NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT THE COMMERCE CASINO

Updated August 19, 2010  The Commerce Casino, off the 5 Freeway just minutes south of Los Angeles, is the world's largest poker casino, but it also offers various games which are also played in Vegas and other casinos.  I just completed an interview with John Griffo of the The Commerce about developments at The Commerce including their development of Vegas-like games, about the possibility of another initiative in California to expand slot machines into poker rooms, the status of online poker, and added entertainment options at The Commerce.  Also we discussed the economy and its effect on gaming.  We also talked about The Commerce which caters to "home games," and how it has low cost tournaments, and offers free poker lessons.  The interview was recorded for my KABC 790 Radio show and we videotaped the interview.  Watch the video below which is in two parts.

PECHANGA ADDS "BUSTER BLACKJACK"

Buster Blackjack is being played on 18 tables at Pechanga and this game has a side bet in addition to the regular blackjack bet.  With the side bet, players can wager from $1 to $50 that the deal will bust, and this side bet pays out up to 250-to-1 depending on how many cards it takes for the dealer to bust. 

We asked Pechanga officials how this game is played and this is what they told us:

Buster Blackjack is a side bet on a regular blackjack table that wins if the dealer busts.  The more cards the dealer busts with, the more the player is paid.  If the dealer busts with 3-4 cards then the pay to the player is 2 to 1.  And if the dealer busts with 5 cards, then the pay is 4 to 1.  And if the dealer should bust with 6 cards, then the pay is 12 to 1.  And if the dealer busts with a lot of small cards, say 7 cards, then the pay is 50 to 1.  Now, if the dealer gets a lot of low cards-- and I mean a lot of Aces-- and the dealer busts with 8 and more cards the payout on this side bet is an incredible 250 to 1.

The Buster side bet must be made along with the regular blackjack bet before any cards are dealt.  The player and dealer will play out their hands as they would in a regular blackjack game.  However, even if the player busts and does not win his main blackjack bet, the Buster bet remains in action, as long as the dealer has no blackjack.  If the dealer then goes on to bust, all Buster bets are paid according to the pay tables.  In the Pechanga game the dealer hits soft 17.

Blackjack is perhaps the most popular of all table games in casinos and the game has undergone a lot of changes in the last couple of years.  Some of those changes include paying even money for a blackjack while the traditional game has always paid 1.5 times the original bet or 3 to 2 for a blackjack.  While these whopping payouts can make the side bet attractive in this "buster blackjack" game, I guarantee you this-- no side bet will favor the player and will have an edge that favors the house.  However, it's the side bets in games like Let It Ride and the Fire Bet in Craps and now this blackjack game that pay the big bucks and make low payout games attractive to gamblers who want a big win for a small wager.

MORE LOW COST POKER TOURNAMENTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Many of the casinos in Southern California are now adding poker tournaments, and for the most part these are low cost tournaments with an entry fee of well under $100.  The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens has expanded its schedule of tournaments to seven days a week and that means you can play the noon tournament, the 7PM tournament and the Midnight tournament seven days a week.  Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood near LAX has also expanded its tournament schedule with additional weekend tournaments, and the Commerce Casino in Commerce and Hawaiian Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens are also adding more tournaments including one-table "sit 'n go" tournaments.

IS IT TIME TO EXPAND CASINO GAMING IN CALIFORNIA? 

(This is an editorial comment.)

This issue is certain to come up now that California is wrestling with a budget crisis that will not go away despite the recent budget compromise.  Perhaps it is time to consider expanding casino gaming in the State.  Yes, some of the Indian casinos were allowed to expand by adding more slot machines -- and some of the Indian casinos in California are now bigger than many of the casinos you'll find in Las Vegas.  The Pechanga Casino in Temecula is the biggest casino in the Western United States.  But perhaps we need more -- not only to help the State's budget, but also to keep gaming dollars inside California instead of letting it go to Nevada.

What actions could the State take now?  Perhaps it is time to allow the card rooms in California to also offer slot machines and video poker machines.  Instead of allowing all card rooms and card casinos to offer slots and video poker, perhaps it might be limited to only the race tracks -- which would mean Racinos, a combination of race tracks and casinos similar to what other States already have.

Perhaps it is also time to take some of the gaming restrictions off of casinos already operating here in California.  For example, dice cannot be thrown so the game of craps is played by choosing numbers with cards instead of with throwing dice.  (Note that some casinos have patrons throwing dice which in turn select which playing cards are chosen to reveal the winning craps numbers.)  Perhaps it is also time for the California casinos to offer true roulette wheel games which currently are not allowed.  Why?  This would keep more Californians in California when they want to play these games instead of going to Nevada where these games are common.

