Dania Jai Alai Poker
Dania Jai Alai Casino Poker
Dania Jai Alai Poker Schedule

When Dania Jai-alai opened in 1953, it was only the second Jai-alai fronton in the United States. It is located in the city of Dania Beach, also known as the 'Antique Shopping Center of South Florida' and is just 10 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida, and only 30 minutes north of Miami's South Beach. A schedule of The Casino @ Dania Beach poker tournaments, including time, buy-in, blind structure, and more. You also can find The Casino @ Dania Beach phone number, address, and website info.

Thereâ€™s a reason that when the makers of the â€œGrand Theft Autoâ€ game set in Miami needed a name, they opted for â€œVice City.â€ Yeah, we have more than our share of illicit drugs and even-more illicit sex, but many often seem to overlook another popular vice when they talk about our city: gambling. No other city that does not base its entire economy around games of chance has more opportunities to flush away your welfare check than Miami, and locals and tourists alike flock to our horse tracks, dog tracks and casinos like sailors to a siren.

The class of people who make up South Florida may also contribute to our prevalence of gambling establishments. And permissive state and local governments all know the old adage that the longer you play, the better the odds for the house. So what you get is a state, and more specifically a region, where you can bet on almost anything. Whether you like blackjack or horses, harnesses or greyhounds, jai-alai or poker, there is always somewhere to wager in Miami.

So lets take a look now at the buildings and businesses that make up South Floridaâ€™s booming betting economy.

HORSE TRACKS

CALDER RACE COURSE
21001 N.W. 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens
Broward: (954) 523-4324
Dade: (305) 625-1311
http://www.calderracecourse.com

Calder Race Course holds more racing days than any other track in South Florida. From May until December, Calder offers live thoroughbred racing Thursday through Monday, except in July and August when there is no racing on Tuesday. But despite its dominance of the racing calendar, Calder is as stripped down and nasty as a horse track gets.

Calder is a track for folks who like to play horses. Period. There are no fancy restaurants, no slot machines, no poker rooms. Just horses on the track and horses on TV. And the crowd is reflective of this. Thereâ€™s no little kids running around taking pictures with the pretty horseys at Calder. Thereâ€™s no girls asking questions like â€œSo how much do I win if the odds are 2-to-1?â€ Actually, the only women youâ€™ll see at Calder are chain smokers and scrappy old ladies, often both in one. What you will find are a plethora of men sitting in front of banks of televisions screaming unintelligibly in Spanish or Creole at jockeys riding 1000 miles away on the simulcast. Typically, these guys don’t actually bother themselves with live racing.

The track is located right next to Dolphin Stadium on the Dade-Broward County line, about 15 miles from both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. It offers live racing on the dates mentioned above, and simulcast racing all year long. But like I said, Calder is for horse players, so be prepared to play.

GULFSTREAM PARK
901 S Federal Hwy, Hallandale
(954) 454-7000
http://www.gulfstreampark.com

Gulfstream Park, located just north of the county line in Hallandale Beach along US-1, is a multi-faceted gambling experience. Yes, originally Gulfstream was just a horse track, but after undergoing its multimillion-dollar facelift a few years back, Gulfstream now looks like a Mediterranean villa adorned with bars, slot machines and betting windows. Gone are the days of the outdoor concert stage for Foghat or Kansas when they come to town. Now there is a stage in the center of the Mediterranean masterpiece for all of them to perform as the horses parade by on their way to the track.

As a result of the poker rooms, slot machines, casino, and enhanced entertainment options, Gulfstream now hosts all sorts of people. Families show up, single folks looking for an afternoon of entertainment, and even people just coming to eat. Thatâ€™s right, in addition to the food courts in the simulcast center and casino, Gulfstream Park has the elaborate Ten Palms Buffet (reminiscent of the legendary Vegas Buffets) and the newly-relocated Christine Leeâ€™s, formerly of Miami Beach.

Of course, with a poker room, casino, simulcast center and multiple restaurants, Gulfstream Park can afford to limit its racing season. Despite being home to the biggest race in the state - The Florida Derby â€“ Gulfstream only runs live races from January to April, racing every day but Tuesday. This, of course, is also the height of tourist and snowbird season (Gulfstream is just a short ride in a Lincoln Town Car from Godâ€™s Waiting Room in Aventura), so it appears they went for quality over Calderâ€™s quantity. If you like to do more than just bet on horses when you go to the track, the video poker and Vegas-style slot machines in the casino and the live poker in the Sport of Kings Lounge will give you a wide array of options. But be forewarned you will find a lot more than just gamblers if you venture out to Gulfstream.

HARNESS RACING

POMPANO PARK/THE ISLE
1800 SW 3rd St, Pompano Beach
(954) 935-5698
http://www.theislepompanopark.com

Pompano Park has a definite throwback feel. When the owners of the track decided to invest more money in renovating the place, they apparently felt the money would be best spent on the Isle Casino next door. The track, however, looks like you just stepped into 1967. But that isnâ€™t all bad.

The windows and signs are all old, as are the benches, the seats, and the vast majority of the patrons. But if you are a fan of harness racing (a sport where the driver sits behind the horse in a cart, kinda like Ben Hur without the spikes) this is your only option for live racing in South Florida. The Trotters, as harness horses are known to regular horseplayers, are a lot like watching thoroughbreds, just not as fast and a lot more unpredictable. The best thing to do when wagering on harness racing is to bet on the best drivers. At Pompano, they are Bruce Ranger and Wally Hennessey. Thereâ€™s your tip for the day.

The track is fun, in an old and funky way, and the food at the snack stands on the lower level is surprisingly good. But despite the fact that Pompano offers simulcast racing all year round and live racing every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night, most of the business in Pompano has now been diverted over to the Isle.

The Isle is a brand new, state of the art casino that is both clean and for the most part smoke-free (not something you can say about every casino in South Florida). It has that upscale, Disnified feel of some of the nicer Casinos in Las Vegas, and the dual-level sea of Vegas slots, Video Poker and poker rooms look like they have barely been touched since the place opened. But the crowd is mostly older folks and some hardcore gamblers from Broward County, making the casino look a lot nicer than the patrons. Still, for a gambling experience sans the scuz factor, the Isle is a great place to stop. The Isle also features a New York-style Deli, and Italian restaurant, a high-end steakhouse and, of course, a buffet.

So despite losing the traffic from the Broward County Fair, which used to use Pompano Park as its staging area, the park is doing ok with its new casino and live racing. While the harness track may be a step back in time to the sportâ€™s heyday, the luxurious new casino still makes this a worthwhile gambling attraction.

DOG TRACKS

MARDI GRAS GAMING (Hollywood Greyhound Track)
2126 Fillmore St., Hollywood
(954) 926-3377
http://www.playmardigras.com

Mardi Gras sounds a little nicer than â€œHollywood Dog Track,â€ doesnâ€™t it? This, at least, it what the good marketing folks over at Mardi Gras Gaming in Hollywood figured when they re-opened their doors as a multi-faceted gaming center. As the glamorous sport of dog racing began to lose its luster, more and more tracks looked for ways to diversify their revenue. So, like many other tracks, Hollywood Dogs now has a 70,000 square foot casino complete with Vegas style slots and a poker room.

The casino part is mostly downstairs, and while cleaner and nicer than the old card room the place had attached to its dog track, it still has a cloud of smoke and low ceilings, which leave the gambler a little claustrophobic. The new third floor â€œbalconyâ€ offers an expanse of slot machines with a view of the city. The second floor i

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