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                                                                    Exhibit 10.1


                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

         This Employment Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into as of the 14th
day of October, 2005 ("Effective Date") by and between the River Rock
Entertainment Authority ("Authority"), a governmental instrumentality of the Dry
Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians ("Tribe"), on behalf of its Tribal
governmental gaming project, the River Rock Casino ("Casino"), and Norman Runyan
("Employee"), and succeeds and supersedes that certain Employment Agreement
("Initial Agreement") made and effective as of the 14th of October, 2002 by and
between the Tribe, predecessor in interest to the Authority, and Employee.

         The parties hereto expressly intend that this Agreement describe
Employee's relationship as an employee of the Casino and not as a contractor,
including but not limited to not being a contractor as that term is used in 25
USC ss. 2711 and 25 CFR ss. 502.15. The parties have purposefully structured the
terms and provisions of this Agreement consistent with, and in furtherance of,
this expressed intent.

         l. EMPLOYMENT. On and subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, the Casino hereby employs Employee, and Employee hereby continues his
employment by the Casino, as its Chief Operations Officer (COO). As COO,
Employee shall undertake responsibility for the day-to-day operational
responsibilities for the Casino, assist in the development of the Casino and
other gaming related entities of the Authority as the Board shall direct, and
carry out such other duties as are set forth in Section 2. Employee shall report
to, be accountable to and work under the authority of the Authority's Board of
Directors (the "Board"), the CEO of the Authority, the Casino General Manager,
and such other Tribal entities as the Authority or, if the Authority shall cease
to exist, the Tribe may thereafter designate.

         2. REPORTING AND DUTIES. Employee shall report directly to the CEO of
the Authority and General Manager of the Casino with respect to all operations
and expenditures of the Casino and otherwise to the extent requested by the
Board. Without limiting the foregoing, Employee shall perform such executive
duties as are commonly attendant upon the office of a casino Chief Operations
Officer (COO) and such further executive duties as may be specified from time to
time by the Board, the CEO or the General Manager (in that order of precedence),
which shall include:

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         (a)      Assisting the CEO/General Manager with the overall
                  responsibility of managing, directing and supervising the
                  design, development, construction and operation of the Casino;

         (b)      Enforce the River Rock Casino mission statement;

         (c)      Provide leadership to all personnel and management of the
                  Casino;

         (d)      In collaboration with Human Resources, responsible for the
                  selection, assignment, re-assignment, structure of any and all
                  employees, department, duties, responsibilities and
                  organizational charts, and the implementation for personnel,
                  wage and benefit policies approved by the Board for the
                  employees of the Casino;

         (e)      Assist in the development of short and long term goals and
                  objectives for the operation;

         (f)      Preparation of annual operating budgets and required
                  modifications to such budgets, subject to the approval of the
                  Board, and implementation of such budgets;

         (g)      Oversee the marketing plan in conjunction with the Marketing
                  Manager, which includes all promotions, sponsorships,
                  advertising, media, and public relations;

         (h)      Assist in the analysis of Casino to ensure maximum efficiency;

         (i)      Planning and preparation for food and beverage and other
                  services of the Casino;

         (j)      Responsible for the overall ambience, maintenance and
                  cleanliness of the Casino;

         (k)      Optimize operational efficiency, increase cost effectiveness
                  and ensure that quality assurance programs are adopted and
                  implemented;

         (l)      Work with Human Resources in the Recruitment and hiring of
                  managers, supervisors, and employees of the Casino according
                  to the Tribal TERO plan

         (m)      Development and implementation of programs for training Tribal
                  members for supervisory and management positions in accordance
                  with the preference policies of the Tribe and the Casino;

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         (n)      Preparation, implementation and direction of Authority and
                  Casino compliance programs, including assurance that the
                  Casinos meets the requirements of the Indian Gaming Regulatory
                  Act, the Tribal-State Gaming Compact between the Tribe and the
                  State of California (the "Compact"), the laws and ordinances
                  of the Tribe and other applicable laws as well as agreements
                  to which the Tribe and/or the Authority is a party;

         (o)      Preparation, implementation and direction of programs to
                  assure that the Casino meets all federal, Tribal and Compact
                  requirements for internal controls, including establishment
                  and enforcement of policies designed to maintain the integrity
                  of the Casino and any other Tribal or Authority gaming
                  operations to which Employee is assigned, for the protection
                  of the Tribe, the Authority, the Board, the Casino, its
                  customers and the public in accordance with law and standards
                  in the industry; and.

