Sunnybrook Charity Poker room

The Review

UMP visited Sunnybrook on a Thursday night for the $30 + $10 add-on Deep-Stack Tournament. The tournament drew 75 players for a great prize pool. Sixty eight players were seated to start, with alternates worked in before the first break as players busted out. Ten places were paid with first place receiving $790.

The door to the charity poker room at Sunnybrook can be difficult to find if you don't know where it is. Let us clue you in! Don't go in the front door! There's a door towards the back of the building on the right hand side with a big sign over it that says, "Poker Room" plus some golf pro shop info. Go in this door, and directly up the stairs. The door at the top of the stairs takes you into the poker room. Sunnybrook built this room especially to host poker, and it really shows!

You will be greeted by the room manager as you walk into the poker room. Three charity windows are behind the podium, where you can buy chips for cash games, or buy into the tournament. There are lots of regular players at Sunnybrook, lots of tables, and lots of action. This is a non-smoking poker room.

---

Since your web browser does not support JavaScript, here is a non-JavaScript version of the image slideshow:

Three charity windows at Sunnybrook in the background, plus some cash tables in the foreground. Check out the shirt on the guy buying chips in the window!

---

Cash tables in the background, one of the tournament tables during break in the foreground.

---

Cash tables in the background, one of the tournament tables during break in the foreground.

---

Cash tables in the background, one of the tournament tables during break in the foreground.

---

Still more cash tables! Sunnybrook has a lot of regulars who come to play cash games, starting at noon, running until 2am every day.

---

Blackjack available every day.

---

Very friendly cash players :)

---

Friendly poker room host & dealer, Andrew & Khalil!

---

Games: 5 of 5 chips

Sunnybrook is one of those poker rooms that always has cash tables going, with lots of action on every table. Players are waiting at the door prior to the noon opening. The most popular game at Sunnybrook is $1/$2. Higher limits and other games are opened upon player request. This poker room receives 5 of 5 chips for the action and games available!

Tournaments: 5 of 5 Chips

There is a different game available for every day of the week, plus special big buy-in, big-prize pool 4-day events almost monthly. During the week, buy-ins range from $5 to $30. The $5 Friday Frenzy has unlimited rebuys to the first break for those who love the cheap buy-in, get all your chips in early tournaments. For those who prefer the deep stacks, Sunnybrook offers a lot of freeze-out and deep-stack tournaments with zero or one add-on. If you are looking to play for the big prizes, keep an eye out for Sunnybrook's Deep Stack 4-day qualifier events. The next one is Nov 12-15 benefitting Stevenson Ice Hockey Boosters M51862 General Fund. Direct buy-in is $150, or you can play in a $20 sit-n-go, $25 or $35 qualifier.

Levels are usually 15 minutes, with blinds increasing at a reasonable pace. Blinds don't double with every level, which makes tournament play more comeptative.

For sheer varity of tournaments, lots of players, and the deep-stack events, Sunnybrook receives a perfect score.

Atmosphere: 5 of 5 Chips

The new poker room is beautiful. Lighting is just right, not too bright, not too flourescent, and not too dark. There is an entire wall of windows overlooking the golf course, creating a really nice atmosphere during the day time hours. Once you get up to the poker room, everything is easy to find, bright and clean. Lots and lots of player conveniences have been thought of and implemented! These guys even had fresh flowers on the podium, nice touches are everywhere.

Equipment: 4 of 5 Chips

Professional, casino quality chips are available for both cash and tournament play. Dark green suited speed cloth keeps the chips and cards sliding across the tables, while drink scooters beverages and snacks, keep the table tops clear of cups and clutter.

Staff: 5 of 5 Chips

Andrew and Patrick greeted us as we came into the Sunnybrook Poker Room, let us know where to get our tournament chips, where to go to get seat cards, and how long we had before the tournament started. Patrick, who ran the tournament, reviewed the rules with everyone, let us know when blinds went up, and kept everyone on the same page with rules, levels, blinds, chip-ups, payouts, etc. The dealers were fast, accurate, and friendly. I heard Khalil cracking a bunch of jokes at a nearby tournament table - funny guy!

Sunnybrook also gets extra chips for fast, friendly waitstaff!!!

 

Map to Sunnybrook Charity Poker Room

View Larger Map Sunnybrook 7191 Seventeen Mile Rd, Sterling Heights MI