Page 10 - June 2014 • Southern California Gaming Guide

June 2014 Gaming News
Chumash Casino ResGort Central Coast Poker Championship Winner
ary W. Casiday (pictured left), a 54-year-old from Goleta, Lakhamsor Cavanh of Santa Maria, Johan Dewitt of Santa Maria who has spent the past two years battling a Nipomo, Shari Schubot of Santa Barbara, George Cannon of serious heart condition, outlasted 490 other competitors Goleta, Fredo Perez of Oceano and James Schindel of Lompoc.
to claim rst place and more than $15,000 in the 2014 Central Coast Poker Championship on Saturday, May 3rd, at Chumash Casino Resort.
Casiday, with a mobile de brillator strapped to his chest and a walking cane by his side, persevered through more than 12 hours of No-Limit Texas Hold’em action and won a heads-up showdown with Lawrence Ramos, 61, of Bakers eld to win the tournament, which was an 18-and-over event.“I’ve been playing
poker for more than 20 years and I’ve never won a tournament, until now,” said Casiday, who won the $15,777 top prize.
Joining Casiday and Ramos at the nal table were (in the order of nish) Ronald Freeman of Ventura, Nicholas Ronyecz of
HIarrah’s Resort Southern California: Something for Everyone
f you haven’t visited the newly renamed Harrah’s Resort Southern complete with Southern California’s only swim-up bar California, formerly Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort, make sure to and a 400-ft Lazy River. Dive is also the site of the hugely plan a visit now. With an a new hotel tower, renovated Events Center, popular Dive Dayclub Adult Swim Saturdays running May
new dining venues and lots more, Harrah’s Resort will amaze and delight. ere’s something for every player.
Just a one hour drive from downtown San Diego and two hours from Los Angeles, Harrah’s Resort Southern California boasts 1,065 rooms with a new 403-room hotel tower. e new tower contains 52 additional suites, bringing the resort’s total suites to 152. New dining and lounge venues include Spiked, a brand new craft-cocktail ultra-lounge, and grab- and-go food options including the Earl of Sandwich, and the return of the legendary Pink’s Hot Dogs.
ese additions join currently existing resort amenities such as The Spa at Harrah’s, which o ers a number of relaxing massages, stimulating facials and other specialty treatments. Another popular amenity is the ne-dining restaurant Fiore. A seven-time winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, Fiore o ers guests a wide variety of selections from a seasonally rotating menu. Guests can pair their choices with a selection from a wine list containing up to 120 wines.
e rst phase of Harrah’s Resort expansion was unveiled in July 2013, with the opening of Baja-inspired ’ritas Cantina and Dive, a trifecta of pools
AIgua Caliente Tribe Announces July 8th Closure of Spa Resort Hotel and Spa
n May, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians announced the rst step to what investments in and around this valued cultural resource. ey are long overdue. And, will become an exciting new venture for downtown Palm Springs, marking the end the time is now.”
of one era to launch the beginning of a new vision for a key location. e new era e Tribe’s vision is to continue to invest in its downtown locations and make this site
begins on July 8th, with the closing of the Spa Resort Hotel and Spa & Fitness Center. Spa Resort Casino will remain open and will be improved inside and out in the coming months. e Tribe is in the planning stages for this important location in downtown.
“We are reviewing concepts and considering our options to identify the necessary steps to preserve this key landmark in downtown and rejuvenate the property around it,” Tribal Chairman Je L. Grubbe said. “It’s the place where it all began: the site of our natural hot mineral spring. And, for which our Tribe and the City of Palm Springs were named. It has been more than 50 years since we’ve made signi cant
a major anchor for the future of Palm Springs. With the local economy showing signs of recovery, the Tribe is con dent that this location will continue to be a cornerstone for Palm Springs’ visitors for decades to come. e Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is known for its deep connections to Palm Springs and areas throughout the Coachella Valley. e Tribe is interwoven in the community and invests in the future of the Coachella Valley through its philanthropic endeavors. For more information, go to VisionAguaCaliente.com or call 1-844-77a-cbci.
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PAGE 10 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE JUNE 2014
ird through 10th places paid between $5,949 and $1,928.
In the eld of 491 players, the top 70 won prize money, ranging from $825 for 11th place to $344 for 70th. Participants paid a $180 buy-in ($160 for early bird registration before April 19th) to play in the one-day tournament, which boasted a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. A $10,000 bonus was added to the prize pool and
distributed evenly among the players who reached the nal table. e Central Coast Poker Championship is one of two large tournaments the Chumash Casino Resort hosts each year in
its Samala Showroom. Each entrant starts with 10,000 chips, and, after a one-hour opening round, the blinds increase every
30 minutes.
to September.
e second phase of the renovation was completed in
January 2014 with the debut of The Event Center, a 53,221 square foot state-of-the-art non-smoking convention and entertainment venue that seats up to 2,200 in concert-style seating or 1,200 banquet-style. Harrah’s Resort has also recently welcomed Starbucks and a wine and craft beer bar, Corked, which has a 15,260-square-foot patio perfect for event pre-parties and live music. Both Corked and Starbucks are non-smoking facilities, as are all of the resort’s restaurants. e resort also boasts 891 non-smoking hotel rooms and suites and more than 10,703 square feet of non- smoking gaming space.
All these new additions ensure that Harrah’s Resort Southern California has expanded from a gaming destination with a top-notch casino oor, to an outstanding
1.2 million square foot all-season casino and resort. Check out HarrahsResortSouthernCalifornia.com.