I played in this card room Friday and Saturday when I was visiting Santa Cruz. It's a small 3-table room a block south of the downtown area. When I played on Friday and Saturday they only had one table running. I'm guessing the other tables are mostly used for tournaments. They had 4 large TVs and were happy to change the channel upon request.
The staff was friendly and put me on the wait list right away. On Friday, I waited more than an hour to get a seat -- they had just enough people to have a long wait but weren't busy enough to start a second game. That's life in a small card room sometimes. The staff were frequently playing in the game, but were still attentive to people wanted to cash out, get chips, or get on the list.
The action was pretty good both times I played -- some tight players but also a few guys willing to throw money around. Aside from me, players were mostly locals and regulars.
Dealers were friendly and I didn't see any dealer mistakes in the few hours I played.
There's no food or drink service; can't remember the last time I was in a poker room that didn't have a waitress (to tell you how small the room is). You have to go next door to get a beer which often led to one or two players being away from the table. They have a water (soda?) dispenser in the corner and I saw doughnuts and a basket of Halloween candy.
There's nothing wrong with this room per se, but it lacks amenities of typical California rooms. Stop in if you're curious to see the room but for me there are better things to do in Santa Cruz.
