Florida Poker

I am a recreational poker player.  I will probably never play poker with Doyle Brunson, Annie Duke, or Johnny Chan.  Like many of my friends, the popularity of televised World Series of Poker events on television spurred my interest in the game. 

I like to play the free games online. When I lived in Michigan, I actually won a charity event with 120 players and finished second in another with 80 players.  Granted, these were recreational players and not professionals but I had fun.  We vacationed out West last year and spent a few days in Las Vegas. I played a $60 to enter game and finished 19th.  It wasn't WSOP level poker, but I had fun.

The recent changes in Florida Poker laws have heightened my interest in casino poker again.  A recent article in the Florida Times-Union highlights the potential for the state's card rooms and casinos:

The Miami Herald reported the professional poker players were already starting to rent apartments in South Florida...

And Florida may not be ready to challenge Las Vegas as the place for tournaments - more than 7,000 entrants paid the $10,000 buy-in for this year's [WSOP] Main Event.

I was thinking about a return to Las Vegas next year to watch a couple days of the WSOP Main Event, but now that there's a potential for professional level poker events to come to Florida real soon, I can save money on the plane tickets and spend my money here in Florida.  Good deal.