The 1/2 games here play like .25/.50. IDK if its Covid (probably) or maybe the mythical snowbirds haven't arrived in force yet but these 7h/masked 1/2 games are soul-crushingly boring and nitty. If I don't hit a high hand or two within the 2 weeks I'm here i don't think i'll beat the rake

Well yeah, once the retirees get back in town the action will really pick up.

(Just busting chops . Yes, THR 1/2 can be absolutely awful. I'd experiment with Derby Lane 1/3 when the Hard Rock games suck.)

Yes COVID has actually had an impact on the 1/2. The recs that would normally populate that game are either broke because of the virus implications on the economy or they are simply not having a good time because of the lack of communication due to the plexiglass. It doesn't help that we are not in the busy season for Florida poker anyways. I just don't see why a rec would want to play this game at the moment. There is normally multiple very good/deep tables of 1/2.

I agree with Machi5. Come to Derby Lane. (or play the 2/5 at rock where there is more disposable income and wannabe grinders that aren't up to the task mentally) The 1/3 is almost always very juicy on weekends. Although this game (Derby 1/3) has been hurt as well by the lack of disposable income from rec players. On weekdays it can be dismal.

When is the normally busy season for poker in FL?

Thanksgiving until the end of MLB spring training

What is the max seats per table these days?

I called the room, researched online, did all i could and cannot find an answer. (People don't answer the phone in the room)

Tables are currently playing 7-handed with plexi-glass dividers.

Does anyone happen to know who manufactures the tournament set they use at Tampa Hard Rock? My best guess is either Bud Jones or Gemaco, but can't seem to find an answer anywhere.

Thank you, sir.

Action seems to be pretty good as well. At least for the time being, there are still tourists aplenty and the typical badregs still have their gambol itch that they need to scratch.

It's usually late December thru the end of March as far as Poker go's. This year could be different as some snowbirds decide to stay North. Some may come, but take crowded Poker rooms off their schedule.

Didn't Florida get rid of mask mandates? Does this poker room require them? Do people wear them?

i cant think of a single poker room anywhere in the whole US outside of deadwood that doesnt require masks except for one private game in houston thats not officially open, but never the less is open in the back.

most casino ok, tx or LA, i played in i was always asked to pull up my mask

You are required to wear them in this poker room. Yes, everyone wears them. I have not been there in a week, but I do not believe that has changed.

Yeah, 0% chance any casino nation wide gets rid of requiring a mask. They don’t want to potentially get sued so they will do everything possible to look like they’ve done their part.

The only changes recently have been to alter some tables so they can fit 8 players instead of 7 with the plexiglass installed (not all tables have been converted yet)

Tampa Hard Rock gets positively slammed when they put on tournament series (their recent $1,700 buyin 200K guaranteed broke $1.2 million with I believe three Day 1's and first place was more than the entire guarantee)

So it's really needed for them to start increasing their capacity because the traveling grinders are flooding Tampa during these series and wait times for cash games or even to get a seat in the tournament can take hours on some of the busier days.

Aside from the plexiglass, masks are required and all entrances also require you to walk through a sectioned off area where your temperature is taken.

Anytime you sit down at a poker table the dealer gives you a squirt of sanitizer. If you switch tables, handle cash to buy more chips or walk away from your table for a break and come back, once again the sanitizer comes out.

In addition, there will be times when staff will come to sanitize the dealers chip tray, which slows things down as you wait for them to spray and wipe the chips.

The rumor I heard is to probably expect this sort of stuff to continue through Feb/March at least.

The room is in dire need of additional staff. On some of the busiest days I've seen just one brush manning the front desk, dealing with a massive line alone while also having to call out names to fill open seats and answer the phones.

As far as the cash games go (I don't really play the tournaments much), there was a period of a few months where it seemed there was just no action. I play PLO and even on a day with SEVEN tables between 1/2 and 2/5 with a $10 rock and $5/10 with a $25 rock I bounced between multiple tables and it was just a nitfest.

Part of that is the economy, part of it is grinders from outside Tampa hitting the area because there was no poker action in their regions, and we opened back up in Mid-May. And part of it was just the "poker season" as well.

Fortunately the past couple of weeks I've found some great action in PLO again, so hoping that trend will continue to progress nicely, I've got three cats to feed!