         (p)      Attend all required meetings and trainings.

         3. TERM. The term of this Agreement ("Term") shall commence on the
Effective Date and shall end three (3) years after the Effective Date, unless
terminated earlier by the parties as provided herein. The parties acknowledge
that this agreement succeeds and supersedes the Initial Agreement. It is the
intent of the parties hereto that there shall be no gap in the Employee's
employment between the expiration and termination of the Initial Agreement and
the commencement of the Term, and that Employee's employment shall be deemed to
have been continuous from the commencement of the Initial Agreement through the
date of termination of this Agreement..

         4. FULL-TIME SERVICE. Employee agrees that during the Term of this
Agreement unless earlier terminated, he will commit his full time and energies
to the duties imposed hereby and, further, agrees that during the term of this
Agreement he will not (whether as an officer, director, member, employee,
partner, proprietor, investor, security holder, lender, associate, consultant,
adviser or otherwise) directly or indirectly, engage in the business of the
Casino as a competitor or otherwise without the express prior written consent of
the Board in its sole discretion.

         5. COMPENSATION.

         (a) Employee will be paid a base salary of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand
         Dollars ($250,000.00) per annum ("Base Compensation"), subject to
         applicable withholding taxes and required deductions.

         (b) Payments in discharge of the Base Compensation shall be paid in
         1/26 payments thereof every other workweek on the day established for
         payroll payments to other employees of the Casino.

         (c) Employee's Base Compensation shall be increased annually, effective
         on the anniversary of the Effective Date ("Anniversary Date"), by seven
         percent (7%) unless otherwise agreed in writing by both parties.

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         (d) Employee shall be paid an annual bonus of not less than seven
         percent (7%) and not more than twenty-five percent (25%), as determined
         by the Board in its sole discretion, of the Base Compensation earned
         for the year in question, payable within 45 days after the Anniversary
         Date.

         (f) Employee will be entitled, on the same basis as other executive
         employees of the Casino, to participate in and receive benefits under
         the Casino's benefit plans for executives, if any, as such plans may be
         modified from time to time, except that Employee will be entitled to
         seven (7) days of additional Personal Time Off (PTO) in excess of the
         Casino's normal PTO policy.

         (g) The Employee shall be reimbursed all reasonable and necessary
         business expenses incurred on behalf of his employment during the
         performance of his duties under this Agreement, subject to the existing
         reimbursement policy established by the Casino. Such reimbursements
         shall be supported by adequate record-keeping and other requirements as
         may be necessary or appropriate to comply with the Internal Revenue
         Code.

         (h) Employee will have the right to be reimbursed for any legal fees
         incurred as the result of defending himself in any third party lawsuit
         arising out of Employee's obligations under this Agreement; provided
         that all such defenses shall be managed and controlled by the Authority
         and with counsel reasonably approved by Authority. Employee is and will
         continue to be covered under the Authority's errors and omissions
         insurance as such insurance covers all members of the Board.

         6. LICENSING ISSUES. Employee warrants and represents that he is
         eligible and suitable for a license and background clearance under the
         Tribe's and State's gaming licensing authority. Employee agrees to
         timely apply for any license(s) as may be required pursuant to the
         Compact, the Tribe's gaming ordinances or otherwise required by law, as
         may be necessary to enable him to engage in his employment hereunder.
         The Casino shall pay all costs associated with such licensing. Employee
         will maintain such licenses in good standing as a continuing condition
         of his employment under this Agreement, and shall notify the Tribal
         Gaming Commission of any information that is material to, or a change
         from, any information sought or contained in his Tribal gaming license
         application or his suitability in general for a gaming license, and
         shall do so as soon as possible after such information is known to
         Employee..

