The beginning of April came and went with the City of San Jose “flop-blocking” the scheduled grand opening of Casino M8trix. A tour with owner Eric Swallow found the club ready, complete with high-end finishes such as Venetian plaster, custom tile and one-of-a-kind light fixtures.
From the private poker and karaoke rooms to the conference centers and state-of-the-art sports bar, one can’t help make Vegas-style comparisons. The spacious main gaming floor is rich in colors and opulence. M8trix, next to the San Jose Airport, promises to be a huge presence in NorCal poker. For more photos and opening updates, check out casinom8trix.com.
SWEET 16: Thunder Valley poker room manager Ben Erwin did it again with the Sweet 16 tournament series (results at the end of this column). With buy-ins ranging from $75 to $385 for the main event, participation surpassed his expectations. Lincoln’s Amber Chatwin took top honors and $20K by besting a field of 246 for the finale. Erwin divulged plans for an even larger event in August, culminating in a $100K guarantee prize pool. With the increasing popularity of the Thunder Valley tournaments, I asked Erwin how he plans to host a larger event given the 25-table limitation.
“I don’t see any other way than to have two opening Day 1s,” he said. “Our goal is to accommodate as many players as possible.”
For more information on the next series, visit thunddervalleyresort.com.
NORCAL CLASSIC: Park West’s NorCal Classic recently concluded at the Lodi Casino with contingents from all five Park West properties as well as Team Delta from the Delta Casino. With $25K and bragging rights, on the line, the six teams of 10 players each fought valiantly. With an exuberant crowd cheering each hand, the competition finished with Team Delta taking home the huge trophy and $5K.
Cordova Casino was runner-up, 101 Casino placed third, Lodi Casino took fourth while Lotus Casino and 580 Casino rounded out the field in fifth an sixth, respectively. For more information, go to parkwestcasinos.com.
101 BAD BEAT: On April 1 in a $3-$6 game, the 101 Casino’s $101K Super Bad Beat Jackpot cracked as Allan Kwan made a six-high straight flush on the turn and Taylor Matthews rivered quad 10s.
The dealer was Kevin Tan. Kwan received $25,250 and Matthews earned $45,410. The other seven players at the table got $2,885 each.
— Bret Miller is the Ante Up Ambassador for Northern California. Email him at anteupbret@gmail.com.
Sweet 16 results
1. Amber Chatwin, $19,131
2. Malachi Mahan, $9,750
3. Matthew Boddorf, $9,750
4. Russell Tweed, $9,750
5. Daniel Pagan, $9,750
6. James Olson, $4,182
7. Aaron Girvin, $3,346
8. Jim Vanderschuur, $2,509
9. Patrick Upright, $1,673
10. Dangkhoa Doan, $1,255
