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24 reviews for Hollywood Park Casino
It's in the ghetto...the valet is a rip off and the parking lot doesn't inspire confidence. The food is AWFUL (both Commerce and Hustler have fairly decent food) and most of the dealers aren't great. But now that I'm on the West side, the hike to Commerce is just too much! I'm dedicating myself to online play...save gas, save money on the rake, and no chance of a car jacking.
*oh..I also once sat next to a drunk cholo who was actually playing awful techno music from his phone's speaker..he also wanted to find me and two other guys at the table and actually ripped his t-shirt off at one point and was topless...he got a warning.
no offense but this place sucks...from goin to atlantic city and vegas...this seems just like a hell hole...ive never been to a casino where the dealer begs me to sit and play...
honestly if ur beggin customers to play then u def. know ur casino sucks...i wouldnt be surprised if this place got knock down and built for a mini mall or somethin
Pretty ghetto area inglewood. Commerce is a lot nicer. The food sucks too. Save your money and go to Vegas
SO BAD ITS GOOD
This place is so run down and nasty it reminds me of some of the decaying post colonial hotels I stayed at in Uganda (near the border with the Congo while gorilla trekking). the empty prison style guard towers in the parking lot are a nice touch.
PINKs lovers (I see you waiting for 2 hours in line in Hollywood) know that there's a Pinks with NO LINE here at the casino.
I dont like to gamble - So I will leavet that type of reviewer to others.
I went here for the "Spirit of Dance" festival. $20 for a day of workshops is a great deal. I could only do half a day, but it was still a bargain at $5 a class.
The Afro Cuban Rumba/Guaguanco class by Pedro "El Muñeco" was incredible. I wish I could take more classes form that guy. He was one of the rare teachers that are excelent at teaching technique as well as the spirit of the dance.
THe next class was mens salsa styling. Taught by a couple knuckleheads. mostly waste of time.
THen Tango class by Claudio & Elizabeth. They are great dancers. But I would not recommend them to beginners. THey moved waaaay too fast, and it was very frustrating. I got a headache trying to keep up and ended leaving early. Sometimes less is more.
Over all I had a great time, just from the one class from Pedro "El Muñeco" - plus the venue was bizarro good fun.
Yeah this place is not too bad for a casino in Los Angeles. A couple of friends and I like to travel to this place to play some 21 when we don't have the energy or the time to drive to Vegas. Yeah, but this place does not compare to Vegas of coarse; but what does. The drink service is a little lacking and the waitresses are not that pretty. But what do expect, like I said the casino is in Los Angeles.
When I go here I usually dress up in some type of disguise in case I see someone I know and I always have my mace ready when I walk from the parking lot to the entrance (valet parking is like 4 bucks). It's a little ghetto and you're playing with a bunch of drunk guys looking to hook up with low budget asian bar girls that hang out at the casino. There's also someone that plays at the poker tournaments that I could swear is a guy but he's missing an Adam's apple so I'm really not sure. Whatever he she shim is, seems to attract all the old fat married men in truckers hats.
I had the "brilliant idea" of dragging my babe with me to check out bingo at the Hollywood Park Casino. I've played before in Vegas and had a lot of fun so I decided to introduce my babe to the world of bingo. The bingo hall is very long and has a great view of the racetrack.
Being the novice that we were, it was a little overwhelming since many of the bingo players had brought multiple daubers in a variety of colors. For those without bingo knowledge, a dauber is the thing that you use to ink your bingo card.
I must admit that we weren't prepared for the speed of the bingo game and the level of difficulty as some games were won by weird rules such as getting four numbers in a square block in the corner of the bingo card or getting nine blocks together in four bingo cards with odd numbers as wild numbers....whatever happened to just winning going up/down or straight across????
I started playing two full sheets....each sheet has 6 bingo cards....but was soon reduced to playing just one sheet. The games were moving so fast that if you weren't too engrossed in daubing your numbers correctly you could easily miss the bingo that you had right in front....which is what happened to my babe....sorry dear. :(
Each game pays out $250 and $20 will buy you 2 sheets (12 bingo cards) that have 40 games so there's a total of 80 sheets which translates to 960 bingo cards = 960 chances to win!
