Seminole Hard Rock Poker Rooms Reopen in South Florida
Poker in South Florida received a big boost this weekend as both the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino properties in Hollywood and Coconut Creek reopened their doors on Friday, June 12.
The properties, which have been closed since March 20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opened under “Safe+Sound” guidelines, which include guests being required to wear a mask, temperature screenings, and a 50 percent max occupancy.
For poker players, the following precautions and procedures will be in place:
- The poker room will run 25 of their 45 tables
- Active tables will feature Plexiglass dividers
- All games will be played max six-handed
- Both players and staff will be required to wear masks
- Cards and chips will be cleaned on a regular basis
- Food not permitted in the poker room. Players can request a 60-minute dinner break.
- One table or seat change allowed per session
Both Seminole properties have host prolific tournament series including Seminole Showdowns, World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit stops, and Moneymaker's Road to PSPC. The reopening come about three weeks after their sister property, Hard Rock Tampa, resumed their operations on May 21.
"Major tournament series for Seminole Hard Rock Poker have been well-established globally over the last 10 years," the poker team at Seminole Gaming told PokerNews. "When the time is right, these series will return with the same first-class experience that the players have come to know and love."
The Hard Rock Tampa poker room, which opened under the same guidelines outlines above, saw an immediate demand as poker players not only flocked to the tables, but were willing to put their names on long waiting lists.
"The opening of poker at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa went extremely well. It has been open for over three weeks and the tables remain full, with lists," the Seminole poker team added. "Much of the credit goes to Director of Poker Operations, Pablo Perez."
All Seminole Hard Rock properties have also been equipped with air purification and disinfecting systems
“The health and safety of our team members and guests has always been of upmost importance to our senior leadership team and Tribal Council,” Seminole Hard Rock said in a statement. “We want to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to provide a safe environment for our team members and you, our loyal customers.”
It continued: “As information is changing rapidly and we are learning more daily about COVID-19 and how to stop the spread, we will continue to regularly update the Safe+Sound protocols based on facts and data provided by our partners, industry councils, as well as global and governmental agencies.”
For more information follow @SHRThePokerRoom on Twitter.
*Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.