BY TOM SOMACH

Almost heaven, West Virginia?

For poker players, it now will be.

Poker players throughout the Mountaineer State are rejoicing as the State of West Virginia last week opened its first-ever legal poker rooms.

Two poker rooms opened, and both are located at existing racetracks.

One poker room is at the Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort in Chester, W.V., which is a horse-racing track, and the other poker room is at the Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center in Wheeling, W.V., which is a dog-racing track.

Both tracks already have slot machines.

The Chester poker room has 37 tables and will be open around the clock.

The Wheeling poker room has 20 tables and will also operate 24/7.

Officials at both poker rooms said poker was added at State tracks in order to better compete against newly-opened casinos in bordering Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania casinos, some of which are located at racetracks, only have slot machines at this time, but are expected to eventually add poker and table games.

Table games may also soon be legalized in West Virginia.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)