Pala Casino is located about 23 miles east of Oceanside, midway between San Diego and Los Angeles. It is in the heart of the state’s southern wine region. Harrah’s Resort Valley Center is one of the biggest and best Southern California casino resorts. The casino floor features more than 60 table games, 1,650 video slots and a regular $10,000 blackjack tournaments.

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Southern California houses some of the best legal card rooms and casinos in the world. You can play slots and tablegames, as well as Texas Hold ’em and Omaha at many locations. If you are 18 years or older, you can play bingo.

There are more than 100 casinos and card rooms in Southern California. (For our purposes, we will count everywhere south of SanFrancisco as SoCal.)

California is home to some great legal casinos. However, casinos have had to get creative to keep in line with current gambling laws. Let’s explore the best places to play in 2019.

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Casino laws in California in 2020

There have been legal casinos in Southern California since the early 1990s. The California Gambling Control Commission and the California Department of Justice oversee gaming.

Poker is also legal in California. Texas Hold ’em and stud games have been played in the state since the GoldRush. Southern California now boasts some of the biggest and best card rooms.

Tribal casinos are also popular in SoCal. Virtually all NativeAmerican tribes in the region own and operate a casino.

Under the Tribal Gaming Act of 1988, Native American casinos are allowed to provide table games and slots to visitors 18 and older. However, to keep in line with alcohol laws, most casinos bar anyone younger than 21 years old from entering the premises.

If you are older than 18, you can play machines on special gaming floors at selected casinos.

You won’t always find “house-banked” card games, like blackjack, at non-tribal casinos. Most casinos offer “Californiagames,” which have been adapted to comply with local laws.

• Legal age for casino gambling: At least 21 years or older (18 years to play bingo and some Class II slots)
• Permitted games (tribal casinos): Slots, poker, blackjack, table games, roulette and craps
• Permitted games (non-tribal casinos): Slots, poker, Mystery Card Roulette, player collection card games and blackjack games

Popular casino games in Southern California

• Slots: You will find video slots at all tribal casinos in SoCal. In most cases, you need 21 years or older to play slots. If you are at least 18 years old, you can play some non-jackpot slots, although these options aren’t available everywhere.
• Craps: Dice games are outlawed at non-tribal casinos in Southern California. California Craps uses cards that display different “dice” combinations.
• Roulette: Traditional Vegas-style roulette is largely prohibited in Southern California. Casinos have cleverly bypassed the laws to introduce their versions of roulette. You will only find card-based roulette games, like Mystery Card Roulette, in California. To play, you place wagers on an American roulette-style table layout. However, cards are drawn at random to determine winning numbers instead of using a numbered wheel.
• Blackjack: Traditional Vegas-style blackjack isn’t available everywhere. However, in games like PureBlackjack, you play against fellow gamblers, not the house. The casino takes a small fee for every hand.
• Bingo: You can play at legal bingo halls in SoCal as long as you are at least 18 years. Bingo is also permitted in most casinos.
• Online games: Some of the larger casinos in Southern California run their own free-to-play online gaming sites. San Manuel Casino runs a social casino that offers free blackjack, bingo and slot games.

Because games are free to play, casinos don’t fall foul of any California state law.

Legal poker rooms in Southern California

Live poker is legal across California. You can play Texas Hold ’em, Omaha or games like Stud for real money. Cash games and tournaments carry fees.

Casinos, including the Commerce Casino and LA’s Bicycle Casino, offer some of the best poker action in the world.

The Commerce Casino is home to the most prestigious poker tournaments in the US. The LA Poker Classic is where players compete every year in a $10,000 Buy-in No Limit Hold ’em championship.

Best Southern California casinos in 2020

Eagle Mountain Casino

Address: 681 S. Reservation Road, Porterville, CA 93257
Website: www.eaglemtncasino.com
Games: Poker, keno, slots, video poker and blackjack.
Legal age: 21 years or older

The Tule River Tribe operates Eagle Mountain Casino. You can play the latest HD slots – about 1,200 – as well as keno, blackjack, and Texas Hold ’em in the three-table room.

Harrah’s Resort Valley Center SoCal

Address: 777 S. Resort Drive, Valley Center, CA 92082
Website: www.harrahssocal.com
Games: Slots, blackjack, poker, Rincon Craps, Mystery Card Roulette, Fortune Pai Gow Progressive, EZ Baccarat, Asia Poker, three-card poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Mississippi Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em and Let It Ride Bonus.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Harrah’s Resort Valley Center is one of the biggest and best Southern California casino resorts. The casino floor features more than 60 table games, 1,650 video slots and a regular $10,000 blackjack tournaments.

