I feel like I want to go on a little vacation. I plan on going for 4 or 5 nights. Originally I wanted to go to Vegas but my GF said she would be too bored while I was gambling.

I thought Florida would be a good compromise and its probably going to be a little bit cheaper to fly there from PA. She can go to the beach or whatever while I'm playing.

So what is the best place to play poker and gamble in ALLLLL of florida. I know all about the 100 max buy in and that sucks but I plan on playing 1-2 anyway so its not the end of the world. Any suggestions on where to play or stay will be appreciated.

Go to Derby Lane in St. Pete...........it is only about 10 miles from the beaches and there new room is one of the nicest you will ever see.

The last two days of this month and on March 1st they will be giving away 500 bucks every half hour for the high hand in the room!

Spring training sites are very close also and the place has major leaguers from the Jays and Phils playing on occassion. The Phils train about 7 miles away in a beautiful park that you should see.

FH

And if you want to play poker after 1 AM (2 AM on weekends) when Derby Lane closes, drive 25 minutes to the Hard Rock where the games go round the clock (drinks served round the clock too).

If you don't want to pay $200 a night at the Hard Rock, there are several Holiday Inn type hotels within a few mile radius....

Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood FL.
Lots of fresh fish.

-ODB

I'm a Floridian, and while it may provide a nice compromise, and things for the lady to do, I definitely wouldn't plan a poker trip to here. Why not do a Reno/Tahoe ski/poker trip or something?

I have a good time at the Tampa downs horse track room Silks. They have limit and no limit. Then the races are there as well. So you can take a break and watch the horses a while. The games open at 12:30 but you can lock up your seat at noon or even before and start a NL game when everyone has the same chipstack.
The limit 2-4 is very loose and very nice if you want to play horses as well. It allows you plenty of time to make bets which you can do while you play.

I have played at Derby Downs, at Lucky's dog track as well. I like the horse track the best.
Also it is an easy drive from the tollhighway 589 and there is very little traffic going back North that way.

If you use a GPS to find it, my tom tom does not recognize the address but it is on Racetrack Road and that will get you there as will Hillborough and Orient intersection get you to the hardrock.

I disagree that Florida is not a poker destination. but I like low rolling so I like the $100 restriction as I learn to play better no limit. Competition outside of Vegas in limit and no limit games is just not as difficult. And in these venues, unlike Vegas, you don't get the maniacs capping every preflop because they are on vacation and have $300 to throw at something so it might as well be the river.

You do have locals. I played the same people each time I went to the horse track. but they were not the kind of locals that I find in Vegas where many serious professional gamblers come to live. Often they were horse focused gamblers who came to bet the races more than the poker. At night the games got harder to beat.

Hard rock is also a good game. Go on Tuesday as they have a drawing from those who just swipe their player's card. Names are picked each hour for as much as $1000. Unlike most casinos the poker room players can participate because they put up names on a screen and you have 3 minutes to get to the bar. Check out your route ahead of time and you can just sit and relax and watch for a win.

Drinks are a disappointment. No free alcohol. But Tampa Downs horse track makes a very nice virgin bloody mary and that is free. I have started bringing a car cup for coffee and getting it filled at casinos. I get two cups for one tip and they stay hot and available for a long while. No fragile paper cups to spill. Nothing would stop you from putting a bit of whiskey in the bottom of that cup and then getting a bit of coke from the waitress. I carry a flask at Turning Stone in NY where o alcohol is severd at all in the casino even for money. I then and add my own rum to the free coke and then again to the ice. TS is able to let 18 year olds gamble as long as they don't seve alcohol.

but i do miss my free Myers rum which I drink in Vegas. Sometimes I play tight on a 2-4 or on the 1-3 spread at el Cortez (one $1 blind) just to have a drink and some entertainment. The value of the drinks exceeds the value of those grind out winnings and the games are simple enough to easily play drunk. In fact, it often helps me as folks think I am easy. If I get a run of good cards I can convince them I am drunk and loose, instead of just drunk.

At the Tampa downs the coffee cup I carry in makes a fine seat lock up.
Oh, on Sat it costs $2 to get in the track at Tampa downs. After you play poker ask for a sticker and they will give you a bar code that they tell you to put on a plastic card. My first one disintegrated so I just show the sticker at the door on its original paper. I guess they ran out of cards. It gets you in the following Saturdays for free.

Also we liked the food in the sportsman grill not far from the track heading toward the 589 route. It is in a plaza.
Racetrack food is nothing to rave about. I do have a bite of chips and salsa at the bar while I wait for the games to start. I get there early to lock up a seat.

I also like the new Ocala poker room which is not too far south in Florida if you are driving down from the North. I played limit there and it was fun. Very quiet as compared to casino play or even Fowoods basement where they keep calling folks for seats all the time. Worth a trip on the way down. Again the poker starts at or around noon and I think later on weekends. These places only get to operate 12 hours a day so they have to pick the most advantageous.

Food there was at a food court and seemed okay. We ate at a great little Italian/Mexican place down the road.

i know i could proly solve this myself using google maps but it might be quicker to ask in here.

im heading to pcb for spring break here in another few weeks. any of those cardrooms u listed on the way too or near pcb? i'll be coming form alabama if that helps any

What is PCB? Yeah Go to Miami and you can Drive to the Hard Rock in usually under a half hour. Or you could stay in Fourt Lauderdale they have nice beaches and lots to do to, and be 10 minutes from the Hard Rock. The Hard Rock is the best since the games go round the clock. Only the Indian Casinos are allowed to run 24 hrs in Florida all the other poker rooms are forced to run only 12 hrs/day, which sucks cuz all the money has to leave the table then everyone can only start the day w/fresh $1oo buy-ins. The stacks tend to get deeper at the Hard-Rock then just about anywhere else.

definitely one of the hard rock hotels (tampa or hollywood). and yes please send ur gf to the beach by herself so i can sex her up.

gl @ teh tables. kthxbai.

Are you talking about Panama City beach? If you are, then there's not much in the way of poker there without driving over to Biloxi.

Six months ago I ranked it #4 in the TB area for cardrooms..........now I rank it #1.

Great promos
Beautiful room
Close
Good food at a reasonable price


For the person that mentioned the free 1,000 drawings on Tuesday at the Hard Rock......one ticket is worth about .000001 cents.

I routinely have 500+ on Tuesdays and have never won........the casino is packed(and full of smoke). However, it still ranks #2 on my TB list of pokerrooms.

Uh, what is it?

yeah i was. i kinda figuered there was nothing close. i was more talking about on the drive down. maybe take a few hour detour over somewhere.
eh, didnt figure it would work out

one of my buddies who booked the pcb room had a flyer of local atttractions. it had ebro greyhound track in it. it said it was only 15 mins from pcb. any one know it? online site only said so much

http://www.ebrogreyhoundpark.com

DERBY LANE

Sorry, DERBY LANE in St Pete is what I'm mentioning here.

They are the new #1 pokerroom in the area now, slightly overtaking the Hard Rock when taking everything into consideration.

The best gambling at the Hard Rock doesn't even involve poker, it's the ROF slot machines which are 100%+ payback, without even taking the slot card into consideration.

FH

Is it too much work to use the search function?