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is mid-day on a Tuesday, and the line at Sandia Resort’s Thur Shan Buffet winds out of the restaurant and along the wall. On the casino floor, a slew of table games are in full swing. A small cluster of casino management personnel walk purposefully by, escorting a group of visiting dignitaries from Asia.
Together with neighboring casino Santa Ana Star, Sandia is the frontrunner in the New Mexico gaming boom. This commercial coup has brought in coffers of cash for the pueblos, and provided locals and nearby neighbors a closer, friendlier and cheaper alternative to Las Vegas casinos. It is all the result of new legislation that allows New Mexico casinos to offer Class 3 gaming (poker, slots, etc.)
Sandia typifies the latest trend in New Mexico casinos: Spacious, elegant and self-contained, the resort is owned and managed by the tribe (or pueblo, as it’s called here), and still retains much of its cultural integrity and local character. Its hotel and golf course both opened in the fall of 2005—the final phase of an extensive renovation that tripled the property’s square footage. It blossomed from a single tent-like building to a full-service resort with 50,000 square feet of meeting space, a 12,000 square foot spa, and a bustling 70,000 square foot casino.
The poker room is the largest in the state, with 15 tables spreading limit ($2/4 up to $10/20), no limit (min. $50 buy-in, max $200) and pot limit Texas Hold ‘em, as well as Omaha Hi-Lo ($4/8, $10/$20). Tournaments take place Tuesdays at 7PM and Sundays at noon—limited to 100 players, they have a low $35 + $5 buy-in with $300 in added prize money. The tournament schedule rotates between No Limit Hold ‘em, Limit Hold ‘em and Omaha. A large sign announce the Thursday Night Headhunter Series, a special bounty tournament held Thursday evenings throughout the fall.
On the main casino floor, 32 table games in four separate pits offer everything from craps to roulette to high-stakes blackjack. There’s a high-limit area and a non-smoking pit. In addition, the casino has live keno and a busy bingo room.
Instead of building a hotel onto the property, the Santa Ana Star simply shares customers and resources with the Hyatt Tamaya, a luxurious resort and spa located on the same pueblo. Any Santa Ana Star development dollars are used to expand and improve upon the casino facilities. A new poker room, multi-story parking garage and high limit area are among the projects currently in progress.
The casino’s existing 9-table poker room bills itself as the “friendliest table” in the state—and this is more than just a catchy slogan. The management has literally built its games and tourney schedules around its players’ needs. There are daily No Limit Hold ‘em tourneys, and Monday-Friday’s $12 buy in (plus $3 fee) events are mostly just for beginners to practice their live play. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, there are $30 buy in tournaments; and also on Sundays (at 11AM) there’s a $17 + $3 Omaha High/Low tournament. The dealers also spread $2/4 and $4/8 limit, and $6/12 no limit.
“In the last four or five years, poker has really skyrocketed. We’ve seen the results like everyone else,” says Edie Suniga, poker room manager. “There are a lot of new players wanting to play tournaments. They learn online, and want the no limit tourneys they see on TV.” This is exactly what the Santa Ana Star offers. It also just started up twice-weekly classes on how to play poker and how to deal.
The rest of the casino is equally player-friendly, and just as casual. Penny slots are by far the most popular attraction—particularly the progressives. There are 30 additional table games: Let it Ride, Pai Gow, roulette and blackjack. The single $2 blackjack table is always packed.
Santa Ana Star's random promotions are a main draw--in fact, they've won industry awards. They operate in a “dealer’s choice” setup. Nothing’s posted, but throughout the day, the pit boss will stroll the casino, tapping certain dealers to offer one-time promos of their choice to whomever happens to be playing at the time. This might be anything from 3-to-1 suited blackjacks to an extra bet on the house for Pai Gow, or perhaps no-loser roulette. These unheralded, unexpected little luck-bombs help reinforce the players-first feeling that regulars love.
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