Poker room
Getting a Poker Seat at Casino Nanaimo
The poker room at Casino Nanaimo deals a single game and fills its seats from a waitlist. This page takes you through it in order, from putting your name down to sitting at the table.
By the First Night deskChecked October 14, 2026
The game
The one game dealt
The only game the room deals is $1/$3 No Limit Texas Hold'em. In that name, $1/$3 stands for the two forced bets, $1 and $3, posted before every hand is dealt. No Limit means any bet can go as high as the chips in front of you.
A buy-in is the money you turn into chips when you sit down. At this table it must be at least $100 and no more than $400. How many poker tables the room runs is not published. If that matters for your evening, the casino answers questions at 250-753-3033.
The list
Putting your name down
Seats go through a waitlist, the running list of players waiting for the next open chair. You can add your name in person at Guest Services, and those in-person sign-ups come ahead of phone sign-ups. Calling 250-753-3033 works as well. Either way, you must already be inside the casino when you put your name down.
If you are coming straight from the ferry, put your name down first and then pick up a coffee, which is complimentary. When a seat opens, the next name is paged. A player who is paged three times and does not show comes off the list automatically. Keep close enough to hear your name called.
The hours
When the room deals
Poker runs Monday to Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight. On Friday and Saturday it runs from noon to 2 a.m., and on Sunday from noon to midnight. From Sunday to Thursday the casino doors close at 1 a.m., so the building stays open after the room has stopped dealing. Friday and Saturday line up, with doors and room both closing at 2 a.m. Holiday hours are not published, so call 250-753-3033.
Before you sit
Your buy-in, decided first
This is a general habit, not a rule of the room. Before you put your name on the list, decide two things. One is the buy-in you will bring; the other is the hour you will stand up. Then leave both where they are, whatever the cards do. The budget planner on this site works only with your own numbers, and nothing you enter is sent anywhere or kept.
Questions
Quick answers
The desk answers from the facts checked for this guide. Tap a question to open the answer.
Can you join the poker waitlist from a hotel room downtown?
That will not work. You must already be inside the casino, whether you go to Guest Services or call 250-753-3033.
What happens if you miss your page?
Missing a single page does not cost you your place. A player who is paged three times without showing up is taken off the list automatically. To get back on, you would add your name again from inside the casino.
Is poker dealt on a Wednesday afternoon?
Not until 5 p.m. From Monday to Thursday the room deals from 5 p.m. to midnight, though the casino itself opens at 10 a.m.
What is the smallest buy-in at the poker table?
The minimum is $100 and the maximum is $400. That range applies to the room's one game, $1/$3 No Limit Texas Hold'em.
Next panel
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