Hey, poker players!
The future is still uncertain when live poker rooms will be back. It’s time to look back at the past and maybe learn a thing or two.
It was more than a decade ago that a poker room opens inside a casino. Sadly It was a time that cameras on phones were not that common that it is very difficult to find photos of the room.
How many of you still remember those times?
We definitely welcome players to share their stories and photos of the old times so we can publish them and share them with the new generations.
What we can only do is reconstruct from the old memories of those who are still with us and have shared their stories.
Note: There was an old poker room also located in the old ambassador hotel a century ago. However, we could not remember the name. please share with us the poker room’s name.
Poker back then
It was more than a century ago that poker was already taking roots in the Philippines. There were unlicensed rooms that operated during that time. Fueled by Filipinos who came back to Manila and were eager to share the game.
PAGCOR was not interested at all to build a poker room. This was before PAGCOR allowed corporations to run their own casinos. All casinos were operated by PAGCOR. But it was time for a change.
Who was the person that really pushed it? Some say it was a colonel, some say it was a PAGCOR officer. It was a time where even the rules on how poker should be run were not even available.
But it was five people who were able to secure a license and build the first poker room in Manila. ACF poker room was born.
Airport Casino Filipino
The Airport Casino Filipino was Manila’s largest stand-alone casino. It was housed in the PRIC Building on Ninoy Aquino Avenue formerly occupied by Duty-Free Philippines until 1997 but was closed down in July 2014
It was big and a lot of events like billiards were housed there.
it had a mall-like structure where the middle was an unconfined space and had a sunroof.
The main entrance was located on the second floor(depending on your definition as some prefer to call it the ground floor while the floor below is referred to as the basement) as there is an elevated road.
Bands would play on the ground or basement area which would be heard all around the casino.
The place where legends were born.
As sources are really difficult to obtain. We are only publishing what was shared with us. If players would like to correct us and give us information. We gladly welcome any contribution
It was a group of 5 businessmen that started this venture. Although before you get the license. Documentation must be settled.
There is actually a PAGCOR book that was published as a guide for people who want to build a poker room. Two individuals have made claims as authors of the book. Which is why we will not publish the name without proper verification.
Even till today that book exists and was never updated. There are rules there that might surprise players today. The book does not allow straddle, nor miss blind, and even a rule where as long as you have invested in the pot, even just the big blind, you can force players to reveal their card.
That is why when you play in the Philippines. The house rules are posted and that house rules will be followed. This is due the Manual is outdated.
The game started out with incorporators are playing regularly. The poker room was located on an upper floor so spillover from the other games is rare.
It was also the time were promoting gambling is frown upon and Facebook and phones with data plans were rare. it was left up to the owners to invite players and to make it grow.
And it grew, there were some tournaments there and some of our staff were also able to play those events. Foreigners who were eager to play poker would appear from time to time and slowly there were more regular people coming in.
It was a nice place to hang out, On a Saturday night you could hear the band downstairs playing and you can get some drinks.
It was a nice place to chill.
What happened to it?
From owners arguing to not being able to catch up with the times. People were allowed to build poker houses and then next came private operators.
Although it had renovated before it finally shut down. it could just not compete with the outside.
Casinos run by PAGCOR are duty-bound to give more than half of their income to the treasury. what is left is for rent and other expenses. The casino was shut down in July of 2014.
They were the first, but time caught up.
Being the first does have its advantage. but it also has a huge drawback. Being the first meant being able to help set the rules. But then we must also catch up with the times.
Sometimes, we have to adapt to the new generation.
But in a time where social media was not a thing. ACF was that small seed that grew and became the catalyst for poker to enter the Philippines.
Stay safe poker playas!