I was truly amazed by all the diehard bingo fans who could play up to 4 sheets (24 bingo cards) at one time!
FYI - there's also a Pink's hot dog stand in the casino which we tried but the dogs weren't nearly the same as the original Pink's.
I think I'm going to stick to bingo in Vegas....South Point Casino still has the best bingo hall cause the pay outs are better and the speed/quality of the games are more to my liking. I'll be headed there in two weeks.... ;)
Not one of the better casinos in the Los Angeles area. The level of play here is horrible. The quality of the dealers aren't that much better. I've won money here, but it wasn't worth the agony suffered.
The tournaments held here are really badly structured and ran even worse. The dealers don't seem to pay attention to when the blinds are raised nor do they pay attention to what the players are betting.
I'm not sure why I'm not giving this place a 1 star. Maybe it's because they have a decent Pink's hot dog stand there? Probably.
Welcome to IngleVegas, baby.
Oh how I miss playing at the Bike or Commerce. Oh, how I shudder at the prospect of driving there. There you have it, the single and only reason people go to HPC, it's too far to go anywhere else.
The food is dodgy, except for the Pink's Hotdogs, mind you. And, well, they do run a respectable poker room. I guess you can't blame them for the clientelle. The noon tournaments are worth the price of admission just to take a seat, look around and think to yourself, "Oh my G-d, I really do have it good". These are the people your high school guidance counselor showed you pictures of to convince you to go to college, junior college, hell, DeVry.
But that's why I love it. You get to interact with unedited humanity, pure Los Angeles cultural heterogeneity. And hopefully extract a hard earned buck or two from them in the process.
Check it out soon. Eat first.
DM
On a whim, a friend and I decided to stop by. I've always seen the sign off the freeway and was mildly curious. FYI - It's not even near the freeway, but right next to the Forum.
The place was a sausage fest, and it seemed like all eyes were on us. We were approached and whistled at, given the elevator eyes...c'mon y'all! Can't a girl play a little three-card poker in peace?!
I was thoroughly confused as to why my dealer kept telling me to put in $0.50... was this for a progressive? And why is the guy next to me betting a bonus on my Caribbean Stud hand? None of this was explained, and there were no signs. Later I realized that you had to pay to play.
One more thing. A new dealer came and had to be instructed step by step on what to do. This wouldn't bother me too much on a difficult game. However, it was Casino War. WAR!!! Give me one card!!! UGH.
I had a blast here, coming out for one of the Blackjack Parties I heard about on AM570. I won some Dodger tickets, and even won a couple bucks at the Blackjack tables. After the party was over, I headed over to play some poker. Some of the players are extremely loose (for you non-poker players out there, that means they play any cards) and I was able to exploit that and make some good money. Overall, I had a good time, and even enjoyed the food they served me at my table. Good times, and I'm sure I'll be coming back more often.
I had spent the night at a friend's in Brentwood and the next day we decided to hit up the morning tournament. Don't be fooled by their $30 tournaments... it ends up being well over $100 and not even a real tournament but rather whoever has the biggest wallet wins game. I wasn't really familiar with their rules because I used to play in Vegas and San Diego and nowhere have I seen the atrocities of amateur poker as I did at HPC.
The concept of tournament poker is to eliminate other players, and maybe with one rebuy the player has a chance to come back at a fair position and price but here... every 5 seconds... "ribeye! ribeye!"... most of these people can't even say "rebuy" but rather "ribeye"... at first I was like WTF you get a ribeye steak if you lose? that's awesome! But rather a chip boy comes and gives you more chips depending on how much you ribeye. Put it this way... the statistics display showed there were 110 players... and 470 rebuys... that averages over 4 rebuys per player and I didn't even once ribeye. So imagine... you go all in and you lose. Fear not, you can ribeye. You go all in again, lose, ribeye... It's a vicious cycle and no matter how many people I knocked out... ribeye. This whole unlimited ribeye concept really ruined the tournament and never again will I play here.
Their only bright side: Pinks hotdogs for $3 and $1 tacos.
I play alot of tournaments there ... I mean alot. The nightly tournaments at 7:15 PM are great (Monday/Wednesday $75 with 1 Optional $60 Rebuy)(Tuesday/Thursday $35 with Unlimitd $20 Rebuys for the first hour) and have plenty of donkeys. First prize is usually between $2500 - $4500 with 80 - 100 players (tournament usually lasts until a little after midnight).
