New Bay 101 Casino kicks off

Rich Alvari, the casino’s director of sales, marketing and special events, said he was very proud of the finished project and added, “The lighting, the open space, the rich wood. The idea was to have a comfortable space — not the glitzy Las Vegas feel.”

The new Bay 101 is also home to The Province, a hip Asian fusion restaurant from the owners of three upscale Santana Row eateries: Sino, Straits and Roots & Rye. The restaurant isn’t open yet, but the casino will have its grand opening at 1:01 p.m. Friday.

The longtime San Jose card room, originally founded in 1929 as Sutter’s in the Alviso neighborhood, rebranded in 1994 as Bay 101 when it moved to Bering Drive. The card room was forced to move after its lease on the Bering Drive building was set to expire in November. The land owners, realty group Peery-Arrillaga, revealed plans to develop a business park there.

Bay 101 owners, Brian Bumb and his family, now own their new 16-acre site across the highway. It’s just down the street from competitor Casino M8trix, San Jose’s only other card room, which opened in 2012 as the $50 million reinvention of the old Garden City Casino card room that was located on Saratoga Avenue.

Unlike Bay 101 which has a modern casual look, the 165-foot M8trix tower invokes Las Vegas glamour — a glass floral mural, lavish fountains and a Las Vegas-designed light sculpture over the bar.

Alvari says having the city’s two card rooms near each other is a plus for gamblers who want to casino hop. “From a consumer’s perspective, it’s a great option,” he noted. “The customers win for sure.”

Like M8trix, Bay 101 is limited by city law to 49 gaming tables. It features card games like blackjack, pai gow poker, Texas hold’em and EZ baccarat, though casino owners plan to ask City Hall for ten additional tables. The casino will also continue its world-famous Shooting Star poker tournament