Cappelletti in Tampa

My plane landed at Tampa International at about 2 p.m., some five hours before I was scheduled to play in the opening Regional Bridge Knock Out Championship team event. So, instead of going directly to the Hyatt (City Center), I drove my little rental car east on Interstate 4 to the Hillsborough exit, where I had many times in the past played poker at the Seminole Indian Casino.

It took me a while to determine that it wasn't there! Instead, I saw a giant Hard Rock Hotel, looking much like the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Then, I saw the sign: Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Things had really changed!

The poker room was enormous, and there were about 50 tables going. However, due to Florida state law, the largest bet allowed is $2. Therefore, all 50 tables (mostly hold'em, but some Omaha and stud) were either straight "$1 tables" or "$2 tables." Since there were many names ahead of me on the $2 Omaha list, I took a seat in a $2 hold'em game.

The young-looking kid on my left, a recent college graduate, said, "Where's your cigar?" I later found out that he was a pro who had formerly played in Atlantic City but for the past several months had been playing at the Hard Rock 10 to 12 hours a day and averaging about $250 a day. Although that might sound unlikely for $2 limit hold'em, because there were often seven or eight players seeing the flop, it was no ordinary game.

On my first $2 big blind, the kid raised to $4 and six players called. Looking at the Q 10, I had to stop and think about whether it might even be right to reraise with that many callers. But, I just called.

The flop was a nice 10 9 4. I bet the $2, which might not have been the best tactic. But the kid folded, apparently an action that was unfamiliar to the rest of the table, as they all called. Thus, a check to the preflop raiser, intending to check-raise, might well have resulted in a check around.

The fourth (turn) card was the Q, giving me top two pair in addition to the flush draw. I bet the $2 and was immediately raised by the player on my left. Three other players called the $4 and, of course, I reraised. Everyone called.

Unfortunately, the last card was a jack, putting a Q-J-10-9 on the board. Everyone checked around. The guy who had raised me the previous round had Q-8 offsuit and won the pot with a straight. The kid on my left chuckled and said, "Welcome to Tampa."

I played for about two hours. Without having any unusually good or bad luck, I ended up winning $52. Most hold'em pros agree that their average hourly win rate at most limit hold'em tables is about one and a half big bets per hour, although in some very loose games, an expert at playing that particular game might well average between two and three big bets per hour. Yet, somehow, it seemed that the average hourly win rate for an expert in this game might be more than 10 big bets per hour!

Because the last two rounds of betting are the same (not double) as the first two rounds, it was not uncommon for four or five players to see the showdown. And with pots frequently more than $50, I believe it is quite possible for a skillful player to average more than $20 per hour.

So, in Tampa, the fallout of the great worldwide poker explosion has converted a one- or two-story Indian casino into another skyscraping Hard Rock mecca. Later in the week, I returned with some friends and we all enjoyed fine dining at Floyd's Restaurant. And, of course, there was also all of the usual Hard Rock shows, swimming pool action, and scenery.