Lucky Streak Continues at Barona

Posted in Blackjack, Slots, Table Games on January 25, 2011 by thebaronacasino

 

‘Twas the season to be lucky at Barona!  Now that the holiday decorations have been put away until next year, it’s time to celebrate Club Barona’s biggest winners of the season.  The holidays were a very lucky time at Barona for many people but they were especially lucky for three of Barona’s guests, including one who hit the biggest jackpot of the season!  And, our Loose Troop continues to patrol the casino floor in search of ways to keep those jackpots hitting!

$595,000 MARILYN MONROE JACKPOT WINNER

Christmas came early for Marilyn Monroe SlotClub Barona member Maria S. From Carlsbad, who hit a $595,000 jackpot just days before the holiday while playing the $1 Marilyn Monroe™ slot machine.  We all know that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” but in this case a jackpot was a girl’s best friend.  I think it’s safe to say that Maria is extremely  happy with her big payout.  Cheers erupted throughout the casino when she won and the entire floor was buzzing with excitement as word of her good fortune spread among the other players.  It certainly put us all in the Christmas spirit and we were all so excited to help celebrate her win!

POKER PLAYERS POCKET SHARE OF $100,000 WITH “LOSING” HAND

I know it sounds crazy, but a lucky poker player started 2011 on an exciting note by winning $41K with a “losing” poker hand and other players in the room split the rest of the jackpot.  Here’s how it happened: His four 2s were beaten by four 9s, something that’s rarely seen at a poker table.  Luckily for him, his losing hand actually won the Barona Poker Room’s $100,000 Ginormous Bad Beat Jackpot, where the second best hand loses the pot but is awarded the jackpot.  When this happened, the lucky losing player wasn’t the only winner – every player in the poker room’s jackpot game won a share.  Eighty-one players at other tables each won $200 just for playing, and six additional players at the winning table each got $3,491.  And that’s not all.  The player who won the hand with four 9s took home $20,950!  As you can imagine, it was quite a big payout day for the poker room, with lots of smiles to go around.

BLACKJACK PROGRESSIVE PAYS OUT $52,600 TO ONE LUCKY GUEST

It’s usually a big bummer when a black jack dealer beats a “20” with a seven-card “21.”  Well, that wasn’t the case for one of our recent guests who hit a $52,600 jackpot while getting beat by the dealer.  Barona’s Bad Beat Blackjack Progressive invites players to cash in on a side bet when the dealer beats their “20” with a “21.”  The bonus is paid out based on how much the player bets and the number of cards in the dealer’s hand.  Not only does the Bad Beat Blackjack Progressive reward players for getting beat by the dealer, but it also offers a better payout depending on how many cards the dealer draws to get to “21.”  In this case, when the dealer drew seven cards to reach the magic number, our lucky guest took home 100 percent of the jackpot, continuing Barona’s recent lucky streak of winners!

Come to Barona to make your own winning story!  I wish you a fantastic new year!

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More Ways to Win Playing Blackjack

Posted in Blackjack, Table Games on December 1, 2010 by thebaronacasino

By Mike Patterson

If you were to look up “true” blackjack in the dictionary, you would have to see the name Barona as a definition. That is because Barona Resort & Casino is known for offering the best blackjack game available. In addition, we are also the home of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, in which members are selected from the most famous blackjack players (their peers).

What you may not know is that we are the first casino in the nation to have a new and exciting progressive for blackjack players called the Bad Beat Blackjack Progressive. We have equipped several of our blackjack tables with a bonusing jackpot system so that our players can play this exciting addition.

Since installation, we have already had two of our players from San Diego hit it big within days of each other. Our first Barona Club member Danilo M. scored a jackpot of $53,151, becoming the first person to win this exciting new progressive. Then, Barona Club member Mark F. from Ramona won $32,060, just two days later.

What makes this progressive unique is that it rewards players for getting beat by the dealer and offers better payouts depending on how many cards the dealer draws to get 21. If the dealer draws 7 or more cards to get 21, as in Danilo and Mark’s case, the player takes home 100 percent of the jackpot.

To keep things interesting and exciting we have an additional added feature to all of our current table game progressives called the Magic Card. This feature allows anyone who is playing to win at anytime, regardless of their hand or the dealer’s hand.  The Magic Card is selected at random by the progressive system and shows up on a screen. If you have participated in the progressive and one of your first two cards is the Magic Card you win! It is that simple. The Magic Card payout is fantastic at 20 to 1.

