Update: Newport Grand's Jai Alai is no more.
Written: Sep 04 '02 (Updated Mar 25 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun game to watch or fun place to wager a bet.
Cons: Smoke hangs in the air. Gambling can be an addiction. Be careful!
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a fun to watch game and/or would like to gamble, Newport Grand is a good bet in Rhode Island
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| jo.com's Full Review: Newport Grand Jai Alai |
Please read the comment section! jo
Newport is a wonderful destination with a beautiful waterfront, wonderful restaurants and shopping. It also has Newport Grand Jai Alai. We recently went again this year (and won $65.00). As far as I know only three states had the sport called Jai Alai and these were Rhode Island, Connecticut and Florida. Connecticut recently shut it down leaving the two states. Correct me if I am wrong and I will add it to my review. I looked on the Internet and came up with Rhode Island and Florida.
What is Jai Alai?
Jai Alai, which means Merry Festival in the Basque language, evolved from handball in the Basque provinces of Spain during the 17th century. It was introduced in Cuba in 1900 and later brought to Florida. Today the sport is played in Spain, France, Mexico, Australia, Philippines and the United States.
The game is played on a court, which is separated by the audience with a metal type net to prevent the ball from hitting anyone. The ball is called a pelota and is about 3/4 of the size of a baseball and travels at speeds exceeding 150 miles per hour! It is made of hand wound rubber from Brazil with many layers of nylon thread and coated with goatskin. The ball costs about $120.
The item that the players use to throw the ball (although it is like handball, the hand is not used) is a wicker basket called a cesta. It is specially made to for each player some are smaller than others are. The player inserts his hand into a leather glove sewn to the outside of the cesta and a long tape is wound around the glove to prevent the hand from coming out. This item costs about $250.
How is the game played?
Jai Alai is one of the most exciting sports to watch but the fact that you bet on it is probably one of the reasons for the excitement. It is fun to watch, though, not unlike tennis in many ways. It is extremely fast paced. Some games are single games with one man on each team playing against each other. Other games are doubles with two men on each team. Let�s say we have 2 teams on the court. Team 1 serves the ball to Team 2. The ball is volleyed back and fourth until a point is won. The winner of the first point serves the ball to Team 3 and so on. Each time a team wins a point, they are awarded 1 point in the first round of play and then points double after Team 8 plays for the first time. The team reaching 7 points first is the winner. A complete Jai Alai match consists of 13 games.
There is no admission charge so you can walk in at any time from the 1st game to the last and just watch or bet. The way the points are won are either by over serving the ball, under serving it, thrown out of bounds, the team not returning the ball or if the ball is juggled in the basket. (Again this may sound a lot like handball or tennis.) I will get into a review of the facility since that is my review but I want you to know what Jai Alai is because it is a lot of fun and unless you are against betting or gambling, it is a place you might want to go.
Although the scoring and rotation of the teams sound easy it isn�t easy to understand. It also isn�t fun to watch if you don�t really understand how the rotation works or how the points are won. I would strongly recommend that you go for the first game so you can get to know how it works and read the brochure which will explain the colors of the teams shirts, the player�s positions, their standings, the favorites and who has won the most times. The last time we went, which was just 2 days ago, I tried betting based on research. Which man had won the most times, etc. The fact is it is luck, in my opinion. I was just as apt to win or lose if I just picked my favorite color, name or number! Our winning bet was on the first game with no research done.
Location, Hours and General Information:
Newport Grand Jai Alai is located on Admiral Kalbfus Road. You can get specific directions from their website at www.NewportGrand.com.
Games are played on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:00pm; Saturdays at noon; and 7:00pm and Sundays at 1:00pm.
There is other gambling there as well as restaurants. Their general hours are 10:00am-1:00am.
You must be 18 or older.
There is a lot of free parking as well as valet parking for $1.50.
They are open in season only so before you go call and make sure their season has started. The season is usually March through October. The phone number is 1800-451-2500. Even if the website says they are open I would call and check especially if you have a distance to drive. It is about 1-1/2 hours from where we live so we call before we go.
The Facility
The facility as you walk in is very pretty. There is a really nice lobby with chandeliers. That is where you will get your brochure. When you walk in you will be hit with slot machines and a lot of them. I was surprised. I hadn�t remembered seeing all of them. In fact this year there were more added with 2 non-smoking rooms and a lot of new slot machines that are interacitve. There are only slot machines, though, so don�t expect a full-scale gambling casino. There are no tables (Black Jack, etc.)
My sense is that the payouts are not great because they are really the only show around so having no competition would make them tend not to spread the money around. But that is based on my feeling and the fact they have no signs like you see in Las Vegas saying, 99% payout at these machines.
You will find a simulcast theater featuring racing from tracks all over the country. You can watch and bet on horses, dogs and other Jai Alai games.
The Grand Grille Restaurant is on the first floor so you can�t see the Jai Alai game live if you are eating there. It has a bar and food such as swordfish for $10.95 and ravioli for $9.95. It is open from 5pm-10pm.
There is also the Jai Alai Lounge Bar and Terrace Dining Area. Some of the tables from this restaurant are in the Jai Alai viewing area so you can eat and watch. You�ll find roast prime rib and baked stuff chicken for $9.95 and they open at 6:30pm. You can make reservations at these restaurants as well as the viewing area itself if you have a large group of people.
There are also two areas that sell, what I�ll call junk food. One has both junk foods (popcorn and chips) as well as sandwiches (tuna, chicken - $3.50). The food at these two concessions are reasonably priced. You can buy a large soda for $1.00 and an ice cream cone for $1.50. The last time we went we stuck with the junk food (nachos and cheese, ice cream) and pizza and sandwiches. The food is edible, not great, but also not expensive. If you just want to relax in the comfortable seats and snack, I can tell you the food won�t make you sick. The fryer was not working the night we went so we couldn�t get onion rings or anything fried.
There is a non-smoking section in the viewing area, although there are no window or fans so the smoke sort of hangs in the air. If you are highly allergic to smoke, even the non-smoking section won�t work for you. The place is huge so you never have to worry about it filling up and not getting a good seat. I have never gone to a game in any state where seating was a problem. In fact the other night, I could count how many people were watching Jai Alai. I could not count how many were playing the slot machines!
My Final Thoughts
I love Jai Alai, although I have to admit, there have been many games in which I have had to shut my eyes because I was afraid the guy I bet on was going to lose and it was down to the last point so in some ways I have a love/hate relationship with the game. It really is a lot of fun, truly...if you like to bet or watch a fast paced sport I highly recommend Jai Alai and Newport Grand is a very nice facility.
If you are from Massachusetts and want to play the slot machines it is a lot closer than Foxwoods also.
I am giving it a 4 rather than a 5 because of the lack of ability to not have the smoke under control.
*Some of the information for this review which I would not have known otherwise such as the cost of the equipment was taken from "The Official Newport Jai Alai Program.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Jo
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Spent one glorious day on the beach. The sun came out!
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