Bestbet Poker Room at Jacksonville

On Monument Road just east of downtown Jacksonville, Bestbet Poker operates one of two poker and simulcast greyhound racing rooms. Jacksonville may not be on the short list of places people from around the world want to see while they’re in Florida, but it is a densely-populated area, and since Floridians have few options for legal gambling, it’s clear the company has found a niche.

Bestbet Poker is a combination live poker room and simulcast greyhound race betting service, open 24 hours a day on the weekends, serving light snacks as well as buffet-style lunches and dinners on weekends. It’s mostly a local’s hangout and is more popular for the head-to-head poker than the limited simulcast race betting opportunities, at least at the time of this review.

Games

Because Florida has pretty strict anti-gaming laws (especially for non-native operators like Bestbet) people in the state have few options. Floridians who live a little further south than Jacksonville can gamble on (expensive) gambling cruises that operate on the ocean outside of Florida’s jurisdiction, but the nearly 1 million people living in and around Jacksonville have few choices. That’s why a glorified poker room and OTB site gets the kind of attention it does.

That’s not to say the place isn’t great – it is. The hours are 10 AM to 4 AM during the week, which is about as close to 24 hours as the state allows. It’s convenient, it’s clean, the snack room food is good, and there’s competitive poker, being that it’s one of the only legal games in town.

Restaurants & Bars

A snack bar is available at all hours of operation. Unlike the Orange Park location, there is not buffet-style dining every weekend – only some weekends. The website isn’t clear about when these events take place, so if you’re wanting a Prime Rib dinner, call ahead to see if they’re actually serving.

Map