Got it. Thanks for the detailed response

Some updates to the room rules as of Feb 1st, 2021:


LIMIT GAMES

Jackpot eligible limit games will be restricted to $4-8 limit and higher. Min buyin on $4-8 limit games is $40

TIME RAKE GAMES

Main Floor = $8 every 30 minutes
Glass Room = $10 every 30 minutes

POT RAKE GAMES

Players will now have the option to run the entire board, turn & river, or river twice, the house will charge an aditional rake equal to the amount taken prior to running it twice.

The first $1 is pulled and placed on the rake slide once a $5 pot is generated and a flop has been dealt. Additional dollars are taken when the pot reaches $15, $25, $35 and $45. Rake is dropped after pushing the pot to the winner


The above changes were posted on a sign at the front desk. In addition, finally a positive change if you're a PLO player in a jackpot eligible game.

PLO JACKPOT ELIGIBLE GAMES (1/2 PLO)

Previously if you flopped a qualifying high hand and it improved on the turn or river, your high hand was disqualified (i.e. you have AA22 and the flop is AA3 giving you quad Aces with a 3 kicker. The turn brings a J. Now your "highest hand" is quad Aces with a Jack kicker, but since that wasn't "on the flop" your hand no longer qualifies)

Now they have switched it back, so you still have to flop your high hand in PLO, but it can't be fouled by the turn or river, so in the above example your hand would show as AAAA3 on the high hand board.

BEAT THE BUZZER FOR HIGH HANDS

Don't make the mistake I did last night. They were doing alternating values of high hands, $1,000 at the top of the hour and $500 at the bottom of the hour (or vice versa, can't recall)

But your high hand is NOT counted based on when you are DEALT the hand, but when you TABLE your hand. I flopped a straight flush that was higher than the current high hand on the board, and there was over a minute left in that qualifying period for a 1K prize.

Because my hand wasn't tabled until 15 seconds after the half hour period, they didn't count it for the 1k prize. Instead I was only eligible for the $500 prize AND had to have my hand hold up for 30 minutes instead of having to only sweat a few seconds for the previous half hour period.

So essentially if time is short on the high hand clock you won't be able to value-bet your hand in those instances, you just need to get it over and your hand tabled

thats a horrible rule change, it will encourage people to tank about 5 minutes so their hi hand will occur in the new hour instead of in the hour it should be in which it wasnt high enough to win, which is why people will tank forever. imagine how angry this tanking will make the others in the huge time raked games. this is exactly why rooms do it in the time its dealt everywhere else.

Agreed. High hand jackpots should be handled like level changes in tournaments. A designated employee hits a chime, and announces something like "Dealers, finish the hand you're on. Next hand starts the new high hand period." And just like in a tournament, have a bright line moment that designates the end/start of a hand. In most tournaments, it is when the dealer makes the first riffle in a hand-shuffled game. In games with auto-shufflers, it is typically either when the dealer pushes the button to open the shuffler door, or when the dealer cuts the deck after its removal from the machine.

Then, no worries or arguments about which period the hand is in. And in those close cases where it comes down to the riffle or whatever, train your dealers to announce to the table, prior to dealing any cards, whether or not the hand they are about to deal is in the old period, or the new period.

Cheers, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Pretty big time rake increase from $14 to $20/hr for T/T. 12k/yr if you put in a full work year.

Didn’t know that was the high hand policy, but not thrilled they changed it. The hard rock population is 100% the type to excessively tank for the high hand.

The high hands have always been effective when they are tabled, and there has been no problem with the excessive tanking people are envisioning.

Time raked games arent eligible for high hands.

There is another high hand related rule change that is confusing a lot of people. If your two cards and three board cards make a high hand, it does not have to be the best hand on the board or even your best hand.

Eg. You have A2dd. Board is 34567ddddd. Another player has Kh8d. The other player wins the pot with the best hand, an 8high straight flush. But he does not have a qualifying HH bc only 1 card in his hand contributes to the SF.

You, OTOH, have a qualifying Hh bc you have a SF to the 5 with both hole cards playing. So you would lose the pot but get on the board with a high hand.

Another eg. You have K2. Board is KK5K7. Your hand for winning the pot is kkkk7. But you have a qualifying HH of kkkk4 bc you have a 4 of a kind using both hole cards, even though it is not your best possible hand.

I'd check with the room before assuming this is correct. I'm pretty sure it does NOT work like this in most poker rooms. But, I could be wrong. Don't play much live cash, and when I do, it is seldom NLH.