Caliente.......

[Jeff]

Any chance of Caliente going global? What is preventing them from offering phone wagering to US residents? What is preventing them from setting up a shop offshore, if they can't do it from Mexico?

[grover]

They do have phone accounts available to U.S residents but the call is long distance No 800 #'s. Also they take out 1.5% tax on your winnings. They do have books in every major city in Mexico also Colombia, Argentina and some other South American countries. The owner is a multi-billionare that has never worked a day in his life he was born into his wealth. I think he looks at the place as a place to park some money. The book really has no advantages to other books just a occasional bargain on whoever fights Chavez like last weekend when Tszyu was -160. During football season they pull games off the board sometimes for no apparent reason.

[gold cup sports]

They also have a dog track there.

[reno]

Caliente offshore? Closed-minded, idiotic, gouging morons run the joint. And those are their good qualities. Caliente can do whatever they want in Mexico because they bought off the government and have a monopoly. Unless you've been in jail--like I have--in Mexico, it is almost impossible to imagine how rotten and corrupt the country is. Tijuana, the home of Caliente, is a dangerous, violent, and lawless city.

[Railbird]

Yea,but they have those babes from Nicarauga at the Chicago club,and its hard to find good tacos in Summerlin.

[phatboy]

Well Reno we agree,
Nothing has been more gratifying for me than beating Caliente out of there cash.

Close minded, afraid to death of a big bet, and down right methodical about moving the line the wrong way.

If you bet with these morons and dont have a sportspager or a L B computer in wich you can get live lines out of vegas, You are a gonner there.

[Jeff]

I suppose if there are no edges to be had, it's not worth pursuing, but just out of curiosity, would you say it's "safe" to post up with them? Would they pay out promptly? What are their limits?

Also, it seems that the guys who have played there have all made the trip across the border to make their plays, why not use the phone?

[reno]

Of course, Caliente pays out--in $20 bills! That's how they stick it to you if you hit them up big. Try stuffing 30 dimes of $20 bills in your pockets and walking across the border. The Feds may check you and confiscate your money--which they love to do-for not declaring more than 10 dimes in cash.

The phone accounts allow you only to hit a game once, and not for more than a dime. That is because, years ago, Billy Walters had beards with a half-dozen phone accounts and hammered them.

Caliente as an offshore book gets me about as excited as skunky beer.

[phatboy]

They pay, That Much credit I have to give them but on the flip side they the people working at the window when you bet your game are not very good at understanding or speaking english you really have to explain what your betting or doing. And always ALWAYS ALWAYS check your ticket after you make your bet THEY DO MAKE MISTAKES.

And they are very unproffesional at solving disputes of any kind they are far from civil.

But I dont have direct tv with 7 TVs hooked to it I enjoy watching the games and smoking a newport and I love mexican food. So its still better than nothing.

I do most of my heavy wagering online with real sportsbooks that have some B*lls Caliente isnt one of them.

I bet some halftimes there and a because of there inferiority complex they are easy to middle if you have other outlets so they are good for that every once in a while.

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THE TEAL IS REAL

[reno]

Railbird, some of the hot babes in TJ are now Internet superstars, featured on web pages. Guys from all over the USA head to TJ to arrange dates with these broads. Back in the early 90s there were hardly any gringos in the TJ hooker bars. Now the place is teeming with thousands of them. The bars are so over-crowded on Fridays and Saturdays, my recommendation is for horny guys to visit on weekdays.

[JohnnyDeMarco]

I don't know if this is still the case or not, but is used to be that the Mexican Department of Agriculture ran Caliente. Figure that out.

[This message has been edited by JohnnyDeMarco (edited 08-03-2000).]

[SoCal]

Betting at Caliente is actually kinda funny. I've seen the price escalate while I was playing a series of parlays. My mistake was laying down a dime before getting to the $20 parlays. I got a slightly bloated line (which I always expect for the favorite) for my straight bet and then as each parlay ticket was printed, the price jumped by -5. The final line was -20 past anything Vegas had. The trick is wait for sucker bets and take the value on the other side which can be damn juicy. Then head over to Chicago club for some laughs. Is there a better way to drink a beer?

