By Joseph Smith, Sr.
When we think of Florida most of us picture beaches, orange groves, retirees, and bikinis. But Florida is also one of the country’s hotspots for live poker. Florida poker rooms equal the great rooms from around the world and Florida has a history of producing great poker players. Need I say more than “The Grinder?”
Poker players know the place to go for great poker in Florida is The Poker Room located at Jacksonville’s Orange Park Kennel Club. This modern, spacious card room located on the second level of the race track grandstands offers 39 tables of fast paced poker action spreading all of your favorite poker games at limits to please all players from novice to high.
The Poker Room is under the direction of Deborah Giardina, Executive Director of Poker Operations for Jacksonville Greyhound Racing & Poker. Giardina has accumulated years of experience managing poker operations during her previous years of poker room management at a major Las Vegas strip resort. She brought her experience and management team to Florida when she took control of the Orange Park Poker Room and now Florida players benefit from their combined knowledge of poker. Your play sessions at The Poker Room will be the best poker ever.
The Poker Room’s hours of operation are Sunday thru Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. Expect to find a variety of games and limits, something to please almost everyone. Of course, the most popular game is no-limit hold’em with blinds beginning at $2-$2 and going up; but, Omaha, 7-card stud and a $1-$2 beginner’s hold’em are usually in action. Weekends typically feature higher limits and a greater variety of games. The Poker Room’s well-trained professional staff will expertly deal all poker games, even crazy pineapple, providing the interest is there.
An exclusive high-limit room featuring two tables that offer luxurious furnishings, tableside services, bar and additional amenities is set aside for those players who prefer nose-bleed limits. The high-limit room is located within another private room with five tables and typically used for tournament final tables, and can also be isolated from the main poker room.
When players need time away from the poker tables the downstairs Orange Park Kennel Club runs exciting greyhound racing with the four legged speedsters vying for more than $3 million a week. Additionally, The Poker Room offers greyhound racing, horse racing, jai alai, and sports on 40 big screen TVs strategically located so every seat is a good seat.
Jacksonville’s Orange Park Poker Room is known for great player promotions and daily tournaments. A variety of tournaments seven days a week begin at Noon and include Omaha, no-limit hold’em with bounties, and big stacks (more starting chips and increased play per level).
Sunday thru Friday starting at 7 p.m., The Poker Room offers a second tournament with a higher buy-in of $120. The last Saturday of the month features the Jax Bash, a $560 buy-in nolimit hold’em two-day event with a guaranteed $50,000 prize pool that gets underway at noon.
In addition to the tournaments there are numerous cash giveaways, including: high hand promotions, football freebies during season, cash for quads, and more. A bad beat jackpot shared with sister poker room, The Poker Room at St. Johns, ensures big money payouts. All players enjoy plenty of free, ground level parking where every space is a close walk into the club for a ride up the convenient escalator to the large, modern facility. Full time lot security ensures that your vehicle will remain undisturbed while enjoying your favorite poker games. Orange Park’s The Poker Room is also home to the World Poker Tour’s Jacksonville WPT Poker Tournament scheduled for April 28 - May 2, 2012. A $5,000 buy-in will secure a seat in this WPT Championship event and with a little luck you may just take home the winner’s jackpot.
And finally, if you’re still not convinced that The Poker Room should be your room, how about a full time, critically acclaimed sushi bar featuring made-to-order hand cut sushi specialties? There is also a snack bar with a sandwich menu and a full bar. I would go just for the sushi. Thanks for a lovely visit go to Deborah Giardina, Executive Director of Poker Operations for Jacksonville Greyhound Racing & Poker.
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