Hey guys,

I was able to head to Pechanga Monday. I had visited the place just once previously, and that was a few years back, so I thought I'd report on a few things.

First, for those who are going to visit Cherokee (NC), Pechanga is quite similar in design to what Cherokee looked like prior to the Cherokee expansion. Cherokee now has more casino floor space and better food options, in my opinion, than Pechanga.

I was surprised by Pechanga's video poker inventory, as there was 9/6 Jacks or Better and 8/5 Bonus, plus deuces returning over 99%. I encountered the same "sticky buttons" I also found in Cherokee. Very weird -- the places are quite spiffy and sparkling with newer machines, but the buttons on many machines do not respond cleanly. A big "hmmmmmmmmm."

The Pechanga poker room was impressive. Bigger than the poker room at Caesars in LV, I think. I was really surprised. Most days there are two low-cost tournaments, one at 10 AM, the other at 7 PM.

The only place I ate was in the food court, so nothing really to report. The upcoming shows, Boz Skaggs, Moody Blues, and the like, are priced at least double what one would pay in LV, which suggests a high percentage of comped tickets