Has anyone here played poker at this place? I am going down to Bradenton next month and was looking to play here, any info would be great, thankyou verymuch.

Lets GO BUFFALO!

When it opened, the local press described it has walking through skid row to get to Bellagio. It's a crummy track but the cardroom is brand new, well run (by Vegas expats), and well maintained. The dealers are almost all imports who are happy to be here because FL donks are crazy stupid tippers. All in all, it's a positive experience if you can get past the low stakes and high rake.

And higher rake for tourneys. For example, they did a $300 HORSE tourney that was $300+50 plus a $20 AO for the dealers. It was $70 in juice for a $300 tourney, and then they had their hands out at the end for a tip from the winners. I passed. I would have paid $300+30+20 because of the weak field but this was too much to stomach.

They do take steps to discourage those they consider to be *pro players because if the regs are drained too quickly it affects rake. You see this done less discreetly at SKC than at HR and the Tampa clubs, but it's a FL thing you should be aware of. For example, I after I cashed in a $65 donkament and I made $175 I was pressured by the floor until I left a tip. Since I live in this town and know some of the regs professionally, I obliged without making a scene but I haven't gone back. It just isn't worth the time and effort.

But my wife likes to go. For the stakes she plays it isn't much different from the LA cardrooms that she likes, and she breaks even to wins a bit when she goes, which given the rake and JP isn't half bad.

skip skc and drive to derby lane in st.pete or hard rock in tampa

skc is managed by the biggest bunch of dumb asses in fl

skc isnt even open on sundays

the play at all fl card rooms is similar.................90% of players are clueless

i havent been to skc in 3 months and have no plans of ever returning

What is the rake like in the cash games? and are these games juicy?

Rake is 10%, 5+1. Games are juicy but tough to beat the rake when even half your table has a clue. Playing NL helps -- limit poker in FL has a $5 max bet.

You have more choices in the Tampa area, but compared to Sarasota the clientele in those cardrooms are generally more trashy, more redneck, more odorous, more bigoted, more likely to be on some form of public assistance, and less toothy -- in short, you will find these rooms full of the degens you're used to playing with.

I don't like SKC because I feel like they try to squeeze every nickel I have out of me, but I'm not going to tell you that it is altogether horrible. That cardroom is more classy than its competition in FL.

TRY SILKS ROOM IN TAMPA ITS THE HORSE TRACK ON RACE TRACK RD ITS CLASSY AND BETTER PLAYERS THERE WITH 7% RAKE GOOD STRUCTURE TOURNEYS AND THE STAFF IS PROFESSIONAL IMO

Sarasota has the most knowledgeable managers in the Tampa region. They also have the best tournaments by far. It isn't even close. The manager of the room is friends with a lot of the top pro players and they come here to play in their Pro's vs. Joe's Series.

Tampa Greyhound has some good tourneys as well.

Cash games go to "THE ROCK". You simply cannot beat the 24 hr. venue with the biggest effective stacks in the Tampa area. Games at night/morning are always juicy and are still good even though they recently opened blackjack etc...

thoughts on skc post july?

I used to live on one of the barrier islands near SKC. This card room has promoted itself as extremely well managed and has created that image in the area. In fact, it is not. It isn't horribly managed either but probably well below average. Tables are not well lit (I think because they were moved after the initial lighting set up) and the overall cleanliness of the place is substantial less than optimal.
It has a very tight group of regs in the nl games (particularly the 2/5 game) who play together and regularly (daily) collude to relieve tourists of their money. Their operation is so incompetent that, if you have any experience in poker rooms, you will quickly spot it (e.g. three will sit at the end of a table and openly show each other their cards). I see it as an extension of the prevailing attitude in much of the service industry in Florida that it is okay to gouge the tourists. Apparently SKC management does not want to rock the boat. The 1/2 nl games were populated by the worst players I have ever encountered anywhere in the world. It was very easy to make money playing 1/2 there.
I found the physical environment poor and the overall attitude of the employees and management to be negative to players. (Not to say there aren't some very good and very friendly dealers there; though most of the good dealers kept moving on to other rooms.) There are several other far superior choices in the Tampa Bay area.

thanks, that is the card room closest to me and I was looking to see what others have observed about the room. I must admit the 1-2NL is extremely profitable although it is that way almost everywhere in FL judging by the forums here.

I have been a few times but saw a first this past Saturday. They were charging .50 to get in. Too funny.

this is true.. its a pain in the *** because the elderly man does not give change on 20's so you have to go back to your car. I know theres a pass you can get but I have yet to look into it...