If you haven’t had a chance to try our new Bad Beat Blackjack Progressive, give it a try and let us know what you think. We’d like to hear from you.

And, if you haven’t seen our Blackjack Hall of Fame, make sure to stop by the exhibit in the casino – any of our staff members can direct you – to check out some of the most notorious cheating devices and members of the legendary Blackjack Hall of Fame.

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A Top Chef Shares Secrets of Mexican Wedding Cookies & Barona Restaurant Month

Posted in Restaurants, Slots, Table Games with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2010 by thebaronacasino

By Executive Chef Jim Phillips

If you’ve been looking for an entirely new way to hit the jackpot at Barona Resort & Casino, September is your month. I’m excited to say that we’ll be dishing out half-off dining discounts for entrées during Barona Restaurant Month at six of our award-winning restaurants.

 

The deal is good for up to two Club Barona members who earn 500 Club Barona myPOINTS within the same calendar day or equivalent table games play. It’s as easy as swiping your Club Barona card at a kiosk and printing out a Barona Restaurant Month coupon to earn the special! This special promotional pricing is only available for guests 18 and over.

You’ll then be on your way to taking a personal tasting tour at the Barona Steakhouse, The Plaza, Sage Café, El Rancho Grande, or the Italian Cucina while taking advantage of the 50 percent off deal. And, you can’t beat Barona’s Seasons Fresh Buffet, offering all-you-can-eat dining, where you can also enjoy the Restaurant Month pricing for both lunch and dinner.

If you decide to head over to our Seasons Fresh Buffet during Restaurant Month, don’t hesitate to try our famous Mexican Wedding cookies. These melt-in-your mouth, nutty shortbread-like cookies are hand prepared daily by our chefs. They are one of the most popular desserts at the buffet where you can also enjoy dozens of other dishes from around the world.

Barona Italian Cucina

A typical sweet served at traditional Mexican weddings, hence the name, these cookies are usually served after the wedding meal as a symbol of hope for a rich and full married life. The butter and sugar symbolize the richness of love and unity while the powdered sugar is said to represent purity.  They are so delicious they are now served a round the world at other celebrations, holidays and any day.

We get many requests for the recipe for these traditional treats.  They are one of my favorites too, and with one bite, you’ll see why. We’d like to share the recipe with you so you can treat yourself to their crumbly-goodness any time:

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 lb. Whole butter
6 oz. Powdered sugar
1 lb. 5 oz. All-purpose flour
1 lb. Chopped toasted pecans
½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Preparation: Using an electric mixer, paddle the butter until soft. Add all the ingredients and mix until smooth. Form into small 1 inch balls and bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown. Do not overcook. Roll in powdered sugar. Recipe yields four dozen cookies.

I know you’ll enjoy the recipe for the Mexican Wedding cookies and you hope you’ll take advantage of the great deals during Barona’s Restaurant Month!

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Revisiting Tribal Traditions at Barona Powwow

Posted in Community, Events with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2010 by thebaronacasino

by Laurie Whitecloud, Tribal Member, Barona Band of Mission Indians

Haawka! On behalf of Barona, I am very excited to take this opportunity to share news about the 40th Annual Barona Powwow.

While many of you know Barona for our world class casino, hotel and golf course, our Tribe — the Barona Band of Mission Indians — is rooted in a history, traditions and culture of which we are very proud.

Planning the Powwow has been a project of love for me and my family, our Tribal leadership and all of the volunteers.  So, we hope you will join us this Labor Day weekend, September 3-5, to share in this history and experience unique to Native American heritage.

Powwows, or “gatherings,” have long been important to Native American Tribes across the United States and are believed to date back as far as four hundred years. It is a time for celebration when Tribal members come together to dance, sing, drum and feast.  Barona Powwow
The Barona Powwow is unique to our people and provides a special opportunity for us to connect or reconnect with fellow Tribes and all of our neighbors throughout the region.

This year marks the 40th year of the Barona Powwow. While the first Powwow on the Barona reservation was held in 1970, it is thought that the idea for our Powwow began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when a handful of Barona Tribal members belonged to a group called Pacific Coast Indian Club.  It was one of the only Powwows in Southern California and was held at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

A group of Tribal members interested in bringing a Powwow to the San Diego region approached the Barona Tribal leadership and asked if there could be a Powwow at Barona. The Tribe agreed and the first Powwow in this region was hosted at the traditional gathering grounds, which is where the Barona Cultural Center & Museum is located today. What began as a modest gathering has grown into a three-day event with over 300 dancers and 10,000 people historically in attendance.

