Bay Area(ish) Casinos

[postoakpoker]

Bay Area players, I need your assistance. My brother just turned 21 a few days ago and he'll be out here on thanksgiving break for a week. I want to take him to a casino to play some poker and stay and celebrate for a weekend.

Priorities in order:
1)Decent poker room with a few tables that spread low NLHE (or spread-limit). From the few rooms that I have read about, the NLHE table buyin caps are incredibly short (like 20-40bb); I'd ideally like medium-deep stacked (like $200+ capped $1/2).
2)Relatively inexpensive, nice rooms (we're both students)
3)Shortest drive. This is the last priority, as I'd rather drive further and enjoy the stay more.

Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Captain R]

[ QUOTE ]

Priorities in order:
1)Decent poker room with a few tables that spread low NLHE (or spread-limit). From the few rooms that I have read about, the NLHE table buyin caps are incredibly short (like 20-40bb); I'd ideally like medium-deep stacked (like $200+ capped $1/2).
2)Relatively inexpensive, nice rooms (we're both students)
3)Shortest drive. This is the last priority, as I'd rather drive further and enjoy the stay more.

Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Where the heck do you live? Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Marin County, Oakland? This makes a big difference on #3.

I'd recommend the 1/2 $300 max buy-in game at Artichoke Joes's anyway. AJ's is actually a litte more upscale compared to the other big casinos.

[pig4bill]

[ QUOTE ]
Bay Area players, I need your assistance. My brother just turned 21 a few days ago and he'll be out here on thanksgiving break for a week. I want to take him to a casino to play some poker and stay and celebrate for a weekend.

Priorities in order:
1)Decent poker room with a few tables that spread low NLHE (or spread-limit). From the few rooms that I have read about, the NLHE table buyin caps are incredibly short (like 20-40bb); I'd ideally like medium-deep stacked (like $200+ capped $1/2).
2)Relatively inexpensive, nice rooms (we're both students)
3)Shortest drive. This is the last priority, as I'd rather drive further and enjoy the stay more.

Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Take the short drive to the airport and fly to Vegas.

[Poshua]

[ QUOTE ]

2)Relatively inexpensive, nice rooms (we're both students)


[/ QUOTE ]

All of the rooms in the Bay Area are sort of grungy, imo.

[postoakpoker]

I'm in the palo alto area; I guess basically I'm trying to let him have the "casino experience." I remember my first time staying at a casino, there's just so much going on, it's a fun atmosphere (at least for a little while). I'd gladly hop onto a plane and hit up vegas, but unfortunately we'll probably only be staying overnight wherever we end up going, so Vegas doesn't make much sense for us. I see ads on TV for indian casinos all the time, River Rock, Cache Creek, ect. Any comments/suggestions on those or places like those?

[DJ Sensei]

http://poker.wikia.com/wiki/Bay_Area

[pig4bill]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm in the palo alto area; I guess basically I'm trying to let him have the "casino experience." I remember my first time staying at a casino, there's just so much going on, it's a fun atmosphere (at least for a little while). I'd gladly hop onto a plane and hit up vegas, but unfortunately we'll probably only be staying overnight wherever we end up going, so Vegas doesn't make much sense for us. I see ads on TV for indian casinos all the time, River Rock, Cache Creek, ect. Any comments/suggestions on those or places like those?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hell, if you're staying overnight, Vegas makes even more sense. The best cardrooms in the Bay area are only that - cardrooms. No slots, no craps, no bells, no waterfalls or high-end restaurants or limos or high-dollar hoes walking around. There are Indian casinos, but to see real flash, go sit on a plane for an hour. Less time than driving to Cache Creek.

[dukemagic]

i just went to lucky chances tonight. it's 1/1/2 200 max buyin. the room's decent although busy and crowded, and the players were pretty bad.

i dunno, you're not going to have a crazy experience in one of these casinos. the rooms are crappy, i'm guessing, and there just isn't anything going on in the casinos. if you could do vegas, that would definitely be the way to go. i did that for my 21st and it was one of the best birthdays i've had.

but yeah, poker at lucky chances was good and it's a 100bb max buyin.

[fatshark]

Cache Creek is pretty good. I haven't played there since the new room (poker) opened up, but I hear it's good. The drive suuuuucks though taking that windy az road. In Palo Alto, I probably go over to Bay 101. They have somewhat of a pit with Cali 21, Pai Gow and of course poker; so you get a casino type atmosphere. There is Gold Country, FeatherFalls north of Sac which is about the same drive as Cach creek, maybe a bit further. It is full on gaming, which you guyz might enjoy.
And last but not least (I am partial lol) is Jackson which is much further.

[Poshua]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd gladly hop onto a plane and hit up vegas, but unfortunately we'll probably only be staying overnight wherever we end up going, so Vegas doesn't make much sense for us.

[/ QUOTE ]

One night is a perfectly suitable Vegas trip length. Check the airfares (including Virgin America); you might be surprised.

If you decide against Vegas, how do you feel about the drive to South Lake Tahoe? Google maps calls it four hours flat from Palo Alto without traffic. I've never actually played poker there (used to go with my parents when I was like 12) but I've heard the poker room at Harvey's is good. Also there are four full casino resorts there so you can get the real casino experience, and the surroundings are beautiful.