Best casinos in Northern California

[superman02]

Does anybody have any recommendations of good casinos to count at in San Jose area? I know of 2 casinos in San Jose, Bay 101 and Garden City Casino. I know both of these casinos have different rules for blackjack. Are they beatable? Thanks in advance!

[Sonny]

They are not Indian casinos so they are not allowed to offer “Vegas style” games. They only have crappy “no bust” blackjack with a huge house edge. The Bay 101 casino also takes a $1 collection for every hand you play. Both casinos are garbage from a BJ standpoint.

-Sonny-

[superman02]

Thanks for the quick response. Ok so I won't be playing there then. Is there any other good casinos nearby San Jose thats good for counting? Preferrably single deck but I am willing to play multi deck too.

[Sonny]

If you're looking for single-deck then you'll end up going to Reno/Tahoe/Sparks. The Indian casinos mostly have various forms of shoe games. I don’t know any decent casinos in that area, but you can pretty much eliminate anything that is non-Indian right off the bat.

-Sonny-

[darco77]

San Jose is geographically disadvantaged when it comes to blackjack. The closest Indian casino is River Rock, north of Santa Rosa. That's about a 2+ hour drive, and their 6-deck game is deplorable. They cut off 2 decks, and cap your bet at 5x your previous bet. Not to mention they don't have a license to serve alcohol. Yeah, a casino in the heart of wine country that can't serve wine.

There's no relief to the south, either. The closest spot in this direction is a place just north of Santa Barbara, which, last I checked, is very much Southern California.

Heading east, there are a number of casinos, but most aren't worth playing. Cache Creek has mediocre multi-deck games, and their SD is 6:5. Thunder Valley is all CSMs, the last time I checked CBJN. Jackson Rancheria and Black Oak suffer the same symptoms as Cache Creek.

The few bright spots are unfortunately a long drive from the South Bay. Twin Pine in Middletown has a decent 6-deck game with good penetration - the deal just into the 6th deck. And there's a spot on the north shore of Clear Lake called Robinson Rancheria with the only good single deck game (DOA, H17) in the region. Of course, both of these spots are about 3 hours by car, while Tahoe and Reno are 3+ hours.

After writing all this, I just realized you are primarily looking for good SD games. Sorry, there isn't much. Outside of the game at Robinson Rancheria, there's nothing really. My suggestion: fly to Vegas and head to the El Cortez. Not only do they offer a great SD game, but they'll also give you a free primer in Casino Heat 101.

[WRX]

<< Thunder Valley is all CSMs >>

Not true. You have a choice of shoe games or $25 minimum double deck. Nothing to write home about, unless you find a dealer doing you favors.

[callipygian]

Originally Posted by darco77

The closest Indian casino is River Rock, north of Santa Rosa. That's about a 2+ hour drive, and their 6-deck game is deplorable. They cut off 2 decks, and cap your bet at 5x your previous bet.

How old is your information? The last (and only) time I was there, everything under $100 was CSM. That was 4 years ago, though.

Originally Posted by darco77

Cache Creek has mediocre multi-deck games

Agreed. Playable, but if you have to make a trip to get there, you're better off saving your time and money for a Vegas trip.