Many Bay Area onlinepoker players who are still reeling from the federal government’s move to shutter the four largest onlinepoker sites serving U.S. customers have set their sights on viable online alternatives. One option: a new offering from the World Poker Tour, ClubWPT.com.
The site is a subscriptionbased onlinepoker room. Players pay $19.95 a month and compete for cash, prizes and seats in WPT events. Because the site takes on a sweepstakes format (instead of a straightup wagering format), it is legal.
Demand for live poker at Bay Area cardrooms has skyrocketed in recent weeks likely because of the federal government’s crackdown on the three biggest online poker sites (Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker).
There’s no telling how many Bay Area online players were shut out of their Web poker source, but Carolyn Kemp, a spokeswoman for the Poker Players Alliance, estimates that 8 million to 10 million Americans were playing online poker before the crackdown.
When it comes to getting things done, most people will tell you that two hands are better than one. This is the fundamental thinking behind the newest table game at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln (Placer County).
The game, Blackjack Switch, requires participants to play two hands at once, but allows them a chance to switch certain cards between hands. So far, Thunder Valley has one table of the game and one of two Northern California casinos to offer it. (Red Hawk Casino in Placerville is the other.)
“The table has been full since the first day we put it on the floor,” said Dawn Clayton, the new vice president of casino operations at Thunder Valley.
Gamblers in the Sacramento area have welcomed spring with a new poker room at Red Hawk Casino in Placerville (El Dorado County) as well as a host of other promotions around the region.
The new poker room at Red Hawk is generating serious buzz. The dedicated 60-seat facility, located on the casino’s lower, non-smoking floor, opened Saturday and has been packed since. Featuring both limit and no-limit Texas Hold’ Em (as well as a smattering of other games), the room offers a dedicated food and beverage menu. Dubbed “casino bites,” the list includes salad and sandwich options for $7 apiece. All orders are delivered to players at the tables.