It's $1/2, the vast majority are varying degrees of bad. Very few decent $1/2 regs from what I remember.

Been primarily playing $2/5 for the last 4 months so not up on the $1/2 ecosystem but played $1/2 last night from 7-10 because I spotted a couple of bad regs who were deep. The game was uber soft.

Naturally I got my teeth kicked in.

I moved to Tampa a few months ago and live Downtown. Can be to THR or Derby in less than 15 minutes depending on traffic. Haven't played at either room yet tho.

I love Tampa but its not as cheap to live as I hoped. Apartments are expensive Downtown as well as in South Tampa (Hyde Park/SOHO). Renting a room for now while I decide where I want to get my own place. Seminole Heights is kinda cool but run down/ghetto on the outskirts. Housing is really weird down here. Car insurance is super expensive too.

Pretty much the same in all of Central Florida. If you don't mind a little commute you can find great places that are very affordable. Tampa is like Orlando - everything is a 30 minute drive!!! Enjoy.

FWIW Derby just posted they are running a new 2/5NL 400min-no max with restraddles. Seems like a shot right at THR with the timing. I think low stakes would shift to Derby cuz obv $10 parking is a bigger deal to them than 2/5+ grinders. Especially since a lot probably are elite cards anyway so it's free to park. But if that game gets going regularly at Derby that might be a different story..

what are the buy ins for the current 2/5nl game? is this new game targetting 5/10nl players from THR? If so, why not just make it 5/10? Is this new game just replacing the old 2/5nl buyins or will both games run?

Idk if it's replacing the 2/5 or not which is $200-$800.
EDIT*

Looking on Poker Desk live and current game running is the 2/5 400+ and no other 2/5nl listed as was before.

Looking at the evening numbers (8:45 PM Thursday) they are showing THR running 17 games and Derby Lane at 9 ( NL breakdown; 2/5 - 3 at THR and zero at Derby. 1/2 and 1/3 - 8 at THR and 4 at Derby with Derby also running 4 1/1 games). I wonder if that means that only the the old daytime nits have moved to Derby with the evening and night games not changing at all.

That's a really good observation, I was curious about the same thing. Derby seems to have picked up a significant amount of daytime business after the parking fees started this week, but THR still seems to be doing ok at night. I still think it's going to be tough to discern any trends for a few months, THR has historically been slow until the snowbirds come back in November.

With that said, even if its the old man coffee types that are going to play at other rooms due to the parking fees, that's still going to hurt THR poker as they'll lose a chunk of business that helps pay the overhead of the poker room. Plus fewer games running during the day might eventually seep into the evening and night games as players look on Bravo and Poker Desk and start to go where there's more action (could be Daytona for players in an around Orlando, many of which make the trip to THR).

Anecdotally, I've noticed playing over Silks its a bit more crowded at least in the earlier/daytime hours. Also, seeing a few familiar faces there who I often saw at HR but had never before seen at Silks. Lots of conversations about the new parking situation and folks generally fall between not going there due to spite and/or logistics. There are lot of regs who are not the sit down 4-8 hour types but rather the "pop in and out" types. 20 hours spread across 7 days types. The $10 surcharge to drop in for that hour or so just doesn't make sense even if your consistently a winning player at $1-2. I'm going to take the under that the parking fee is gone by X-mas, I won't be back until its gone. (unless I park at Wawa or something,lol)

I believe it's really too early to tell if there is going to be big long-term fallout for THR due to parking. So far it looks as though the daytime business of the poker room has definitely taken a hit, but not so much at night. Derby Lane definitely seems to be capitalizing during the day and Daytona looks like they are busier during the day as well.

I'd be really surprised if they went back to no parking fees, it could be that they are trying the $10 per day fee to soften up players and then they drop it to $5 and the corporate double speak spin will be something like "We're enhancing value and giving you better security and an overall better experience (when you come and give us your money) by dropping the parking fees by 50%, look how we we love our customers (i.e. SUCKERS, the term we really mean when we give you such great deals)!"....

So it's Friday and the first weekend with parking fees at THR.

Here's the score at approximately 2:30 p.m. according to Bravo and Poker Desk:

# of tables - Derby Lane 17, Silks 10, Daytona 28...THR poker 15.

It's early and I expect THR to pick up the pace during the evening and into the night but I don't recall seeing Derby's business this strong in years, Silks looks like they are on an upswing and Daytona Wow! It looks like there are a bunch of Orlando market players, which has always been a big draw for THR poker, playing in Daytona.

I wonder how many of the Friday Tampa Hard Rock players were finding out about the parking fee for the first time tonight and if that will affect the numbers next Friday.