This year is also very special as the 40th anniversary of the Barona Powwow will be memorialized with a special new exhibit at the Barona Museum & Cultural Center. It opens on September 3.  It will showcase the photos and stories of Barona Powwow’s past including highlights of the Powwow Princesses, Little Hawk dancers, the differences between southern vs. northern dance styles and the history of this Pan-Indian tradition. Everyone is invited to attend and admission to the museum is free.

If you haven’t had a chance to go to a Powwow yet, I’d strongly encourage you to come out and visit.  There is incredible beauty and pageantry on display at the Powwow and it offers an amazing look back into our nation’s history and where it’s headed. Tribal dancers of all ages will be dressed in colorful, traditional regalia featuring decoration such as bustles, buckskin, deerskin and small metallic cones.  And, they will compete for more than $60,000 in cash prizes.

In addition to the incredible dancing, you can enjoy Native American singing and drumming.  You will also find dozens of vendors selling some our favorite foods such as fry bread and Indian tacos.  The Barona people are known for their silver jewelry so turquoise, beadwork and gemstones will also be on display and for sale.

So, if you have plans to visit Barona Resort & Casino on Labor Day weekend, we hope you’ll take some time to stop by the Powwow, get to know the Barona people on a cultural level and join us in the celebration.

For dates, times and other details about the event, please click here to visit the Barona Powwow page.

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Lea Salonga performing at Barona: Celebrating San Diego’s Multicultural Fabric Through Events, Partnerships & More

Posted in Community, contest, General Barona Info with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 19, 2010 by thebaronacasino

by Maylette Garces, Executive Director of Casino Marketing

One of the most exciting parts about my job here at Barona Resort & Casino is helping to create an exciting line up of events for our VIP Club Barona members.

On August 28, Barona is thrilled to present Filipina actress and singing sensation Lea Salonga live in concert.  Only invited Club Barona members are eligible to attend this exclusive concert but we’ve saved five pairs of tickets for readers of the Barona Blog.  So, if you sign up and subscribe to the Barona Blog you have a chance to win tickets!  Please continue reading to learn how.

Many of you may be familiar with this amazing entertainer as her career has taken her across stage and screen. She is probably best known for her musical role in Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World Awards.  She also starred in the Broadway production of Les Misérables and brought the singing voices of Princess Jasmin and Mulan to life in the Disney classics Aladdin and Mulan. Her albums Lea in Love and By Heart have both gone platinum in the Phillipines. Some of her top hits include I Remember the Boy, I Don’t Love You Anymore, Even If, and Friend of Mine.

This upcoming concert has many people in the Filipino community very excited. Connecting and partnering with our local diverse community has always been a priority for us at Barona.  We also have a rich and diverse multicultural staff and believe their presence and language skills contribute to a casino and overall entertainment experience that we hope is comfortable and pleasing for all cultures.

We’ve been able to achieve wonderful community connections by offering exciting promotions and events such as the Philippine Independence Day celebration held this past July.  We owe a great deal of thanks to Asuncion ‘Shonee’ Henry and the Pasacat Philippine Performing Arts Company for their partnership. The event truly exceeded our expectations and we were pleased by how positively it was received by the community at large.
Philippine Independence Day 2010

And, just this past weekend Barona was a sponsor of Fiesta Del Sol, one of the largest Latino street festivals in the United States.  We’ve also been a sponsor of December Nights, the largest free community festival in San Diego.  And, Barona’s very own PowWow is coming up on Labor Day weekend. These are only a few examples of the many multicultural events, programs and charities Barona supports ever year.

Now…to the really fun part! Barona is giving away five pairs of tickets to the Lea Solonga concert on August 28.  Starting today, August 19 through August 25, all you need to do for a chance to win a set of tickets is subscribe to the Barona Blog. You can subscribe in the top right corner of http://blog.barona.com.  We’ll be giving one pair of tickets away every day for five days starting August 21. The earlier you subscribe, the better your chances of winning tickets!

So, please sign up for the Barona Blog today and get the latest inside scoop from Barona Resort & Casino. I hope to see you at the concert!

