Food, nearby. There are also all sorts of other meal options, including Middle Eastern, Italian, burgers, tacos, seafood, and Mexican, all within a 10-minute walk.
One word of caution: Whether officially allowed or not, there is quite a bit of cigarette smoke in the room. (This is true in all of the Cancun-area poker rooms). It’s not nearly as thick or annoying as it was back in the day, when smoking was allowed in US rooms, but it is more than just noticeable.
If you’re looking to stay at a very clean and inexpensive hotel near the poker room, with easy access to all public transportation, and a short walk to many restaurants, check out Ambiance Suites. I had a very pleasant stay there. It is literally right next door to the Palace casino.
Playa del Carmen Poker Rooms
Winpot
Address: Av. P.º Central Supermanzana 52 Manzana | 1 Lote a1, Col, Nuevo Centro Urbano, 77723
Hours: 3:00 PM – 3:00 AM
Phone: +52 984 109 2166
This room has a regular cash game and daily tournaments. The tournaments range in entrance fee from $300 MX to $1,000 MX or more for monthly or seasonal events that include small regular satellites.
The cash games are either No Limit Hold’em or dealer’s choice. They begin typically by 7:00 PM, when enough players to start a game have busted out of the 5:00 PM tournament. The games have $25/25 blinds, with a $1,000 to $5,000 buy in. The mixed game is PLO (4 or 5 card), NLHE and Mata Ace. Mata Ace is a game that began in Mexico that is being spread around the world now. It’s a mixture of stud and hold’em.
The rake at Winpot is roughly 5% up to a maximum of $150 MX.
Winpot is a modest-size casino in a mall on the south end of PDC. The table game area is located on the first floor off of a slot room. The poker room does not appear to allow smoking (reports differed). I did not see anyone smoking. But a lot of smoke enters the room through the doors to the smoking slot area. The smoke is more than just noticeable. I found it annoying – if not as awful as the smoking rooms used to be back in the day.
I visited there twice and watched some tournament action. Players were animated, vocal, and seemed to be having a great time. I’d say the chief vibe of the game was fun. I was eager to play – especially because of their variant Mata Ace that I had never played, but I was too impatient to wait until the cash game began.
Grand Riviera Casino
Address: 10 Avenida Nte. 105, Gonzalo Guerrero, 77720
Hours: 3:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Phone: +52 984 803 2703
I played two sessions at this small and unassuming casinos in the center of PDC, right by the large square and municipal building. I enjoyed my time there and would go back.
Poker begins at 3:00 to 3:30 or so, with a $5/10 blind no limit hold’em game, with a $500 MX (about $25 US) minimum and $1500 MX (about $75) maximum buy. At 4:00 sharp the stakes go up to $10/25 with a $1,000 to $5,000 buy in spread. And at 9:00 PM it changes again to $25/50 with a $2,000 to $10,000 buy in spread. The rake in all three games is the same, and the same as the other area poker rooms: roughly 5% up to a $150 MX maximum.
On the two occasions I played, the game was filled with extremely casual players from all over the world. Once, a player left the table, and his little dog jumped up on his seat as if to play. Weird and cute!
I met three players from Italy, two from France, a guy from England, two from the United States, and the rest from different parts of Mexico. Many of them were clearly just gamblers having their hand at poker for a change. They’d walk back and forth between the Ultimate Texas Hold’em house game and at the roulette table when they weren’t in a hand. There was a lot of limping and checking and very little if any 3- or 4-betting. It was a very comfortable (and profitable) place to spend a few hours. I managed to play tightly and win a few bucks.
The room also had a couple of promotions I had not seen before. I got it all in for about $60 with Kings. A player with 66 called me and then drew a flush. Alas. But then the house shouted “Hold on! You win the bad beat.” The bad beat award was $250 MX (about $15). It wasn’t really a bad beat, as it turned out, but an Aces or Kings cracked promotion. I had seen Aces cracked but never Kings cracked. Go figure!
They also did something else that I had heard about in home games but never seen in a casino. After about one round, at about 3:45 PM, the house walked over to the table with a life-size bust of Darth Vader. Everyone at the table said, “THE GHOST IS HERE!”
“The ghost” is a widow hand – played for $250 after the big blind. The ghost blind straddles all in to $250 MX and gets a hand. Thereafter players can call or raise, with the ghost hand in until the showdown.
Players are free to bet on latter rounds, creating side pots if they are not all in. If the ghost wins, then the ghost takes their portion of the pot, and it leaves the table at the end of the hand. The money comes back into play an hour later as a straddle equal to whatever the house won. This continues until the house loses, in which case the entire pot is awarded to the winner. When the ghost loses it does not enter until the following day. But if they keep winning, the total they have won becomes the new straddle. I was told that it once got up to $40,000 MX ($2,000 US) one evening before the pot was finally won by a player.
Poker in Mexico: Summary
Three poker rooms in the area: two in Playa del Carmen, one in Cancun. All start in the late afternoon or evening and go until the wee hours – overnight if necessary for seated players. The games are usually no limit hold’em, though the Palace has regular PLO, and Winpot has dealer’s choice including a local variant called Mata Aces. If cigarette smoke in any quantity is a serious problem then you probably can’t play here. That would be a shame, because the games are extremely good, the players generally extremely friendly, and the rake is not prohibitive.
