The unofficial home for low-limit poker is South Florida is undergoing changes.

“We’re gearing ourselves more toward no-limit players,” Mardi Gras Gaming’s Wil Herrera said.

Among the incentives: a $500 bonus for the highest hand at 6 p.m. weekdays in the casino’s no-limit poker games. And high hand promotions from 10 a.m. to midnight every day, with the prizes doubled if they hand comes during a no-limit game.

Located near a handful of high-rise condominums in Hallandale Beach, Mardi Gras continued to draw patrons interested in playing poker that required as little as a $1 bet, even after the state raised the stakes in July 2007.

Herrera, who took over as senior director of poker operations at Mardi Gras this spring, said he is trying to change the clientele to improve the casino’s revenue. (The house rakes in a percentage of each hand played.)

A first attempt – 18 tournaments with buy-ins of under $50 and a $145 tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays – debuted April 13, but didn’t draw interest. Herrera said he has modified the tournaments, making them deeper-stack events.

Attracting more no-limit players is difficult because neighbors Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Gulfstream Casino & Racing and even Dania Jai-Alai already have pieces of that pie, he said.

That’s where the $500 promotion comes in.

“I figure if players are going to play no-limit in one place or another, they might as well do it where they can win another $500,” he said.

He also has adjusted the options for limit players. After briefly discontinuing the least-expensive poker game available – which had a maximum bet of $2 – the casino now offers it if there is player interest. There are also $25 and $50 one-table winner-take-all tournaments for lower-stakes players, and a “$2-$5 spread” limit game, meaning players can bet $2, $3, $4 or $5, which has fared well.

“You have much more flexibility and control because what you bet can either entice players to call or push them out,” he said.

Overall, the action has swung from being mostly low-limit to slightly more no-limit, he said.