Artichoke Joe's Casino at a glance
About Artichoke Joe’s Casino
Artichoke Joe’s Casino is a California-licensed card room at 659 Huntington Avenue in San Bruno, California, operated by Dennis Sammut and operating since 1916. The property runs 17 poker tables, 21 table game positions, a bar, pool, and self-parking on a 24/7 schedule. Gaming is regulated by the California Gambling Control Commission and the Bureau of Gambling Control. The property website is artichokejoes.com.
San Bruno is in San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula, immediately north of Millbrae and adjacent to San Francisco International Airport. The Huntington Avenue address sits in the peninsula’s mid-county gaming corridor, accessible from both the northern Peninsula (Daly City, South San Francisco) and the southern Peninsula market. For Bay Area poker room players, Artichoke Joe’s represents a mid-corridor option between the San Francisco city limits and the larger South Bay rooms.
Venue photo
Artichoke Joe’s Casino
San Bruno, California
Poker Room
Artichoke Joe’s Casino’s 17-table poker room spreads 7 Card Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo Split, and Texas Hold’em.
7 Card Stud is the distinguishing feature. Stud games have largely been consolidated into H.O.R.S.E. or mixed-game rotations at most California card rooms, with very few venues maintaining a standalone Stud spread on the Peninsula. Players who prefer Stud — including those who play it in H.O.R.S.E. rotation but want a dedicated game — have limited options between Colma to the north and the larger San Jose rooms to the south.
Omaha Hi-Lo Split (8-or-better) is the split-pot Omaha variant requiring a qualifying low hand of eight or lower. The combination of Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo alongside Texas Hold’em gives Artichoke Joe’s one of the more complete non-Hold’em menus of any mid-peninsula card room.
Seventeen tables supports a moderate action level around the clock, with a room small enough that individual game availability can vary by time and day.
Table Games
Artichoke Joe’s Casino spreads 21 table game positions including 21st Century Baccarat, 3 Card Poker, Cal Blackjack, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, and Pai Gow Tiles.
Cal Blackjack is a California card room adaptation of standard blackjack operated under the player-banking model. California law prohibits card rooms from banking games directly, so all games use either a rotating player banker or a licensed third-party banker. Cal Blackjack preserves standard blackjack rules within this framework, with specific rule variations at the property level.
21st Century Baccarat is a California card room version of standard baccarat designed for the player-banking model. EZ Baccarat eliminates the banker commission by pushing on a three-card banker total of seven — the dominant baccarat format in the California gaming market. Both formats run simultaneously at many rooms to serve players with different preferences for commission versus push mechanics.
Pai Gow Tiles uses a 32-piece Chinese domino set rather than playing cards. It is considered the more skilled variant by experienced players compared to Pai Gow Poker, and is available at relatively few Bay Area card rooms.
Games at Artichoke Joe's Casino
- 21st Century Baccarat
- 3 Card Poker
- Cal Blackjack
- EZ Baccarat
- Pai Gow Poker
- Pai Gow Tiles
- 7 Card Stud
- Omaha Hi-Lo Split
- Texas Hold'em
History
Artichoke Joe’s Casino has operated at 659 Huntington Avenue in San Bruno since 1916, making it one of the oldest continuously licensed card rooms in California. The property predates the modern California card room regulatory framework established under the Gambling Control Act of 1997, having operated through multiple eras of state gambling regulation and several cycles of San Mateo County gaming politics.
The 1916 founding date positions Artichoke Joe’s among a small set of California card rooms that operated through the mid-20th century era of city-licensed card rooms, when venues like those in Gardena established the model of concentrated municipal card room licensing that defined California’s approach to legal card gaming before statewide regulation took hold.
Contact
- Website
- artichokejoes.com
Location
Artichoke Joe’s Casino is at 659 Huntington Avenue in San Bruno, California, in San Mateo County. US-101 and I-280 pass through San Bruno, and the Huntington Avenue address is accessible from both the northbound and southbound Peninsula corridors. SFO is adjacent to San Bruno, making the property accessible for travelers with layovers or connections. Self-parking is available on site.
659 Huntington Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA
San Bruno, CA 94066
Open in Google MapsWhat the directory data shows
Strengths and gaps inferred from games, features, and peer count in our directory.
Strengths
5- Operating since 1916 — one of California's oldest licensed card rooms
- 7 Card Stud spread — uncommon on the San Francisco Peninsula
- 3-format poker room covering Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Hold'em
- Pool and bar on-site — unusual amenities for a California card room
- 24/7 operation in a central Peninsula location near SFO
Watch-outs
4- 17 poker tables — smaller room than major South Bay destinations
- No hotel — overnight visitors need nearby Peninsula lodging
- No sportsbook — not legal at California card rooms
- No loyalty program data in our directory
A 1916 card room with one of the Bay Area's few standalone Stud games
Artichoke Joe's Casino combines the oldest founding date of any card room on this part of the Peninsula with a poker menu that most Bay Area rooms have abandoned — 7 Card Stud alongside Omaha Hi-Lo and Hold'em is a genuinely complete offering at 17 tables. The pool and bar are atypical touches for a California card room. For Peninsula-area players who want Stud or Omaha Hi-Lo without driving to San Jose, Artichoke Joe's is the practical stop.
Licensing & Rules
- Age Requirement
- 21+
- Sportsbook
- Not legal
