Recently new venues have been granted the rights to have No-limit poker games legally. This is due to a new bill that has been passed by the Florida State Legislature called the sb-788 No-Limit poker gaming bill. One of the biggest places to gamble in the state is race tracks, which have now been authorized to hold No-Limit poker games. Previously the limit bets per round were set at $5, the maximum buy-ins for poker games $100, and poker tournaments set to $1,000.

Furthermore, one of the biggest changes the sb-788 bill has brought is the hours at which a card room can be open. The new bill has allows card rooms to be open 18 hours a day Monday-Friday, and twenty-four hours a day on the weekends. It has also raised the legal age limit in which a player can play from eighteen to 21 in Seminole nation casinos keeping it in line with the rest of the state. Finally, Hialeah park in Miami-Dade County has been also authorized for poker games.

The Florida SB 788 No-Limit Poker Gaming Bill was hotly debated and fiercely negotiated over, but in the end it passed the Florida Legislature handily. The Florida House approved the bill by a wide margin of 82-35, and the Florida House approved it by a vote of 31-9. Florida Governor Charlie Crist has endorsed the bill, so the chances the bill being vetoed are slim. The bill’s broad support was mainly due to the amount of revenue it would generate for the state of Florida in gambling taxes, estimated at $150 million a year.

The Florida SB 788 No-Limit Poker Gaming Bill is just to most recent in a string of legal victories for poker gambling in Florida. As recently as 1996, only low-limit poker gambling was allowed (with a maximum bet of $10 per pot), and even then it was only allowed people’s homes or in community centers. In 1997, when public pari-mutuel betting facilities (including poker card rooms) were allowed to open legally, the $10 per pot limit remained in effect.

In 2003, a new bill was passed, which ended up removing the $10 per pot limit. It was a very interesting bill because you were no longer allowed a $10 per pot limit, but a maximum of a $2 bet, and no more than 3 raises per round.

Also in 2007, Seminole nation and the Florida Governor negotiated an agreement. This new agreement between the two sides allowed for slot machines, and poker games to be introduced into seven casino owned by the Seminoles. Shortly after this agreement, the Seminole casino “Hardrock in Hollywood” chose to incorporate the same laws introduced by the state limiting buy-ins to a maximum of $100. They quickly allowed players to make multiple buy-ins of $100, which increased the pots into large amounts.

Another agreement was negotiated in 2007 between the Florida Governor and the Seminole nation. This new agreement called for the Seminole nation to introduce slot machines and poker rooms in seven of there casinos. The Seminole casino “Hardrock in Hollywood” chose to incorporate the same laws introduced by the state limiting buy-ins to a maximum of $100 shortly after the agreement was made. They vastly made changes quickly allowing players to make multiple buy-ins of $100. The end result raised potentially pots to over $1,000.

Due to the Seminoles disagreeing with the use of the buy-in law, in which they were pressured to abide by the Florida Governor to use, the Florida Supreme Court declared the agreement between the two to be invalid. By not getting the approval of the Florida State Legislature, a court later ruled that the governor had overstepped his authority. In the end, the sb-788 bill passed and there were a lot of smiles shining around Florida.