Casino Bay 101 San Jose

A map showing Bay 101 Casino, located in San Jose at 1788 North First Street, in California, United States. Find out what's popular at Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, CA in real-time and see activity.

Bay 101 New Location

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) — Work was underway Wednesday at San Jose’s two cardrooms, Bay 101 and Casino M8trix, to prepare for outdoor operations.

At Bay 101, crews were seen erecting a large, white vinyl tent directly adjacent to the main building, to house dozens of playing tables with clear plastic partitions. Electricians spent the day wiring multiple surveillance cameras above.

At Casino M8trix, also underneath a white tent, the carpeted flooring was illuminated by chandelier lights above. The length of the tent was estimated to be at least half the length of a football field.

The State of California has issued industry-specific guidelines for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, including:

• where players touch the cards, the deck must be discarded, sanitized, or set aside for 7 days after each dealer rotation
• all chips must be washed and disinfected prior to circulation
• all chips must be replaced after each dealer rotation
• players who cannot maintain six feet apart must have barrier separation
• eating at the table is prohibited, but drinks are OK

“If there is a safe legal way for them to operate outdoors, that’s a no brainer. Absolutely,” said Raul Peralez, San Jose City Councilmember.

Because of the lockdown, San Jose has been unable to collect millions of dollars in tax revenue from the two cardrooms, and 700 employees have been laid off, according to Peralez.

“I don’t think anybody can argue that somehow that would be an essential operation that you want people to engage in. It’s not about that. It’s about the jobs, bringing back those jobs. It’s about bringing back that tax revenue for the city,” said Peralez. “And quite frankly, if it was not allowed by the state, If there wasn’t a legal, safe way to do this, we wouldn’t do it, we wouldn’t ask for it.”

Johnny Heshmati, a longtime customer, has been gambling online since the lockdown. Heshmati is looking forward to playing under the new health orders.

“I think it will add a different dynamic, right? But like everything else in the world, you know we’re we’re adapting with it,” said Heshmati. “I think it’s becoming the norm now so I don’t see it really throwing a damper on the experience or affecting things. I think you know, it’ll be just fine.”

Casino M8trix hopes to be open by the week of September 7. Bay 101 says it is pushing to pass inspections and reopen by the end of this week.

Bay 101 Casino is a card room located in San Jose, California. It’s situated near the San Francisco Bay and provides some of the best poker tournaments and Cal games in Northern California. Below, we provide detailed information about this card room in case you want to visit.

Poker Room Fact Table

Popular Card Room Events At Bay 101

There’s plenty to enjoy at Bay 101. It offers a handful of staple poker games and tournaments, plus a selection of Cal games that feature modified rules to comply with California’s gambling legislation.

Bay 101 is best known for the Shooting Star, a World Poker Tour tournament that first began in 1997 and still runs every year. It’s one of the only major bounty tournaments listed on the World Poker Tour, so it draws thousands of people.

The Shooting Star takes place every March and uses a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em format. Players get 40,000, and starting chips and buy-ins are usually around $5,000 total. Games or levels are played in 40-minute periods, with breaks in between every one or two periods. Later on during the tournament, games go up to 60 or 90 minutes and culminate in a final 90-minute level with blinds between 125,000 and 250,000.

It’s an extremely popular tournament for both poker fanatics and casual entertainment seekers. The main website updates the results of the tournament every year, and you can also watch it on TV. It’s quite popular since the prize pool is dictated by the number of entrants. The 2020 prize pool went over $1,300,000.

You can also stop by Bay 101 in August to enjoy the Open tournament. Players of all skill levels can enter this tournament and potentially win big prizes.

Poker Games

Bay 101 offers a variety of poker games. Texas Hold ‘Em, the most popular poker game in the world, is available and can be played in limits that range from $1 all the way up to $160. The card room also occasionally offers no-limit games with blinds that go all the way up to $50, along with accordingly high buy-ins.

The card room also offers Omaha High-Low Split. This is a variation of classic Hold ‘Em, although the highest and lowest hands end up splitting the overall pot. Players begin with four cards and use two of the cards with three out of the five community cards to create an ideal hand. Games feature high low splits with limits that range from $4 up to $20 in certain tournaments.

Poker Tournaments

Bay 101 Casino Opening

Beyond the other big tournaments mentioned above, Bay 101 features tons of daily tournaments and a printable calendar on the website where players can see what’s coming up next. You can register for these tournaments fairly quickly, as 90-minute windows are available each day of the tournaments. Buy-ins range from as low as $30 all the way up to $1,100 for special events.

The majority of the daily tournaments also start in the morning, usually, around 10:00 am or 11:00 am, although a few begin in the evening at around 4:00 pm. The daily tournaments pay 100 percent of the prize pool, which can be paid in cash or also in Bay 101 proprietary chips that you can exchange at the cashier’s cage.

Bay 101’s daily tournaments are popular since they provide frequent opportunities for poker enthusiasts to test their skills in competitive environments.

See our complete Guide To California Poker Tournaments.

Cal Games

Bay 101 offers a significant collection of Cal games, including:

• Fortune Pai Gow
• Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Bad Beat Bonus
• No Bust 21st Century Blackjack
• Three Card Poker
• EX Baccarat
• Pai Gow Tiles
• Casino War
• Crazy 4 Poker

Cal games are additional options at Bay 101 for those who want to venture away from traditional poker games. These games use slightly altered rules but still carry the spirit of the original games.

Like most card rooms, there only are a handful of available tables at which you can play Cal games. Most tables are reserved for traditional poker variants.

Poker Room Facility

Bay 101 is well known in part for its fantastic facility. The entire casino is spread across two floors and offers 49 card tables, with most of the daily and major tournaments taking place on the upper floor in a specific section of the casino.

The gaming floors also feature several large screen HDTVs, which showcase extra entertainment options and casino information.

Beyond the general elegance and aesthetic of the casino floor, visitors will also appreciate the excellent dining choices attached to the casino. There’s the Province, a culinary forward restaurant that specializes in Asian cuisines, and also the Satellite Bar, which offers American classics and snacks.

You can even order table-side dining at any of the gaming tables 24/7. Bay 101 also lets you grab food on-the-go by ordering it ahead of time.

Card Room History

Bay 101 actually began as an inn in 1929. In 1961, it became a club with poker tables. 1992 saw the club closed because of financial difficulties with the original owner. It wasn’t long before new owners and developers turned Bay 101 into the card room it’s known as today. It reopened in 1993 and was built for an overall cost of $15 million.

Aside from a licensing issue that December, the club has been open since. It received a provisional gaming license in 1994. In 2017, Bay 101 relocated across the freeway to be closer to the San Jose Airport Hotel. This is where most casino visitors stay for the night if they’re in town for an extended visit.

Bay 101 Card Room FAQ

Hotels Near Bay 101 Casino San Jose

Alcohol is served openly, so Bay 101 doesn’t want to risk any underage drinking on its property.

Yes. The card room does issue checks for winnings.

Best Casino In Bay Area

You can get Wi-Fi anywhere within Bay 101’s main casino area or the Province restaurant.

Is Bay 101 Open

The casino is regulated by the California Gambling Control Commission.

The casino is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.