Viejas Casino - A Great Place to Play Cards in San Diego

Off Interstate 8 East at Willows Road in Alpine, just a few miles outside of San Diego, you'll find the area's first and biggest casino, Viejas Casino. It's easy to reach, and a great place to play cards. Along with all the slots and table games you'd expect to see - including blackjack, pai gow, and baccarat - Viejas boasts a 21-table cardroom for poker players.

Viejas Casino has seen some large jackpots hit over the years. Last May a local Caribbean Stud player walked away with a $99,943 jackpot.

And in the cardroom, along with a regular tournament schedule (see below), Viejas keeps things interesting for players with frequent and innovative promotions.

For Monday Night Football, for example, Viejas continues its tradition of "double jackpots" and $100 Rack Attacks for every touchdown scored. And for Sunday games, seated players receive entries into a football pool for a "featured" 1 p.m. game and the 5:30 p.m. game. This promotion gives players an opportunity to win money on every quarter while enjoying each of these games. In addition, Viejas gives away $150 every quarter to the player with the correct score, and $50 to the player with the "reversed" score as a consolation prize. At the end of the game, Viejas doubles the prizes to $300 and $100, respectively.

Another innovative promotion is Viejas' new Blue Chip promotion. Here's how it works: Tuesdays through Thursdays, there are $100 "Rack Attacks" every two hours from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. One table number is drawn (blue chip games only) every two hours, and $100 is added to the next pot at that table. Players must have a full buy-in at the start of the hand to qualify.

On Fridays and Saturdays, progressive drawings for $200 are held every two hours from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. The drawings are from high-hand tickets earned throughout the week. If the player is not present in the poker room at the time his or her name is drawn, the money is added to the next drawing. The final drawing each day (at 3 a.m.) is "must-go," which means names are drawn until a winner is present in the poker room.

Players earn drawing tickets by making qualifying hands in live-action blue-chip poker games (hold'em and seven-card stud, any full house; Omaha, nines full or better). Tickets are earned from noon on Tuesday to noon on the following Tuesday.

Regularly scheduled tournaments and events include the following:

• Morning tournaments (10 a.m. Monday-Saturday) - $12 buy-in with no rebuys or add-on; $1,200 guaranteed; $30 for $20 coupons; $5 bounties; games vary daily.

• Evening tournaments (6:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday) - $12 buy-in with no rebuys or add-on; $1,200 guaranteed. (There is no evening tournament on the last Thursday of the month.)

The Super Jackpot Qualifying Tournament is held the last Thursday of the month at 3 p.m.

Players in $8-$16 and higher games qualify for $5,000 in drawings each Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. with 20 hours of play.

• Sunday hold'em tournament

(10 a.m.) - $20 buy-in with no rebuys or add-on; $4,000 guaranteed.

For more than 10 years Viejas has provided a complete entertainment experience, and its casino is just the beginning.

Literally across the street from the casino is the Viejas Outlet Center, which offers shoppers savings of up to 70 percent on 57 big-name brands. The Outlet Center, which has won numerous awards for its beautiful Native American-inspired architecture, is also a great place to simply stroll and relax, as it provides free entertainment at its showcourt year-round. The Legend of Nightfire, Legend of the Ice Princess, and Splashtracks light up the night with lasers, dancing water fountains, pyrotechnics, and other surprises.

Viejas is also widely known as a place for top-quality live entertainment. The Concerts in the Park series, which runs each summer, gives visitors a chance to see some of the biggest names in entertainment up close in a beautiful outdoor mountain setting.

Inside the casino, free live entertainment is featured on weekends in the DreamCatcher, the Viejas showroom. There's music and dancing each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The DreamCatcher recently underwent a million dollar renovation project. Improvements include a dazzling new lighting system, an expansive new dance floor, and a new, longer bar, complete with built-in slant slots.

For dining, Viejas offers players five tantalizing choices. There's the elegant Grove Steakhouse, China Camp, The Mezz Deli, Sunrise Diner, and the all-you-can-eat Harvest Buffet. Each can be reserved for a group. And players can always get a great sandwich tableside while playing.

All in all, Viejas Casino is a great place to play cards in San Diego.