Every day they also have a smaller tournament at 11:30 am. Go check it out, you can get food ordered at the tables while you play, and you can't beat a chocolate milkshake for a $1.50. O yeah, they also have a billion cash game tables for you ballas. It's Inglewood, a little sketch, but plenty of security to keep you safe.
I went there last night, for an event on the fifth floor.. They have stepping classes up there. If you don't know what stepping is, picture R. Kelly's video for Step In The Name of Love.. if you still don't know, you probably wouldn't care anyway. But it was a nice place overall.. It is the place to go to play Poker.. but nothing else.. I would have loved to play some Craps, but to no avail.
It is pretty damn low budget.
Just like I'm not real impressed by this review, I wasn't real impressed with Hollywood Park Casino, either..
Now that Commerce Casino has horseracing there is pretty much no reason to ever go to HPC. Commerce is the place to play poker in LA and the draw for HPC was that they were the only card casino in LA which had horseracing inside the casino. I hadn't played at HPC in a few years and went back because they had a tournament on Saturday's I wanted to play in. I inquired about getting a replacement rewards card because after the tournament I decided I was going to play the cash games and they wanted to charge me for another card - I believe it was $4.00. I decided to pass on the card and go play somewhere else. I don't know if the other clubs in LA do this also but in Vegas they are more than happy to give you replacement cards at any time.
After getting two flushes on the river, I decided to pull out of the $1/$2 cash game a dollar above the buy-in and walk around. People around here called it "The Park," as in, "I'm at the Park, whereyouat?" and it seemed somewhat appropriate to me. We really lack only two things in Los Angeles: decent public transportation and a centrally located park that unifies the city; The Park might as well be the stand-in for the latter.
The hold-em games I played here had differing vibes that varied from table to table. The first I was at was completely aggro; lots of big chip players pushing each other around, and occasionally the dealer, around. The second time was nice and laid-back and friendly; the kind of place where you'll play for a couple of hours and when you get up to cash out, feel like you made a few friends.
I don't go here very often because I only end up playing here if I get a chance to play during day light hours. I just don't dig on the idea of driving through Compton after dark. Unlike more of the other area casinos, this one is quite a hike from the nearest freeway on ramp.
I might come by on a Sunday afternoon more often, there was plenty of guys there, who were paying more attention to what horse they were playing than the hand they were playing. This led to lots of calling down and big pots being won by hands that were strong, but not as strong as the pot size would indicate.
One other reason the pots might be big is that the blind structure at the $2/4 game I was playing was $1-$1-$2 with the first small blind being on the button. Now two people were in for half a bet, so it lead to more action.
The card room was very nice and clean. Though the floor staff was a bit weak, as were some of the dealers. The guy running the board was a bit of an asshat. It didn't help that I was waiting over an hour for a table when there was a seat open and he wouldn't verify it with the board, he just dicked around with the other crap going on.
I'll probably go back, the play was weaker then most, I just don't feel like wasting a nice sunny day inside of a card room.
The other big down point, $4 rank ($3 house $1 jackpot) if it wasn't for the mostly big pots that would have sucked.
Decent card room. I've been a patron for years so I might ignore alot of the things that would turn others off from this place. To summarize, it is in a seedy neighborhood, you definitely don't feel comfortable going too late but they do have all the games here and its possible to win money as the rake isn't too bad.
I've been here a few times and had to wait awhile to get into a game which blows. That said its alot more fun to play poker in person than online.
Haha I like the price range button... I guess that depends on how much you like to bet.
I wouldn't send my worst enemy to this place. Its a sh*t hole and I'm being nice about it. The food sucks, the service is slow, and its overpriced for what you get. 90% of the dealers don't speak English let alone know how to play or run the game. They don't control their tables, don't discipline the players and overall, don't care (especially Paul, the floorman - what a DOUCHE BAG). There is always someone asking you for money, someone trying to sell you something, or someone getting into a fight.
I've been numerous times, over many years, simply because it was close. But I've seen the light in the last few years, and I'd rather drive the extra 10-15 minutes to get to Hustler or Commerce.
