These high-hand promos are packing the rooms in South Florida. But they're killing the action. I can't play 1/2 here any more because it makes my eyes bleed. People buy in for the minimum (usually $60), and most all hands go seven limpers and checks all around through the end of the hand. Throw a preflop raise out there and everyone folds and starts grumbling. No money to be made at this game any more.

This hasn't been my experience at all. As you can see from my last few posts, I play at many of the rooms in SoFla several times/week, and in not one have I ever witnessed what you describe as routine behavior. In fact, it is almost the complete opposite. The action can be limped around to me on the button, I then raise an additional $15-$20, and I'll still end up with 4+ callers.

Your final comment that there is no money to be made at this game anymore is too LOL to even address seriously.

I would have to agree. I have made more money per session since the promotions started than ever before. And I wouldn't chalk it up to variance. I think that people are seeing more flops than they would before, and for longer sessions than before due to the promotions.

Decided over the weekend to start playing 2/5 on a regular basis rather than 1/2. I was at Gulfstream Saturday, Mardi Gras Sunday, and Hialeah today. Tomorrow I'm headed to Calder. I find it interesting that all of the casinos I've played at so far have different max buy-ins for 2/5. At Gulfstream it was $500; at Mardi Gras it was $1,000, and at Hialeah it was $600. Hialeah also has a "deep stack" 2/5 with a max buy in of $2,000. Coincidentally, I sat down at a regular 2/5 table and then after about 2 hours, there was a request to change it to a deepstack game and we all agreed. Shortly thereafter, we had about $15,000 on the table. I'm curious to see how Calder compares tomorrow.

Going to South Florida for July and August to play cards. Anyone have any suggestions on where to stay? Would like to rent a studio apartment or something like that. Will probably be playing mostly at the Hardrock Hollywood. Any advice appreciated.

I am currently living in FL but looking to move much closer to the Hollywood Hard Rock/Isle. I am a 26 year old male looking to increase my weekly playing time and reducing my 1.5 hour casino drive is first on the list.

I have a comfortable life roll and separate bankroll. I exercise daily and enjoy being active when I'm not sitting my ass at a poker table. PM or reply here if you know of any leads to a decent place. Prefer long term but short is ok too.

I realize I could find something on craigslist but I am interested in living with other like-minded poker players.

Any help appreciated!

What are the best poker casinos in FL? I guess south SF or otherwise.

The Isle - Pompano
Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood
Mardi Gras - Hollywood
Gulfstream - Hallandale

Isle, GS and HR are all outstanding places to play. Haven't been to Mardi Gras.

Coconut Creek has a really nice room as well, and Palm Beach is worth a look as well even though it isn't quite as nice as the others listed.

Cervesa, way to shake em up in that unchained thread.

Yes, I forgot about Coconut Creek. Played there about 2 months ago. Nice Room.

Those guys in the unchained thread take life way too seriously. Just having a bit of fun getting 'em riled up.

Calder announced over the weekend that its poker room is closing as of tonight.

http://www.southflorida.com/gambling...,1260084.story

The deal that settled the Gulfstream Park/Calder racing date conflict necessitated the closing of Calder’s poker room. Prior to last 2012 Calder had run live thoroughbred performances from April to January. Last year Calder and Gulfstream both ran live thoroughbred performances all year from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014, mostly on weekends.

The settlement calls for Gulfstream to lease most of Calder's facilities, including its thoroughbred racing permit, for six years and to run 40 days of races at Calder during September and October each year, under Calder’s racing permit. Calder keeps the slot casino.

The 40 days of racing run by Gulfstream at Calder enables Calder to keep its license to operate the slots. Florida Statute allowing slots provides in Section 500.002(11) that “a thorough permitholder may renew their slot permit if they have conducted at least 40 live regular wagering performances during the preceding year.” This explains why Calder insisted Gulfstream run 40 live performances for the next six years. Calder will be able to renew both its racing permit and its slot permit.

