The original 2011 report
Original reporting follows. Offers, event dates, product details and opinions are historical. Old outbound links are shown as text.
Blackjack tournaments can be just as interesting as poker tournaments and blackjack players will find that the floor games differ from the tournament games in blackjack. Three California casinos are offering weekly blackjack tournaments, one in the Sacramento County and two other in the Central Valley.
The Lucky Derby Casino based at Citrus Heights in Sacramento County is offering a free blackjack tournament on the first Saturday of each month at 7 pm. Players begin with $500 chips and they can purchase $3500 worth of chips as add-ons for $15, while re-buys are also available. Top ten winners are guaranteed $2000 and the luckiest winner gets $1000.
Aviator Casino at Delano in Kern County and Turlock Poker Room at Turlock in Stanislaus County are also offering weekly tournaments. At Aviator the $30 buy-in gets the player $2000 worth chips and it is held on Sundays. Preliminary rounds known as “heats” begin at 1 pm and the finals are held at 6 pm. The casino adds $250 to the prize pot.
At Turlock the tournaments are held on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm and a $23 buy-in gets the player $1000 worth chips. Some players can take away at least $500 in their winnings. Prizes at both these casinos vary based on the number of players.
Recently California casinos tried to pass a california online poker bill but was tabled until next year. So players looking to play can enjoy their favorite poker & casino games at an Indian casino or card room but if they have their way eventually online.
Read a little deeper
Look at how the competition worked
Tournament reports become more useful when you separate entry costs, scoring and prizes. Some competitions rank chip totals; others use points from qualifying play. The original report below records its own event format. A tournament from this archive is not an open registration or a current schedule.
- Entry
- Identify the fee, invitation or qualifying play described.
- Scoring
- Check whether rank depended on chips, points, survival or another measure.
- Prize structure
- Distinguish the whole prize pool from the amount paid to one winner.
Is a prize pool the same as the first-place prize?
No. A prize pool can be divided across several finishing places. Read the reported payout structure and scoring method together before comparing events.
More from this era
Archive presentation refreshed 26 October 2026. The original report and publication date are retained; this is not a new offer, event listing or product review.