California already has 66 Tribal Casinos and 91 cardrooms (written as of today, August 2, 2009) but perhaps there is room for one more casino -- in Barstow on the I-15.  This proposed casino failed in a previous attempt but perhaps it is time to have it.  Barstow is a strategic location for grabbing Casino visitors on their way to Nevada, because the I-15 is the major driving route to get to Nevada and a Barstow casino (operated by an Indian tribe or comibination of tribes) would give California one last chance to keep that business inside the State.

Gaming is a vital industry for the State, and nationwide, about the same amount of money spent on candy is spent on gaming according to the American Gaming Association.  But gaming is not a ruinous activity either because Americans overall spend about ten times more on home remodeling than they spend on commercial gaming.

I don't want California to turn into another Nevada with slot machines at gas stations and supermarkets and restaurants and bars.  But I think a controlled expansion of gaming at existing card and Indian casinos and the addition of a casino in Barstow would make sense and create revenue and jobs for our struggling State economy.

That's how I see it.  Alan Mendelson

HARRAH'S RINCON CASINO ADDS TO THE "CASINO CASH BACK BATTLE."

Many of the Indian casinos in California have an active and competitive cash back program and there appears to be a battle going on for who has the best cash back program.  Morongo near Palm Springs has been advertising that it has the best paying cash back program for slot play.  Pechanga and Rincon have programs for "bounce back" money in which rebate checks and cash vouchers that can be used in slot and video poker machines are sent to players via the U.S. mail.

Most casinos send out "bounce back" money once a month, and the coupons that can be redeemed for slot and video poker play are usually sent for "one time use" or several coupons are sent for "weekly use."  But now, Rincon is sending out coupons that can be redeemed just about every three days.  This means that if a player makes a trip for a few days to Rincon, they might be able to redeem two coupons instead of one during their visit.  This could raise the stakes in the competition for players.  It's a nice move by Harrah's Rincon.  It might cost them a little more up front, but as we all know the casinos win in the end so Harrah's Rincon could keep players spending extra days at their resort and playing in their casino with the new program.

PALA CASINO EXPANDS WITH MORE DINING, NEW POKER ROOM

I've been hearing the new radio commercials for Pala Casino advertising its new buffet and it's new poker room.  The buffet sounds interesting with various "stations" for seafood and meats, but I'm a bit disappointed about the new poker room that only has fifteen tables.  Fifteen tables in a poker room?  Well I guess Pala could stage a small tournament there for 150 players-- because that's all you can fit on fifteen poker tables.  The poker room at Harrah's Rincon -- which is just up the road from Pala, and just ten minutes away -- has about as many tables.  But Harrah's Rincon can stage World Series of Poker circuit events by opening its ballroom and by bringing in dealers from the Harrah's properties in Las Vegas as well as "travelling dealers" who follow the tournament circuits.

Here is more about Pala's $100-million expansion.  There are several new dining spots including Choices, Amigo’s and Sushi Sake.  Pala Casino Spa & Resort now offers guests ten dining destinations.  Choices is the buffet, and has eight live-action cooking stations— American, Italian, Asian, Mexican, Seafood, Soups/Salads, Desserts and Specialty— and the buffet area is said to be large enough that there isn't a long wait.  What a pleasure that must be.  It sounds interesting and maybe we'll finally have a quality buffet to enjoy in Southern California, and one that might rival the buffets at Bellagio and Caesars in Vegas?  We'll see.

Amigo’s, Pala’s new Mexican eatery, offers what the casino resort says is "authentic Mexican cuisine with quick-serve style service, a salsa bar, and cantina style indoor and outdoor seating with a stunning view of the Palomar Mountains."

"Also new to Pala is Sushi Sake, a full-service sushi bar. Sushi Sake offers traditional sushi, sashimi, and rolls, as well as an assortment of innovative specialty rolls. Sushi Sake also offers an extensive list of hot and cold sake. Guests can choose between dine-in and grab-and-go options."  I like the concept of grab-and-go because now you can grab an order and go to your marathon slot machine sessions.

But what I really like about the expansion at Pala is the new dining.  Pala's neighbor up the road, Harrah's Rincon, falls short on dining. 

VIDEO POKER PROGRESSIVE JACKPOTS AT HARRAH'S RINCON CASINO

If you are going to play "double double bonus video poker" you have an advantage at Harrah's Rincon Casino in San Diego County.  Harrah's Rincon has progressive jackpots on some of its double double bonus video poker games, and the extra money you can win makes playing these games better than other games, including double double bonus video poker games you might find at other casinos. 

