Palm Beach Kennel Club is no stranger to major tournament events, having hosted the only World Series of Poker Circuit stops in Florida, and now hosting two of them a year. Come December, the venue will host the third Ante Up Poker Tour series in Florida in two months.
“The World Series of Poker Circuit events have taught us many things and, along with our own experiences, we have learned to create a good mixture of chip stacks and structures for a truly competitive tournament,” said Tim Wright, poker room manager at Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The Ante Up Poker Tour event will run Dec. 11-14 and feature three official events and two others, capped by $575 buy-in main event with three starting flights and a $100K guarantee. The winner also will appear on the cover of the February issue of Ante Up, get a $1,650 seat in the 2015 Ante Up World Championship Main Event at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in California and a personalized tour champion’s jacket.
“We have always been a leader in the guaranteed tournament business and any big event like the Ante Up series should include one,” Wright said.
The rest of the schedule includes a $135 no-limit event, two nightly $135 no-limit tournaments and a $30 buy-in event with $20 rebuys that features a $10K guarantee.
“We have been running this $10K guaranteed tournament every Friday night for several years,” Wright said. “It is so popular we often include it in tournament series for continuity. The prize pool often exceeds the $10K.”
When not playing tournaments, players have a wide variety of cash games to choose from, including $1-$2 and $2-$5 no-limit hold’em, $2-$2 and $2-4 limit hold’em, $2-$5 pot-limit Omaha/8 and $1-$3 stud. Another unique offering is “Florida style” $5-$10 no-limit with a $100-$300 buy-in, which harkens back to when Florida law allowed for only a $100 max buy-in. These days, players may buy in for any amount they desire and players wishing to play as big as a $5K buy-in are encouraged to contact high-limit host Willie Melia at (561) 312-0728.
All of this plays out in the 63-table South Florida poker room, which recently completed an extensive renovation that resulted in a fresh, more modern decor and included new carpet, chairs, rails, layouts, paint, wallpaper and three new big-screen televisions, as well sleek wood finishing and accents.
“Since opening the poker room in 1997, we have had the great distinction of being one of the busiest, largest and most popular poker rooms in the state of Florida,” Palm Beach Kennel Club VP Joe Rooney said. “This renovation reinforces our commitment to our poker room operations and the players who enjoy the games here.”
The venue also offers live greyhound racing and simulcast wagering, four restaurants, including the recently renovated Paddock Club that boasts an impressive fine wine list and striking views of the greyhound oval, and several concession areas. And, of course, there are few nicer places to visit during winter than the West Palm Beach area, just north of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami metro areas.
“Come explore the beaches and experience for yourself what so many loyal visitors have already discovered to be the best way to experience Florida,” Wright said. “Enjoy a fascinating array of cultural venues, sample the culinary masterworks of celebrity chef-owned restaurants, take in one of dozens of internationally renowned destination events or fish or dive in the Gulfstream-warmed waters of the Atlantic Ocean.”
For more details, including the schedule, visit Ante Up’s Palm Beach Kennel Club webpage.
