No need to panic if you’re not able to make it to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. Many rooms in Northern California are beefing up their tournament schedules to entice action from players all over the area and reward them for their loyalty.
In past columns, I’ve highlighted jackpots and promotions for the cash player. Here are a few smaller events for tournament grinders looking to improve their game and build their bankroll on a budget.
OAKS CARD CLUB: The Emeryville room offers tournaments every day except Tuesday and Friday. It hosts a knockout event every Monday at 6:15 p.m. with $140 buy-in and $20 bounties. On Wednesdays, it has a $100 event with an $80 optional rebuy and every Thursday at 6:15 there’s a $150 freezeout. Earn Player of the Year points for events on Saturday ($120, 11 a.m.) and Sunday ($125 w/$100 optional rebuy, 1 p.m.). Finally, there will be a deepstack event on July 6 where every player will start with 12K units ($330, 11 a.m.).
PALACE CARD CLUB: This Hayward cardroom has daily tournaments that start at 9 a.m. on Monday-Saturday. The buy-in is $40, which gives you 2K units with an optional $20 add-on at the break (2K units). Sundays are bounty events with a $65 buy-in ($20 optional add-on) with players receiving $20 for every person they eliminate. There’s also a Super Sunday tournament on July 21 ($120 w/optional $40 add-on, 9:00am).
CACHE CREEK CASINO: In Brooks, there’s a $55 tournament on Wednesday (6 p.m.), Friday (6:30), Saturday (noon) and Sunday (noon). These events give you 3K chips and offer a rebuy or add-on through the third level of play. There also will be a deepstack event July 20 ($275 w/optional $100 add-on, noon).
LIVERMORE CASINO: This poker room offers daily tournaments with many guarantees. There’s a $2.5K guarantee Monday-Saturday ($40 w/rebuys and add-on) at 11 a.m. That same guarantee runs at 7 p.m. on Monday-Thursday. Friday and Saturday night tournaments have a $100 buy-in and start at 7. Sunday events are knockouts with a $20 bounty on every player ($80, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.).
As you can see, there are still many options in the Bay Area for those who can’t make it to the desert. Check out the Where to Play section in the back of the magazine for even more great tournaments and promotions in your local cardroom.
— Email NorCal Ambassador Garrett Roth at roth@anteupmagazine.com.
Ante Up League at Jackson Rancheria
Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Jackson, Calif., will launch an Ante Up Poker League starting July 3, with the winner earning an Ante Up Poker Cruise package for two plus airfare.
League points will be awarded in all 6:30 Thursday night no-limit tournaments and 6:30 Omaha tournaments on the first Wednesday of each month. The league runs July 3-Sept. 26.
Players will earn points for finishing in the top 10 of qualifying tournaments (top eight if the field is 10 or fewer players), and for knocking players out of qualifying tournaments.
Top point-earners will return for a to-be-scheduled championship event, where the top eight players will earn prizes, plus the bubble and the first player out. The champion wins an Ante Up Poker Cruise package for two for the Dec. 2 sailing out of Tampa to Cozumel, Mexico, airfare for two and a personalized Ante Up Poker League champion’s jacket.
For more information, visit anteupmagazine.com/leagues.
