Costa Rica Casinos Guide

By Brandon Dane

For all-night action, the casinos in Costa Rica win hands down. The Northeastern Quadrant of San Jose boasts the greatest concentration of Costa Rican casinos

Lots of bars and nightclubs too....

And though San Joses gaming scene may not rival the mega-casinos of Las Vegas or Atlantic City, the basic differences in certain games -- and most certainly in the ambiance of each casino -- give Costa Ricas version of "Sin City" a flavor all its own.


(That was how the article originally began before I got together with The Editor to discuss what he wanted. The rest went something like this:)

The Tropical at Hotel Morazon

6:00 PM: I met The Editor for a beer and to discuss this article

We had a couple of beers. Then we had a few more.

I thought I had it in the bag and that we might as well close the deal right there. But when he started talking about listing the limits, the special games at some places, and even more nitpicking details than a NASA checklist for a space shuttle launch, I knew that I had a whole nights work ahead of me.


6:30 PM: The Editor staggered out the door, and I started about the business of meandering my way through the Tropical and making notes. Let me say this: Costa Ricans (Ticos) are always suspicious of other Ticos.


Now, I am not Tico. I am, however, a North American of Latino descent. Which at times is a help, and at other times, like this night, a hindrance.


Because when one Tico sees, what he believes to be, another Tico pulling out a notebook and writing things down, he immediately gets suspicious and starts asking questions.


At this point, I must point out that there is no Gaming Commission here. Nobody to whom you can complain. The owners, managers, and pit bosses make and enforce, or don’t enforce the rules. (The gambling statute dates back to the Twenties, for cryin’ out loud — what does that tell you?) So the games are not regulated and observed by government authorities as they are in Vegas, Atlantic City and major gambling towns.


"What are you doing?" asked the Pit Boss at the Tropical

Which explains why in a matter of minutes, the pit boss looks at me and asks: "Sir, what are you doing?" I told him I was writing a story and that it would look favorably on them.


"I hope so," he said

"Who did you get authorization from?"

Now, this conversation had been in English all the way, because I refuse to speak Spanish (even though I am fluent) when accosted by some Tico who has been given one ounce of power and has let it go to his head -- anybody, anywhere, in charge of anything.




At that point, I flew a little off of the handle and said: "Look, you little rainforest reject, are you saying that I should talk to Luis?"


With this, he got real quiet and simply said: "I just need authorization

Until then, please leave."

So, just like that, I got tossed from Tropical. It be’s that way sometimes.


The Bottom Line

At this point, I am sure you are asking: Well, should I gamble there or not?

Yes, I do.


The tables have been empty this all week, with more people at the bar than gambling. The Tropical is trying to rival Hotel del Rey up the street, which will take a long time to do. But, you got plenty of good-looking Dominican and Colombian babes ripping around the bar looking for a score. (And since most of the clientele is North American, they have a lot of customers.)

Games Ticos Play

The local games are Rommy, Tute, Roulette and slots. Rommy looks like Blackjack, but a natural 21 pays even money rather than 1.5-1; however, you get 3-1 for three of a kind or a 3-card straight flush.


Tute is Caribbean Poker. Roulette is often played with a Keno-style wire cage full of balls rather than a real wheel.


And slots. As Nick the Greek said in the Twenties, "The only way to get money out of a slot machine is with a screwdriver." Here, even that won’t work. Remember, they can set the machine’s payoff to any percentage; there is no minimum as in the States.)

My favorite card game is Caribbean Poker, or Tute as it is called here. It’s a version of 5-card Stud Poker, each player out to beat dealer instead of each other. Once in the Hotel del Rey, I drew four of a kind twice in one day -- which is about like Jesus feeding the multitudes with seven loaves and a few fishes. My point being that I turned $30 US into $600 US in literally two hands of cards.


I am a hardcore Craps player. Craps gives the best odds here. And you can bet double odds on the PASS/DON’T PASS and the COME/DON’T COME lines.


The Editor had commented that the Tropical looked like a "sawdust joint" from Vegas in the early Eighties. I would have agreed with him if I had been to Vegas in the early Eighties, but since I was about ten years old then, this was not an option.

It is dark, the floor is brown, and the service on the brown floor and at the bar is mediocre at best. The amenities that you can get: who knows? (I got tossed before I could find out!)

But like most gambling joints, they do practice Benny Binion’s policy of giving free booze to the players at the Golden Horseshoe in downtown Vegas. ("First we get ‘em drunk, then we get their money," as Binion used to say.)

Real Blackjack!

The Tropical is one of the few places offering Vegas-style Blackjack. But they force you to play in dollars rather than colones.


The limits on most of the games -- since I got kicked out for taking notes about this -- are $5-$500. Right now they offer $1 games in the afternoons. The only outstanding thing about the Tropical is that the games are played Vegas Style, so Blackjack is Blackjack rather than Rommy.


