Florida Poker Vacation (1 Viewer)

[BukNaked36]

I’m thinking of a poker vacation in Florida and wondering where would be the best place to go. What would be the most like Vegas in Florida?

Some thoughts on criteria –

Being able to play at multiple rooms relatively close to each other
Stay at a resort with a nice pool
Reasonable selection of restaurants in the area
Other things to see and do – beach, live music

 

[inca911]

There is a waitlist for @k9dr 's house in just a few weeks....

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...v-winter-is-coming-february-20-24-2019.31322/

 

[moose]

Hard Rock Tampa is the closest to a Vegas casino. Everything else will just disappoint you. There are a couple other small race track/card rooms in the area.

Resort like hotels will mostly be orlando area but it's not close to ocean. St. Pete/Tampa area will be best bet though Miami is an alternative.

 

[DavinciFox]

I say Tampa / St Pete Beach. My in-laws have a house there and we go every year. There’s a hotel/resort called Sirata at st Pete beach that is beautiful w great beach, great pools and restaurants. In St Pete they have a poker room at a dog track which is ok, but Tampa has a hard rock in which the action is great. Excellent room. St Pete Beach tho is nice enough to stay there and drive to Tampa Hard Rock

 

[Schmendr1ck]

Here's my take:

• I believe Tampa/St. Pete has the largest number of poker rooms overall. Only one is like a Vegas casino (Hard Rock), the rest are attached to dog and horse tracks and tend to be smaller (and sometimes a little yuckier) than a casino poker room.
• South Florida also has a Hard Rock, plus The Isle (a "racino" with slots and racing) with a good sized poker room that I've played in a couple of times. There are a couple other rooms down there (Calder City, Palm Beach Kennel Club) that I've never visited.
• Central Florida has two: Daytona Beach Kennel Club (DBKC) and Orange City Racing and Card Club. DBKC is attached to a dog track, but it has a large and pretty nice poker room that gets reasonably busy on the weekends. Orange City is in a shopping mall (lol) but is also a decent room which offers a few player-banked table games (e.g. Let It Ride) along with poker and simulcast racing.
• Jacksonville has Best Bet. I've heard good things but have never been.
• There are a few other small rooms scattered around the state.

The TL;DR is that you won't really get the Vegas experience in Florida. We have several good rooms, but they are scattered around a pretty large state. If you want to hit more than a couple, expect to do some driving.

 

[BukNaked36]

Tampa / St Pete looks like a good option. I have some family in the area that I could visit too.

Just looking at Google Maps, Miami looks interesting. Hialeah and Seminole Hard Rock had some good reviews.