www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Coming down to SJ Monday and was wondering if anyone knows some good places to gamble during the day. I'd like to leave my evenings free for drinking and the other obvious pleasures I'm a decent Hold 'Em player and would like to get in some blackjack (no rummy) and possibly some craps. Not looking for high stakes. Any and all info will be greatly appreciated.

For hold-em the best local (downtown) games are at the Del Rey (get started around 5pm,and the Horseshoe which gets going around 3:30 most days. Both games are 1-2 with $100 minimum buy-in.

I don't know what kind of blackjack player you are but the best rules are probably at the Horseshoe for the closest thing to Vegas rules. Do NOT play BJ or Rummy at the Dl Rey.Their game is really bad and they get pissed if you win. I play Rummy several days a week at the Colonial but I don't recommend it unless you know the differences between Rummy and BJ. There are CSMs (continuous shuffle machine on some games) which I won't play.

Craps games are at the Colonial and the Horseshoe. I don't play but the afternoon game at the Colonial seems to get action.

Hope this helps

The Horshoe is good for poker, game starts between 2:30 - 3:30 daily. Ask for Texas Dave, he is one of us.

_________________
BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

Thanks, Boyd. I'll definitely plan to spend some time at the HLH, and I'll be sure to introduce myself if I see you.

Colonial has a craps game. It's usually pretty dead (especially daytime), but it can get crazy with Ticos playing ¢500.

Thanks, Orange. BTW, I used your guide on here as sort of a quick study manual. It was well-written and VERY useful.

Does anyone ever play poker at the SL? I mean, if you ran a little 6 man hold 'em tournament, no money would have to be on the table. Just wondering if that ever happens.

Tried that. A few years ago, Bill allowed us to hold a weekly CRT poker tourney. There was no money on the table. We used chips. After 2 or 3 games, some rat bastarrd went and told the cops. From what I remember, Bill got a visit and a warning about possibly losing his hotel license if the game continued.

Basically, unless you got a casino license, you can hold a game in a public area. You can rent the penthouse and hold a game there.

Having played "holdem" at both the HDR and the Horse Shoe, the HDR has ALOT of people that chase (I'm a math player and I still get pissed when someone sucks out even when the math says I made the right play) and by that I mean more than one. When you have half the table chasing, the odds of one of them sucking out increases greatly and one will end up hitting their straight/flush.

The Horseshoe is better IMO, less chasers.

Oh, and the locals get pissed when they lose to a gringo.

_________________
as my father says "better to be lucky than good"

I'll take a table full of "chasers" every time. For every time a chaser sucks out on you,he will donate many times depending on how bad his play is. I can't believe you wouldn't love a jerk playing for a gut shot with 2-1 odds on his money. I'll take all of it I can get.

Bob,

One chaser yes, but when you have 6 people chasing the odds are that one of them is going to hit their straight/flush/trips etc...is VERY high especially if they are looking for different cards.

_________________
as my father says "better to be lucky than good"

That's spot on. I also think it helps if you are willing to lay down a flopped two pair when the turn and river fill straights and flushes and you got 5 knuckleheads in the pot.