Interconnected moves: Mardi Gras Gaming Casino and Racetrack has retooled its French Quarter Restaurant and is moving the poker room down to the first floor.

The current poker room is on the second floor of the Hallandale Beach facility, next to the pari-mutuel wagering area where dog-racing fans hang out. Slots are on the first and third floors.

“We wanted to have a first-floor poker facility with its own entrance,” Mardi Gras president Dan Adkins said. “It’s just more accommodating and it flows into the main casino.

“Poker’s a very important component, especially when you consider the tax,” he said. Casinos send only 10 percent of their poker profits to the state; for slots it’s 50 percent.

The poker room is set to move on Nov. 1, and the empty area created on the second floor will become a VIP area for pari-mutuel bettors, Adkins said. Construction has already begun, so restaurant tables at The Bourbon Street Bistro on the first floor have been removed — although you can still get food at the counter.

Meanwhile, the French Quarter Restaurant on the third floor, which opened in January, expanded its space toward the dog track so patrons can watch races as they eat.

“We also altered the menu to make it more price-friendly,” Adkins said.

That includes a $9.95 all-you-can-eat prime rib or fish-and-chips deal on Fridays.