Garden City Casino

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Garden City Casino

On Saratoga Ave just south of Stevens Creek Blvd in San Jose. Just north of the 280/Saratoga Ave exit. Big rotating sign high above the street is lit at night; hard to miss.

[edit] Games

Limit hold 'em:

• 2/4 (doesn't run on weekend evenings; no available tables)
• 3/6
• 6/12
• 8/16 w/half kill
• 20/40
• 40/80 (doesn't run often, but generally goes most evenings)
• 80/160 (new in Jan 08; usually only on weekend evenings)

Interior of Garden City Casino

Spread-limit hold 'em: (huge spreads, plays almost like no-limit)

• 1/2/3 blinds, $40-$200 buyin, $3-$100 spread.
• 2/3/5 blinds, $100-$400 buyin, $5-$200 spread.

NLHE: Not available. It is illegal to spread no-limit in San Jose. That's why they spread spread-limit.

Omaha hi-lo:

• 6/12, with a $6 rake. runs most evenings, but rarely is going during the day.

Stud 8/b: hasn't been run in months; 4/8 used to be a staple.

Asian games as well: "Double Hand Poker", "Pai Gow", "Pan 9"

And general gambling games:

• "Vegas-style Blackjack" (new Nov 2007), which is basically slightly restricted normal blackjack (e.g. only pays 6:5 on blackjacks, can't double down on any two cards, can only split certain cards, etc); not unlike a Strip casino, actually.
• "Baccarat Gold" (new in early 2008), which is essentially the same as "Mini Baccarat" found in some casinos.
• "Three Card Poker" (new in Aug 2008), almost identical to the casino game of the same name

Game Info: 2/4, and 3/6 generally very loose and passive. At 6/12, players are much better and play is much more sophisticated than at 3/6. The 8/16 game can be loose and aggressive and tends to be much wilder than 6/12. 20/40 has a few solid players but generally is a better game than the 20/40 at Bay 101. Note that as of early 2007 there is no longer a chained must move for the 20/40 game. Best time is Friday, Saturday after 11:30pm.

3-100 SL was added in early 2006, and 5-200 SL was added in early 2007. Players have really settled in, and a variety of players now play: raising maniacs, rocks, calling stations, etc. Can be a fairly juicy game, but can also be slow and steady depending on the table. When action slows this game is hard to beat, since the casino is raking $5 per hand ($4 for 3-100). Adding this game has made the casino notably more crowded; there is rarely any time during the evenings when all the tables aren't full now. The spread-limit games often have a long wait. A lot of young, inexperienced college aged players play this game, as well as middle aged players who have been playing poker for a year or two. Players at this game can sometimes be very good, but this game also attracts a lot of inexperienced players.

Rake: Updated Apr 2008: Rake for all hold 'em games (limit and spread limit), is $5 for 7-9 players, $3 for 6 players, $1 for 5 or fewer players, $1 if no flop. At 20/40 and 40/80 there is also an additional "lobby charge" of $5 if you sit out and miss the blinds. For 5-handed 20/40 and 40/80 games the players may collectively choose to post $1 on the button (in addition to the blinds) in order to avoid having to make change for the drop. Rake is taken directly out of the pot after the flop.

Rake for stud hi/lo and Omaha games is $6 for 7-9 players, $4 for 6 players, $2 for 5 or fewer players.

Blinds for limit games are standard: $1/$2 for 2/4, $1/$3 for 3/6, $2/$6 for 6/12, $4/$8 for 8/16, $10/$20 for 20/40, and $20/$40 for 40/80.

Posting: New players must post a big blind to enter the game, or come in on the big blind and take it. New players are allowed to post between the small blind and the button (thus being "an extra blind" after the button), but if they post there, they cannot take the button the following hand - it jumps over them. If a player misses either the small or the big blind, they must post the total sum of the small and big blind to re-enter the game or wait to take the big blind in turn. The small blind portion of this total is then dead money in the center of the pot. NEW: As of June 2007, players may buy the button when returning to the game after missing the blinds.

Shuffling: Standard Shufflemaster shuffling machines on all tables.

Garden City's huge rotating sign

Wait Time: Wait times have gotten significant after 4PM most days. Not uncommon to wait more than 30 minutes in the evenings, especially on common paycheck days. For 20/40 and higher you may call up to 1 hour ahead to put your name on the list. For other limits, calling ahead is not allowed.

[edit] Tournaments

New tournament schedule effective June 9 2008:

• 10:00am Sun SLHE $150 no rebuys
• 12:40am Mon (Sun night) SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 10:00am Mon SLHE $150 no rebuys
• 12:40am Tue (Mon night) SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 10:00am Tue SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 12:40am Wed (Tue night) SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 10:00am Wed SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 10:00am Thu SLHE $120 no rebuys
• 9:20am Fri SLHE $200 no rebuys - 5000 chip starting stack
• 9:20am Sat SLHE $150

Levels are 20 minutes long after first hour (15 mins long during first hour). Starting stacks are 4000 chips; initial blinds are 25/25.