Recently, the jackpot for a royal flush on the $5 double double bonus game topped $37,000 and the normal payoff on a royal without a progressive is just $20,000.  Harrah's Rincon also has progressive jackpots on its $1 and 25-cent double double bonus poker games, as well as progressive jackpots on other winning hands such as straight flushes and certain four-of-a-kinds.

Sometimes the progressive jackpots at Harrah's get so big that teams of "professional" video poker players come to the casino to play these machines.

I've been told that teams or groups of players come to Rincon from Las Vegas and Reno when the progressive on the $5 game nears $40,000.  A team of four or five players will pool their money and play the machines until they win and then they leave.  These teams have done this before.  But that's not to say that an individual lucky player might hit the progressive first.

Harrah's Rincon also has a $1 video poker progressive that uses the Double Double Bonus game.  This progressive starts at $4,000 which is what a regular royal flush pays, but it was recently hit at almost $4,500.

By the way, video poker players who are "in the know" carefully examine the pay tables to determine which games pay the best.  In most "full pay" double double bonus games the full house pays 9 coins for every one coin bet, and the flush pays 6 coins for every one coin bet.  But at Rincon, with the progressive $5 game, the pay on the flush is reduced to 5 coins for every one coin bet.  This 9/5 payoff schedule is how the progressive jackpot is financed.

But curiously enough -- the $5 double double bonus video poker games at the nearby Pechanga casino also pay 9 coins on a full house for each one coin bet, and 5 coins on a flush for each one coin bet--- but Pechanga does not have a progressive jackpot attached to its games.  So if you are comparing games-- the $5 double double bonus game with the progressive is a better game to play.  And Harrah's Rincon also gives you a better deal with its progressive game than you might find in Vegas.  For example, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas -- which is owned by Harrah's -- has $5 double double bonus that also has a pay table of 9/5 but without a progressive.

TWO ROYAL FLUSHES IN THREE MONTHS AT PECHANGA

Below is a photo of my second royal flush in video poker at Pechanga Casino.  This second royal was hit in mid-April 2009.  I was dealt 10, King and Queen of diamonds, along with another ten -- in clubs.  It was a "no brainer" to hold the "three to the royal" because a pair of tens by themselves was not a paying pair.  On the draw, I got the Jack and Ace of diamonds for the royal.  Now, I must admit that had I been dealt a paying pair, say a pair of Jacks, I would have to do some "thinking."  Many players will stick with the paying pair when presented with three to the Royal Flush.  But with no paying pair, and three to the royal dealt to me-- there was no question that I would go for the royal.  And I got it.  Lower on the page you will see the photo of my first Royal Flush at Pechanga, which I hit at the end of January, 2009.  Two royals in less than a half-year.  Not bad.

VIDEO POKER PLAYED WITH CARDS AT CRYSTAL CASINO

The California "card clubs" are trying every way they can to compete with Vegas casinos and the Indian casinos by offering casino games that mimic traditional casino games.  For example, there is "card craps" where playing cards are selected to simulate the roll of the dice, and now there is "video poker played with cards."  Crystal Casino in Compton which is owned by The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens has installed a "video poker played with cards" table, but after observing some play at this game I would suggest that you avoid it.

At first blush it appears to be a game like video poker but played with cards.  One deck of 52 cards is used, just like in a traditional video poker game.  Each player is dealt five cards, and the player must decide which cards to hold.  Then the dealer deals three five card hands which are "community hands."  If you held two cards, then the first three cards in the three community hands are "your cards" to complete your hand.

For example, the five cards dealt to you include two queens, a seven, a five, and a ten, all rainbow -- so a flush is out of the question.  Your decision is to hold the two queens.

Then the three replacement hands of five cards each are dealt.  Because you held a pair of queens, the first three cards in each replacement cards are "your cards" to complete your hand.

Unfortunately for each player, this is a multi-player game, and what you may not know is that while you are playing your pair of queens in seat #1, the player in seat #5 also had a queen, and the player in seat #6 also had a queen.  So the best you could do with your pocket queens is to get a "push" unless trips flop in one of the three repladement hands which would give you a full house.

Several times I saw players hold a high paying pair, only to have their chances of a payoff ruined because another player at the table had one or perhaps both of the cards they needed.

In a real video poker machine game, you would hold on to your pair of Queens, and all of the 47 replacement cards -- including the other two queens -- would be available for you to hit on the draw.  But not in "video poker with cards."  In "video poker with cards" you don't get to draw from all 47 remaining cards.

