Originally Posted by FlyinHawaiian
Friday nights at the casino are really busy and it can be very hard to get a seat at a table. Pretty much like Vegas on a holiday weekend. I notice a lot of college kids playing the cheap ($10) blackjack tables. Lots of slot action as well.
Getting there is a bit of a hike and the last 10 miles or so are up a windy and narrow two lane mountain road. I'd guess it to be about a 35 min drive or so from Mission Valley.
The legal age to gamble at Barona is 18 (I still get carded) unlike the 2 other casinos in the area I have been to (Pala and Pachanga) where the age is 21. You get a lot of kids that don't know what they are doing at the tables.
I prefer Pala. Limits for BJ vary from 5 dollars on weekdays to a couple of 10 dollar tables available most of the time. The casino was recently remodeled and expanded. On the lower limit tables, they use CSM, dealer hit on soft 17 and surrender is available. A good thing about both Pala and Pachanga is that there is separate enclosed non smoking gambling area.