CA Casino List (A-Z) 
Reviews written by txconx
Pala smoking, Sunday, 11 May 2008
I've played blackjack at Pala and came out way ahead. The dealers were very friendly. I like winning when I play but I also like the social aspect and a friendly dealer is very important to me. Most of the dealers at Pala are a lot of fun.
The one thing that irritates me about Pala is that while they allow smoking, most of their dealers make no bones about not liking it. I don't smoke except when I gamble. I enjoy both and I am not appreciative about anything that mars my enjoyment. I try and be polite and thoughtful of others when I smoke and I will cut back on my smoking when I'm at a table where nobody else is smoking. However, I don't appreciate it when dealers make faces when I light up, wave smoke away or ask that I hang off the back of a chair just so I can smoke while playing. If the casino allows smoking, they need to either tell their dealers to live with it, or take steps to minimize the impact on the dealers. They supply no fans or anything else to blow smoke away from the dealer. The dealers on one side say the air system blows it in their face but I've switched to the tables on the other side of the pit and find it makes absolutely no difference - the dealers complain about smoke on either side.
I do like this casino, however. Smokers just should be aware they'll have to live with eye-rolling and hand-waving from the dealers.
The one thing that irritates me about Pala is that while they allow smoking, most of their dealers make no bones about not liking it. I don't smoke except when I gamble. I enjoy both and I am not appreciative about anything that mars my enjoyment. I try and be polite and thoughtful of others when I smoke and I will cut back on my smoking when I'm at a table where nobody else is smoking. However, I don't appreciate it when dealers make faces when I light up, wave smoke away or ask that I hang off the back of a chair just so I can smoke while playing. If the casino allows smoking, they need to either tell their dealers to live with it, or take steps to minimize the impact on the dealers. They supply no fans or anything else to blow smoke away from the dealer. The dealers on one side say the air system blows it in their face but I've switched to the tables on the other side of the pit and find it makes absolutely no difference - the dealers complain about smoke on either side.
I do like this casino, however. Smokers just should be aware they'll have to live with eye-rolling and hand-waving from the dealers.
Blackjack at The Spa Casino, Sunday, 11 May 2008
I stopped at The Spa to play blackjack on a Saturday night in the Palm Springs off season. I hadn't ever been but it's close to where I was staying. They were advertising $5 minimum blackjack tables guaranteed and I wanted to check it out. At most places, that means they run one $5 table so they can say they've got one - whether or not you can actually get a seat to play at it isn't their problem.
I have to give it to them - they had several $5 minimum tables. However, because The Spa is so accessible, such a nice casino and very popular locally, even in the off season, it was crowded on a Saturday night. I was willing to play $10 minimum, but only found one blackjack table playing $10 minimum and the crowd waiting for a seat was as large as the ones at the $5 minimum tables. There were $15 and $25 minimum tables with seating. As the night progressed, even those filled up, although not as persistently as the lower limit tables.
I finally caught a seat at a $5 table, so here's my review of the blackjack play at The Spa.
Because it's so crowded at ALL the blackjack tables, once you get a seat, you better keep it or you will lose it and have to wait to catch a departing player again. If there are idiots who don't know how to play - or who are drunk and apparently don't care how they play - you either have to grit your teeth, bet the minimum and hope they don't screw up your hand too much, or give up your seat and wander around like you're lost in the desert until you can get another seat. (Or give up on The Spa entirely and go somewhere else that's less crowded.)
The dealer stands on soft 17, which sucks.
Some of their tables are hand shuffled shoes. The table I sat at had a shuffling machine, but it was broken. Later in the night (early the next morning), when they closed that table and I moved to another, there wasn't even a shuffling machine. Sometimes I like that it gives everyone a chance to take a break without missing any play, but there seemed to be an extraordinary number of hemming and hawing players, drunk players, and players who just weren't paying attention when I was there and with the hand shuffling, it really slowed down the play.
I would tell serious blackjack players to avoid this place on a weekend night. I would try it again during the week and earlier in the day and if I do, I'll report back. However, I would avoid it on a weekend night. I won money but it was a long, hard night full of drunk, screaming girls and players who acted like they'd done no homework before sitting down to play.
