Pechanga Resort & Casino



Pechanga is an extremely upscale resort/casino located about 90 minutes east of Los Angeles, in Temecula California. The resort is a top-flight 5-star hotel with all the amenities, and the casino is a mix of both low limit and high limit gambling. High-limit poker doesn't take place there that often these days, though an occasional 20/40 game can get going. Park in the westernmost parking garage for easier casino access (the eastern one is for the hotel, and they really encourage valet parking there).

The poker room itself can be a bit tricky to find, even though there are signs in a few places in the casino to lead you there. Go to the "Round Bar" near the center of the casino, and look for the escalators. Take the escalator up to the upper floor and the only room on this level is the poker room, through its separate doors (and there are restrooms on this floor, too).

Games
Wait Time: Variable, but there is almost always a seat available. Many tables means many open seats.

Game Nature: Mostly regulars, some of whom are tricky, but most of whom are rocky and steady. Mostly retirees and other typical low-limit players.

Rake: $3 + $1 jackpot for 2/4 and Omaha. $4 + $1 jackpot for all other games. $3+1 with 6 players, $2+1 with 5 players. $1 raked pre-flop, full rake on the flop.

Posting: New players do not need to post to enter a game.

Shuffling: All tables have Shufflemaster machines installed.

Kills: Killer acts last.

House Rules: No racks on table. Players can get a new setup on request.

Tournaments

 * Mon 10am - NLHE $10+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)
 * Mon 7pm - NLHE $40+$10 ($4,000 Guarantee, $10 bounty on each player)
 * Tue 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)
 * Tue 7pm - NLHE $40+$10 ($4,000 Guarantee, $10 bounty on each player)
 * Wed 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)
 * Wed 7pm - NLHE $20+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)
 * Thu 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)
 * Fri 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($4,000 Guarantee)
 * Fri 7pm - NLHE $85+$15 ($10,000 Guarantee)
 * Sat 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($4,000 Guarantee)
 * Every Other Sat 5pm - NLHE $150+$25 ($25,000 Guarantee)
 * Sun 10am - NLHE $20+$5 ($2,000 Guarantee)

Jackpots and Promotions
A Player's Card earns you significant comp dollars ($1/hour) to use on food or other casino services.

Various promotions:
 * Aces cracked on Wednesdays = spin the wheel
 * High hand of the hour, on Tue, Thu, Sun.
 * Random other promotions throughout the week (Tue-Thu graveyard shift = $50 in extra pots every hour, etc).

Bad Beat Jackpot for Hold Em is Aces full of Tens beaten by four-of-a-kind or better, both hole cards must play.

Atmosphere
The Pechanga Poker Room is huge, spacious, and quite comfortable. A massive jumbotron-style television cube hangs in the center of the room, making it possible to see whatever sporting event is on TV from anywhere in the room, as long as you are facing the center of the room. If you aren't facing the center, there are four massive LCD TV's on the four walls of the room, and a dozen smaller LCDs showing other TV channels (or showing the computerized board, promos for Pechanga, tournament clocks, etc). An in-room cashier makes it easy to buy chips or cash out, and a half dozen comfy sofas and leather chairs are arranged in a waiting area, where you can browse poker magazines while you wait for a seat (if need be). The ceilings are high with decent fluorescent lighting that isn't gloomy or dim, though the Jumbotron TV can be extremely bright when showing a commercial with a white screen or something (distractingly bright glare can shine from it in such cases).

Tables and Chairs: Standard 9-seat tables with felt in either rich browns or ruby reds, with a two-tone commit circle. They seat ten people at each table during tourneys (and do so without discomfort). The chairs are interesting: standard fixed-leg chairs with lots of padding, and come in two types (super-padded seats and medium-padded seats). Cushions also available. Nice rollup tables for food and drink; no cups allowed on table.

Parking: Tons of parking in the adjacent parking garage structure. Valet parking is also available.

Smoking: No smoking in the poker room and since it's a separate room, no drift comes in from the rest of the casino. Smokers can step a few feet outside the door to take a puff if they have to.

Service and Comps
Regular service from waitresses who thread their way through the tables in the room. Full food service from a special poker menu (you can use comp dollars) with limited selections and medium prices. Full casino drink selection available.

Links and Notes

 * Visited by Yossarian147 May 2006
 * Visited by MarkT July 2009.
 * Other Indian casinos nearby are Pala, Casino Pauma, and Harrah's Rincon.