One of Derby Lane’s competitors in Florida, One-Eyed Jacks Poker Room at the Sarasota Kennel Club, has had tournaments scheduled since they reopened on May 22. There is no indicator on their. The track added poker in 1997 for the first time, and in 2009, Derby Lane finished a $2.5 million renovation on the poker room, instantly making it one of the premier poker destinations in the state.

This October the Card Player Poker Tour has teamed up with Derby Lane’s Pokerfest Series for an exciting ten-event festival with $320,000 in guaranteed prize money up for grabs. The centerpiece of the whole series is the $200,000 guaranteed CPPT main event. The $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament is set to kick off on Oct. 4 with the first of four starting flights. Players can take their chances with day 1A Thursday at noon, or day 1B at noon on Friday, Oct. 5. Day 1C begins later that day at 6 p.m., while day 1D will get underway at noon on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Each player in the main event will enjoy a 30,000-starting stack. However, for just a $30 add-on, players will receive an additional 20,000 for a total of 50,000 to start. Blinds levels will be 30 minutes in length for day 1. Those players who make it through the starting flights will combine into one field on Sunday, Oct. 7 for day 2, with levels increasing to 40 minutes in length for the remainder of the event. Play will continue until the next CPPT champion is decided.

“We are very excited to be partnering with the Card Player Poker Tour,” said Derby Lane Card Room Manager Pam Buzzetto. “We expect large turnouts and some very big prize pools for the players.”

Derby Lane will be hosting daily $110 single table satellites and a number of main event satellites where players can earn their seat for just $125. The first takes place Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. and the second on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Both satellites are guaranteeing three seats each.

While the main event has yet to kick off, a number of big tournaments have already come to a close. Joseph Orsino took down the kickoff event of the series, a $150 buy-in no-limit hold’em Mega Stack that featured a $50,000 guarantee. The event drew a final field of 666 total entries across four starting flights, blowing away the guarantee to create a final prize pool of $84,582. Orsino earned $9,660 as the champion of this tournament after striking a deal. Other winners crowned already include $250 LIPS Ladies Only event champion Sandra Brown, $350 Black Chip Bounty event winner Juan Rodriguez, $250 Seniors event champion Mike Collins and $350 Monster Stack winner Richard Ogle.

About Derby Lane

Derby Lane is located in St. Petersburg, Florida, the second largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. The poker room is part of the St. Petersburg Kennel Club, which is the oldest continuously operating greyhound track in the world, having run their inaugural race back in January of 1925.

Throughout its history, Derby Lane was a hotspot for star athletes, and played host to players such as Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. The track even served as a filming location in the movies Coupe de Ville in 1990, in Ocean’s Eleven in 2001, and again in The Infiltrator in 2015.

Derby Lane offers live racing and replays, with evening performances Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m., and matinee performances Monday and Wednesday through Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. Bettors can enjoy simulcast wagering on tracks from South Florida to New York, and even California with 50 large flat-screen TVs to watch all of the action. There are also plenty of table games available, including Three Card Poker, Fortune Pai Gow, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, the recently added Crazy 4 Poker, and High Card Flush.

Gamblers who work up an appetite won’t be disappointed with what Derby Lane has to offer. Circa 1925 is a six-tiered restaurant with panoramic views of the racetrack and was the winner of the Diners’ Choice award in 2016. It’s located next to The Prohibition, a bar that serves extraordinary cocktails and drinks. For more casual fare, check out the Gallery Lounge or Derby Club Four.

The Derby Lane Poker Room

The track added poker in 1997 for the first time, and in 2009, Derby Lane finished a $2.5 million renovation on the poker room, instantly making it one of the premier poker destinations in the state. The Derby Lane poker room spreads a variety of games and limits, including the popular $2-$5 no-limit hold’em game with table stakes buy in.

More than $200,000 is given back to players each month with jackpots and other various high hand promotions, and the players stay busy with plenty of daily tournaments including deep stacks, ultra stacks, mega deep stacks, and the popular Nickel tournament, a $500 buy-in event that features a big blind ante format.

After getting player feedback, poker room staff responded with new and improved tournament offerings, a new tournament area, new high-limit rooms, an improved Wi-Fi signal, and even a full lunch and dinner menu with extended hours for those that enjoy table-side dining.

“The room was updated with our players in mind to create an engaging gaming environment for all playing levels,” Buzzetto added.

The Derby Lane poker room is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 a.m., and is open 24 hours-a-day during the weekend. For more information about the poker room, visit the casino webpage or call (727)812-3339 ext. 214 to get the poker room directly.

For more information about the CPPT, visit the tour homepage.

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