I am finding it a barely acceptable room so far. I mean, it's a dump and I have seen some questionable decisions made (most notably not taking a consensus opinion regarding a must-move game, thusly going from two full games and five names on the board, to one full game and no names on the board, at the busiest time of night) but the 5/10 game is OK.

It's just a seedy scene. You get the impression a bottle of hand sanitizer should definitely be handed to you at the door.

Maybe some Erythromycin would come in handy too.

Thursday night, there was the Cowboys-jersey maybe meth-head 20-something dude about to "throw down" with the buffoonish 50-something guy about whether or not he had called an all-in, etc. "This is how I make my living!!" was shouted by each. They were in the 2/4 game. 50-something was escorted out. Word was, this happens a lot.

The dealers seem more interested in telling jokes and bad beat stories than dealing. MANY hands were pulled back when they failed to deal to empty seats. I had a meal, and the plate etc. stayed on the adjoining table for roughly four hours.

Cashing out three racks, the armed security guy pulled me aside and walked me out the back, down the stairwell, and to my car, reminding me not to stop my car if someone bumps me from behind.

Nice.

I have played @ SKC twice, i was not impressed with it, kinda rundown imo.

please explain?

What's to explain? The guy says it's "run down," and I think it would be impossible to argue with that assessment.

It feels more like an old Vegas Strip poker room or even the AC Resorts room or something from Reno twenty years ago than a modern-day poker room.

Not trying to be confrontational. I'm just a little curious as to how anyone could need any elaboration on that assessment, which is plain as day.

the reason i ask is because SKC is the only poker room ive played in.

Well, prepare to be WOWED if you go pretty much anywhere else then.

thanks.

I wouldn't dispute "run down" as a fair assessment of the physical plant and cleanliness (I think that is consistent with my post above). Add to that below average management and an unprofessional staff and you have a room with a lot of deficiencies.
To the poster who has never played anywhere else, I suggest you visit some other Tampa Bay area card rooms, particularly Derby Lane and Hard Rock. They also have deficiencies but are much better.

But is the action better?

I've posted a fair amount about SKC, and it really pains me that they just don't seem to care to change anything to fix the issues. And it sucks because not only is the room the closest to me, but I personally like Sam and Ryan - those two in particular have always treated me well and seem like stand-up guys, so I'd like them to succeed on a personal level, but it's just not happening. I think that they're a bit stuck with the owners in some regards (as far as putting money into in, opening Sundays or longer hours, etc.)

Just some examples of the issues:

- The air conditioning. If you sit on the back wall, prepare to sweat. Profusely.

- Going from a reguar bad beat to a $10K cap. Not that I care personally, but bad beats bring in tourists.

- Laws change so they can stay open later, and yet they still close at 2 or whatever. Smart, everyone knows no gambling goes on after 2 when all the tourists are half lit. Nope. No money to be made there for your regulars.

- Also, go ahead and stay closed on Sundays when probably half your population who have bankroll (and rake) generating activities (you know, those "job" thingies), have a day off. Nah, cutting our available playing time at your establishment by 50% won't have an impact.

- Limits go up, rake and drops stay the same, high hand payouts go down. Huh?

- $300 tourney goes down to $200. But vig stays the same at $30. And a $10 AO gets added? Seriously? Effectively, $200 + FORTY??? Is this some weird inverted marketing ploy?

- Every other room in the world offers 2/5 NL. SKC? 2/4.

- The high stakes room is 5/10. lol. (Maybe they should rename it the "Currently Highest Stakes Room"?

Also, apparently they put some policy in place that made any attractive waitress quit. Good move. Middle-aged, fat, bald guys hate cute 25 year old waitresses.

Seriously, it's just sad all around.

Obviously, for any individual session it varies, but I'd say, overall, about the same.

Go play @ Derbylane or The Silks.

Exactly. It really looks like they are doing a combination of not trying at all and making the exact wrong decision each time they decide to make a decision.

That game should have been 2/5 from jump. It would make a world of difference.

They can't help that nobody wants to play 10/20 or PLO, but they also don't do much to promote either. I have mentioned both several times at action 5/10 games, gotten some solid interest from the players, and had the entire thing pretty much dismissed out of hand, as if it would be too much hassle for them or something.

Of course, since the players fail to adjust their play when a straddle is on the button (effectively making it a 10/20), it's almost better to just have the straddle every hand.

It's hot. It's cold. It's hot. It's cold. Am I kicking a dope habit here?!

Without being mean, uh, I agree with the waitress comment. Yikes.

And I hate to drive the extra 45 minutes to get to a decent room that's not going to close the second the game gets good, but I might just have to.