Sucking Out Can Be OK As we reported earlier in the week, the Seminole Indian Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, added $1/$3 tables to their poker room. The intention was to create bigger pots for players, while discouraging loose players from moving in without hesitation. However, after talking with dealers last night we found only the former scenario to be true.

While the new table limits did create bigger pots, one dealer told us that "as many players as ever were forcing their hand to the river."

Playing styles remain unaffected and good players are seeing the opportunity to take advantage of poor play, letting the chasers collect their occasional gift from above while forcing them to pay more for the privilege of drawing from behind.

Our source said, "Changing from $1-$2 to $1-$3 isn't significant enough to make any difference to the players we get. If anything, it just drives the ones who would consider the move steep to find the $1-$2 tables. Remember, a lot of players play the same chasing strategy at $5-$10. It's all about the player's personal budget."

However, increasing the money in the pot makes a huge difference to the house, which takes a rake from every game. The few dollars more averaged per hand adds up to quite a lot for the casino, which has found the space for $1-$2 games to be among the least profitable uses of space at the entire gambling venue.

As blackjack and casino games invade the Coconut Creek location, square footage becomes of greater value, and better that poker tables contribute a bit more than see space bled away for house-edge games. Besides, the best players will now find themselves with bigger rewards when playing the odds. After all, over time the odds always work out.

Discuss this issue on our Seminole Creek forums.