Rock 'n' Nole

A casino's comin' to Hollywood. It's a big gamble.

A A A Comments By Sam Eifling Thursday, Apr 22 2004

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But the action tapered off as newer tracks like Sir Mix-A-Lot's hoary "Baby Got Back" sounded. The floor nearly emptied when the DJ spun Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's "Beautiful," a tune that may well produce pregnancies when it's played at every high school prom in the universe this spring. Somehow, this place has made the young feel old.

"I expected it to be more crowded," Wheeler says to her friend.

Mark Poutenis

Hard Rock in Managua collapsed when the Cordish Co. pulled out in 2001.

Colby Katz

At left: Steve Watkins, lead instructor at the makeshift poker academy training the new Hard Rock's dealers, assures students: "You can never get worse. You can only get better." At right: Doug Pattison, president of the Hollywood Hard Rock complex, oversees the micro-Vegas complex in the Broward 'burbs.

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"I expected it to be bigger," Mills replies.

"You know," Wheeler says. "You hear people hype it..." She trails off.

On a barstool nearby, a couple of 50-somethings take turns gyrating their bottoms against each other's crotches.