"Psyched and ready," an idle dealer said to a security guard, who replied, "The calm before the storm."
Parx casino, in Bensalem, also held a test run yesterday and plans to open tomorrow night, pending final approval from the state.
Table games near Philadelphia mean that area gamblers will no longer have to travel to Atlantic City or Delaware to play poker, blackjack, roulette and other games.
But will Chester's recent crime wave, which prompted Mayor Wendell Butler Jr. to declare a state of emergency and implement an all-ages nighttime curfew in five sections of the city, drive potential customers away from Harrah's? And will table game players feel comfortable entering and exiting the casino carrying perhaps thousands of dollars in cash?
"Going into Chester with a large sum of money in your pockets is not exactly a great strategy," said Bill Baer, 22, a sportswriter from Aston who plays poker at Delaware Park "into the wee hours of the morning." Baer said he would "absolutely not" go to Chester instead.
Chester's crime has become an issue among some poker players at TwoPlusTwo.com, an online forum. They've worried in recent weeks that they could be an easy target for thieves waiting for the big winners to leave the casino.
Samantha Karr, 30, a registered nurse from Delaware County who plays three-card poker, said the state of emergency has made her hesitant to return to Harrah's. "I just don't feel safe getting there," she said.
But other table-game players aren't the least bit worried.
Even if turf wars are raging in Chester's neighborhoods, the casino itself is something of a safe haven. It's crawling with security guards and there are cameras everywhere, including in the parking garage.
