After playing the day before at the Isle in Pompano, Gulfstream was a bit of a letdown. In fairness it's as nice as Daytona Beach where I frequent so I shouldn't have any real complaint. The place reminded me of Bally's in Las Vegas due to the way the room is situated in a leftover corner. I would rate the atmosphere below average compared to the half dozen rooms in the MIami area that I visited on this trip. What's funny is how good the place looks on the outside. They have an entire shopping complex and the architecture of the whole place is pretty impressive.
I arrived at 10:30am on a Tuesday and put myself on the $2-5 NL list and sat down at the only game currently running, $1-2 NL. After about an hour a $2-5 began and by the time I left at 2:30 there was a second $2-5 game happening. If they can run two $2-5 games on a Tuesday afternoon then I expect to play there again.
Like a lot of Florida poker, the main promotion was a high hand of the hour. Personally, I prefer straight poker like at the Aria in Las Vegas where they don't participate in such foolishness. In a $2-5 game it makes the rake a total of $7 per hand. If it draws players to the game maybe it's a net win, but I look forward to the first Florida poker room that caters to the serious player over the dice thrower.
The dealers were fine and the cocktail waitresses were attentive. I didn't have any interaction with management other than when they were noting high hands of the hour.
I would give the place 3.5 stars out of 5
