Old poker palace, surrounding property on the market for $3 million

Artichoke Joe's Poker Palace was the social hub for seniors who liked to play cards and bingo. A family member describes it as a friendly place where players could be spotted for bingo games if they didn't have enough money.

Soon it could become a development hub.

Closed since the death of owner Joe Sammut on April 29, the 25-year-old gaming establishment is on the market for a restaurant, shopping center or other commercial operation.

"I think it's an extremely valuable property because of its location, fronting on Curry Street and (Highway) 395," said Joan Reid, a friend of the former owner, and a Carson City attorney who is representing the estate. "The building itself has a lot of potential."

The artichoke signs have been taken down and the 2292 S. Carson St. building looks its age - Sammut bought the property in 1976 - but it has several touches that mark it as an early Carson City gaming property, said Bob Fredlund, an agent with Coldwell Banker Best Sellers.

The 9,566-square-foot building contains a long, plywood bar where many locals purchased beer and spirits in its heyday. On the opposite wall are the chalk racing boards, used in the era before digital reader boards. The bingo tables are grouped in the center of the room. Artichoke Joe poker chips are still stored in the manager's office. He had pool tables, poker tables and many televisions.

Sammut's passion for card games endured to the very end, his friends and family said. The 89-year-old died of cancer on in his home behind the casino, which is also included in the sale of the 2.6-acre property.

"It was his life," said Reid. "He was down there dealing the night before he died. He loved it."

The family also wishes to sell 1.8 acres adjacent to the casino property that contains a log home off Curry Street behind the Carson Quail Park shopping center. The family is asking $3.9 million for both properties, which are listed with Larry Messina, Coldwell Banker Commercial Premier Brokers and Coldwell Banker Best Sellers.

Joe Sammut III, who lived in Carson City from 1981-1988, said his father would've liked one of the four children to continue operating the property, but all of them are engaged in their own businesses.

He lives in Auburn, Calif., and works in electronics manufacturing. Extended family also owns an Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno, Calif.

The name "Artichoke Joe" was passed down from Sammut's father, who grew artichokes near his card house located in the Bay Area.

"When my father first moved to Carson City he was on the outskirts of town, but now I see he's in the center of activity with the railroad museum next door," Joe Sammut said. "An expanded shopping center, or anything would go there because it gets so much traffic."

In 2004, the car count for the area just north of the property at Stewart and South Carson streets was 46,500, according to real estate records.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.