Fort Lauderdale sits in the middle of Florida's busiest card-playing county. Broward has seven casino floors, and four of them run poker rooms of 24 tables or more: roughly 140 tables between them before you count the two rooms that do not publish a figure. Three of the four are pari-mutuel rooms, where poker generally starts at 18 rather than 21, and Dania Beach spells that rule out more plainly than anyone. If you play cards, this is the part of the state to be in. If you play blackjack against a dealer, only three of the seven will do, and this guide sorts out which.
The four big card rooms
Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood: 45 tables
The flagship under the 450-foot Guitar Hotel runs the most serious room in South Florida, with 45 tables. The volume keeps games running late across a wide spread of stakes. Next to it are 200 live tables and 2,600 slots, more dealt games than anywhere else in the state, and a sportsbook. It rates 4.5 from more than 55,000 Google reviewers. Hard Rock Hollywood review.
Harrah's Pompano Beach: 40-plus tables, WSOP branded
The former Pompano Park, renamed under Caesars, holds South Florida's only official World Series of Poker room, with more than 40 tables. The floor adds 1,500-plus slots, including more than 200 on a 12,500-square-foot open-air terrace, a rare chance to play outdoors. Caesars Rewards status counts here. Harrah's Pompano Beach review.
The Big Easy: 30-plus tables and free tournaments
At Hallandale Beach, the New Orleans-themed Big Easy deals Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo across more than 30 tables, and puts free-to-enter tournaments on the calendar. You may know it as Mardi Gras Casino or the Hollywood Greyhound Track, which opened on 1 December 1934. Big Easy review.
The Casino @ Dania Beach: 24 tables, open at 18
Dania's room grew to 24 tables in a $64 million rebuild that reopened the venue in January 2016. Its real distinction is the age rule: 18-year-olds can play poker and bet on jai alai here, while the 900-machine slot floor stays 21 and over, and anyone can watch the matches. It sits minutes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Dania Beach review.
The other two rooms
Gulfstream Park deals live poker in its Silks room beside 600-plus slots, but the casino is the smallest part of the property. It is a thoroughbred track racing 365 days a year, home of the Pegasus World Cup in January and the Grade 1 Florida Derby, wrapped in a shopping and dining village, and it shares the top Florida rating of 4.5. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek runs a smaller room built for regular games rather than tournament series.
Where to find a live dealer
Only the three Seminole floors deal house-banked blackjack, craps and roulette. The four pari-mutuel venues above offer electronic versions instead.
- Hard Rock Hollywood for the biggest pit, with 200 tables.
- Coconut Creek for the locals' floor: 2,200-plus slots, live tables, easier parking and a non-smoking area with more than 140 machines. NYY Steakhouse is the room to book.
- Seminole Classic for the smallest and oldest. Its 1,000-plus slots and tables stand where the tribe opened a high-stakes bingo hall in 1979, the start of the court fight that the modern tribal gaming industry traces back to. Bingo still runs. There is no hotel.
All three are 21 and over and open around the clock.
Hours that catch people out
| Floor | Poker | Live dealer pit | Hours |
| Hard Rock Hollywood | 45 tables | Yes, 200 tables | 24 hours |
| Harrah's Pompano Beach | 40+ tables | No | 24 hours; simulcast noon to midnight |
| The Big Easy | 30+ tables | No | Roughly 9am to early hours Monday to Thursday; nonstop at weekends |
| Dania Beach | 24 tables | No | 9am to 3am Monday and Tuesday; 9am to midnight Wednesday; 24 hours Thursday to Sunday |
| Gulfstream Park | Silks room | No | 10am to 3am daily |
| Coconut Creek | Yes | Yes | 24 hours |
| Seminole Classic | Not noted | Yes | 24 hours |
Wednesday at Dania is the short night that trips up regulars.
Racing and jai alai, past and present
Three of the pari-mutuel floors have outlived their original sport. Pompano Park opened in 1964 as the winter home of harness racing, but live harness racing has ended and only simulcast remains. The Big Easy's greyhounds are gone for good. Dania's jai alai, running since 1953, is still live. Only Gulfstream still races horses on site.
Frequently asked questions
Which Fort Lauderdale area casino has the biggest poker room?
Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, with 45 tables, followed by Harrah's Pompano Beach at more than 40.
Can you play poker at 18 near Fort Lauderdale?
At The Casino @ Dania Beach, yes, and it publishes the rule clearly. Harrah's, The Big Easy and Gulfstream generally follow the same 18-plus poker rule, but confirm with the venue. Slots stay 21 and over everywhere, and the Seminole floors are 21 for all games.
Which Broward casinos have live blackjack?
Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, Seminole Coconut Creek and Seminole Classic.
Is Harrah's Pompano Beach the same as Pompano Park?
Yes. Same property, current name.
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