Where to play a good Texas Hold'em Tournament in Sacramento

So where can one play a poker tournament in Sacramento?

Since Sacramento has about eight or nine card rooms and casinos within a 20 mile radius, the real question is where are the BEST poker tournaments in Sacramento.

The fast answer is: if you like NO re-buy tournaments, then Capitol Casino is your place; and if you love re-buy tournaments, then Casino Royale will suit your needs. Although, I must note, the Phoenix Casino came in as an honorable mention.

Okay, so the bigger question is what makes these two choices the best poker tournaments in Sacramento? I believe the measure of a good tournament comes in three parts. First, you should have a good return on your investment, which means, if you win first place you should expect to earn 20 to 25 times what you invested for your initial buy-in. Second, the game has to be consistent, which means: the rules of poker are upheld fairly and constantly, and the tournament director and the dealers must be so good at what they do as to not distract from the actual game. And lastly, the blind structure of the tournament should not be too progressive as to turn the game into an all-in gambling fest.

For both Capitol Casino and Casino Royale the turn out is very strong on a daily basis. Typically you can see from 5 to 6 ten-handed tables running per tournament. Having a strong turn-out means you definitely get your return on your investment when you win. For this reason, both casinos did very well on the first criteria: you definately get paid when you win. As for the second criteria, Capitol Casino is much more consistent when it comes to the tournament director’s ability to keep things under control, but both game rooms have respectable dealers who keep the game moving and are good about staying under the radar. And, lastly the blind structure is fairly steady with Capitol Casino, although they do skip a few levels of blinds it is not very noticeable because each round remains the same amount of time. However, the big downfall with Casino Royale is that the blind structure not only skips a few levels, but they also shorten the time of later blind levels which really changes the feeling of the game, but also ends the tournament quicker. Having said this, Casino Royale can have over 70 players per tournament with serious re-buys which makes the payout so high that it outweighs the deficiency with the blind structure problem. Bottom line, both Casino Royale and Capital Casino are great choices for tournament players.

As for the honorable mention, as I mentioned above, the Phoenix Casino is definitely an honorable mention when it comes to tournament play. The only reason it did not come in as first or second, is although they have an excellent tournament director and a strong blind structure, they just don’t have the number of players which lowers your investment return.

Here are the addresses and phone numbers of all three poker rooms:

Capitol Casino, 411 North 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-446-0700
Poker website in Sacramento

Casino Royale, 2052 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95821
916-929-7529
Poker website in Sacramento
Phoenix Casino and Lounge, 5948 Auburn Boulevard, Citrus Heights, CA 95621Phone: 916-334-4225

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To be fair to the rest of the poker rooms and casinos in the Sacramento area, and more importantly for your information, here are the address and phone numbers:

Capitol Casino
411 N 16th St
Sacramento, CA 95811
Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 446-0700

Limelight Bar & Cafe Card Room
1014 Alhambra Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95816
Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 325-1655

Lucky Derby Casino
7433 Greenback Ln
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 726-8946

Rancho's Club Casino
2740 Mills Park Dr
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 361-9186

Silver Fox Casino
6010 Stockton Blvd
Sacramento, CA 9582
No Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 399-4929

Sacramento Casino Royale
2052 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95821
Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 929-7529

Phoenix Casino
5948 Auburn Blvd
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
No Poker website in Sacramento
(916) 339-9623

Golden State Casino
5402 Lindhurst Ave
Marysville, CA 95901
No Poker website in Sacramento
(530) 749-2137

Wine Country Casino and Restaurant
1800 S Cherokee Ln
Lodi, CA 95240
Poker website in Sacramento
(530)749-2137

Casino Marysville
513 4th St
Marysville, CA 95901
Poker website in Sacramento
(530) 743-4038

Red Hawk Casino
Placerville, CA 95667
Poker website in Sacreamento
(530) 677-2580

Jackson Rancheria Casino
12222 New York Ranch Rd
Jackson, CA 95642
Poker website in Sacramento
(209) 223-1677

Feather Falls Casino
3 Alverda Dr
Oroville, CA 95966
Poker website in Sacramento
(530) 533-3885

Cache Creek Casino Resort
14455 State Highway 16
Brooks, CA 95606
Poker website in Sacramento
(530) 796-3118