Limits: $5-$500

Other Games: real Blackjack, Sportsbook

Holiday Inn Aurola Casino — 6:51 PM

A loser?s paradise, this place sucks more every time I go there. After a five-minute walk the Tropical, I rode up the special elevator to the 17th floor with with the armed guard..


Empty, empty, empty. Yeah, it’s got a Craps table (nobody was playing) and a Roulette wheel, a few card tables and slots

But other than that, the Aurola is pretty lame.

There were no limits posted on any of the tables, and only one of the card tables was full. I did not see bocas (appetizers), but the girl was bringing around drinks and cigarettes. (They have a buffet for players on Friday and Saturday nights.) Then I left, escorted back into the shuttle elevator by the armed guard. Pura Vida!

Limits: Not posted (by this time, I was definitely not asking questions or taking notes)

Other Games: Craps

Radisson Hotel: The Europa — 7:22 PM

A quick taxi ride north of town, the Europa is the haven for upper class Tico gamblers. And since this country is an oligarchy rather than a democracy (you heard it here first), there is plenty of money floating around.


The Europa is one of the top gambling spots in town. Two floors of card tables and slots, a Craps table, and poker/radisson.php">poker)

They run Poker tournaments several nights a week.

The Europa is always full and the service is good, with booze and cigarettes handed out freely. There is a good buffet for the gamblers, served every night.


Other Games: Pai Gow ($10-$750), Baccarat (limits not posted), and poker.)
The Barcelo Hotel — 7:45 PM

The place is nice, very nice, but empty

Empty casinos are dens of inequity.

I saw no amenities being distributed, but I was only there for five minutes. Life is hard when you’re short on time and short on money. But I am sure that they have liquor and food and cigarettes. Call it an educated guess.


Limits: Not posted

Other Games: None

Hotel del Rey — 8:20 PM

I like this place. This is where I go to play cards and ogle the gorgeous hookers that sit in The Blue Marlin Bar, a tier above the gaming tables.


There is no Craps table, my only complaint. But, food and liquor and cigarettes are distributed openly and generously. You can go in there with 10,000 colones (about $30) and stay for hours.


The most important thing to me is that I get American service there from the staff. Jeff Ruzicka, the General Manager, makes sure that everyone does. The Hotel del Rey casino is a brightly lit "party" type place, hands down the best place to gamble or just sit and drink.


Limits: $5-$500

Other Games: Sportsbook

The Jungle Casino at Hotel Balmoral — 9:10 PM

One word, pathetic.


This place is the worst. The atmosphere, dark and green, is bleak. I have never seen a boca served or a drink handed out or cigarettes passed around. It’s a basic casino with nothing more than a few card tables and a Roulette wheel.


Limits: who cares?

Special Games: see how fast you can hit the door

(The Editor: The Jungle Casino closed its doors a week after Brandon's review was published here.)

Gran Hotel Costa Rica— 9:11 PM
The Gran Hotel is always full, with a mostly middle class Tico clientele. It’s a typical casino with a Pai Gow table for the Tico-Asian constituency, but no Craps table for the tax-paying, white citizens.


The place is too cramped for my style, so I am rarely in there. But the service at the tables is fair

Limits: $5-$400

(The Editor: This casino came under new management after this review was written. The downstairs sportsbook has already been eliminated, and they added lots of slots and a few decent quarter poker machines that take dollars.)

Hotel Royal Dutch — 9:19 PM

The last stop before the long haul. The Dutch caters only to Ticos, of whatever class. As a result, it is always crowded when I am in there and I feel as if everyone around me is gambling with their last 5,000 colones trying to spin up the rent money.

Bleak. However, drinks come around pretty freely as do cigarettes and the Dutch has a good buffet for its gamblers.


Limits: $5-$500

Other Games: Pai Gow

The Club Colonial — 9:59 PM

This place is a stand alone casino with everything but a card room and Baccarat. It is almost as big as The Europa. The entire first floor is tables and slots and a Craps table.


The second floor is the sportsbook, with its own bar and TVs for watching the games. The limits, however, are pretty weak for a casino that claims to be the ultimate in the city. (It is the coolest, though, and has a more elegant atmosphere than most places

Fancy restaurant with piano and a classy bar too.)

I got involved in a heated Craps game there on this night. I always do. That’s the only reason that I go there. Their Craps game is the most heavily trafficked table in the city. The service is pretty good with the bocas being delicious and varied.


Limits: $5-$200

Other Games: Craps, Pai Gow, Sportsbook

The Casino Coribici — 11:38 PM

This upscale place is near Parque Sabana on the West Side. It’s the biggest place in town, one huge floor of tables and slots. I saw a Craps table but nothing more exotic. They have a card room on the second floor, but they wouldn’t let me go up there so I don’t know.


I saw the cigarettes and the drinks going around freely, but I did not see a buffet or bocas. However, I would wager that they do. Also, the limits are pathetic. (It seems to be a very business-oriented hotel.)

Limits: $5-$100

Other Games: Craps, Poker (Hold Em, Stud, tournaments)