However, Section 849.086 Florida Statutes provides that “in order for a cardroom license to be renewed the applicant must have requested, as part of its pari-mutuel annual license application, to conduct at least 90 percent of the total number of live performances conducted by such permitholder during either the state fiscal year in which its initial cardroom license was issued or the state fiscal year immediately prior thereto if the permitholder ran at least a full schedule of live racing or games in the prior year.” Because the 40 days of racing under the Gulfstream Park/Calder agreement does not meet the 90% requirement, Calder could not renew its pokerroom license and had to close the room.

Any of the S Fl rooms have 2/5nl with a 1k+ max bi?

The 2/5 at Miami Jai Alai is uncapped. (In fact, the 1/2 is uncapped as well.) Unfortunately, the room is pretty dead except for Friday and Saturday nights, so the 2/5 doesn't run very often.

The buy-in for 2/5 at Mardi Gras is $200/$1000. Although the buy-in for Hialeah's regular 2/5 game is only $200/$600, they have a separate "deepstack" 2/5 that has a max buy-in of $2000.

There may be other rooms that offer a $1,000 max buy-in, but of the rooms I play in, those are the only ones with which I'm familiar. (I also play 2/5 at Gulfstream and Magic City, but their 2/5s are $500 max.)

The Isle in Pompano gets a "deepstack" 2/5nl with $1000 buyin every now and then, but I think it's sporadic at best.

Hard rock Hollywood has been getting a 2-5 deepstack going fairly regularly lately. Capped at 1200. Check bravo before going though.

Where's all the plo at in S. Florida? Been keeping an eye on bravo lately and haven't seen much at all even on Fri/Sat.

Isle has been getting 5/5 PLO going a few times in the past couple of weeks. But if history is any indication, it'll vanish in a couple of weeks. PLO just doesn't have any legs here. There will be a flurry of activity for a couple of weeks and then absolutely nothing for several months. The most consistent that I know of is the 2/5 PLO8 at Palm Beach Kennel Club, which has gone every day for a couple or three years (it used to be 1/2).

That sounds promising. What part of the state is Hollywood Fl? Any other rooms close by as well?

Gulfstream and Mardi Gras regularly run PLO cash. Gulfstream runs a PLO tourney on Wednesday nights.

Hollywood is located in Broward County, which is in South Florida. It is just south of Ft. Lauderdale. Nearby rooms are Mardi Gras, Gulfstream and Dania.

It's in South Florida, between Miami & Ft. Lauderdale. There's about 9-10 other rooms within 30-40 minutes of Hard Rock.

I've been looking at the area on the map and pining the local casinos. I can't believe how many places there are down there.

The rake must be decent with all the competition. I saw one place (Dania?) that has $2 everything on Tuesdays. $2 timed raked? That's a great deal! How does a 2-5 or 5-10 game even get started anywhere else in the area on Tuesdays with that deal going on???

Dana is pretty much always dead. They're lucky to get a 1/2 game going in addition to their standard 2/4 limit games. (At least that's been my experience there with 1 or 2 exceptions thanks to a crazy guy known as Wild Bill.)

As for the rake in the rest of the rooms, it's pretty standard at $5 + $2. Most of the jackpot money goes for high hand bonuses, so if you're a regular, you should just about break even on it in the long term.

That rake is pretty bad considering how much competition there is in the area. Dropping $2 jackpot on 2/5+ games is standard? You're right though, in the long run you're bound to hit a jackpot and even it out a bit...but still, Im not a fan.

Sounds like you guys need some organization amongst the regulars down there. If Dania is going to be offering a $2 timed rake on Tuesdays, that's where EVERYONE should be going on Tuesdays. The other places shouldn't be able to get anything more than a couple 1/2 games going with random players who don't know where the action is at on Tuesdays. Dania should have like 8 2/5 games and a few 5/10s on Tuesdays.