Casino San Pablo: Changing With the Times

"The veil of mystery has lifted, but the fun will soon begin at Northern California's newest card casino – Ladbrokes Casino San Pablo." Those were the opening words of Casino San Pablo's first-ever cover story in Card Player, which was published on Dec. 15, 1995. Since then, there have been many changes in the business. Who knew then that smoking would be against the law in California cardrooms or that online poker would become the craze? But, one thing that hasn't changed is Casino San Pablo's commitment to creating an exciting and fun environment for players.

Now entering its eighth year in the city of San Pablo, just 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco, Casino San Pablo continues to be a major player in the Bay Area. The genies and belly dancers at the Moroccan-themed casino may be gone, but the action has stayed. "We try to give our players what they want," said Poker Room Manager Danny Twitchen. "Right now, that means big jackpots and challenging tournaments." Recently, those jackpots translated into cold, hard cash for Said Gawhary of Alameda, California. Gawhary hit the $50,000 progressive hold'em bad-beat superjackpot when his four fives were beaten by Vinay Arora's straight flush. The game was $3-$6 hold'em and the jackpot was at $56,000 when Gawhary hit it. In that same week, Irene Angue hit a $15,000 jackpot in a $4-$8 seven-card stud game, and Clemente Thompson hit a $15,000 jackpot in a $2-$4 seven-card stud game.

As for tournaments, players from around the country attend Casino San Pablo's major tournaments, including the San Francisco Open, the Golden Gate Classic, and Thunder by the Bay. This year, the San Francisco Open attracted 1,385 players who vied for a $226,550 prize pool. "The major tournaments are great. You get to see old friends plus test your skills in some pretty competitive action," Twitchen commented.

But major tournaments are not the only way players test their mettle at Casino San Pablo. New Saturday and Sunday tournaments have recently been added to the tournament lineup. These $1,000-guaranteed tournaments begin at 10:15 a.m., with no-limit hold'em on Saturday and limit hold'em on Sunday. "Your $25 buy-in gets you $500 in chips," explained Twitchen. "You get one optional $20 rebuy that nets you another $1,000 in chips." Those not playing in the tournament also can win some extra cash on Sundays in the $1,500 high-hand cash giveaway, which takes place from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m.

Being in tune with its local community has enabled Casino San Pablo to remain a bright star in the Bay Area's glittering necklace of card clubs. "We have always offered games that poker players enjoy, and on our California side, games that appeal to our traditional customers," stated President Rick Reichow. "But, we realized we were neglecting an important part of our community – the Hispanic population." According to Nielsen Media Research, the Bay Area Hispanic population has grown 43 percent in the last decade, with another 39 percent growth projected between now and 2012. With a large percentage of the Hispanic community living within close proximity to Casino San Pablo, Reichow and his team decided to make the card club more enjoyable for this growing population. "We added Mexican dishes to our already extensive list of American and Asian entrees both in the Broiler restaurant and at the gaming tables, and hired more Spanish-speaking employees," Reichow continued. In addition, the card club took on a decidedly Latin flavor with salsa and banda concerts scheduled every weekend. "We started out by having Latino DJs playing a fun mix of music in our smaller event room on Friday evenings, which included a free Mexican buffet," explained Public Relations Director and Event Coordinator Sally Hogarty. Reichow and Hogarty also had noticed that many Hispanics visiting the casino were interested in watching the no-bust blackjack games but seemed intimidated to play. "We wanted to introduce them to the game in a low-pressure situation, so we added an instructional table to the Friday event," said Reichow. The dance concerts and the instructional table were so popular that before long, the event was moved to the much larger Oasis Showroom, with a live-action blackjack table added. In addition to the Friday night event, major Hispanic concerts featuring talented singers and bands from both the United States as well as Latin countries take place on Saturday nights. "We've also noticed a marked increase in the number of Hispanic poker and blackjack players on the floor," added Twitchen.

Given the constant flux of California's economy and the diversity of its residents, change is one thing Casino San Pablo has come to expect. Its management staff and state-of-the-art facility are poised and ready for whatever new changes this current decade has in store.