Tournaments at Garden City have recently been upgraded to compete with Bay 101. There are now TV screens with current blinds and payouts. Most tournaments are completed within about five hours, and most draw about 70-80 players. First place prize is usually around $4000. They have recently eliminated rebuys, lengthened levels (20 mins instead of 15 after first hour), and deepened stacks in an effort to attract better players.

[edit] Jackpots and Promotions

Jackpots are prohibited by law in the city of San Jose.

[edit] Atmosphere

Traditional card room: recessed, subtle lighting and mostly dark colors. A bit cramped in some places, it can be difficult to navigate between tables due to limited space - though in some areas of the casino there is now lots of available space. Recent renovation has upgraded the decor - largish sofas and comfy cushion-benches are scattered about, new pictures adorn the walls, and a separate eating area for railbirds is available.

There are two poker areas, the lower floor which contains the main games, and the upper "mezzanine" which generally runs a few random poker games as well as mostly blackjack tables. Fairly busy at all times of day, lots of sound of chips clacking, etc. 5 or 6 big or plasma TV screens are always showing ESPN, FSN, etc. I like it a lot, but many prefer the big gym atmosphere of Bay 101. Garden City now has computer displays for wait lists for games and players can sign up electronically at kiosks if they apply for a player's card (free, takes 3-5 days until you can pick it up at the signup desk).

Neighborhood: Business strip-mall area; restaurants, car dealerships, realty offices, etc. Reasonable, if not hospitable, location. It's generally safe to walk around outside. While there's an ATM inside the casino, a bank is right next door, so if you just walk outside you can save the outrageous ATM fee.

Parking: hundreds of parking spaces available (mostly in back). Do not park in the twenty or so up front marked "Harry's Hofbrau", which are for the (decent) restaurant next door.

Tables and Chairs: Standard 9-player tables. Felt is nice, soft felt with good padding. Player chairs are standard wood-frame chairs with nice padding; no wheels.

House rules:

• You may not sit backwards in your chair.
• You may not stand behind someone and speak to them if someone complains, regardless of whether or not they're in a hand.
• If you're on a cell phone, you won't be dealt in.
• There is a 20 minute time limit on lobbying (walking away from the table) before your chips will be picked up by a floorman.
• There is no time-limit policy at Garden City to force action, i.e. you can't "put a clock" on anyone to make a decision.
• NEW: As of June 2007, dealers will not enforce a "string bet" on a player unless another player at the table complains.
• NEW: Chip runners won't color you up to a $100 chip if you're sitting at a "small" game --- only $20's are given.
• NEW: A lobby charge of $2 per pass of the button applies to players who leave their seat at an 8/16 game; dealers literally remove a $2 chip from the missing player's stack every time the button passes. The lobby charge is $5 at 20/40 and higher limit games.
• If moving from a broken game, a player does not need to post at his new table. However, as soon as a player puts his chips onto the table, he is immediately considered to be playing in the game. If he were to enter the game right before the big blind, he would be forced to take the big blind on the next hand. Thus, it is best to wait until the button passes your seat before you sit down with your chips to maximize the number of free hands.

[edit] Service and Comps

Good food and reasonable service. There used to be a fairly large restaurant up front with nightly live jazz, and food in the poker room is definitely better than usual poker room fare: it comes from some of the same chefs who used to serve the food in the nice restaurant. It is usually much more pricey than typical poker room fare, but it is also much higher quality. A good sandwich, fries, and a coke can run you $9. Real entrees, including daily specials, are also served, and can run up to $15 for the nicer ones.

There can be a fairly long wait for a server, and the servers here often seem to be somewhat overworked. Though since they added the computerized call-button system, servers do seem to arrive much faster in general, usually only after 3-4 minutes. If you are on the mezzanine level, service can take longer: ask for a table change if you are going to be ordering food.

No comps, although there are containers of pour-it-yourself water and coffee available in the casino. Even a small soda is $1 (but get the large for only $1.75). There is no discount on food for seated players, though the casino special, the basic "Lucky Burger" and fries, is only $4.

[edit] Links

• Official Garden City Website
• Nearest competitor is only 7 miles to the north: Bay 101.

[edit] Visited by wiki authors

MarkT's "home casino"; visited frequently through 2005-7.

Pictured: most of the chips in use at Garden City. The casino also has $3 chips, but they are only for use in rake drops; no games use them. The $20 and $100 chips are generally only used in Blackjack and other non-poker games, though they can be used to color up at a poker game if desired. A $200 chip was also added and is in use in the non-poker games, but is not pictured.
Close up of a dollar chip.	The newer ten-dollar chip, re-introduced in 2007 for the 40/80 game.	The extra-large gray $500 chip, used only for coloring up. Also available for coloring up, though rarely used: a yellow $1000 chip.