[vox]

If you're only in the Bay are for one night, and seeing the Sox clobber the D-Rays is the priority, staying at Hard Rock is pretty ridiculous, unless you're flying into MCO (Orlando Int'l) for some reason, have some other reason to be in Orlando or points east, or driving down from the northeast and want to take I-4 to I-95. If you're flying into TPA (Tampa Int'l) or PIE (St. Pete / Clearwater), you'll want to stay in Pinellas County and not bother with East Tampa.

Another poster gave a 30 minute drive time - maybe if you're going 100MPH through the I-4 construction, Downtown Tampa, over the bridge, and through metro St. Pete. Allow at LEAST an hour from Hard Rock/Fairgrounds to the Trop, more if you're fighting traffic.

Derby Lane is real close to the Trop if you want to play cheap poker. The boats are good for "real" poker, but I hear the games are small, and getting to/from the boat is time-consuming. If you're trying to make a flight, the possibility of getting stuck out at sea isn't appealing, I'm sure.

Enjoy your stay in the Tampa Bay area.