Another problem is that the pay table is weak and does not reflect the true odds with competing players drawing for the same cards you might be drawing for.  And the house takes a "rake" or a fee of 25-cents for each hand you decide to play.

Several times I saw players with a high pair get a "push" (a break even result) but they lost 75-cents on each hand because of the rake or the fee.

Stay away from this game.

HARRAH'S RINCON CASINO IS WORTH THE DRIVE

If you are traveling from the Los Angeles area to the casinos along the 15 Freeway in the Temecula Valley and south in San Diego, your first thought is that driving to Harrah's Rincon Casino is a long drive-- a very long drive.  Well, it's worth the drive -- the schlepp, as you might call it.

After you exit the 15 at Pala Road, which is the 76, you will drive east... and keep on driving.  You will be tempted to stop at the Pala Casino which is the first big casino you will see on the 76.  Pass the Pala Casino and you will soon find the road leading to the Pauma Casino.  Keep on driving, up into the mountains, and there -- in what appears to be the middle of nowhere, is Harrah's Rincon Casino.  It's a big, beautiful casino, rising majestically with hills around it.  It's big -- but not too big.

And that's really the best feature of Harrah's Rincon Casino --  it's Goldilocks quality.  It's big, but it's not too big.  It's also not too small.  It's just right.  It actually is the "right size" casino with plenty of table games and plenty of slot machines -- especially video poker.  But it's not a massive casino.  And because it's not massive, customer service is excellent.

And the casino floor has plenty of room for walking-- you won't stumble over or between slot machines like you might at the overly crowded Morongo Casino.  And you won't get lost in Harrah's Rincon Casino, as you might get lost in the giant, sprawling Pechanga Casino which is now the biggest casino in the Western United States.

There is a wide assortment of video poker games, and since video poker is in demand, you will find the games you like.  With one exception -- I couldn't find any Super Aces Bonus games, which are my favorite and popular in many other Indian casinos in California.  What I did find in Harrah's Rincon were lots of progressive video poker games and machines with payoffs that increase on the royal flush and four of a kind until they hit and then the payoffs reset to traditional levels.  These games with progressive payoffs, if the basic pay table is fair, offer the player an advantage.

The other big advantage with Harrah's Rincon is that it is part of the Harrah's Total Rewards player system, so the Total Rewards points you earn at Harrah's Rincon can be used in other Total Rewards casinos including those in Vegas.

PHOTO ABOVE-- WHEN I HIT A ROYAL FLUSH AT PECHANGA

Anyone who plays video poker knows that it's no small accomplishment to hit a royal flush.  Generally, the chances of hitting a royal flush are about one in 40,000.  But in certain video poker games, the chance of a royal flush increases because the correct strategy in those games tells you to hold particular cards.  

For example, deuces wild has one of the highest odds of hitting a royal flush, because in deuces wild you hold a deuce-- while in other games you would toss the deuce when cards for a "natural royal" appear.  In deuces wild you hold the deuce for the chance of a "royal flush with deuce."  In fact, "correct strategy" says that when you are dealt four to the royal plus a deuce (giving you a royal with deuce) you always hold the deuce, and never try for a "natural royal."

I was playing "double double bonus" when I got my royal flush.  Believe me, it wasn't easy to get and it wasn't expected either.

Before I hit my royal flush, I was dealt four cards to a royal with a high pair.  Once the high pair was Aces; once the high pair was Kings; and once the high pair was Jacks.  I followed "correct strategy" and broke the pair to keep the "four to the royal" and try for the "big one."  But each of those three times -- no luck, and no royal.

Let me go over that "correct strategy" because it is very important.  In games such as Jacks or Better, or Bonus Poker, or Double Double Bonus Poker, you always break up a high pair when you are dealt four cards to a royal flush.  This means you sacrifice a paying pair (a high pair pays your original bet) for the chance to get a royal which is the big jackpot in video poker.

By the way, if you are dealt a "straight flush" 9 through king of the same suit, you do not drop the 9 hoping to get the suited Ace and a royal.  When you are dealt a straight flush, you are going to win 250 coins for five coins bet in most games, and it is just stupid to sacrifice a 250-coin win for a 1 in 47 chance of getting the suited Ace for a royal.

There is one exception when you do sacrifice the straight flush for a chance to hit a royal flush, and that is when you play deuces wild.  The reason is a straight flush in deuces wild usually pays 65 coins for five coins played, and sacrificing the suited-9 gives you a chance of a natural royal paying 4000 coins or a royal with deuces which usually pays 125 coins for every five coins bet. 

