California Hotel and Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas. It was built in 1975. California Hotel and Casino caters to Hawaiians. The food and environment are aimed at these tourists. Boyd Gaming, parent company of California, has been targeting Hawaii residents for nearly four decades. Las Vegas is the number one tourist destination for residents in the island state.
California is not technically a Fremont Street casino. It is one block north on Ogden at First Street. There is a pedestrian bridge that connects the California to Main Street Station.
Casino at California
California offers 85,000 square feet of casino floor that covers two stories. An escalator and elevator help connect the two floors.
The table game selection is small considering the size of the casino. There are 27 table games. Most games are Double Deck Blackjack with Boyd Gaming’s downtown rules. This means that players can double any two cards but may not double down after splitting. The limits are $5 to $1,000. There are 15 of these tables. There is also one Single Deck Blackjack table that pays 6-5 on a natural with limits of $5 to $500. One $3 to $200 shoe blackjack game exists. This game also does not allow a double down after splitting. Single Deck Super Fun 21 with $5 to $500 limits may be found in the pit, too.
There are four craps tables with $5-$1,000 limits. The tables only allow double odds. Players looking for higher odds limits may walk over to Main Street Station where 20 times odds are available.
There is a roulette wheel with two zeros that offer $5-$100 limits. Let it Ride, Three Card Poker, and Texas Hold’em Bonus have $5-$200 limits available. A single Pai Gow Poker table with $10-$500 betting is also located in the pit.
California is rare in that it has few slot machines. Most of the machines available are video poker. A vast majority of these devices operate on coins. Even more unusual is that the most popular game at California does not even accept bills. It is a full pay Jacks or Better game that only accepts quarters. A change attendant is always available in the parts of the casino where these machines are placed. These may be found on both floors of the casino.
Another popular coin operated game is Treasure Chest Poker. This is an 8/5 Bonus Poker game where players can choose a pot of gold when making four of a kind on a max bet.
California uses the Boyd Gaming BConnected player’s club. Players may login to bconnectedonline.com to view the latest offers at all Boyd gaming properties across the country.
Hotel at California
There are 781 hotel rooms at California. Most are deluxe rooms with one king for two queens. Rates start at $33 on weeknights and $60-$100 on weekends. A handful of suites are offered by California. These are often reserved for high rollers. Guests may be able to score one of these during off peak times.
Dining at California
California has six restaurants. The Redwood Bar & Grill is the highest end restaurant on the property. It is only open for dinner. It has a variety of steaks and seafood. All dishes are a la carte. The $24 T-bone steak is always offered as a daily special.
Pasta Pirate is another dinner-only option. It is an affordable Italian restaurant. In addition to pasta dishes, a handful of steak and seafood menu items are offered.
The California’s only 24-hour dining option is the café. The $5.95 all you can eat salad bar is popular among guests. There is a great lunch menu with items starting at just $9 and a $9.99 dinner prime rib special. Other dining options include Aloha Specialties that spreads popular island fare, a sandwich shop called California Club, and Lappert’s Ice Cream Shop.
The California does not have a buffet. Main Street Station is connected to the property and spreads one of the most popular budget buffets in Las Vegas. There is also a brewery and grill at the sister property.
Bars at California
There are two video poker bars located on the lower level. A bar may also be found in the sports book upstairs. This book is operated by Boyd Gaming. One of the highlights for this book is that dime lines may be found here for baseball.
Location
California is located on a block in downtown Las Vegas surrounded by Main Street, 1st Street, Ogden, and Stewart. Valet and the parking deck are located off 1st Street. Parking is $5 but the casino will validate it if gambling or dining on the property.
Features at California
California does not offer much in the way of non-gaming features. There are a few shops located on the second floor along the walkway to Main Street Station. This includes an arcade for the kids.