Just to be clear, I am no affiliated with the Hard Rock in any way but I am a regular patron with a vested interest in the operations of the room. With July 1st bringing the option of uncapped buy-ins to Florida poker rooms, "The Rock" is destined to become the #1 destination for big-game poker players in South Florida. It might not be the most well-managed or prettiest room around but much like Commerce Casino in LA, it will likely host the largest games around and be action-central for low- and high-stakes players alike.

Hopefully this thread will turn into a discussion of all things related to the Hollywood Hard Rock poker room. Feel free to post any questions you may have about the room and I'll try to maintain an up-to-date FAQ underneath this post.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood poker room:


Where is the Hollywood Hard Rock located?

1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL 33314-- about 20 miles north of downtown Miami and 10 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale. View it on Google Maps

How do I get there?

If you arrive by car, expect the drive to be about 30 minutes from downtown Miami and 15 minutes from downtown Ft. Lauderdale without traffic. Here are some driving directions from Miami International Airport (MIA) and Ft. Lauderdale Int'l (FLL).

Does the poker room have a web site?

Yes, and you can find it here.


What are the operating hours of the casino and poker room?

Both the casino and poker room are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all holidays.


How old do I have to be to play poker?

18, though you must be 21 years old to be eligible for certain promotions.


Which poker games are spread and what is the buy-in structure.

The Hard Rock spreads a number of cash games and runs scheduled tournaments in addition to sit-and-go tournaments. Check this site for a run-down on the tournaments offered. Here is a listing of the cash games offered as of July 1, 2010:

NO LIMIT TEXAS HOLD EM
$1/2 - $40 min - $100 max
$1/3 - $100 min - $300 max
$2/5 - $200 min - $600 max
$5/10 - $500 min - $2000 max
$10/20 - $1000 min - $5000 max
$10/25 - $2500 min - no max
$25/50 - $5000 min - no max
$50/100 - $10,000 min - no max

LIMIT TEXAS HOLD EM (Kill Offered)
$2/4 - $30 min
$4/8 - $60 min
$10/20 - $150 min
$20/40 - $300 min
$40/80 - $600 min
$75/150 - $1000 min
$150/300 - $2000 min

POT LIMIT OMAHA (High Only)
$1/2 - $100 min - $500 max
$2/5 - $200 min - $1000 max
$10/20 - $1000 min - $5000 max
$10/25 - $2500 min - no max
$25/50 - $5000 min - no max

OMAHA HIGH & HIGH/LOW (Kill Offered)
$3/6 - $50
$10/20 - $150
$20/40 - $300
$40/80 - $600
$75/150 - $1000
$150/300 - $2000

7 CARD STUD HIGH & HIGH/LOW
$1-5 (spread) - $50 - no ante - $1 bring-in
$2-10 (spread) - $100 - no ante - $2 bring-in
$10/20 - $150 - $1 ante - $3 bring-in
$20/40 - $300 - $3 ante - $5 bring in
$40/80 - $600 - $5 ante - $10 bring-in
$75/150 - $1000 - $10 ante - $25 bring-in
$150/300 - $2000 - $25 - $50 bring-in


What is the rake?

For raked games, the house takes 10% of the pot up to a maximum of $5 plus $1 for the bad beat jackpot drop. High stakes games take a time rake, which is a certain dollar amount (i.e. $10) taken every half-hour but do not take $1 for the jackpot drop and therefore are ineligible to win the jackpot.

Raked games include:

NO LIMIT HOLD EM - $1/2, $1/3, $2/5, $5/10

LIMIT HOLD EM (Kill Offered) - $2/4, $4/8, $10/20, $20/40

POT LIMIT OMAHA (High Only) - $1/2

OMAHA HIGH & HIGH/LOW (Kill Offered) - $3/6

7 CARD STUD HIGH & HIGH/LOW - $1-5, $2-10, $10/20, $20/40


What is the bad beat jackpot and how does one qualify to win it?

For every hand dealt at a jackpot-eligible game, a dollar is taken by the house and added to the progressive bad beat jackpot which always has a base set at $100,000. This is done at all Seminole casino locations throughout the state, which all share the same jackpot money. A "bad beat" hand in Texas Hold Em is one in which quad-TENS is beaten by a better hand. Both hole cards in each players' hand must be used to qualify. The loser of the hand is the "bad beat" winner and takes 50% of the total jackpot amount while the winner of the hand takes 30%, leaving the remaining 20% to be divided evenly amongst the other players at the table that were dealt-in for that hand. For example:

A person with pocket aces hits four-of-a-kind while a person with 10-Jack suited hits a Royal Flush when the bad beat jackpot is up to $200,000 and 8 other players are sitting at the table. The player with quad-aces will take home $100,000; the player with the Royal Flush will take $60,000; and each player dealt into that hand will take $5,000. The bad beat jackpot will then be reset to $100,000.

