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The law allowing poker to be played for stakes higher than $1/$2 went into effect July 1, when hundreds of players lined up for a 12:01 kickoff to poker at several Florida locations. Under the interpretation of the new law as used by the casinos, players could not be forced to buy-in for more than $100, but could play for as much as they wished. However, after four days, and perhaps spurred by complaints from the state's powerful parimutuel (horse- and dog-racing) interests, the casinos were told that the $100 figure was a maximum buy-in, and that no players could buy more than that in chips at any time.
The specific passage from the law that caused the confusion reads as follows:
"A cardroom operator may conduct games of Texas Hold-em without a betting limit if the required player buy-in is no more than $100."
The casinos — including the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, one of the locations where the July 5th crackdown by authorities occurred, at roughly 5pm EDT — interpreted "required" in the above passage to indicate that they could not run tables that required patrons to buy-in for more than $100. For instance, a table with a $250 minimum buy-in would not be allowed. However, no maximum buy-in applied under that interpretation, with the result that games with five-digit stacks of chips were noted on several tables during the last few days.
However, the authorities have now clarified that under their interpretation, the $100 figure represents the maximum amount that any patron could purchase in chips at any single time. When contacted, a Seminole Hard Rock employee confirmed the $100 cap, and also acknowledged that players could only re-buy up to the $100 level, leaving no possibility for multiple and frequent re-buys as a way around the new cap. Currently, $1/2 and $2/5 NL games are being dealt.
PokerNews.com's Justin Shronk also contributed to this report.
Florida Poker Room Temporarily Shut Down Over Stakes Issue
The law allowing poker to be played for stakes higher than $1/$2 went into effect July 1, when hundreds of players lined up for a 12:01 kickoff to poker at several Florida locations. Under the interpretation of the new law as used by the casinos, players could not be forced to buy-in for more than $100, but could play for as much as they wished. However, after four days, and perhaps spurred by complaints from the state's powerful parimutuel (horse- and dog-racing) interests, the casinos were told that the $100 figure was a maximum buy-in, and that no players could buy more than that in chips at any time.
The specific passage from the law that caused the confusion reads as follows:
"A cardroom operator may conduct games of Texas Hold-em without a betting limit if the required player buy-in is no more than $100."
The casinos — including the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, one of the locations where the July 5th crackdown by authorities occurred, at roughly 5pm EDT — interpreted "required" in the above passage to indicate that they could not run tables that required patrons to buy-in for more than $100. For instance, a table with a $250 minimum buy-in would not be allowed. However, no maximum buy-in applied under that interpretation, with the result that games with five-digit stacks of chips were noted on several tables during the last few days.
However, the authorities have now clarified that under their interpretation, the $100 figure represents the maximum amount that any patron could purchase in chips at any single time. When contacted, a Seminole Hard Rock employee confirmed the $100 cap, and also acknowledged that players could only re-buy up to the $100 level, leaving no possibility for multiple and frequent re-buys as a way around the new cap. Currently, $1/2 and $2/5 NL games are being dealt.
PokerNews.com's Justin Shronk also contributed to this report.
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