San Manuel Casino

Address: 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland, CA 92346
Website: www.sanmanuel.com
Games: Blackjack, Casino War, EZ Baccarat, Fortune Pai Gow, four-card poker, Mississippi Stud, Mystery Card Roulette, San Manuel Craps, three-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em and electronic roulette.
Legal age: 21 years or older

San Manuel Casino is one of the best tribal casinos in the state. It is owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and located on a reservation that dates back to 1891.

The casino offers more than 4,700 slots, poker and a high-limit room. You can also play local table game variants like San Manuel Craps, which uses cards instead of dice.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Address: 84245 Indio Springs Drive, Indio, CA 92203
Website:www.fantasyspringsresort.com
Games: Bingo, slots, EZ Baccarat, Fortune Pai Gow Progressive, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em Progressive, three-card poker progressive, Crazy Four Poker, Spanish 21, Mystery Card Roulette and blackjack.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Fantasy Springs is a “complete destination resort” located in Palm Springs. The casino floor offers 2,000 video slots as well as around 40 local table games and a bingo hall. You can play free slots and table games on Fantasy Springs’ Play4Fun website or app.

Pechanga Resort Casino

Address: 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula, CA 92592
Website:www.pechanga.com
Games: Slots, blackjack, craps, bingo, poker, Mystery Card Roulette, sports betting, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, baccarat, Pai Gow, Pechanga Card Craps, Fortune Asia Poker and Spanish 21.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the biggest gambling and entertainment hotspots in SoCal. The resort features a four-star hotel plus a nightclub, golf course and restaurants.

The casino houses video slots and more than 150 table games, including Vegas-style craps and blackjack. You can also enjoy off-track betting in the on-site sportsbook.

Commerce Casino

Address: 6131 Telegraph Road, Commerce, CA 90040
Website: www.commercecasino.com
Games: Poker, EZ Baccarat, Pan 9, Fortune Pai Gow, 21st Century Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, Mississippi Stud, Crazy 4 Poker, Let It Ride, Casino War and three-card poker.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Los Angeles’ Commerce Casino is the world’s largest poker room with 240 tables. It runs cash games and tournaments 24/7 in disciplines like Texas Hold ’em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Razz.

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You can also play table card games, such as EZ Baccarat, Fortune Pai Gow Poker and Pan 9.

Bicycle Hotel & Casino

Address: 888 Bicycle Casino Drive, Bell Gardens, CA 90201
Website:www.thebike.com
Games: Poker, No Bust 21st Century Blackjack, Chinese Poker, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Dai Bacc, baccarat, Crazy 4 Poker, Super Pan 9, three-card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em.
Legal age: 21 years or older

“The Bike” is located just minutes from the center of Los Angeles. Together with the Commerce Casino, the Bicycle boasts some of the best poker action in the world.

You can find virtually any poker game available at the Bicycle, plus lots of regular promotions and big money drawings. You can also play California Games like No Bust 21st Century Blackjack and Chinese Poker.

Soboba Casino Resort

Address: 22777 Soboba Road, San Jacinto, CA 92583
Website:www.soboba.com
Games: Slots, Pai Gow, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, Chase the Flush and blackjack.
Legal age: 21 years or older

You will find more than 2,000 video slots and classic slot machines at the Soboba Casino Resort. You can collect player points with the Soboba Rewards Card and redeem them for food and comps.

Casino Pauma

Address: 777 Pauma Reservation Road, Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Website: www.casinopauma.com
Games: Slots, poker, blackjack, Commission Free Fortune Pai Gow Progressive, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Mississippi Stud, Pauma Three Card Poker and Mystery Card Roulette.
Legal age: 21 years or older

You can play poker, slots and table games at this tribal casino in the Pauma Valley. The casino is operated by the Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians and features more than 1,050 slots on its 35,000-square-feet gaming floor.

Valley View Casino & Hotel

Address: 16300 Nyemii Pass Place, Valley Center, CA 92082
Website:www.valleyviewcasino.com
Games: Slots, Richer Roulette, Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, three-card poker, Buster Blackjack and Lucky Lucky.
Legal age: 21 years or older

San Diego’s Valley View resort is a modern casino and hotel with gaming, mountain views and a refreshing infinity pool. The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians runs the resort, so you can expect to find lots of legal slots and games.

There are around 2,000 of the latest video slots, plus a Vegas-style roulette game: Richer Roulette. Richer Roulette uses a special wheel with card suits displayed.

Chumash Casino Resort

Address: 3400 CA-246, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
Website:www.chumashcasino.com
Games: Poker, bingo, slots, blackjack, EZ Baccarat, Mystery Card Roulette, Spanish 21 and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em.
Legal age: 21 years or older

The Chumash Casino Resort is located just north of Santa Barbara. You will find 24/7 gaming on the 115,000-square-foot casino floor. You can choose from 2,300 slots and 45 table games like blackjack and Mystery Card Roulette.