Blog Ticket Giveaway Rules

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Get Ready to Party Every Friday Night Through August at Barona’s Party Pit

Posted in Blackjack, contest, Events, Table Games with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 4, 2010 by thebaronacasino

By “Lil” Bill, Party Pit Master

Everyone around here calls me “Lil” Bill (my dad is also named Bill and he works here at Barona too) and if you’ve been to Barona Casino recently on a Friday night, you’ve probably seen me in the middle of Barona’s Party Pit action on the microphone giving away prizes, spinning upbeat music and pumping up the dealers and players.

For those of you not familiar with the Party Pit, it’s the place to be to win great prizes, have a great time and play your favorite table games. We have different themes each week ranging from pajama night to preppy to 70s disco night. You’ll find all the Party Pit staff dressed up in costumes that play up the theme.  Our players are also encouraged to dress up in costumes and may be rewarded with $25 in myfreeplay coupons if they do. If you sign up for Club Barona while visiting the Party Pit we’ll give you an additional $20 in myfreeplay. In case you missed our popular video about the Party Pit on YouTube, you can click on the screen below to view it.

I’ve worked at Barona Casino for nearly 16 years and being master of the Party Pit is one of my favorite jobs so far. One of the things I like best is the energy that is generated by the players and dealers. The Party Pit crowd is young, attractive and looking to have a good time. All night long we play great music and giveaway lucky charms, promo chips and free bets.

I have the lucky assignment to randomly select players to spin our prize wheel and give away up to $100 in myfreeplay. The best part is each of the winner’s fellow tablemates receive the same prize amount…so it creates a friendly and fun atmosphere at the Party Pit. We also have hilarious contests for our players to participate in such as who can eat ice cream or hot dogs the fastest on any given night. It’s just another fun way to give our players more chances to win.

And, I’ll let you in on a little secret. While you’re in the Party Pit, bring your mobile phone and follow us on Twitter @BaronaCasino to get the Party Pit Password, an exclusive passcode. Share the code with the dealers and you will have an opportunity to win double the amount on the prize wheel! Throughout the night, we also randomly select winners that reply to live stream Party Pit contests on Facebook.

I hope you’ll stop by and say “hi” at Party Pit. Here’s a list of the upcoming Party Pit themes:

  • 8/6 – Pajama Jammy Jam
  • 8/13 – Rave
  • 8/20 – Rat Pack Vegas
  • 8/27 – Endless Summer

We’re always looking for new ideas to keep it fresh and exciting, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know!

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Here’s the Magic Formula: You Can’t Win if You Don’t Play!

Posted in Blackjack, General Barona Info, Poker, Slots, Table Games with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 16, 2010 by thebaronacasino

by Mike Patterson, Vice President of Table Games

After rolling out our new table games progressive jackpots a few weeks ago at Barona Resort & Casino, the word around the casino is that players really believe it’s magic!

Already, we’ve had a number of winners including two guests that placed a wager on the dealer’s hand and split the progressive jackpot — over $296,000!  

What was the secret to their big win and the more frequent jackpots and more winners we are seeing in general at Barona? It’s all in the magic of new technology including the new side wager options Barona’s Magic Progressive offers. And, the progressive is available on so many of our table games – Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud, Mississippi Stud, three-card poker and four-card poker – there are more chances for our players to win beyond their main table bets and on a greater diversity of games. Add in the live dealer action and you’ve got one really exciting progressive game.

You might hear us talk about technology a lot at Barona. But why does it matter and what does it mean for our guests? It’s the latest gaming technology that makes this new Magic Progressive possible.

It allows us to link several different kinds of table games together so that the jackpot climbs higher, faster and increases the frequency of winning. Creating these types of opportunities for our players to enjoy more winning moments gets me excited to go to work every day!

The main reason technology is so important is that we get to provide games and experiences that no other casino is offering. Truly, they watch us and follow our lead further on down the road. So, Barona’s players get to try everything new here first. That really keeps the games at Barona fresh, exciting and exclusive.

You’ve also heard a lot about our Loose Troop and Manufacturer’s Best slot programs. No doubt these programs have made our slots the loosest in Southern California and we are proud to work with the leaders in the industry to certify our games as the luckiest around.

Additionally, from Barona’s point of view the table games and other games we provide are also “customer certified” – yes by you! Your loyal support and patronage is proof of this.

So, if you keep coming out to Barona to have fun and want to join our growing list of winners I have one tip for you: you can’t win if you don’t play!

And, I truly believe you’ll never find a better place to win than Barona.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the new Magic Progressive. Have you won a mystery prize? Have you made any side wagers? Have you bet on the dealer’s hand? Let us know how we can make your visit to Barona the best it can be.

See you at Barona soon!

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