The Palomar Card Club

When professional poker player Antonio Esfandiari plays in San Diego, he ONLY plays at The Palomar Card Club. The Palomar, Home of No Limit, is one of San Diego's smallest casinos but it hosts some of the biggest poker games in the county. Of course, it wasn't always this action-packed, with limits from $2 up to No Limit, there is something for everyone!

The Palomar opened in the early 1980s, right before the City of San Diego set out to restrict card rooms. There were over 100 card rooms in the city at the time. With the new legislation, the City included a grandfather clause, which said card rooms could only remain open for as long as the current owner is living. With a time limit on the future of the Palomar Card Club, it fell into disrepair. Then, seven years ago, Nick Salem had a vision for the Palomar.

Nick is a recreational poker player and he and his friend Tom Tram thought there was an opportunity to work with the owner and improve the business. Nick pursued this idea and convinced the Palomar's owner that there was a great opportunity ahead. Nick became the Palomar's general manager and proudly upgraded the casino, redesigning the facility and increasing the amount of card tables from three to nine. Today, at anytime of the day, the Palomar has over 100 people playing Black Jack, Pai Gow (a very popular Asian card game), Limit & No Limit Hold 'Em, Pot Limit Omaha and a mix of poker games.

Looking at the success of Palomar Card Club today, one might consider Nick Salem a genius. Nick is a straightforward business man and he states that the key to running any business is customer service. Knowing that 85% of his clients are frequent customers, the Palomar does just about everything they can to keep them happy. Along with remaining competitive and investing in marketing, the Palomar is known for always increasing its jackpots, hosting great tournaments and showcasing celebrity players such as Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Laak, Freddy Deeb and actress, Jennifer Tilly. The free valet parking and great promotions are an added bonus, but most importantly their ability to make friends with everyone who walks through the door is why almost all of their customers keep coming back.

Palomar Card Club - 2724 El Cajon Boulevard