If you enjoy playing poker in a relaxed and friendly environment, you need to check out the action at the Livermore Casino at 3571 First St. (about a mile off 580). As you drive up, don’t let the small-town Western facade fool you. When you step inside, you’ll find a well-appointed cardroom with a 10-screen sports bar.
The club features $3-$6 and $4-$8 hold’em (with a half kill) $4-$8 Omaha and $3-$200 spread-limit hold’em.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, there’s a featured $6-$12 Omaha game with a half kill.
You’ll find NLHE tournaments at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day, bad-beat and mini-bad-beat jackpots, aces-cracked bonus and high-hand bonuses three times a day. If you’re lucky enough to win one of the daily tournaments, you’ll also earn a seat to the monthly Super Saturday Knockout, where there’s a prize pool of $10K, plus bounties for all players.
Director of operations Kristen Salisbury recommended you arrive early at the Livermore Casino, where the first nine players seated for each game receive an extra $20 chips and all seated players enjoy a free breakfast from 9-10 every day.
“The Livermore Casino is one of the very few clubs left in California that offers a pan game every day of the week,” Salisbury said.
Veteran pan dealer Steve “Sluggo” Larussa is considered by some to be the best in the business; you’ll find him dealing there Monday-Thursday. If your passion is EZ baccarat, three-card poker or blackjack without the “collection,” then this is the place for you.
Place an order for a cheeseburger, rib-eye steak or a happy-hour beverage and you’ll find co-proprietor Sidney Ahn’s 20-plus years in the business are evident by the top-notch service, quality fare and value pricing. Ever the gracious host, Ahn wants all of the patrons to feel at home and strives for that atmosphere.
You’ll also notice some really cool sports memorabilia throughout the club. If you’re interested, make sure to ask for John Schireck, the club’s other owner. With balls, bats and jerseys autographed by Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays (to mention a few), he has one of the largest inventories of Hall-of-Famer goods available in Northern California.
With 60 years in the gaming business, Schireck also has a plethora of quips and stories that any poker player will find entertaining.
First-time players can get $50 in chips for $20 with a printable coupon available at livermorecasino.net.
— Bret Miller is the Ante Up Ambassador for Northern California. Email him at anteupbret@gmail.com.
