Derby Lane Poker Room Review: Live Action and Tournament Poker

With 51 poker tables and offering cash games and tournaments, the Derby Lane Poker Room is one of the go-to destinations for those in the sunshine state.

The room is essentially split in two, one section for the poker cash games and the other for poker tournaments, allowing individuals to focus on their own table without getting distracted from all the table changes that tournaments can bring.

Derby Lane Poker Room Review

The tables at Derby Lane are of good quality, and the chairs are comfortable, too. Games, when running 9 or 10-handed, can feel a bit cramped, but that’s hardly a surprise.

The room is fairly modern looking and has plenty of TVs, allowing you to catch most sports games as well, creating a more enjoyable experience for recreational players.

Amenities on offer at Derby Lane Poker Room include:

• Auto shufflers
• Tableside food and drink service
• Massages
• Valet Parking
• TV’s
• Free WiFi

Those who hate the smell of stale cigarettes will be pleased to hear that this is a non-smoking poker room.

Derby Lane Poker Room Cash Games

Derby Lane Poker scores well for the poker cash games they have on offer, and there is a good variety of stakes.

Whether you are someone who is just starting to cut their teeth on the poker felt or a cash game veteran, you will be able to find a game that suits your needs and your bankroll.

Cash games are also known to play deep. In the $1/$3 no limit game, you can sit down with over 150 big blinds as your starting stack, and there are even uncapped games towards the $5/$10 levels, which can allow you to make a trip to Derby Lane very profitable, provided you’ve got the skills to pay the bills.

Poker cash games you can expect to see running at the Derby Lane Poker Room include:

No Limit Texas Hold’em Poker Cash Games

• $1/$2 Micro: Min buy-in $40, max buy-in $80
• $1/$2: Min buy-in $60, max buy-in $200
• $1/$3: Min buy-in $100, max buy-in $500
• $2/$5/Restraddle: Min buy-in $200, max buy-in $1000
• $2/$5: Min buy-in $200, max buy-in $1000/Table Stakes
• $5/$10: Min buy-in $400, no max buy-in
• $1/$2: Min buy-in $60, max buy-in $200

Pot Limit Omaha Poker Cash Games

• $1/$2: Min buy-in $200, max buy-in $500
• $2/$5: Min buy-in $400, max buy-in $800
• $5/10: Min buy-in $500, no max buy-in
• $10/$25: Min buy-in $1000, no max buy-in
• OFC: $25 min buy-in and plays every 30 minutes

Limit Hold’em Poker Cash Games

• Limit Structure: $2/$4, blinds (small-big) $1/$2, min buy-in $40
• Limit Structure: $4/$8, blinds (small-big) $2/$4, min buy-in $80
• Limit Structure: $5/$10, blinds (small-big) $2/$5, min buy-in $100
• Limit Structure: $6/$12, blinds (small-big) $3/$6, min buy-in $120

Limit 7 Card Stud Poker Cash Games

• Limit Structure: $2, Antes $0/$2, min buy-in $20
• Limit Structure: $2/$5, Antes $0/$2, min buy-in $40
• Limit Structure: $5/$10, Antes $0/$2, min buy-in $50

Rake

Rake at Derby Lane Poker Room doesn’t differ from what you would usually see in the lower stakes cash games. It is 10% capped at $5 across most of the games on offer but can vary depending on what game and stake you are playing.

But if you are sticking to stakes and games such as No Limit $1/$3, $2/$5, and low stakes PLO, this is what you can expect, and if you aren’t sure what that means, you should learn more about rake and rakeback before you move on.

Derby Lane Poker Room Promotions

There are plenty of promotions on offer at the Derby Lane Poker Room. However, they often change, so if you want to find out the latest information, you should check out their website prior to playing.

Common promotions revolve around high hands, which vary on payouts depending on the day, and players can also earn rewards by putting in the hours.

One of the latest promotions on offer for players is $599 for every 60 hours of play at $1/$3 no limit stakes and any level of Pot Limit Omaha.

Promotions that run around the clock for jackpot eligible games include payouts of:

• $500 for Royals Flushes
• $200 for Straight Flushes
• $100 for Four of a Kind

Overall, regular players can certainly get a fair bit of extra cash at Derby Lane. As a smaller poker room, it doesn't offer huge jackpots, but there are plenty of smaller but frequent rewards up for grabs.

