TEXAS HOLDEM ONLINE POKER

We're talking pre-fairy godmother, pre-dancing-at-the-ball Cindrella.

While older "step-sister" casinos in Las Vegas are gaudy with neon and flashing lights, with buildings in the shape of a pyramid or palace, this Plain Jane casino sports bland Cream-of-Wheat-colored aluminum siding. If not for the sedate sign over the door, it could be a lumber warehouse.

You don't see any blinking lights until you step inside its doors, which are open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

Upon entering, you're immediately assaulted with a cacophony of electronic beeps and tones, which makes you feel as though you've stepped into the guts of a video game. A statue of an alligator stands on its hind legs and greets you with a sign: "Rub me for luck."

The Seminole Casino has 600 gaming machines; the venue prefers that term to slot machines. They don't have handles to pull, making the term "one-armed bandit" as dated as "rotary phone." Instead, there are buttons to push.

"We hope by mid-September to have the new Wheel of Fortune gaming machines," says Carol Losa de Lara, the casino's director of marketing. "We're hoping for 18 of them."

They try to get different machines regularly.

"People like a variety of games on the floor," Losa de Lara says. "They play a little here, a little there. If we had all the same kind of machines, it'd be really boring."

There's everything from nickel machines to "Big Bertha" machines that take $10 bets — $30, if you want to gamble the limit.

The machines are coinless; if you win, you don't get to hear the satisfying jingle of a stream of coins falling on top of each other. Instead, the machine spits out a piece of paper which you can turn in for money.

"A lot in Vegas are that way," she says. "People can play them faster, and they're a lot less labor-intensive. Almost the whole industry is going to coinless machines."

The casino pays out more than $10 million monthly. The casino's profits go to the Seminole tribe for things such as schools, college education and the police force. Each tribal member also receives a dividend check each month.

IF YOU GO

The Big "M" Casino When: Two cruises daily except for Monday; 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 11:30 p.m.; Mondays are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Where: 450 Harbor Court, Fort Myers Beach, cruises depart from Moss Marine Cost: All cruises $10 except for Friday and Saturday evenings, which are $20 Information: (239) 765-7529 or (888) 373-3521 Games: More than 180 slot machines, bingo, blackjack, roulette and Let It Ride     Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track When: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays for races; and poker room open noon to midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays through Sept. 30. The track is open seven days a week from Dec. 26 through Easter Where: 10601 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs (Old U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road) Cost: $2 for grandstand admission, $3 for clubhouse admission and children under 12 are free. Information: (239) 642-9537 Games: Greyhound racing and poker     The Seminole Casino When: Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week Where: 506 S. First St., Immokalee Cost: Free admittance; must be 18 or older. Information: (800) 218-0007. Games: More than 600 gaming machines and poker

Dick Groetchen of Alva goes to the casino "once a week, sometimes twice. We've been interested in slot machines for ages," he says. "My mom's first husband manufactured slot machines in the '20s and '30s and into the '40s in Chicago. Columbia machines."

Playing the slot machines is "something you can do that's entertaining," he says. "You don't have to have any skill. It's all luck. With Texas Holdem poker, there's some skill involved. But with the slot machines, everyone has the same chance. It's just luck, where you sit. It's all chance, and everyone has the same chance."

The Seminole Casino is a Class 2 gaming facility, meaning they have gaming machines and poker. They don't offer blackjack or have roulette wheels; it requires a Class 3 gaming facility for that. While Class 2 gambling isn't legal in the state of Florida, it is legal at the Seminole Casino because it's located on a Seminole reservation.

Although in the business of making money, the casino wants people to gamble responsibly, Losa de Lara says.

"We have training for our managers and supervisors to spot compulsive gamblers," she says. "We don't want to take someone's mortgage money. We want their entertainment dollars, not their mortgage payment. We feel very strongly about that. I believe we gave over $100,000 to Gamblers Anonymous.

"We just want people to have a good time and spend their entertainment dollars with us. It's a real fun place. We want people to gamble responsibly. Absolutely."

Irene Duffy of Bonita Springs who was parked at a slot machine on a recent Monday afternoon says she likes to go to the casino on occasion.

