Why Wait? Play Poker Now at 18

So, you could vote, join the Air Force, and move out of your parents’ house, but forget about playing a little $1-$2 no-limit hold’em in any cardroom in Las Vegas. But although a majority of cardrooms around the United States follow the “over 21” rule, there are places these newly minted adults can play.

Praise the Indian casinos.

All over the country, on tribal lands from Oklahoma to upstate New York to Southern California, casinos, cardrooms, and bingo halls have become a major industry. Most of them don’t allow players younger than 21, but there are a handful that do. And that number is growing.

For example, this summer, the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Iowa changed its rules to allow players ages 18 to 20 to play poker with the 21 and over crowd. The 18-to-20-year-olds can’t play any other casino games and have to wear a bracelet to sit.

The states with a large concentration of tribal casinos include Oklahoma, New Mexico, California, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and quite a few of them allow players 18 and older.

In Southern California, Sycuan Casino outside of San Diego is the biggest place to place for under-21 players. The 24/7 room features 23 tables and is smoke-free.

In Florida, the Seminole tribe allows players 18 and older to play poker if the cardroom is separated from the casino. It owns five casinos there, and the only one that allows younger players is its Hard Rock in Hollywood.

Outside the Indian lands in Florida, cardrooms are exploding around the state at dog tracks and jai lai facilities, and some, like the Orange Park Kennel Club outside of Jacksonville, allow players 18 and older. The kennel actually operates two cardrooms there.

Daytona Beach Kennel Club also allows players 18 and older, as does a majority of the new cardrooms. But call before going, because each one is different. With so many poker rooms cropping up in Florida, there’s bound to be an under-18 room nearby. The same goes for Oklahoma, where the Indian casinos rule.

But as far as playing in a large buy-in tournament, the best thing an 18-year-old can do is buy a passport and head to Europe or Australia, where baby-faced players have already made their mark.

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