Jamul Casino

Address: 14145 Campo Road, Jamul, CA 91935
Website:www.jamulcasinosd.com
Games: Slots, craps, blackjack, Blackjack Free Bet, roulette, three-card poker, four-card poker, mini-baccarat, six-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, Spanish 21, Fortune Pai Gow Poker, Dai Bacc and EZ Baccarat.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Jamul Casino is one of San Diego’s hottest gambling resorts. You can gamble, enter big prize giveaways, or enjoy an alfresco meal in the Loft 94 beer garden overlooking rolling hills.

The Kumeyaay Nation runs the Jamul Casino. Like most tribal casinos in Southern California, Jamul Casino is packed with hundreds of video slots and table games.

Red Earth Casino

Address: 3089 Norm Niver Road, Thermal, CA 92274
Website:www.redearthcasino.com
Games: Slots, video poker and video keno.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Red Earth Casino is situated between Indio and Brawley. It is run by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and features thousands of slots and table games.

In the Players Club, you can enjoy four tiers of free slots play benefits. The casino runs regular slots and free play promotions throughout the year.

Spotlight 29 Casino

Address: 46-200 Harrison Place, Coachella, CA 92236
Website: www.spotlight29.com
Games: Slots, blackjack, three-card poker, Mystery Card Roulette, Pai Gow, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em and Fortune Pai Gow Poker.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Spotlight 29 is Coachella’s go-to destination for casino slots and table games. The casino offers more than 1,600 classic and progressive slots, plus friendly table games, including local favorites like Double Deck Blackjack and Mystery Card Roulette.

Tortoise Rock Casino

Address: 73829 Baseline Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Website: www.tortoiserockcasino.com
Games: Slots, keno, blackjack, Spanish 21, three-card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Tortoise Rock Casino is a large gaming resort on the edges of Joshua Tree National Park. The casino is located on more than 30,000 square feet of space. That’s enough room to cram in nearly 500 slots and table games like three-card poker.

Sycuan Resort & Casino

Address: 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon, CA 92019
Website: www.sycuan.com
Games: Bingo, poker, slots, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow, Double Hand Baccarat, Sycuan Craps, four-card poker, Spanish 21 and Mystery Card Roulette.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Sycuan Resort near San Diego is an all-round casino and holiday destination with pools, restaurants and a hotel. Sycuan features a dedicated poker room spreading Hold’em, Stud, and Omaha.

The casino floor features blackjack plus a selection of “Asian casino games” like EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow and Double Hand Baccarat. You can also play local Californian variants like Sycuan Craps and Mystery Card Roulette.

Barona Resort & Casino

Address: 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside, CA 92040
Website: www.barona.com
Games: Slots, blackjack, EZ Pai Gow Progressive, three-card poker, four-card poker, Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, Free Bet Blackjack, electronic roulette, electronic Casino War and electronic baccarat.
Legal age: 21 years or older

San Diego’s Barona Resort boasts the most nonsmoking gaming machines in SoCal. The casino floor offers more than 2,500 video slots and video poker games, plus table games like Mystery Card Roulette.

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Barona Resort & Casino has won awards for its blackjack games. The casino features some interesting variants not seen elsewhere, like Zombie Blackjack and Down Under Blackjack, where you can peek at the dealer’s cards before the game starts.

Pala Casino

Address: 11154 CA-76, Pala, CA 92059
Website: www.palacasino.com
Games: Pala Craps, Pala Roulette, poker, blackjack, baccarat, Pai Gow, slots and video poker.
Legal age: 21 years or older

Pala Casino is nestled in Southern California’s Palomar Mountains. It’s an award-winning casino resort where you can choose from 2,250 video slots and video poker games, plus more than 80 table games, including baccarat and Pai Gow. Pala Craps is a local variant of Vegas-style craps that uses cards instead of dice.

Best Blackjack In Southern California 2019

California casinos are not what they seem. If you are new to California and have previously only experienced Atlantic City or Las Vegas style casinos, you will be surprised to learn about all of the new rules and formats at the majority of casinos here. Harrah’s Resort Southern California is in the minority when it comes to CA casinos, since it is almost the same as all major Las Vegas destinations. Other than a few small game differences, your general experience will be just about the same.

The resort itself is located in a somewhat desolate area that you will arrive at by driving up 12 miles of windy roads. Surprisingly, there are several other casinos in the nearby area, including Pala Casino, Pauma Casino, Valley View Casino, and Pechanga Casino. Each of these properties are located several miles from one another, but they are all within a roughly 20 minute drive. The area is able to sustain such a large casino industry because of its proximity to San Diego. Needless to say, Rincon is among the most popular in this area.

Casino at Harrah’s Southern California

The casino at Harrah’s SoCal is very modern and refined. When compared to just about any other Caesars Entertainment property, this one stands out in a very positive way. Unfortunately, over the years the majority of CET properties have steadily declined in just about every way possible. Harrah’s Southern California, however, is both newer and was also recently remodeled. When you walk in, you will feel like it is a brand new resort, and for all intents and purposes, it just about is.

