"North Bay poker players are bracing themselves for the impending loss of one of their favorite spots, as River Rock Casino in Geyserville plans to close its poker room at the end of this month.

A silver lining: Between now and Jan. 30, the poker room is hosting a number of killer tournaments and promotions to give away oodles of cash originally earmarked for jackpots.

The biggest of these payouts will occur in a tournament Jan. 30. Poker Room Manager Dan Higginbotham says the tournament is open to all gamblers who have logged 10 hours of live play in the room before tournament day.

Buy-in is $30 and the top 20 finishers get paid; the winner is expected to take home about $6,000.

An expanded, no-restrictions Aces Cracked promotion is another way to take home some cash; from now until the final day, the poker room will give $100 to every player who loses with pocket aces."

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Gaming by Matt Vilano: River Rock Casino plans to close poker room (The San Francisco Chronicle 1/20)