[grover]

JD
Actually the owner's father was Minister of Agriculture in Mexico so in reality thats where the money came from.
Unlike vegas when you go to Tj and bet, win lose or draw with the abundace of massage parlors and cathouses you can always leave with a grin on your face.

[DoggieStyle]

I went down to Caliente for the first time 2 weeks ago. It was hot, nobody had air conditioning, and everybody keep yelling at us to buy stuff. I wouldn't make any bets because I didn't want to have to go back and cash the tickets.

It reminded me of Venezuela. Without the beautiful woman of course.

Also crossing the boarder coming back took 1 hour! I love San Diego, but don't think I will cross that boarder anytime soon....

Mission beach is my vacation spot this year!

[Junior44]

I've been going down to Caliente since I was 16. Since the advent of offshores, I am no longer a regular but still go down about once every 2 weeks or so. Something about the money actually CHANGING HANDS down there has the tendency to put a different spin on things.

A couple of points:

-I had a phone account there for several years and never once had a problem (with a bet, a readback, or payout). I no longer have one simply because my options have been expanded ten-fold. Grover is correct, It is not a toll-free call and they do take a 1.5% tax out of your winnings.

-Reno is correct in stating that they do indeed pay in $20 bills. But only some of the time. They usually do that when they consider the bettor to be an a-hole (I'm not implying you are Reno) sort of like the time I paid a court fine with a sack of pennies. I've known 100's of people over the years receive large payouts in large bills and this is more the norm than the exception.

-I'm well aware of your unfortunate troubles down there, Reno, but I cannot agree that TJ is an "unsafe" city, especially considering that their are 3 sportsbooks within walking distance of the border. As long as you stay on the main drag and most importantly DO NOT break any laws, you are as safe as any large metropolitan city in the US. I have been in jail down there as well, but that was when i was 19, drunk, and acting like a jerk. In otherwords, I brought it on myself. Since then, I have not had a SNIFF of trouble down there. Tijuana is the most visited city in the world and San Diego/Tijuana is the largest border crossing. TJ relies heavily on the American dollar generated from it's tourists so it certainly is not in the city's best interest to make it an univiting and uncomfortable place to be.

-Caliente (the outlets in TJ) is hands down the squarest shop I've seen. If you are a dog player (not the greyhounds) you are in hog heaven. This "squareness" is multiplied when any California teams (UCLA, Chargers, USC) are involved.

-a side note about the owner. He is, indeed, loaded. I've only had the chance to meet him once, when I was down there for the Chavez/Gonzalez fight in 98. Considering that Chavez is/was a Mexican icon and he was fighting a fellow Mexican, the place was absolutly jammed. The owner had a section of the book roped off and was hosting a private party with about 30 guests. Well, as it turned out, the fight ended in a draw. Considering a "Draw" was a betting option, 99.8 percent of the place was holding losing tickets. People were scurrying around, not sure if they had won or lost. After several minutes, word circulated that, unless you wagered on the draw, you were holding a losing ticket. At that point, the owner himself jumped behind the counter and announced over a microphone that ALL bets would be refunded and those holding draw tickets would be payed as well. Now, I'm not suggesting that this was a saintly act seeing as the guy is worth zillions. But I did see it as a classy move that didn't have to be made......

BTW....As far as ladies go, Adelita's has overtaken Chicago Club as THE place to go. *subject to change.

So, to answer your question Jeff: Depending on what you plan on doing, there ARE "edges" to be had there. They DO pay and it IS safe to post up with them. You can wager stictly over the phone OR wager with the same account in person. If you happen to be fortunate enough to eclipse the 10K declaration limit, DO NOT attempt to bring it back at once. They are mainly looking for drug money and they will confiscate it. Considering that San Ysidro is a federal border crossing, this is understandable. Instead, make several trips in 9K increments and/or have several people (that you trust of course) bring it back. It's not that difficult.