No-limit Texas hold ’em draws big crowd at Bonita dog track

No limit Texas hold ’em player Jeremy Gianfagna, 22, of Estero, left, plays against Bill McCrone of Naples at the Naples-Fort Myers Dog Track poker room.

The game is no-limit Texas hold ’em.

The venue is the Naples-Fort Myers Dog Track in Bonita Springs.

And, poker players are filing in to play the game.

“We’ve been trying to do this for years. It’s the players that want it,” said Cindy Fra, the poker room manager at the dog track. “They are playing what they want to play and no-limit poker is what they want.”

Giving players no-limit poker is finally possible because of July 1 legislation that now allows increased betting limits on gambling.

“Everybody is pretty happy with it,” said Bill McCrone of Naples, a poker player who has been visiting the dog track three to four times a week for more than six years. “There are a lot more options.”

Poker is bringing big crowds, unlike the other games offered in the card room.

“It’s been phenomenal,” Fra said.” We have had 50 times more players than before.”

Fra said players who have traveled the world to play poker can now find high-stakes games in their hometown.

“When they came here before, it was a way to pass the time, it wasn’t really poker,” she said. “This is poker.”

Fra manages the room from noon to 10 p.m. and said she’s beefed up security to deal with the surge of new players.

They also offer a security escort if players win the big pot and want protection back to their cars.

These big-time poker players expect more, which is why Fra and her staff are replacing carpets, tabletop mats, security cameras and chairs.

A new snack bar menu has already been implemented.

“It’s good. Really comfortable and not too crowded,” said Ricky Ryals, 27, of Fort Myers, of the dog track’s poker room, which he visits every once in a while.

Ryals said he likes the room, but is there for poker.

“It’s good for the guys because this now gives them more tournament practice,” Ryals said. “Guys have been playing for a while, can do a lot here.”

Fra hopes more players will join Ryals, as word gets out that the dog track has no-limit gambling.

“It takes more skill because there is a lot more money involved,” Fra said. “Everything is higher limits and we are seeing a lot of new players and faces.”