• Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Tournaments
• Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Table
• Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Odds
• Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Rules

Hamilton Jai Alai - Yelp. Re: TR - Hamilton Jai-Alai Poker Room - Jasper, FL I've played there, while driving back from a very very depressing college basketball game in Tampa. I did quite well in the $2-5 game, winning like $500 in 2 hours or something, and everyone acted offended that I was hitting and running because I left an hour before they closed for the night.

Hamilton Jai Alai Association, Inc. Is a Florida Domestic Non-Profit Corporation filed on January 11, 2007. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is N2. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Pita Kathy and is located at 1311 Pepperdine Ln., Sanford, FL 32771. The 2020 Magic City Jai-Alai Season runs from May 1st through November 30th.Catch all of the live action right here on the Jai-Alai Channel!-4 PROGRAMS A. Jai alai, a sport that traces its history 400 years back, had a strong presence in Florida for more than half a century. Miami, Ocala, Orlando, Fort Pierce and Hamilton County.

The first jai alai fronton in the United States was built in St. Louis, Missouri and opened around the 1904 World Fair in the city.

It would take about 20 years before Florida got its first jai alai fronton. This one was built at the site of the Hialeah Race Course near Miami. (It has since been relocated to site near Miami International Airport). Within soon, jai alai was used as a basis for parimutuel betting, and turned into a popular gambling alternative to other parimutuel betting events such as horse racing and greyhound racing.

Due to the warm Florida climate, professional jai alai players from temperate countries gathered in Florida during the winters, to avoid having to take a break from the game. A jai alai player that refrains from playing jai alai for a whole winter season can need several weeks to get into shape again in spring and risks serious injuries. Foreign jai alai players fleeing the cold started coming to Florida for the winter season as early as the 1920's.

From the 1950s and onwards, the jai alai sport really boomed in Florida. The Miami fronton underwent a big renovation in the mid 1960s, partly to accommodate an expanded grandstand since the 7,000 seats of the old grandstand weren't enough anymore. After the renovation, the grandstand could comfortable room over 13,000 spectators. The Miami fronton was knicknamed “The Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai” since it was such a powerful symbol for the game in the U.S. On 27 December 1975, an audience of 15,502 spectators watched a game of jai alai in the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton, a world record that is yet to be broken.

Jai Alai & Gambling

In the 1960s and 1970s, the state of Florida relaxed its gambling laws in an effort to increase state revenue. Legal betting on jai alai expanded, and this trend continued into the early 1980s. But jai alai's strong connection to gambling also contributed to its downfall. In an effort to earn even more money, the sports books created increasingly complex wagers for jai alai, which in turn made the sport less accessible for the average punter.

With hopes of expanding the customer base, the Miami fronton dropped its old dress code requirements in favor of a more casual style. Back in the days, the dress code was pretty strict with men wearing jackets and women dressing up at a similar level. When the dress code was relaxed, jai alai lost some of its luster. A new type of punters entered the facilities, but at the same time, many high rollers stopped coming.

Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Tournaments

Jai alai also suffered from allegations of fixed games and ties to organized crime. FBI investigations and federal indictments ensued, and the mere suspicion of corruption made the games less appealing to the average punter. A lot of gamblers turned to the new betting opportunities that had appeared, such as Native American Casinos and the cruise ships that brought gamblers out to international waters for a few hours of gambling.

In 1988, a player's strike broke out. This strike lasted for roughly three years. The Miami fronton brought in “scabs”, and there were incidents of picket-line violence. Even though the strike ended eventually, the jai alai in Florida never really recovered.

Today, jai alai has pretty much vanished from the north-eastern and western United States, where other legal betting options are now available, including land casinos and gambling cruises. The once famous Connecticut frontons in Hartford and Milford have closed for good, while the Bridgeport fronton has been turned into a greyhound track. In Rhode Island, the Newport fronton is now a parlor for slot machines and video lottery terminals.

Once upon a time there were actually a fronton at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but this facility was hemorrhaging money so badly in the early 1980's that MGM decided to shut it down.

In an effort to prevent the frontons in Florida from closing down, the Florida Legislature passed the HB 1059. This bill, which came into effect in August 2003, changed the rules for offering real-money poker games in parimutuel facilities in Florida.

Today, most of the Florida frontons are kept solely because the owner wants to be able to offer legal real-money poker games and slot machines. The owner will pay professional jai alai players to play in the fronton simply to fullfil the legal requirements. The fronton must present a minimum of 40 performances, with each performance being comprised of eight games, to keep its license. The law does not stipulate how many players that must participate, so in the fronton in Ocala, Florida there is usually only two players playing each other continuously.

In many cases, the facility owner is actually losing money on the fronton, but it is still worth it since the parimutuel betting makes it possible to offer legal real-money poker and slot machines. The jai alai players union has even negotiated a deal where the professional players are paid a certain percentage of the slot machine revenue.