Derby Lane Poker Room Tournaments

Derby Lane Poker Room is also great for daily tournaments, so if cash games are not your cup of tea, you can still have a good time here.

The room does well for inclusivity in its poker tournaments, too. The buy-in for each event varies, allowing newcomers and tournament veterans to take a shot at getting a slice of some tasty payouts.

A usual tournament schedule during a week looks something like this.

Sunday

• 10 am: Buy-in $20 with an optional $5 add-on, 5000 starting stack, 10-minute blind levels, and $400 guaranteed

Monday

• 12 pm & 6 pm: Buy-in $100, 20,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and no guarantee

Tuesday

• 6 pm: Buy-in $200, 25,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and no guarantee

Wednesday

• 6 pm: Buy-in $100, 20,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and $3,000 guaranteed

Thursday

• 6 pm: Buy-in $150, 30,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and $4,000 guaranteed

Friday

• 10a m: Buy-in $20 with an optional $5 add-on, 5000 starting stack, 10-minute blind levels, and $400 guaranteed
• 2 pm: Buy-in $100, 20,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and no guarantee
• 6 pm: Buy-in $200, 25,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and $6,000 guarantee

Saturday

• 10 am: Buy-in $20 with an optional $5 add-on, 5000 starting stack, 10-minute blind levels, and $400 guaranteed
• 2 pm: Buy-in $100, 20,000 starting stack, 20-minute blind levels, and no guarantee
• 8 pm: Buy-in $65, 10,000 starting stack, 15-minute blinds, and no guarantee

If it's tournament action you're looking for, you'll clearly find plenty at Derby Lane. Fields aren't massive and prize pools are somewhat modest, but this doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Derby Lane Poker Room Staff

A majority of player reviews tell us that the dealers at Derby Lane are good and keep the game flowing well, dealing out a good number of poker hands per hour. Floor persons are very friendly and personable, and the waitresses offer good service.

However, a few players said that some of the rulings by floor managers are out of the ordinary, and they seem not to have the strongest grasp of the nuances of poker.

Of course, these instances are from individual experiences, so how much credence you give to these is up to you.

Parking at Derby Lane

Parking at Derby Lane is complimentary, and you'll be glad to hear that there’s plenty of space available, so you’ll always be able to get a great spot. You don’t need to worry about getting in early or stress over it, which is a big plus.

Derby Lane Casino Games

Cash games and tournaments aren’t the only poker games available to you at the Derby Lane Poker Room. You can also play several of your favorite casino poker games, and you can play for the big bucks here as well if you so choose.

So, whilst you are waiting for a seat to open at one of the action-packed cash tables or on a tournament break, you can play:

• Three Card Poker: Min bet $5, Max bet $5000
• DJ Wild Stud: Min bet $5, Max bet $500
• High Card Flush: Min bet $5, Max bet $500
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em Low Limit: Min bet $15, Max bet $3500
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em High Limit: Min bet $30, Max bet $7000
• One Card Low Limit: Min bet $5, Max bet $2000
• One Card Low Limit: Min bet $25, Max bet $10,000

As well as all of the above, you can also play both low and high-limit versions of Fortune Pai Gow Poker, which is gaining popularity amongst those who enjoy poker casino games.

Derby Lane – Things to Do

One of the major things to do at Derby Lane was watching live dog races. However, this is no longer an option as races were discontinued in Florida.

You can still watch virtual racing and simulcasts, but that’s not the same thing.

Dining options are very limited, but you can pass some time at ‘The Prohibition,' which opens on Saturdays and offers a full bar.

Final Thoughts on Derby Lane Poker Room

What was once an iconic dog track has now transformed itself into an action-filled poker room offering multiple games and varied buy-ins so anyone can have a chance to go on a lucky streak.

With a plethora of table games available, too, if you ever feel exhausted by the cash game or tournament grind, you can kick back playing live dealer games.

Games flow well, and the player type that frequents this room means you can score some tidy wins if you play well.

Things to do other than poker are limited, but we all know it's the poker action you are after. So if you are ever in the Tampa Bay area and looking for alternatives to Seminole Hard Rock, a trip to the Derby Lane Poker Room could hardly be a bad choice!