At almost midnight on 8/5 the break out of poker tables running is:
Derby 19, Silks 6, Daytona 17, THR 33.

(backed out the psuedo-table games like 3 card poker and the like)

Thanks for posting last nights table #s.

I was at HR and it seemed slow in the early evening but then picked up as the night wore on. Eventually they got to a typical weekend night of 30+ tables. At this point seems that the day games are being affected by the parking fees more than the night games.

Daytona has 40 tables running right now and THR only 20. I bet many Orlando folks head to Daytona instead

Interested in two different things:

1) Running a fantasy football league with all THR/Tampa Regs

2) having a group chat with all THR regs to just discuss what games are going and what they look like, basically having eyes at all times in the room is useful for all.


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Pleased (or sorry, depending on perspective) the THR games are still running strong. Traffic has slowed a bit but the games at $1/2 and $2/5 are still very good.

Sorry haterz!!!!

Can anyone recommend any neighborhoods in Tampa. Plan on moving there in November with 2 roommates. Would like to be within 30 mins or so from the hard rock as well as near downtown nightlife areas. Looking for a 3br ~1500 or so. Would consider St Pete but from what I hear traffic might be an issue commuting to the hard rock. So far I've heard Hyde park, ybor, and Seminole heights. Looking for a 6 month or less lease.

Good luck a 1br in the nice areas you listed will run you $1300 + , more with a short lease. Im paying $1100 for a small place(726 sqf, 1br) a few minutes away from Derby.

You 100% don't want to live in Ybor, trust me.... lol Hyde Park, downtown, and the Rocky Point area (bunch of Apt, condo's for rent on those islands that aren't too badly priced) Westchase area isn't too bad for the money either and might be your best bet for a 3br in that price range.... Also, traffic isn't bad from St. Pete as long as you're not traveling between 5pm to 6:30 m-f other than that you can get there in 20-30 min easy....

Yeah I wouldn't wanna live in Ybor either. Seminole Heights might be doable. Westchase will prob run $1600+, prob closer to 2k. South Tampa is out unless you wanna live next to Macdill. All thr nice complexes are gonna be around 2K for a 3br. Trio Downtown Tampa might be doable but its all low income/section 8.

Westchase area is pretty affordable, imo. I lived in Camden Woods right by the Target/Silks and liked it. The only problem you will have is if you have to be downtown in the morning traffic on Hillsborough is a mess.

Hi I'm a PLO player and thinking of making a trip to the US from London to play some live cash.

How's the PLO action in Tampa? Are there games 24/7, are they good and what stakes? Any other places in Florida I should consider, like Miami?

Thanks for any advice really appreciate it.. Don't want to travel all the way and find there's no PLO games!

Definitely bette games in Miami. Check out Hialeah and Magic City for starters. Tough to find consistent good games in Tampa. Lots of tight old man rock types.

Thanks dude

Hope I get some responses as this thread seems to have died, but I've been redirected here from the SHRT thread, and have already posted in SFL thread.

Anyway, I'm likely moving to Tampa in a couple months. I'll be playing poker full time. Flying out tomorrow to check out the casinos and look at apartments. Wondering, what are some good neighborhoods where I can get a 2BR for < $1200? Preferably more like $1000, but I'm willing to go up if it's a particularly nice area.

At the moment I just have planned to check out some apartments and condos in Brandon, one of the less expensive areas of South Tampa (can't remember the neighborhood name), Carrollwood, and the area west of the airport.

What I'm looking for is a decent location that is less than 30 minutes from SHRT, (preferably closer), that was built somewhat recently (say, past 30 years or newer), has lowish noise, has relatively low price, and is in a relatively low crime area. According to areavibes.com that's just about everywhere that has high crime or it seems, except for some places that are like $1500+. All things being equal I'd rather live in a more urban part than the suburbs, so I have easier access to restaurants and grocery stores, etc., but I know most of the urban neighborhoods in Tampa proper have high crime. Living near the water is not important but it's fine either way. Ceiling fans are nice. Washer/dryer included is a plus but not real important. And I have a cat so that will exclude some apartments/condos.

The most important of these factors are allowing cats, not being super noisy, and affordability. I just care about crime to the extent I'm likely to be stabbed or carjacked or similar. Random vandalism and minor property theft are not much of a concern.

I won't be checking out apartments until the 6th or 7th. Let me know if there are some good areas or particular complexes I've overlooked.

Also, I hear SHRT is the best casino but how are Derby Lane, Silks, and Tampa Greyhound? Worth visiting, and if so, are some days better at certain rooms than others? I'm thinking about checking out at least the first three though spending most of my time at SHRT.

Thanks!