An estimate of the current bad beat jackpot amount can be found here.


What kind of frequent player program is offered?

As long as you are 21 or older you can enroll in the Player’s Club by visiting the Player’s Club booth on the casino floor and presenting your photo ID. The "Wild Card" entitles poker players to certain hourly $ rates while they play. The money you accrue on your card can be applied to just about anything that is owned by the Seminoles-- food/alcohol within the poker room, casino food court, restaurants inside the casino and pool area, casino shops, hotel, and even poker tournament entries. It cannot currently be used at any of the shops, restaurants, bars or clubs outside of the poker room in the Paradise section of the property.

For No Limit Texas Hold Em games, players are given $0.60/hour at low stakes ($1/2, $1/3) and $1/hour at higher stakes. To earn this, simply hand the dealer your card when you sit down to play and they will swipe you into the computer system at the table and will automatically clock you out when you leave the game.


What other promotions are offered in the poker room?


The Seminole Hard Rock poker room web site keeps an up-to-date list of all of their promotions. Click here to check it out.


Is food served in the poker room?

Yes, you can order food from the cocktail waitresses and you can eat at the tables.


What about alcohol?

It wouldn't be a proper casino without alcohol flowing, right? Alcohol is served 24/7 as there is no "last call." Only thing is, you have to pay for it. Bummer.


Can I get a massage while playing?

Yep. Massage rates are $2/minute.

^ Grr...I was in the process of answering many more questions for the FAQ but 2+2 crapped out on me when I went to submit the newly revised post. I'll have to leave it as-is for now but I'll get around to adding more information when I have some more time.

First, other than the OP.

When in Hollywood, I go to Hollywood...

Secondly, there is always action there, in a land of general inaction...

i've been playing 1-2 there for years, but I mostly play at the Coconut Creek Seminole. Pretty excited about the new limits. I find the games to be weaker than .5/.10 online...lol.

i plan to skip the main event this year and be in hollywood instead. i hope it will be worth it.

+1

Im thinking on moving to Florida specifically as a result of these new gambling laws. It looks like Ft. Lauderdale + Hard Rock is the prime candidate for any professional player am I correct? And there are other casinos within a stones throw for those times where I need a breather?

http://www.thepokeratlas.com/region/florida/6/

click view map on left and you can zoom in.

I think that assessment is correct. There are 4-5 other places to play within about an hour or so of there if you need to mix it up. And, from time to time you might even want to take a shot at tournaments or a weekend binge up in Central Florida (Orlando-Tampa) which is a reasonable drive from Lauderdale (4 hours, give or take).

Your gona see these big games for maybe a year then the action will dry up, Im just saying.

I doubt that. I play the home game circuit in my city, and I see the same deli shop workers and bar tenders and dentists and construction guys spewing off $200-$400 every night somehow. They'll never stop, and neither will people living in florida most likely. There's a reason all those casinos exist you know, because they get customers.

And I'm not talking about the people who can afford to play, I'm talking about the never ending supply of degens on this planet who make such decisions as "do I pay rent this month? Or double up tonight!"

yeah, vegas/la/ac can sustain 10-20+ nl games on a consistent basis, but there's just not enough money down in fla to do the same.

This is sarcasm I hope.

It has to be

So when is this dam Hard Rock going to lift the limits! I can not wait anymore, just do it, tonight, please!!!
The anticipation is killing me, I will be totally exhausted by the first of June and if they wait till July I will be like a drug addict jones'n for a hit.

Cant wait to play full stack poker, its about time to see 5/10+ games running.

It is my understanding that the Bravo system is supposed to be installed this week. It looks like the poker tables have already been fitted with the requisite wiring and are just awaiting the computers themselves.

BTW, I have wanted to update the FAQ on the first page of this thread but I somehow lost my ability to edit posts, so if a mod can help me out with that I'd love to add more information to my original posts.

Yea, I just posted in the other thread that I heard that Tampa was getting the Bravo system but didnt know when. I did hear that Hollywood would get it then soon after Tampa.
I hope this means Tampa by July 1st.

Vegas has a hard time getting 10/20 games going and if they do its the same faces trading money back and fourth, The economy is drying up in Florida, all the builders are leaving as fast as possible, the summer months are dead cause all the people who live in the Florida during the winter months retreat back north to their summer house, even the West palm beach poker host agrees with me that the games will dry up, sure you will get some 10-20 and even higher in the first year but I will bet anything you will not see higher than 10-20 next summer 2011. The biggest game will be 5-10.

So much money in South Florida. I played at Coconut Creek a few times and the games were very soft.

You're a couple of years behind. All the wealth in South Florida has dried up. There ain't much at all down here these days.

Sarcasm?

Would definately love the uncap of buyins down here in s fla. I cant wait to catch the fish swimming!

yeah you must know better than me, i've only been playing 10-20 everyday in vegas for almost 4 years.