Tiger Tours the Tables in the USA - Table of Contents

11/16/99 tuesday

Crystal Park Casino

with the exception of some of the indian casinos like sycuan and barona, most of the casinos i've played in this trip are located very close to interstate highways. such is the case with crystal park casino and hotel, just off state route 91, between interstate routes 110 and 710, and you just can't miss it, unless you drive right past it like i did! :)

The Poker Room

however, i managed to turn around and get back to the place. the decor of the cardroom is a bilious purple and green, but, hey! it's a casino! what do you expect? there aren't that many tables in this room - about 25 - and there's some kind of hold 'em tourney in progress. the room spreads 7-card stud at 2/4 and 3/6; hold 'em at 3/6 and 6/12; and omaha/8 at 3/6 and 6/12. there is a separate high-limit section, and i saw big name player robert turner in a 20/40 high-low stud/8 game.

the boardman carefully adjusts the rubber bands he uses for sleeve garters before he greets me. there's an interest list for 6/12 omaha/8, and i'm immediately seated at a 3/6 omaha/8 table. in a kill pot, the killer acts in turn. there is a button charge of $3. the room is rather quiet, except when they call down a new game. then chaos erupts! a couple people run to the new table to lock up seats, a couple wander over, and the floormen scurry to fill up the table with props (known locally as "house players"). although most props i've seen in the bay area wear prominent identification badges, the only way to identify props here (and at the normandie) is by noting that they always have lots of chips, including many of high denomination, and that they (almost) immediately go wherever they are told to go. i learn that props in this room are paid about $10 per hour.

they use the forward moving button rule in this room, and cash does not play at the lower limits. there's only one blind. i watched a 6/12 hold 'em game for a few minutes, and noted that they also only had one blind. the button collection at that game was also $3.

playable hands are few and far between. when i do pick up four cards i like, i raise, get six callers, and get nothing on the flop. ::::sigh:::: i waste a few hours in this place and book a small loss.

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