Little Longhorn Saloon

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Little Longhorn Saloon

As told by
Chicken Shit Bingo has been a mainstay at the Little Longhorn Saloon for over 20 years, and at least a dozen chickens have starred in the weekly extravaganza, including a couple of Rhode Island Reds “Henny” & “Penny”.
Price:
$
Best time of day:
Evening

What everyone knows

Do you like to go to dive bars? If so, I know the diviest dive bar and according to Ameripolitan singer Dale Watson, the “honkiest tonkiest beer joint in Texas”. It is called Little Longhorn Saloon, and it has all the makings of a true dive bar: it is steeped in history, has a following of “regulars” and a broken Wurlitzer jukebox, serves inexpensive drinks such as the “Wine-a-Rita”, and most importantly does not serve craft cocktails!

What they don't tell you

This North Austin bar has been around for more than 40 years. It truly is a fun little dive bar, and with it’s Sunday Chicken Shit Bingo, you will see that it’s lively atmosphere helps add to the city’s motto “Keep Austin Weird”.

Do it like a local

Don’t be a chicken! Be sure to cluck on over to the Little Longhorn Saloon, especially on a Sunday and try your luck on their unique twist of bingo.

For the History Buffs

This classic honky-tonk draws crowds with cold beer, live music & famous bingo games every Sunday. Although the Little Longhorn Saloon gas a white steeple, this ain’t your typical church bingo game you are probably accustomed to. Every Sunday, from 4 to 8 PM the Little Longhorn Saloon’s parking lot is packed with people of all ages. Yes! Kids are welcome here! Each and every Sunday, a large crowd of people gather around a square object behind the saloon. This square object is a cage with a chicken inside. That’s right. A crowd of people are patiently waiting for that chicken to drop its excrement on a base board that is gridded with numbered squares. My friends, this is how Texans play bingo and it is simply called Chicken Shit Bingo. You gotta see it to believe it! It is super egg-citing! The sign above the front entrance reads “Welcome to Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon”, thanks to Ginny Kalmbach taking over the half-century-old mainstay in 1982. No longer a spring chicken, Ginny was the sweet & delightful patron who took your money as she traded you a ticket with your lucky number on it. It’s super simple to play! Simply get in line, drop your duece (tickets cost $2 each), and wait. If the hen happens to deposit a dropping on a numbered square that matches the number on your ticket, you win $114, and that’s no chicken scratch! However, don’t count your chickens before they hatch! There are 57 numbered squares. Sundays gets packed, so if you weren’t able to get in on the first round, don’t cry fowl. You will be able to partake in the other rounds. It was country star performer Dale Watson who “hatched” the idea (wink-wink) of this unique bingo game along with his sister, Terry Gaona, and brother-in-law, David Gaona, when they bought the former Ginny’s Little Longhorn in 2013. Indeed, waiting for that chicken to poop is just as exciting as two-steppin’ to live music performed on the tiny stage inside the dive bar. A few years ago, the tattooed, chick-magnet, crooner Dale Watson hatched a plan and sold his stake in Little Longhorn Saloon to the Gaonas, and he and Ginny started their own rendition of the poultry-focused game over at C-Boy's Heart & Soul, on S. Congress Ave. Although Dale & Ginny have “flown the coop”, the tiny hole-in-the-wall still packs in its faithful regulars and tourists alike with its nightly intimate shows, two-steppers shaking their tail feathers cooped up on the tiny dance floor, and the legendary Sunday rounds of Chicken Shit Bingo.
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