South Florida Entertainment – Dania Jai-Alai

I have all the reflexes of a comatose manatee, so a sport where a small, hard rubber ball can attain speeds of 180 miles per hour really isn’t the sport for me, at least as participation goes (reminds me of my ill-fated paintball career). There’s still a place for me though, because at Dania Jai-Alai in Dania Beach, Florida, the idea is not to play this variant sport but rather to pay someone else to do a good job playing it for you.

Confused? Not to worry…

Jai Alai is a variant of a classic racquetball-style game from Northern Spain, Basque Pelota, that was redesigned and reformatted as a betting sport. The play is nearly impenetrable if you don’t already know what you’re looking at, so follow close: eight teams of one or two individuals compete in a three-walled Jai Alai court, two teams at a time. Similar to racquetball, one team serves to the other and play goes back and forth until a point is scored. The scoring team stays in the match, while the other team is replaced by the next in line. This continues round robin-style until one team has reached the designated goal (usually 7 or 9 points). That team is the winner.

The unique hand baskets used by the players allow them to hurl the ball, or pelota, at incredible speeds, as much as 188 miles per hour, earning Jai Alai its Guinness Book recognition as the world’s fastest ballgame.

Watch the game in action (filmed at Dania Jai-Alai, in fact):

But don’t fret! Nobody expects you to play it. In fact, in nearly every location that the game is played, Jai Alai is exclusively a pari-mutuel betting sport, not far removed from horse or greyhound racing. That’s certainly the tradition they’re keeping alive at Dania Jai-Alai.

Dania Jai-Alai is a multi-purpose gaming and entertainment center offering poker, simulcast horse and dog racing, and of course live Jai Alai. If our selection of facility seems random, understand that this isn’t a game you can see anywhere. In the United States, you’ll struggle to find even a court outside of Florida, much less a community and gambling structure built around it. Like pet rocks and troll dolls, Jai Alai is a bit of a fad long faded, so we support facilities like this for keeping it alive.

Dania Jai-Alai host regular specials, free admission days, and food/drink discounts, so be sure to check their calendar before you go. Learn more about Dania Jai-Alai here.

Dania Beach is just a few miles out from Hollywood, Florida, which if you’ve been paying attention at all over the past few months you’d know is one of our favorites. Consider the Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Hotel for a relaxed, upscale kind of stay.

Oh, and gamble responsibly, won’t you.

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