There are a couple of bright lights @ HP, though, to be totally fair:
Billy, Gene and Rick are the best FLOORMEN around!
LaGuardia (yes, that's his real name) and Patrick are the best DEALERS around!
And of course...the Pinks Hot Dog Stand!
Good cheap fun.
I've gone here once, a month ago, and would be willing to go again sometime in the future. My boyfriend and I came here for their Saturday poker tourney. We wanted to check out how our skills faired. But, like the novices that we are, we got scared with the $100 buy-in and sat on a $40 table.
At first, it's overwhelming. It's located in Inglewood, not too far from our comfortable Manhattan, but still "on the other side of the freeway." We were unfamiliar with the parking, nor are you clearly directed either. But, we found a spot closest to the entrance, or you can opt for valet.
Once you enter the four walls, head left to a whiteboard wall where people are scribbling initials. Check out the game you'd like to participate in and yell it to one of the nice ladies to jot your name down. When there's an opening, they will call you name and you will be directed to your seat. You can go the cashier for chips or place your money on the table. Someone will come around to change it for you.
We were there for a total of two hours and only lost $2. Yup, two dollars on a no-limit table. So, overall, I considered it good, cheap fun. -- stars given under category, not food
Why can't we give negative star ratings? I mean, if ever a place deerves it, this place does. A friend and I decided we'd check out Hollywod Park last Saturday and after seeing how totally dead it is, we visited their pathetic excuse for a casino.
I guess if you have some sort of gambling addiction and you just have to play cards for real money no matter how much the odds are stacked against you, this place will fit the bill. But if you want a little entertainment and a fair chance to hold on to your money or perhaps even win a buck or two, don't even think about coming here.
We sat at some game they pawn off as blackjack. For each hand you have to contribute $1 to the city or the State or whatever. The minimum on a Saturday afternoon was $10 and there are evidently a million little sucker bet side wagers you can make in addition to your regular bet. The dealers are faceless, robotic drones who make no effort to engage the players or help them feel welcome.
The whole place is one giant cavern of the poorest excuse for gaming I have ever seen. Of course there are a bunch of people trying to be the next world champion of poker and half of them look like they are betting the last few dollars of their paychecks. Very sad.
There is no vibe, no music, no personality, no action, no eye candy and most of all, no fun. Win, lose or draw, this place should be avoided at all costs.
And another thing ... how in the hell do they get away with having something like this in California when gambling isn't supposed to be legal? What a joke, right? Somehow they justify having a "casino" in LA that isn't even on indian land and they say it isn't like "real gambling" because these games actually take skill. Boy, there's a load for you. The only skill required to play anything in this place is the ability to tell one chip color from another. A monkey could play these games and do at least as well as most of the poor sots I saw coming out of there.
Full blown gambling might as well be legalized so we can at least have a real casino to enjoy instead of places like this wretched hole.
I haven't played much on the tables since I got to LA. In a sick way, I appreciate them here. Driving down the 405, I thought it was right off the highway. It surprised me a bit when it wasn't and really was 3 miles into Inglewood.
Outside the building is flat out shady. An entrance is right off Centrury Blvd. Inside the casino is well lit and organized.
I just read Dorron M.'s review. It's so true...hahaha.
If you're decent at poker, you'd need to have horrid luck to lose.
For you poker geeks out there....2/3 NL Holdem cash games for 100 bucks tops. I see alot of raises 3-4x bb. Not bad, though you get pot committed fast.
If you play poker this is a good place. if you play anything else it isn't. The most annoying thing is that they charge you a dollar on average just to play a hand. So even if you win you still lose your dollar, if you lose you just lost an extra dollar. They also have odds that are even more in the houses favor than usual, especially on the Pai Gau tables. They don't have any: slots, roulette tables, or craps tables. In short go to Vegas instead or probably any of the other casinos in the area would be better.
what can you say? it's the Mos Eisley of LA. "you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... we must be cautious." thankfully, Luck had my back and after several good rakes, i fancied myself a Jedi, casually lopping off the limbs of whoever got in my way.
i did, however, make the mistake of ordering food; i was starved. never again. but dried out chicken kabobs seemed like a small price to pay for flopping broadway on my last hand. nice.
