When thinking about where to play poker in the Tampa Bay area, Lucky’s Card Room at the Tampa Greyhound Track isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind, given the larger rooms of Derby Lane in St. Petersburg or the Hard Rock and Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa. However, if you love tournaments, then Lucky’s is the place to be.
While most tournaments at Lucky’s range from $25-$80, the last Sunday of the month is the Monthly Challenge, a $115 tournament with $10 dealer add-on for 20K chips. The blinds are 25 minutes and they don’t skip a level, meaning 75-150 is there and 150-300 with a 25 ante is there.
I made my way to Lucky’s for this deepstack, and for $125, the price and play could not be beat. While I didn’t get too deep in the tournament (bad situations turned into heading home early), this is definitely a monthly tournament worth playing.
DERBY LANE: The St. Pete poker room continued with its Mega-Mega series with the final day culminating the last Sunday in July. Derby also has been active in the promotional scene, hosting 15-minute high hands on Thursdays from 3-10 p.m. in June and July.
HARD ROCK: The poker room continues its march toward Hollywood by drawing for seats to the $10 million guarantee tournament at its sister property, which is Aug. 22-28. Also super satellites will be run continuously until the series. … In tournament news, Orlando’s Barry Wiedemann captured the Hard Rock’s Summer WPT Regional $1,450 main event, earning $87,558 on June 6. The tournament drew 236 players for a $312,700 prize pool. Anthony March finished second for $51,596, the first significant cash of his career.
MORE INFO PLEASE: While we try to get the best/most information for our readers, there’s a possibility we’re missing a game, a good series or promotion. If this is the case, please email me so I can highlight it in a future article. We definitely want to make the Central Florida region a destination for poker.
— Email Andrew Malowitz at anteupandrew@gmail.com.