"Every once in a while we get a little stir crazy," she says. "We like to come here. We don't spend a lot of money. It's a nice day for me."

She once won $50.

"I thought I was a millionaire," she jokes.

Duffy sat playing the slot machines while her husband, Michael Poulos, was in another section of the casino playing poker.

With TV shows such as "Celebrity Poker Showdown," "The World Series of Poker" and "World Poker Tour," the classic card game, in all its variations, is growing even more popular. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, the Seminole Casino will be holding a $10,000 Texas Holdem poker tournament.

They hold weekly tournaments with Texas HoldEm Hi-Lo, Texas HoldEm High Only, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo and Omaha Hi-Lo.

"We're seeing younger people come in to play Texas Holdem poker, with our tournaments," Losa de Lara says. "People playing poker here used to be 60-plus. Now it's 40-plus. And the guys sitting at the tables today are in their 20s and 30s."

"Texas Holdem Poker is a great social game," says Pete Manasco, the casino's poker manager.

GAMBLING RESPONSIBLY

1. Determine a set amount you want to use to gamble. 2. Whether you're winning or losing, don't go over that amount. 3. Remember that you can walk away from the table at any time. 4. Don't use money earmarked for necessities, such as rent or mortgage or food. 5. If you suspect you may have a problem with compulsive gambling, call the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling toll free at 888-ADMIT IT. The Council offers a 24-hour confidential HelpLine and support, education and assistance for compulsive gamblers, their families and their employers.

The majority of players at the casino are men.

"Women haven't jumped into poker as much as the men," Manasco says, "but women are as good players as anybody else."

He thinks part of the interest in the game may have to do with the change in Florida law last August. Before, the maximum amount on the table could be $20. Now, he says, there's a maximum $2 bid and three raises, which means a total of $8 per person. With 10 or 11 people sitting around a table playing a game, that means a much higher pot.

Texas Holdem Poker is so popular at the casino that there's often a waiting list, especially on evenings and weekends.

Those who like to play Texas Holdem poker can also play at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs. The track's poker room hours are noon to midnight, Wednesdays through Saturdays. The poker room is even open Christmas Day from 6 p.m. to midnight, and New Year's Eve from noon to 7:30 p.m.

People can also bet on the greyhounds, which run 13 races on Friday and Saturday matinees; 12 races on Thursday and Saturday evenings; and 15 races on Wednesday matinees. Some animal advocates feel that the greyhounds are treated in a cruel and inhumane way and shouldn't race at all. The track also offers free greyhound adoption on-site, and lists the Adopt-a-Greyhound number, (239) 992-2411, on their Web site.

If you want a change of scenery when you're gambling, you can take a six-hour cruise on the Big "M" Casino, which departs from Moss Marine in Fort Myers Beach twice a day except for Mondays, which departs in the morning only.

	ADOPT A GRAYHOUND
	If you'd like to adopt a racing greyhound for free from the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track, call Adopt-a-Greyhound at (239) 992-2411. The dogs are quite young and affectionate, and have a life expectancy of approximately 11 years.

The boat, which holds 400 people, has more than 180 slot machines and offers blackjack, roulette and Let-It-Ride, but only after an hour into the cruise, when the boat reaches international waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We have table games, just like Las Vegas," says Joanne Gibson, reservations manager at the Big "M." "We have 5 cent to $5 slot machines. Our boat is like a little mini-Las Vegas."

Passengers can play bingo on the ride out and back, she says. There's also live entertainment, with one or two people singing and playing instruments. But the entertainment ends once the casino opens.

"We have some very serious gamers out there," Gibson says.

But if you're new to casino gambling, the dealers are willing to explain the rules before the game.

"The dealers are very friendly; they'll help you out," Gibson says.

Passengers have to be 21 or older and everyone has to provide a photo ID before purchasing boarding tickets. Jackpots vary.

"You can win a few dollars to several thousand dollars," she says. "It just depend on the game you're playing. We've given out $32 million in jackpots; that's cumulative (since) we opened in January 1998.

The Big "M" Casino is going to purchase another boat that will hold 50 percent more passengers.

"It's a friendly boat," Gibson says. "People have a lot of fun."