The world has changed in ways that were hard to envision, and as people adapt to those changes so too must institutions and establishments. The Seminole Hard Rock did just this, implementing its Safe+Sound protocols to give guests and patrons peace of mind and a feeling of normalcy in a world that has felt anything but in 2020.

Aside from mandatory mask-wearing and plexiglass panel installations at every table in the Seminole Hard Rock poker room, every single chip in play has been washed and cleansed in 200 degree heat to ensure thorough sanitization. In addition, if a player leaves his or her seat for even a moment, dealers have a bottle of hand sanitizer ready to give the player upon returning. If a player is eliminated from a tournament or cash-game players leave a seat for good, thorough washing of the glass, rail, and chair is done within minutes.

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Poker vlogger Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno visited the Seminole Hard Rock over the past few days to partake in the cash games. Currently residing in San Diego, Johnnie has been playing a fair amount on the West Coast since poker rooms reopened during the pandemic, but not all the rooms he has played in have gone to the lengths that the Seminole Hard Rock has with regard to health and safety, and not just for the players but for the staff as well.

“I have played at places that have dividers on the left and right, but nothing in the middle to protect the dealer,” explained Vibes. “It seems more safe than the average place because the dealer is more protected. We are all like in a little cubby hole. It’s almost like your own wall of safety. It feels safer for sure. I really like how they are doing things here at the Seminole Hard Rock.”

Moreno was also cognizant of the older clientele in the room, recognizing their health risks were more severe than that of his generation.

“Knowing that Florida has a large elderly community, I just knew that there had to be some better safety precautions in place (compared to other places). There’s plexiglass, dealers are sanitizing hands every time somebody gets up from the table, they clean the station basically. I feel like it’s what you have to do in today’s climate. Everybody is making sacrifices. Having plexiglass and making sure your hands are clean are part of the process.”

For somebody like Moreno, whose primary source of income has come in live cash games for several years, a wave of uncertainty and uneasiness came over him when live poker was halted because of the pandemic.

“It’s been really crazy, just because when all of this started, I was definitely nervous. I was thinking about how am I going to make a living? Am I even good enough to play online poker anymore? I think when you have that mindset of being a poker player, you have to hustle and figure out a way. So, I just went into survival mode. I started looking for the best online games, joined clubs that I could get into, and it turned out good, but there’s always that fear because I haven’t been grinding online in probably eight years, and the fear is that maybe you just aren’t good enough, and you’ll know quickly online if you’re good enough or not.”

While he did play online a little bit, live poker is a much more preferable and enjoyable experience for Vibes. Not only to play with people who follow his vlog, but just being social and interacting with others is something that he feels passionately about.

“It’s one of the reasons that I gravitated to live poker, because I just love the social aspect of it. I’m the type of guy that when I’m at the poker table, I’m going to talk about the stock market, what bets people at the table have on the games tonight, etc… I can talk about anything that interests people, so I love that part of the game.”

With the necessary safety measures that places like the Seminole Hard Rock have taken, it has made that facet of the game more challenging, Vibes has noticed.

“A lot of times casino environments are loud, and your ability to read someone’s lips as they are talking will help you sometimes figure out what they are saying. So, with wearing a mask, and being behind plexiglass, and with being on the other end of the table, it’s almost impossible to talk to someone on the other end of the table.”

Have the changes had any effect on his poker game?

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that my reading ability has been affected by it, but there have been players that I’ve played with who I didn’t recognize because they had a mask on. One time I called a guy on the river who if I would have known who it was, since I had hours with them in the past, I would not have called him. After I heard his voice through the mask, I realized who it was and I wish I could have had that hand back so I could have folded the river. It definitely creates more anonymity with players.”

Even with the new challenges that players like Moreno face in the current state of the world, he is grateful for places like the Seminole Hard Rock for the freedom to keep playing in a healthy environment.

“Nothing is typical right now,  but I’m not going to complain. We have live poker.”