Craps and Roulette at Harrah’s Rincon

The games available at Harrah’s Rincon are not limited, and include everything you would find at any major casino. With that said, there are some caveats worth mentioning. Even on Indian land as is the case with this casino, California laws prohibit the use of balls and dice in their games. For this reason, craps and roulette have significant tweaks. The craps tables allow dice to be thrown, but the result is then used to correlate with playing cards that are placed on the numbers to determine winners and losers. For a craps player, this is likely to become quite boring and annoying. You will not usually hear loud ruckus coming from Harrah’s Southern California craps tables like you would expect from other casinos.

Roulette works with a similar workaround to that of craps in order to circumvent the very odd California laws in place. Instead of a ball being rolled and landing on a number, the roulette wheel is spun and slaps playing cards one by one. You place your bet according to which one you think will be the final “slapped” card rather than where a ball will land. The roulette games is effectively the same thing as what you would find in other casinos, but if you are used to traditional roulette, it could certainly come off as very odd, because, well, it is.

Slot Machines at Harrah’s Rincon

There is an ample supply of slot machines at this casino and they make up the majority of the floor. The repeat clientele seems to primarily frequent these machines, and they cover around 80% of the floor as a whole. Even with this large number of games to choose from, on busy weekends, you may find it tough to get on a game. There is a video poker section that is located in the north east section of the casino (if you are entering from the front). The video poker games here do not pay particularly well, with 98% payback generally being the best that is available in the non-high limit sections.

Poker Room at Harrah’s Rincon

A poker room is also in operation at Harrah’s Southern California, but it is rare that more than a few games are running, and when they do, they will be low limits. For the most part, the games running are going to be $1/$2 NLHE and $2/$4 LHE. If you are looking to play higher stakes games in the nearby area, Pechanga will be your best option.

Bars and Dining at Harrah’s Southern California

For the size of the resort, there is a lot to choose from when it comes to bars and dining at Harrah’s SoCal. Everything from low end, late night food like Pink’s Hot Dogs to Fiore Steakhouse and Seafood are available. There is also a buffet that is frequently full, and is located in the dead middle of the casino action to the west side. In addition to these options, there is also a noodle bar named Fortunes and a street taco style restaurant that is named ‘Ritas Cantina. No matter the hour of the day or the type of food you are after, you will be able to find it at Harrah’s Resort Southern California.

In terms of bars, you will find two different primary destinations. The first bar is located just to the right of the beginning of the main casino floor. This is primarily a video poker bar with a few tables for seating. The video poker tables actually pay fairly since the drinks cannot be comped at this casino due to California laws. This goes for the Diamond Lounge also. Drinks are charged while the food is free. This is unlike Diamond Lounges in the majority of states where unlimited alcohol is included for free.

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The other bar is located in the north area of the casino floor and is sports bar oriented. It too is loaded with the same video poker machines. Food can also be ordered at this bar. The bars are about equal in terms of general feel and experience, with no real differences between the two.

Hotel at Harrah’s Southern California

There are 1,065 total rooms at Harrah’s SoCal Resort. These rooms are split into two different towers, north and south, similar to the layout of another Caesars property, Planet Hollywood. In general the rooms are very nice, especially when compared to what you would find at your typical Caesars property. Renovations over the past few years have upgraded the rooms to be higher quality than you would even find in most Las Vegas casinos.

There are a number of upgraded rooms available, though they can be tough to secure since they are not in high supply. If you are a big player and/or reserve your room well in advance, you will have a better chance at landing a suite. These offer balcony’s and other amenities that standard rooms do not have.

Room rates, especially during the week and off season, are very reasonable. If you are visiting during the summer months, however, expect to pay a significant amount for a weekend visit. Since the San Diego weather is perfect for vacationing, the resort is typically jam packed throughout the summer weekends. There is a fitness center located in the lobby area of the hotel, right next to the entrance to the pool. A room key is required for entrance to the gym, and a number of different machines and equipment are available.

Pool at Harrah’s Southern California

The pool and swim up bar at this resort is one of its best selling features, especially during the warmer months of the year. Since Valley Center is located up in the mountains and desert, you will get all of the sun and heat that you can handle. This makes for perfect pool weather, and Harrah’s built a long, windy, lazy river style pool to accommodate. Kids and adults alike will fill the pool areas to the point where it can sometimes be hard to find an open seat.

The pool also offers a swim up bar right across from the lazy river section. During the summer, this is the most popular bar to visit, and they offer a number of unique drinks that you will not find at the bars inside the casino itself. If you are visiting and it is hot outside, we highly recommend checking out the pool, as its usage is included with your stay. If you would like, you can pay an extra charge for a cabana. Food and drinks can also be ordered from servers who are working around the pool area.