The Bicycle Hotel & Casino
| The Bicycle Hotel & Casino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address |
888 Bicycle Casino Drive Bell Gardens, CA 90201 |
| Opening date | November 30, 1984 |
| Casino type | Land |
| Previous names | The Bicycle Casino |
| Renovated in | 2015 (Hotel Addition) |
| Website | http://www.thebike.com/ |
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino is the second largest poker cardroom in California.[1]
Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, The Bicycle Casino hosts one of country's largest poker rooms. It offers a large selection of poker games and Asian games, as well as a wide range of limits. The casino features a myriad of games including: Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha hold 'em, Mexican Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker and Baccarat (card game).
Financing to build the original Bicycle Club casino was provided by Sam Gilbert, who allegedly used money partially obtained from laundering drug money.[2] For several years during the 1990s, after being seized due to a tax lien, the casino was owned by the United States government, providing millions of dollars of revenue to the government.
The casino is home to the Legends of Poker, a tournament series established in 1995 that now includes a stop on the World Poker Tour. Prior to the Legends, the casino's main tournament series was called the Diamond Jim Brady.[3]
Live at the Bike
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino was the first brick and mortar casino to broadcast live poker games over the Internet. Live at The Bike[4] ran five nights a week, and was accessible via the casino's website. The show sometimes featured guest commentary from professional players like Barry Greenstein and Kenna James.
Live at the Bike became a subscription service in mid-2006. The live broadcast was canceled in March 2007, but returned in January 2011 on PokerNetcast.com.
Hotel Expansion
In Fall 2015, a major hotel expansion will be complete at the Bicycle Casino. The new seven-story, 117,907 square-foot complex will include live entertainment, gaming, cocktail lounge, brewery, fitness center, sundeck with an outdoor bar, and a number of places to dine.[5]
In Popular Media
The Bicycle Casino was featured in an episode of the TV series Numb3rs dealing with the murder of a successful card-counter, who coincidentally was also heavily into bicycle home repair.[6]
References
- ↑ http://www.thebike.com
- ↑ GLENN F. BUNTING and TINA GRIEGO - Miami Trial Gives Startling New Portrait of Sam Gilbert. Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1990
- ↑ http://begado.legitimatecasino.com/the-bike/
- ↑ http://www.liveatthebike.com/
- ↑ http://www.thebike.com/hotel/coming-soon
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0663215/
External links
Coordinates: 33°57′59″N 118°09′58″W / 33.966312°N 118.166148°W