Northern California has one of the most interesting poker ecosystems in the country — and almost no dedicated journalism covering it.

The Bay Area alone has a half-dozen serious card rooms within an hour's drive of each other: California Grand in Pacheco, Bay 101 in San Jose, Lucky Chances in Colma, Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno, Oaks Card Club in Emeryville. Head up I-80 and you hit Capitol Casino in downtown Sacramento. Each room has its own character, its own regular player base, its own promotions, and its own calendar of events.

But if you want to find out what's happening — which tournament series is running right now, which bad beat jackpot is close to a record, whether a room has changed its hours or added a new game — you're typically piecing it together from Reddit threads, PokerAtlas listings, and Facebook groups that go weeks without an update.

We're here to fix that.

What NorCal Casino News Is

We're building the editorial home for NorCal poker coverage. That means:

Card room reviews — Honest, opinionated assessments of every significant room in Northern California. Not press releases, not sponsored content. Real coverage based on spending time at the tables.

Tournament schedule — A current, maintained calendar of upcoming series and events across the region, from the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star to local dailies.

Promotions tracker — A running log of current jackpots, high hand bonuses, and player promotions across the major rooms. The kind of information that used to require calling every room individually.

Player guides — Evergreen content to help you find the right room for your game. Where to play if you're new to NorCal. Where the best bad beat jackpots are. What to expect if you're sitting down at a California card room for the first time.

News — Whenever something worth knowing happens in the local gaming scene, we'll cover it. New rooms, staffing changes, rule updates, tournament results, milestones.

What We're Not

We're not affiliated with any casino or card room. We don't accept payment for favorable coverage. We won't publish sponsored content disguised as editorial. If a room is great, we'll say so. If a room has problems, we'll note those too.

The goal is to be the publication that serious NorCal poker players actually find useful — not a brochure dressed up as journalism.

Start Here

If you're new to the site, the best places to start:

• Best Poker Rooms in Northern California — Our full rankings and breakdown
• California Grand Casino Review — Start with the best room in the East Bay
• 2026 Tournament Schedule — What's coming up this year

We're just getting started. More reviews, more guides, more coverage coming soon.