Prototype Issue
Casino Royale—Locally
By Research by Thomas McKenzie
(page 1 of 1)With casinos sprouting like cactus throughout SoCal and traffic making you more or less go broke on gas, RTLA decided to try a night out with Lady Luck. Seven card and gaming spots in LA County were hit during this mission.
The dominant club is the Commerce Casino. On the outside it looks like a Caesars Palace, but inside behind the statuary is the largest card room in the world. Classics such as poker and blackjack are the games du jour, but the specialty is ethnic gaming, with popular games imported from Asia and even the Fairfax Jewish district, plus those favored by Middle East denizens. Each game has its own section of the big club. There’s a fun range of atmospheres in the shops and restaurants, including an old-time Western saloon vibe in one section as counterpoint to the better restaurant, with the charm of these areas mixing with the Caesars Palace elements elsewhere.
Open and packed 24 hours a day, Commerce has a good sports deli restaurant/sports bar that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a decent sports bar, a Krispy Kreme and, in line with the mix of old and new, a Starbucks. From May 4 to May 20 the club is featuring a perfect “starter” tournament for beginner/intermediate players, but with plenty of challenge for veterans. More than $400,000 is up for grabs, with a $250,000 guaranteed payout for the May 6 $335-buy-in No Limit Hold ‘Em event. Commerce also once a year hosts the world’s second richest and biggest professional poker tournament. www.commercecasino.com
Inglewood’s classic Hollywood Park Casino not only holds the distinction of being the first casino in the U.S. to be located at a racetrack, it also has a neon sign so large it’s visible from airplanes landing at LAX. There are more than 100 live-action gaming tables, Bingo, and, of course, the ponies. The entertainment includes comedy, jazz, dance clubs and karaoke. The crowd consists largely of old-school gamblers, with the occasional young hot shot for added entertainment value. Plus, for you Hollywooders, there’s a Pink’s hot dog stand in the main lobby. Enjoy current, ongoing tournaments such as Endless Summer No-Limit Hold ’Em, running Monday through Thursday, Pegasus Hold’Em on weekends and Poker and Ponies No-Limit Hold-’Em daily. www.playhpc.com
The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens is just ten minutes from downtown LA, but the serious gaming that goes on is vintage Vegas. The Casino has 130,000 square feet of serious card playing and more than 150 gaming tables, so the pace is fast, attracting celebrity gamers such as Ben Affleck, James Woods and Tobey Maguire as well as seasoned, toothpick-chompin’ sharks. There are plenty of dining options among the Casino Deli, Bicycle Grill and Jade Dragon eateries. Brush up your card skills by attending the Poker College, Saturdays at 3 p.m., before you throw in with the big boys. From May 21 through May 30, play in the Mini-Series Warmups. There will be $75,000 guarantees on each of two games May 26, starting at 3:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. www.thebicyclecasino.com
Gardena’s Hustler Casino isn’t exactly what you’d expect from owner Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine. For one thing, the only naked women are on the magazine racks in the gift shop. The Casino is more like a gentlemen’s bar crossed with a tacky country club; there’s a lot of gold leaf, oil paintings and statues. The card games are the real draw here—blackjack, California games and poker, including Omaha, Texas Hold ’Em and seven-card stud. There are 30 poker tables and 20 California game tables. Good news for smokers: The center of the building features a climate-controlled atrium filled with poker tables. The sports bar boasts 24 plasma screens, and the casino offers massage, car washes, bikini contests, a Chippendale-esque male revue and auto shows that draw a younger, livelier crowd.
Throughout May, Saturday nightclub goers will be given a chance to win instant cash. Starting at 2 p.m. Hustler will give away $500 every other hour till midnight. There will also be a bonus giveaway at 2 a.m. To win be there on Saturday at the lucky table and in the lucky seat. www.hustlergaming.com
Normandie Casino, in Gardena, has plenty of swank and charm. Family run for more than 70 years, it is the oldest casino in Los Angeles. The regular players, some of whom have been around the club for 30 years, will tell you the easiest jackpots to hit are here. The casino draws African American, Asian and Latino gamers, which reflects the diversity of Gardena’s neighborhoods. Like the Cheers of gambling, Normandie is an old-school, familiar feeling poker, blackjack and Asian game hall. It also features a multimillion dollar showroom offering live entertainment. And in May it continues its Midnight Madness: No-Limit Hold ’Em Tournament, with $2,000 guaranteed. Also, every Sunday, there are two no-pay free-roll tournaments, with $2,000 guaranteed. www.normandiecasino.com
Hawaiian Gardens Casino, located in Hawaiian Gardens, features vast gaming rooms. The smiling professional servers, in colorful Hawaiian shirts, will bring you almost any cuisine or beverage imaginable. Tableside massage is also available. Some of the top games include blackjack, Pai Gow poker, Pai Gow Tiles and Super Pan–9. A favorite venue with area Asian communities, many Vietnamese players visit from nearby Orange County and Cambodian gamers come from Hawaiian Gardens. On Saturday, May 12, at noon, Hawaiian Gardens hosts the Sit-n-Go National Championship, which has a $100,000 guarantee. Anyone winning the first level will get paid. www.hgcasino.com
Compton’s Crystal Casino attracts high rollers for sizzling action on its wide-open floor and in its tournament room. Located under stark lighting in the recently remodeled Crystal Hotel lobby, the Crystal’s streamlined operation attracts members of the local Compton community and freeway-cruising rounders looking for gaming action. May brings the Crystal’s High Hand Cash Giveaway with $600 given away every night, Monday through Saturday, $100 each hour from 6 p.m. to midnight to the highest hand. www.crystalcasino.net
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