After a black-tie private party, Agua Caliente Casino opened in Rancho Mirage, California at 12:01 AM on April 7. The casino is located off Interstate 10 at the Ramon Road offramp. As of 10 PM tonight, it was still SRO. Lots of machines were out of order and the floor staff appeared overmatched. All machines were coin-operated. There was a video roulette and a digital blackjack table which was supposed to read the chips to determine the bets. It wasn't working when I was there although every seat was filled and people had been playing. Lots of the usual table games for California Indian Casinos and a nice poker room. Two upscale restaurants and a 24-hour buffet (tonight's cost was $19.95 but featured full-size lobster tails on skewers and a fantastic dessert bar) as well as a Stage Deli, and two snack bar type restaurants. There is also a lounge with live music and a showroom which will open with Vegas-style acts on April 27. Wynona is the first featured performer.

The casino is owned by the Agua Caliente tribe which also owns The Spa Hotel and Casino in Palm Springs. This is the first Indian tribe to have two casinos up and running in California.

Oh yes, and for the chip collectors out there, there is a $5 Grand Opening as well as $1, $2, $5, $25 and $100 chips and $1, $5 and $10 tokens. There were reports of $3 chips but the cage said they were out. (I couldn't verify their existence) There may be some higher denominations of chips and tokens but the cage staff was unfamiliar with them.

All in all, this is the new breed of upscale California casino with a great looking entry area complete with fountains and a large gaming area with Vegas- style amenities.