Roulette's a really old game, but you can't play the time-honored style in California. Sure, the state allows roulette, just not in the traditional style. Roulette has always been a stylish and regal game, unlike craps, which is a tougher, more aggressive game. However, neither game is allowed in California, and there's a good reason.
The focus of activity is a gaming floor covering 35,848 square feet and featuring 28 table games, including 18 dedicated specifically to blackjack. California Tables & Games The Cal's pit area is best known for its four-table craps pit, where shooter Stanley Fujita once held the dice for a world-record three hours and six minutes. Nov 19, 2020 - A variety of Craps Tables available from value priced home use to custom craps tables that are portable, for dice control practice or full 14' casino quality.
Washington State did the same thing when their poker rooms lobbied the capitol to allow 'other' card games. Like Arizona and California, they figured it would be much easier to say, 'Well, the state already allows poker. It's a card game. We just want a few other card games like blackjack.' And that's how the measures were voted on, either by the legislators or the populace. They voted for card games, not really casinos. So, no roulette or craps.
The Substitutes
However, to get around the laws, some casinos in California offer a kind of roulette and craps which includes the use of playing cards. It's not the same, but it's not that different. And, you can play slots that are legal and pretty darn close to the real thing. If you love craps, you'll miss throwing the dice, making call bets at the last second, and harassing the dealers.
You may also miss chatter from the dealers like, 'Niner, niner, boxman's a whiner.' But some of the video terminals for these games are attached to plexiglass bubbles where dice do bounce around and give a feel for the game. In fact, you'll hear plenty of good-natured screaming and rooting for points on the big electronic games. As an exception or a substitute, the games are pretty good. You can bet for smaller amounts than live games, and the casinos like them because there are cheap to run, employee-wise. Instead of a crew of four dice dealers and a boxman, a single slot tech can watch the game and several others at the same time!
Electronic Roulette
As for roulette, many companies now offer roulette machines that incorporate an actual wheel. You make your bets on the video screen, the wheel spins, the ball is spun the opposite direction and you can still watch it land right next to the number you were betting on (no, it's not rigged, it's just as frustrating as real roulette). In fact, it's as close as you can get to the real thing, and many younger players have adapted to the new electronic games very well. Perhaps because it's all they have ever known. That, unfortunately, doesn't bode well for casino dealers.
California casinos also use a variety of playing card roulette games to attract business. These games have included Big-6 style wheels with 38 playing cards representing numbers 1-36 and 0 and 00, to decks of cards where the numbers run from the same 0 and 00 to 36. There are also some games where a roulette wheel is spun, but only to represent which part of the layout a single card from a shoe of 37 (or 38) cards are drawn. If using a roulette wheel to choose a playing card to represent the number that could have been spun on a roulette wheel isn't silly, nothing is, but that's the way of the world in getting around specific gaming regulations - at least in California!
Unfortunately, not every casino is going to have the games you want. Many Nevada casinos have only slots these days because table games are much more expensive to manage.
Ever since its opening in 1975, the California Hotel & Casino has had to compete hard for business. Even though it occupies a prime downtown location, being at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Main Street puts it a block from the bustle of Fremont Street, just far enough away from the foot traffic to keep it from becoming a Las Vegas landmark. To cope, 'the Cal' has had to develop a highly targeted marketing strategy along with a full range of amenities that visiting gamblers demand. The focus of activity is a gaming floor covering 35,848 square feet and featuring 28 table games, including 18 dedicated specifically to blackjack.
Craps Tables In Northern California County
California Tables & Games
The Cal's pit area is best known for its four-table craps pit, where shooter Stanley Fujita once held the dice for a world-record three hours and six minutes. That legendary stint gave rise to the casino's 'Golden Arm' club , open exclusively to those who've rolled the bones for an hour without interruption. But blackjack players needn't worry about being treated like second-class customers. This casino preserves all kinds of gaming traditions, including 3:2 payouts for natural blackjacks and low-stakes tables where beginners can feel welcome.
The main game here is $3 six-deck blackjack dealt from a shoe, where the dealer hits on soft 17. The rules are quite tight, with no doubling down after splitting (DAS), no re-splitting of Aces (RSA) and no surrender available, all of which translates into a House edge of 0.78%. The $5 and $25 double-deck versions are a bit more inviting, applying the same set of rules but with a House edge of just 0.60%, owing to the reduced number of decks in play. The table maximum for all of these blackjack games is $1,000.
It is best to avoid the $5~$200 single-deck games that pays only 6:5 for a natural blackjack. Those looking for some variation might want to try the $10~$1,000 tables that offer the 'Bet Set 21' side bet option. Note that although the casino's slot floor extends to the mezzanine where the sports book is located, all table games are grouped in the ground level pit area only.
What's Different
The California's founder, Sam Boyd, came up with a novel idea to set this hotel apart from all others. Instead of mimicking some exotic foreign locale or fantasy theme, he decided to offer a comfortable 'home away from home' specifically for visitors from Hawaii. He knew from time he had spent in the 50th state that Hawaiians love gambling, despite the lack of legal places to play there. He also knew that many Hawaiians think of Las Vegas as 'the ninth island,' owing to the city's sizeable 'kama'aina' community. He set about branding his hotel-casino as the 'headquarters' for Hawaiians traveling to Las Vegas, along with establishing charter flights and low-cost tour packages to lure traffic from Honolulu directly to his door. So if the casino floor features dealers wearing aloha shirts, there is a clear reason why.
B Connected for Frequent Blackjack Players
Because the California Hotel & Casino is part of the Boyd Gaming Group, it shares its 'B Connected' player's club with such sister properties as Sam's Town, the Gold Coast, the Orleans and Suncoast as well as Boyd's casinos outside Nevada [ ]. The loyalty program has three levels of membership, each with its 'own unique set of rewards and benefits,' from Ruby to Sapphire and Emerald. Perks range from cash back, dining discounts and special pricing on merchandise to room upgrades, priority services, event invitations and more. Blackjack players earn points based on the average amount bet and time played. Ever player receives an online account for tracking play and identifying new promotions, too [ ]. Boomtown casino biloxi promotions.
Craps Tables In Northern California Right Now
The Inside View
The 'Aloha Spirit' evidenced by players and staff at the blackjack tables is reflective of the laid back and friendly way of life found in the tropics. However, it can also seem somewhat insular, rather like visiting a foreign country, where everyone speaks another language. In fact, don't be surprised to hear some pidgin at the tables. Fortunately for mainlanders, on the California's mezzanine level is the entrance to a sky bridge that links this hotel-casino to another Boyd Gaming property, Main Street Station, just across the street. The atmosphere there should seem much more familiar to those who are less comfortable with Hawaiian culture, while the blackjack games are just about the same.
