Which is more crucial to a positive casino experience – a fun atmosphere or easy money? Obviously that depends on who you ask. For the casual gambler, the answer is usually fun. People go to Vegas or Atlantic City to get away, to enjoy themselves, to forget about their troubles, all that wonderful pink feathery stuff. For a serious poker player, however, the point of going to a casino should be to stack chips. That’s the only thing that matters to a serious player – how did playing on a given night improve his or her bankroll. Right?
Maybe so, but I still like to have a good time while I’m taking suckers’ money.
As such, I have mixed feelings about my first trip to the Hustler Casino in Gardena. Let me give you a quick rundown of the night. I was supposed to meet Billy and some other guys there, and I decide to bring my girl along. Now, this is her first time ever going to a card club with me, so I’m hoping it will be a good time so she’ll be more excited about me playing in general. I get there, and they have a seat open for me (which is always nice. As a renowned casino critic, I’ve come to expect that type of VIP treatment, know what I mean?) I lose my first $50 buy-in like it’s nothing … basically the result of weak play – calling down with 2nd pair and then folding on the river, calling small bets with gutshots when the odds aren’t even close to good enough, yadda yadda. After that, I focused and made my money back (and some) in about 15 minutes. I used my earlier weak play to my advantage, making a few well timed all-in bluffs and check-raises to quickly rebuild my stack. The opposition was so bad that I wasn’t even playing the cards at one point; just making my moves based upon my reads of people. And doing so profitably. Then my friends Jun and Kurt took seats at my table, and I had to tighten up a bit.
Long story short, I didn’t end up winning a whole lot that night – a whopping six bucks – but I was surprised by how quickly I was able to rebuild my stack without a huge run of luck. I did hit my first ever royal flush that night, but other than that I didn’t really hit any hands that I would feel comfortable being all-in with. There just wasn’t much competition there. So, at least at the $50 buy-in tables, it’s possible to make money.
The only problem with the place is that there’s nothing special about it. You’d think the flippin’ HUSTLER would at least have some nice T & A. Instead, I had men and boys of all ages staring at my girlfriend like she’s a hot slice of apple pie. I won’t even get into the connotations on that one. Furthermore, there was just no buzz there. No energy. It’s not something I can quantify. The place was just … boring.
So I return to my initial question: what’s more essential to the casino experience? It’s always nice to walk out with a larger bankroll than when you came in, or at least break even. But even for a pro, there’s something to be said for the atmosphere of a place. If you’re going to do something anyway, you might as well have fun while you’re at it.
Bottom line – I recommend the Hustler if you’re strictly looking to spend a few hours making money. You might want to carry a few buy-ins, just in case you get bad beat or make a bad read. But over a few hours, a good player should come out ahead. If you’re looking to have fun, however, don’t waste your time driving down to Gardena. You’re not really missing much.
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Player Quality (x2.00): 4.0
Cardroom/Staff Quality (x1.50): 2.5
Comp Quality (x1.25): 4.0
Tournament Quality (x1.00): 3.0
Game Variety (x1.00): 2.0
Total Weighted Points: 21.75
Total Weights: 6.75
Weighted Average: 3.22
For more information, check out the Hustler Casino website.
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