| The unlicensed card room was located inside the "Filipino Senior Citizens Center", occupying the 2nd floor of the building on the corner of 6th and Mission. One manager described it in 1980, as the "largest casino in California". It offered poker, blackjack, Pai Gow, and Monte.
In May 1980, the club was held up by five heavily armed robbers, and approximately 200 card players were briefly held hostage. In a shoot out with police, two bandits were shot and an elderly Filipino card player died of a heart attack. Police confiscated gambling equipment and poker chips. Less than two weeks later, it was reported that the club had received a large order of new custom "gold insignia FSCC" poker chips, and was open again. Police raided the club in July 1980, found 170 visitors, made no arrests, but confiscated gambling tables, chips, cash, and domino tiles (see "Archive").
Photo (6/21/1980) of Sonoma Liquors which was directly below the Club, which is visible on the second floor above it (San Francisco Examiner). |
