Casino Miami Jai-Alai

About Casino Miami Jai-Alai

Casino Miami Jai-Alai — formerly known as the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton — is a Florida-licensed pari-mutuel gaming facility at 3500 NW 37th Avenue in Miami, Florida, owned by Phil Ruffin. The casino component opened in 2012 on the site of the historic Miami jai alai fronton. The floor runs 1,000 slot machines, Electronic Blackjack, Electronic Roulette, Electronic Tables, Dominoes, Royal Match 21, and a 24-table poker room with an exceptionally diverse format spread including live jai alai and simulcasting. Restaurant, self-parking, and valet are on site. The minimum gambling age is 21, regulated by the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Website: playcasinomiami.com.

The NW 37th Avenue address is in the Allapattah neighborhood of northwestern Miami, approximately 5 miles northwest of downtown Miami via the Tamiami Trail. Phil Ruffin is a Las Vegas-based casino and hospitality entrepreneur known for owning multiple Nevada gaming properties. The Miami Jai-Alai Fronton was one of the most famous jai alai frontons in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, when South Florida jai alai drew large crowds and significant pari-mutuel wagering volume.

The game menu at Casino Miami Jai-Alai reflects the diverse cultural demographics of the Miami market: Dominoes — a tile game central to Cuban-American leisure culture — is offered as a playing option, making this one of the very few US casinos to include dominoes alongside standard casino games.

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Casino Miami Jai-Alai

Miami, Florida

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Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami, Florida

Poker Room: Five Card Draw, Low Ball, and More

Casino Miami Jai-Alai’s 24-table poker room spreads 7 Card Stud, Five Card Draw, Low Ball, Omaha, and Texas Hold’em under Florida pari-mutuel cardroom licensing.

Five Card Draw is one of the oldest and simplest poker formats: each player receives five cards and may exchange any number of them in one draw round. The best five-card hand after the draw wins. Five Card Draw is the format many players learn first and has been largely absent from US commercial card rooms since the rise of Hold’em, but it is offered at Casino Miami Jai-Alai. Low Ball is a draw poker variant in which the lowest hand wins — straights and flushes typically do not count against the player in lowball, and aces are usually low. The best typical lowball hand is A-2-3-4-5. Both Five Card Draw and Low Ball are extremely rare in modern US card rooms.

★ Editor note

Historic Miami Jai-Alai Fronton — Five Card Draw, Low Ball, Dominoes, and jai alai in the Allapattah corridor

Casino Miami Jai-Alai is the most culturally specific poker room in Florida: Five Card Draw and Low Ball formats that have vanished from most US card rooms, Dominoes reflecting Miami's Cuban-American community, and live jai alai on the same floor as 1,000 slot machines. Phil Ruffin's property on the NW 37th Avenue corridor is a direct continuation of the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton's half-century of South Florida gaming. The website was unreachable during our data collection — check playcasinomiami.com or visit in person for current hours and schedules.

Priya Sharma

Responsible Gaming Editor