Well after the three close calls with four cards to the royal being dealt to me, I got lucky.  I was dealt four hearts -- the ace, king, jack and nine.  Some players will argue that you should hold all four hearts which increases your chances of a flush.  But not me-- I discarded the 9 of hearts, and went for the royal.  And I got it-- as the ten and Queen of hearts came on the draw.  Yowza, hot dog, and wow!  Thank you Pechanga.  You made my night -- Saturday January 31, 2009.  That was my first royal flush in a long, long time.

So, how much did I tip?  Below are several articles about tipping when you hit a jackpot.  Well, I tipped 1% of the royal flush payoff.  I was going to give a tip to the workers at "the cage" which is the cashier at the casino, but I was told that they would get a share of my tip.  If the cage workers were not "cut in" on the tip, I would have tipped the floor person one-half of one percent which is perfectly acceptable.

CASINOS THAT DO AND DON'T HAVE CASH BACK

Some casinos have cash back deals -- cash back is a rebate that gives you money back based on your play -- but some casinos don't have cash back.

Pechanga is noted for not having a cash back promotion but it does have a "bounce back" program in which vouchers good for free slot play are sent to its players each month.  At Pechanga, players also get "points" based on their play but the points can only be used for additional play or for use in the gift shop or restaurants or hotel.  Morongo, another major Indian casino, does have cash back so that players can redeem their "points" for cash.  Harrah's Rincon casino also has a bounce back promotion where vouchers are sent to players for free play.

Hollywood Park casino allows players to redeem their "player points" for either cash or for food or gift items in its gift shop.

Now, Hustler Casino in Gardena, will allow "gift points" earned from certain designated hands from Blackjack to be redeemed for cash instead of for gifts such as iPods, X-Box's and other gift items.  "Hey, times are tough," says a promotional letter from Hustler announcing the change allowing gift points to be redeemed for cash.

Crystal Park Casino, Compton

Crystal Park Casino in Compton has discontinued its poker tournaments.  The card room at Crystal is small with usually only one or two cash games in action -- both with a $40-to-$100 buy-in.  Sometimes there is a "yellow chip" game with a $100 buy-in but this game is dominated by "house players" who are paid by the hour to play.  You will also find house players at the lower limit games when a "yellow chip" game is not in action.  Stay away-- your time and money is better spent at Hollyood Park In Inglewood, or Commerce Casino in Commerce, or the nearby Hustler and Normandie Casinos which are only a short drive from Crystal Park.

"NEW GAMES" NOT WORKING IN CALIFORNIA CASINOS

California Casinos have been trying all sorts of "new games" to compete with the Las Vegas casinos.  Among these "new games" are electronic poker tables where poker is played with computer screens and without a dealer, and "card craps" where dice are dealt to simulate the roll of dice because in California it is illegal to roll dice to determine the outcome of a craps game.

Well, the new games haven't worked out.  Hollywood Park casino in Inglewood used to have a complete section of electronic poker tables and they were removed after only a couple of months.  The casino talked about moving the e-poker tables to another section of the casino, but that didn't happen. And I was tipped off by casino insiders that the company that manufactured the electronic poker tables actually employed players to play at the games-- and the employees were given as much as $500 each during the day to "keep the games going."  When the company stopped giving out the cash to "shills," the games ended their run, I was told.

Then there is "card craps."  Different casinos have different rules and procedures for playing this game, but basically it works this way: two playing cards are chosen among Aces through Sixes to simulate the roll of a pair of dice.  The betting layouts and payoffs are similar to what there is in Vegas, but some casinos have a rule that if two suited cards are chosen there is "no roll," but if you bet "no roll" there is a payoff.

Well, now it appears that "card craps" is on the way out in California as well.  The Bicycle Casino has removed its only card craps table soon.  The table had been operating with only limited hours.  Hollywood Park Casino also has its single card craps table working during limited hours, but there is no word yet if it will be removed.  In fact, we were surprised to see the table filled to capacity with players on a weekday night.

A POKER SCHOOL IN RESEDA

Would you like to go to school to learn how to play poker, or to improve your poker skills?  Yes, there is a poker school in Reseda, in the San Fernando Valley, called Poker Academy, Inc., and it promotes itself as "LA's only live action Poker School for Players."  You can call them for information at (818) 343-4626 or go to their web site www.poker-academy.net  for more information.  The school is located at 18334 Sherman Way, Reseda.  "Students" get to play poker, and are instructed in strategy.