i have found the best valuetowning for the $5 voucher at palomar is a sub sandwich from the palomar fridge (i like turkey salami!) plus a can of soda, which comes to being exactly free so you just tip foodrunner. everything else in that fridge I consider a little overpriced. $8 meals that would cost like $5 anywhere else.

there's a subway sandwich place thats a 5 minute walk nearby. the other good options (thai, coco's) are tasty food but also overpriced.

if you're in gaslamp i think it'd be silly to venture beyond palomar or village club. oceans 11 isn't really worth the commute for 2/3NL, though oceans has wayyyy better comp system which makes food essentially free.

i have had zero problems with the valet staff at palomar over multiple years. only issue is they like to hustle for car washes since that business is way more profitable than valet. still wouldnt leave any valuables in the car just for nittery sake.

lastly village club is not just down the street. its 15 minutes south of downtown via the 5 highway. the one just down the street is Lucky Lady, which is a dead'ish establishment I believe. it gets 2/5NL sometimes I think? but i've never gone.

I really hate that they have started doing this all the time now. I had this happen a couple times over the years of playing there when they were really busy, but now it seems to be the case every time I go. They won't even reduce the rake on that table either, which I find ridiculous.

Pechanga is a really nice place, but if you are a 1/3-2/3 player I have to warn you that they cap the buyin for their 1/3 game to $200. I stopped going there once they made that change.

Ocean's is great. I definitely think it is the best run poker room in the area. The staff and food are top notch. Lately though the lower stakes games have gotten really nitty. You won't find the action there that you find at Palomar.

Just a reminder that Saturday, November 3 Viejas will be running their $50,000 Guaranteed Aces Tournament.

$435 buy-in and they will run some Single Table and Mega Satellites, as well.

Info: http://viejas.com/pdfs/aces-tournament.pdf

I think reduced rake at Palomar starts at 6-handed. Could be wrong though. Every time I've been at a table w 6 or less, the rake has been reduced.

In all my dealings, all the staff at Palomar are real friendly and nice and professional. Never valet though as you can always find parking on the street within a block or two. Before moving here, remember reading people saying that Palomar is in a sketchy area. Haven't found that to be the case. Never had a problem parking on the street. Parts of el cajon blvd are sketchy, but mostly the parts past the 805 (as in, going from Palomar towards the 805, it gets sketchy as you pass the 805).

Also, as a whole, I find Palomar's dealers to be better than Barona's dealers (used to play at Barona a lot, now mainly Palomar). They're just more efficient, professional and on top of their **** compared to some of the dealers I've encountered at Barona. And the female dealers at Palomar are way hotter than Barona's female dealers. There's like 2 hot dealers at Barona, while almost every female dealer at Palomar is either hot and/or cute. Yet Linda, who works for the corporation at the pit games at Palomar takes the cake.

Clayton -

Any updates on the $20/$40 mix game that was going for a while at Palomar? Every time I go now, never see it running or any names on the list. I'm usually there in the mornings till mid afternoon fwiw. Seen the $200/$400 mix going during the weekdays starting in the early afternoon.

$400 min buy-in for the $20/$40? Or $200? Think I asked you few months back at $2/$3 and you said $200. Wondering bc on the board, the $200/$400 says $4000 min so wondering if the $20/$40 is actually $400 min and not $200. Any chances you guys would ever play it as $10/$20 mix instead? Would be more interested in $10/$20 than $20/$40. You have a way of contacting potential players for the game? You send out mass texts or something like that? Lmk...thx

I've been in Rosarito since August, however actionDJ told me that 30/60 mix goes at Palomar on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Smaller game than that is pretty much impossible, they'll run it but you can't lower the rake.

Ahh...I see. Ok, thx for the response anyways.

You are correct. The difference is that a normal table you will often have 8 or 9 players and sometimes drop down to 7 or less. When playing on the BJ table you will never have more than 7 players and that is why I think they should have reduced the rake.

It is apparently no longer an issue though. The last time I went in Tom (floor manager) smiles and points to a full sized table they put in to replace the BJ table as the initial must move table.

