"Sho-Ka-Wah Casino: Nestled into a small valley northeast of Hopland, the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino is the quintessential "locals" casino. While the facility doesn't have live poker, it offers 570 slot machines and nine table games. Sho-Ka-Wah is also less than five minutes from Highway 101, making it a great place to stretch your legs during a road trip.

Operated by the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, the 40,000 square-foot Sho-Ka-Wah Casino opened in Mendocino County in August 1998. On opening day, the place numbered just over 300 slot machines; since then it has added table games and expanded twice. The facility shut its bingo hall in 2008 to make way for more restaurants. On Aug. 22, it will host a classic car show.

Slot machines are the main attraction on the casino floor - 570 of them in all. New titles include Survivor, Reel Rich Devil, Kitty Glitter, Jungle Wild II and Cleopatra Keno. Oldies but goodies include Blazing 7s, Coyote Moon, Texas Tea and Tiki Torch. Denominations range from 1 cent up to $5 per spin.

The casino also features nine gaming tables, including two tables of six-deck blackjack (with $2 to $200 minimums) and four tables of single-deck blackjack. There's also one table of Mystery Card Roulette, which replaces the traditional roulette wheel with a Wheel of Fortune-style spinning wheel and 38 cards; as well as two tables of Pai Gow Mania, a seven-card game that combines elements of both pai gow and three-card poker.

Disappointingly, Sho-Ka-Wah used to spread a number of live poker games, but suspended them this spring due to lack of interest."

Get the Story:
Gaming by Matt Vilano: Sho-Ka-Wah Casino has small-town flavor (The San Francisco Chronicle 7/16)