Most professional jai alai players in the United States are not born in the country, since jai alai isn't a very high profile game here anymore. Instead, they come from Cuba, Mexico or Southern Europe (typically from France or Spain, since this is where you find the Basque Country).

Here are a few examples of frontons in Florida that are still in use:

• Miami Jai Alai Fronton (in use year-round)

• Dania Jai Alai Fronton (in use year-round)

• Fort Pierce Jai Alai Fronton (seasonal)

• Ocala Jai Alai Fronton (seasonal)

• Hamilton Jai Alai (seasonal)

Amateur jai alai

While professional jai alai has lost much of its former glory in the United States, amateur jai alai is on the rise. In 2008, the nation's first public amateur jai alai facility was opened in St. Petersburg, Florida. The project was funded by the city of St. Petersburg and jai alai aficionado Jeff 'Laca' Conway.

If you want to learn more about jai alai, a good starting point is the jai alai facility in North Miami Beach, Florida. This is an indoor air conditioned cancha sponsored by The American Jai-Alai Foundation, and it is possible to participate in free jai alai training sessions here.

Texas Jai-Alai

The Texas Jai-Alai, opened in 2009, is located north of the city of Dallas, in the Palermo area. Near the facility is a commercial complex, so spectators can enjoy shopping and dining as well as jai alai. There is even a day-care center.

The Texas Jai-Alai fronton is large enough for 12,000 spectators, including the VIP section. There are concession areas, gifts shops, and luxury suites.

Approximately 45 professional players (pelotaris) work at the Texas Jai-Akai fronton. In a typical week, there will be 12 game performances every day from Tuesday to Saturday.

Miami Jai-Alai

The Miami Jai-Alai fronton is arguably the most famous in the whole country and is often referred to as“The Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai”. It was built back in the 1920’s and has been extremely important for the development of the Jai Alai sport in the U.S.

Despite a decreased interest in Jai Alai in the U.S. since the 1980s, the Miami Jai-Alai is still open year round. It is owned and operated by the Florida Gaming Corporation. The facility has room for a 6,500 people audience, and there is a courtview dining area that seats 450 visitors.

The court is 176 ft long and 45 ft wide. The overhead is 40 ft.

The Miami Jai-Alai co-hosts the Florida Cup, an annual contest between Miami Jai-Alai and Dania Jai-Alai.

You’ll find the Miami Jai-Alai fronton at 3500 N.W. 37th Avenue, Miami, Florida. This location is close to the Miami International Airport.

Ocala Jai-Alai

This fronton is located in Orange Lake, which is in northern Florida. The exact address is 4601 Northwest Highway 318 Orange Lake.

The Ocala Jai-Alai was opened in 1973, when jai-alai was a very popular sport in Florida and there were plenty of frontons. Today, most of the other frontons in northern Florida has closed down, consolidating the premiere players to Ocala.

The court is 176 ft long and 40 ft wide. The overhead is 45 ft.

Hamilton Downs Jai-Alai

Hamilton Downs Jai-Alai fronton is found in Jasper, Florida. The exact address is 6968 US Highway 129 South Jasper. This facility is open every day of the week except Tuesdays, and contains two restaurants (sports bar + grill) and a bar. In addition to live jai alai games, there is also a lot of poker tables here.

Fort Pierce Jai-Alai

This jai alai fronton opened back in 1974 and was originally a spring / summer retreat for the seasonal schedule in Miami. Soon, it developed into a top jai alai facility in its own right. It is owned by the Florida Gaming Corporation.

The court is 176 ft long and 50 ft wide, with a 40 ft overhead.

There is room for 3,000 spectators.

Since the early 1990’s, the Fort Pierce Jai Alai fronton has a four-month long season. During a typical season, the rooster will contain 28 – 32 players.

The Fort Pierce Jai-Alai is located on 1750 South Kings Highway Fort Pierce, Florida. The facility has a very extensive off-track betting simulcast.

Orlando Jai-Alai

Orlando Jai-Alai opened in the early 1960’s and has hosted several of the state’s most prominent jai alai tournaments during its illustrious history, including the NAJF Tournament of Champions and the Citrus Tournament.

Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Table

The court is 180 ft long and 50 ft wide, with a 48 ft overhead.

Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Odds

The Orlando Jai-Alai fronton is found at 6405 South US Highway, 17-92 Casselberry, Florida.

Dania Jai-Alai

When this south Florida fronton opened in back in 1953, it was the second fronton in the entire country. You’ll find this 220,000 sq ft jai alai facility in Dania Beach, a 15 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale. Examples of tournaments that has been held at the Dania Jai-Alai fronton are Florida Cup, Battle of Champions, and – of course – The Dania/Miami Challenge.

The court is 178 ft long and 50 ft wide, with a 45 ft overhead.

Hamilton Jai-alai & Poker Rules

There is room for 5,600 spectators.

The facility houses a sports bar, cocktail lounge, restaurants, and more.