Golden West Casino - Bakersfield, California

John Haberkern

Came in with a friend just to get some lunch. We checked and they said food is served 24 hours a day. I’m not a gambler, but there were a lot of gamblers present on this day.

On their special menu, they had a Cobb salad special. I ordered that.
The salad was exceptionally delicious, and I would certainly order it again.
My friend ordered their Caesar salad, and he said it was very good.
Our waitress did an exceptional job of keeping our iced teas full and answering our questions. We will be back again very soon.

Josh Nance

The food here is amazing. They have a few delicious meals. Staff is friendly too.

James Dollarhide

I love Golden West , also known as the card room . I love the vibe and the beautiful epicly hot Asian dealers ?, blackjack is my favorite table game and reasonable 5$ chip bets so you can really come up just remember quit when your ahead lady's are beautiful but better you leave with your money then leaving there for them . I also love the techno music blasting in back room and they have great food open 24 hours day so get some rest before heading to card room on union accross from starliter motel . Jim Dollarhide

Lori Smith

We stayed here over night in our travel trailer. Plenty of room in the back to park. Casino staff and security guards were very friendly. Security guard was very helpfull in getting us set up to stay over night. They offer 24hr security which was nice to know we'd be taken care of over night. Security guard in the morning was very friendly and helpful with getting us out of the parking lot. Make sure to check in with security if you're going to park overnight. FYI the kitchen is open until 3am.

Jason Grimes

I love Pai Gow and it's hardly open. I end up playing 3 card poker and have grown to not like it without 3 or more players. Very rarely there are even 2 players when I go.

Richard n Toni Silva

Loved it, just wish there were slots. Great time w my wife. Clean, employees were informative. Great experience

Alyssa

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

23% RAKE

In poker, the rake is the fee taken by the house from each pot, and it typically ranges from 2.5% to 10%. Games with a rake over 10% are generally considered difficult to beat because the fee takes too large a portion of the potential winnings, diminishing the value of skill in the long run.

Looking at Golden West's rake structure from the image, we see a highly unfavorable scenario for players. With a rake that hits 23.33% for a $30 pot, it's far above the threshold of what's considered beatable. This level of rake takes a significant slice out of any potential profit, so much so that even if a player is extremely skilled, the cost of the rake would likely erode their edge.

Why is this a problem? Well, poker profits come from being able to win more than you lose over many hands, factoring in the statistical variance inherent in the game. When the rake is too high, it acts as a handicap that's too great to overcome through skill alone. In essence, a highly skilled player may still win more hands than they lose, but the excessive rake could mean that their overall winnings are insufficient to cover the cost of playing. In Golden West's game, the structure is so steep that it doesn't just eat into profits—it devours them, leaving even the best players struggling to stay afloat financially.

Anthony J Whiteside

Some of the best food in town i eat here once a week if not more