Sarasota Kennel Club Opens One Eyed Jacks Poker Room

The Sarasota Kennel Club opened the area's one and only poker room, One Eyed Jacks, on Friday, November 24.

The poker room obviously received much attention as a throng of players lined up outside the double doors leading to the 6,000 square foot room. There are 24 tables on One Eyed Jacks, offering a wide variety of poker including Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo to variants of Texas Hold'em.

The poker room definitely has a Vegas vibe, with plush carpeting, marble top bars, complete with dealers in tuxedos and fancy cocktail waitresses.

"You're in the ghetto, walking into the Bellagio," said Scott Gardner, a poker room patron.

It was a victory of sorts for Jack Collins Jr., whose grandfather purchased the 77-year-old dogtrack in 1944 for $5,000. They have been battling with the state for the right to offer poker as a means to boost their sagging customer base.

"You need to have something for the younger generations," Collins said.

At One Eyed Jacks, 10 percent of the pot is kept by the house, up to $5. For single and multiple-table tournaments on the other hand, the Sarasota Kennel Club keeps $13 out of every $45 buy-in.

Collins however says that he doesn't expect the poker activity to take the limelight away from the dogs.