That's cool..they just recently git licensed for that extra table. I like the layout now. Seems to be more room in between tables. When the pai gow and baccarat tables got crowded w players and people watching, made it very cramped walking around in there.

Tom is awesome. My favorite of the managers there.

gman339 -
You play there often? What you look like?

I usually play in the mornings-early afternoons. Usually play morning tournament then cash after or some paigow and/or blackjack. Nondescript white male, late 20's though look younger.

Agreed....Tom does a good job running the place.

I'm usually there once or twice a week in the late afternoons/early evenings. I'm almost always there on Fridays. I'm a white male in my mid 30's often wearing 49ers apparel.

Is limit holdem in San Diego an endangered species? When I moved to San Diego in 1995, I could pay my rent playing 3-6 though 9-18 at Viejas, Sycuan and OCC/O11. This past weekend, for the first time in perhaps 5 years, I visited each of those three casinos last Saturday and Sunday. Viejas was dead. Just two running tables, quite a change from the 30+ tables that were always running. O11 had three 4-8/9-18 games, but by midnight on Saturday all three had broken. At Sycuan, there was just an interest list for 4/8, no game.

I assumed after black Friday, brick and mortar card rooms would be busier, but from what I saw (and I understand it was just one weekend of observations) the rooms in San Diego were busier pre poker boom than they are now, unless you enjoy NL.

Poker boom equals no limit

Read some interesting news about the Village Club..has anyone heard similar?

A side bar item in a San Diego press report indicates that the The Village Club card room in Chula Vista, CA plans to move to a former Soup-Plantation building on Bay Boulevard between E & F streets next to I5 within the next 6 months, they also hope to expand from 12 to 18 tables at the time of the move. The name will remain the same.

They have been working on the new place for 6-9 months now and all talk around the room indicates good things.
Hopefully they get the NL/PLO game back from Palomar.
Or get a 40/80 once a week

Limit holdem in San Diego is very much an endangered species, particularly if you want to play higher than 3/6 or 4/8. At Oceans-11, once the limit holdem capital of San Diego, the games have significantly dried up. The 20/40 recently has died, and in its place they are trying to run a 15/30 full kill game, that is pre arranged to start on Tuesdays and Thursdays around 2pm. The 40/80 still goes Friday mornings until whenever it breaks. Usually it lasts until early Saturday morning, but lately has been going into Saturday evening as well. There is usually always at least 1 8/16 game going until about 2am, with the exception of Saturdays. For whatever reason, Saturday seems to be one of the less busy nights at Oceans. 4/8 runs whenever it can, but it isn't consistent.

Any idea when it will open at its new location?

Just a question for those who have played at Palomar a decent amount:

Have you ever heard of/seen someone get robbed leaving Palomar? I know they have security on the premises and whatnot. And North Park is a relatively safe neighborhood. The reason I ask is bc of what I saw tonight:

I play there about 2-4 times a week. Mix of mornings/afternoons and evenings. Know most of the regs there by face. I was playing tonight and noticed a guy who was hanging out front by where the smokers congregated. He was there at least 3 hours. Never went inside. He was staring intently into the window, eyeing people's stacks. I'd never seen him before and it was clear he wasn't waiting for someone. It was cold outside and can't imagine him waiting 3 hours out in the cold for someone.

I mentioned it to Rami (sp?) who had security shoo him away. He watched a bit more from the sidewalk then disappeared. One security guard said they had been keeping q close eye on him the whole night. All they can do is tell him to get off the premises. That still doesn't stop him from being able to follow people who don't valet.

Should I start valeting or am I being paranoid? I usually park on the street.

spend the 2 dollars and valet

I have started to valet now that I don't keep my funds there.
I haven't heard of incidents(only been here about a year), but I imagine there have been some.

You should *definitely* valet. It's free! I think it's also a good idea to keep a player's bank there.

Had a bank there until the license "scare"
Probably reload it in the new year

That's definitely a legitimate concern, which kept me away for awhile, but I finally gave in.