Garlic City Club’s new owner plans to do a little sprucing
up
By Jessica Thy Nguyen Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – Gilroy’s only card club is changing hands after nine years of ownership.
The Garlic City Club’s new out-of-town owner, Ky Phuon, recently purchased the gambling business and plans on sprucing up the interior and exterior with lighting fixtures and a fresh coat of paint.
“I want to make it like a country club,” said Phuon, a 40-year-old resident of San Ramon. “Instead of going to an Indian casino and going far, [people] can stay in Gilroy to play cards.”
The minimal decor of the club is limited to four full-sized poker tables and three smaller tables for side games, with bare white walls that epitomize a stereotypical bachelor’s pad.
Phuon said he wants to make the club nicer, more cozy and appealing to customers, in order to attract a bigger crowd. Renovation plans also include new carpeting, a front entrance and restrooms, devoted only to the card club. Players had to previously share both with the neighboring taqueria customers.
“The place is kind of old now and I plan to make it up nice like a family-style card room,” Phuon said. He’s hoping to recreate the atmosphere of camaraderie found at Chrispy Donuts, his other business in Danville.
“[I want to make it] like my donut shop where people come in and they all know each other,” Phuon said. “It’s a fun place to hang out.”
Although Phuon has no previous experience running a gambling business, he said he was interested in purchasing the card club because he likes playing poker. Phuon came across the business for sale while playing poker with a mutual friend of Larry Goldberg, the ex-owner.
Goldberg, a resident of Campbell, said he decided to sell the club because he was unable to visit Gilroy frequently enough to manage it.
“I went down there sometimes,” he said of attending tournaments.
He was unable to provide more information about the club and said Raul, the current manager, would be more acquainted with the way tournaments were handled.
Before handing Phuon the keys to the club, Goldberg held one last tournament of Texas Hold ‘Em for patrons. The no-limit style of play has captured a mainstream audience in recent years as cable television allows Americans to watch celebrities and pros bluff each other out of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars.
Players who attended Goldberg’s last tournament came from Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and Salinas. Play lasted two and a half hours and ended with a three-way tie for first. David Pinheiro, son of Mayor Al Pinheiro, finished fourth place with $300. He paid $200 to buy into the tournament.
“The buy in on this one was twice as expensive as normal,” Pinheiro said. “It was pretty packed.” He said he’s played in several tournaments at the club and normally sees the same players there.
As for the possible changing of employees, Pinheiro said, “It was sad [to know] that the guys who are running the place aren’t going to be around.”
Phuon said he is undecided about whether current employees will return once the card club reopens. He plans to hold the same poker tournaments but will open the club earlier. In the past, cardplayers could start gambling at 2pm, Wednesday through Saturday. Phuon plans to open at 10am.
Jessica Thy Nguyen is interning at the Dispatch. Reach her at jn*****@**********rs.com or 847-7240.