I have to give it to them - they had several $5 minimum tables. However, because The Spa is so accessible, such a nice casino and very popular locally, even in the off season, it was crowded on a Saturday night. I was willing to play $10 minimum, but only found one blackjack table playing $10 minimum and the crowd waiting for a seat was as large as the ones at the $5 minimum tables. There were $15 and $25 minimum tables with seating. As the night progressed, even those filled up, although not as persistently as the lower limit tables.
I finally caught a seat at a $5 table, so here's my review of the blackjack play at The Spa.
Because it's so crowded at ALL the blackjack tables, once you get a seat, you better keep it or you will lose it and have to wait to catch a departing player again. If there are idiots who don't know how to play - or who are drunk and apparently don't care how they play - you either have to grit your teeth, bet the minimum and hope they don't screw up your hand too much, or give up your seat and wander around like you're lost in the desert until you can get another seat. (Or give up on The Spa entirely and go somewhere else that's less crowded.)
The dealer stands on soft 17, which sucks.
Some of their tables are hand shuffled shoes. The table I sat at had a shuffling machine, but it was broken. Later in the night (early the next morning), when they closed that table and I moved to another, there wasn't even a shuffling machine. Sometimes I like that it gives everyone a chance to take a break without missing any play, but there seemed to be an extraordinary number of hemming and hawing players, drunk players, and players who just weren't paying attention when I was there and with the hand shuffling, it really slowed down the play.
I would tell serious blackjack players to avoid this place on a weekend night. I would try it again during the week and earlier in the day and if I do, I'll report back. However, I would avoid it on a weekend night. I won money but it was a long, hard night full of drunk, screaming girls and players who acted like they'd done no homework before sitting down to play.
Blackjack at Spotlight 29, Sunday, 11 May 2008
Blackjack players should be aware of a few things before playing at this casino.
Because of the location, it is pretty easy to get onto a table. I was there fairly early (11 a.m.) on a Friday and the place had nearly a deserted feel. It was starting to fill up a bit by the time I left at 3 p.m.
The dealer burns one card per deck in the shoe. For a 6-deck shoe, that's 6 burn cards. I don't think I've ever seen that done at any other casino.
The first card dealt to the dealer hand is turned up, not the second.
There were plenty of tables available. There is at least one $2 minimum table open every time I've been. There were plenty of $5 tables, as well.
There were no double deck blackjack tables being played when I was there. There were single-deck blackjack tables open, $5 minimum and up. Single deck pays only 6 to 5 on blackjack. The dealer reshuffles the deck every 2 to 3 hands.
Bottom line: if you like company at the blackjack table, maybe a weekend or late afternoon/evening is a better time to go to this casino. The fact that it's rather at the "end of the road" is both good and bad. Good if you don't mind playing at a table with no other players, bad if you do.
(I had to rate the slots, food, players club, etc. in order to enter a review.)
Because of the location, it is pretty easy to get onto a table. I was there fairly early (11 a.m.) on a Friday and the place had nearly a deserted feel. It was starting to fill up a bit by the time I left at 3 p.m.
The dealer burns one card per deck in the shoe. For a 6-deck shoe, that's 6 burn cards. I don't think I've ever seen that done at any other casino.
The first card dealt to the dealer hand is turned up, not the second.
There were plenty of tables available. There is at least one $2 minimum table open every time I've been. There were plenty of $5 tables, as well.
There were no double deck blackjack tables being played when I was there. There were single-deck blackjack tables open, $5 minimum and up. Single deck pays only 6 to 5 on blackjack. The dealer reshuffles the deck every 2 to 3 hands.
Bottom line: if you like company at the blackjack table, maybe a weekend or late afternoon/evening is a better time to go to this casino. The fact that it's rather at the "end of the road" is both good and bad. Good if you don't mind playing at a table with no other players, bad if you do.
(I had to rate the slots, food, players club, etc. in order to enter a review.)
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