11/11/99 thursday
although ken's poker page has three separate listings, there's really only one casino in yuma, arizona: the paradise casino, on quezon road. you take interstate 8 to 4th avenue, take a right turn at the exit, a quick right onto route 24, and follow the signs to the bright blue-and-red neon lights that could only be a casino! but you gotta follow the signs. the route to the casino runs around the mission and you don't want to get side-tracked.
the poker room is at the far end of the casino. it has seven tables, and they spread 1-4 stud, 3/6 hold 'em and omaha/8, both with a full kill. there's one game of each in progress. they have bad beat jackpots, and offer $30 for $20 to the first seven players when they open the room at noon. they take $1 for the jackpot on the flop, and rake at 10% to a maximum of $3. the dealers keep their own tips, and are quite friendly. here's something i have not seen outside of connecticut: the players are responsible for calling a string bet. and here's something else i haven't seen very often: all games use "large index" cards, so that the geezers can see 'em. cash does not play. they use the forward moving button rule.
the room is open to the casino, and has low ceilings. there are overhead fans running, but one fan is directly between a light and table #2; this creates an annoying "strobe" effect. seats next to the dealers are not no- smoking, and i suspect that, on a busy night, smoke could be a problem. because the casino is not huge, the noise is not overwhelming. there's soda, lemonade and coffee available in the room, but they're all kept in large plastic jugs; the soda is flat when you pour it.
the quality of play is horrible. at the hold 'em table, i raised twelve times with aa, ak, kk, and aq. i got at least three or four callers every time. i didn't win one hand. at the omaha/8 table, my experience was even worse. two big "l"s go into the log book. :(
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Kenneth R. Churilla