         7. TERMINATION.

         (a) Employee may be terminated prior to the end of the Term by the
         Authority under the following circumstances:

                  (i) Upon termination, revocation or disapproval of any license
                  required by law to be held by Employee to perform as an
                  employee of a gaming operation of the Tribe, the Authority or
                  the Casino, or if any event renders it unlawful for the Tribe
                  or the Authority to continue to operate the Casino or conduct
                  casino gaming on the reservation; or

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                  (ii) Employee shall commit an act constituting "Cause", Cause
                  being defined as (a) an act of intentional dishonesty against
                  the Tribe, the Authority or the Casino; (b) conviction of any
                  criminal charge involving moral turpitude; (c) the deliberate
                  or intentional refusal by Employee (except by reason of
                  disability) to perform his duties hereunder; (d) gross
                  negligence in the performance of his duties hereunder; or, (e)
                  failure to perform his duties in a manner consistent with his
                  professional obligations after prior sufficient verbal and
                  written warnings; or

                  (iii) Employee shall die; or

                  (iv) The Authority shall for any reason cease to conduct the
                  Casino; or

                  (v) Employee shall become unable to perform the duties and
                  responsibilities set forth in this Agreement by reason of
                  long-term physical or mental disability, defined as a period
                  of disability that exceeds six (6) months; or

                  (vi) Either party shall give the other party hereto ninety
                  (90) days' written notice of Employee's resignation or
                  termination.

         (b) If Employee's employment should be terminated under paragraphs 7
         (a)(i), (a)(ii) or (a)(vi) above (provided that this subparagraph (b)
         shall only apply to paragraph 7 (a)(vi) to the extent that Employee has
         resigned), then Authority shall within ten (l0) days of such
         termination pay Employee the accrued Base Compensation, bonuses and
         benefits to the date Employee is terminated, whereupon Authority shall
         have no further liability or obligation to Employee under this
         Agreement.

         (c) If Employee is terminated under paragraphs 7 (a)(iii), (a)(iv),
         (a)(v) or (a)(vi) (provided that this subparagraph (c) shall only apply
         to paragraph 7 (a)(vi) to the extent that Authority has terminated
         Employee), the Authority shall pay to the Employee on a pro-rata basis
         the Base Compensation for a period of three (3) months from the date of
         termination and he shall be eligible for all employee benefits during
         that three-month period, pro-rated to that period. Employee shall be
         paid all amounts due him at the time of termination when they would
         otherwise be paid, including the pro rata share of the bonus for the
         year in which the termination occurred.

         (d) Upon the payment of all or any part of the compensation provided
         for in this paragraph 7, or its mitigation under this paragraph, the
         Authority will have no further liability or obligation to Employee
         under this Agreement or arising from the employment relationship except
         that obligation provided for in this paragraph 7.

         (e) Employee will be liable in damages for all losses and expenses
         incurred by Authority if he is terminated for cause or if Employee
         terminates his employment for any reason not authorized herein, with
         the exception of termination by written notice agreed to by both
         parties. Any such termination of or by Employee will constitute a
         waiver by Employee of all claims against the Authority and the Casino
         except for the accrued Base Compensation, bonus and benefits to the
         date of his termination as provided for in this Section 7, and subject
         to any amounts due from Employee.

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         8. CONFIDENTIALITY OF PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Any information acquired
         by Employee while employed under this Agreement or in any way connected
         with the Casino or any Tribal or Authority gaming operation, related to
         employee lists, patron lists, marketing plans, operating procedures and
         other information proprietary to the Tribe, the Authority or the Casino
         are acknowledged by Employee to be confidential information belonging
         to one or more of such entities, and Employee shall not disclose such
         information without the express written authorization of the Board
         except in the ordinary course of the business of the Casino. Employee
         shall, upon termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever,
         turn over to the Board any and all copies he may have of employee
         lists, patron lists, marketing programs, operating procedures and other
         information proprietary to the tribe, the Authority or the Casino.
         Employee acknowledges that employee lists, patron lists, marketing
         programs, operating procedures and other information proprietary to the
         Tribe, the Authority or the Casino are confidential and proprietary
         information of one or more of such entities and the Tribe, the
         Authority or the Casino, or any of them, may exercise any and all
         remedies available at law or in equity to enforce this Agreement with
         respect to non-disclosure of any such proprietary information.
         Particularly, the parties agree that, because of the nature of the
         subject matter of this paragraph 8, in event of a threat or danger of
         disclosure of such information, it could be extremely difficult to
         determine the actual damages suffered or to be suffered by breach of
         this Section 8 or to fully repair the harm done by such action.
         Accordingly, Authority shall be entitled to injunctive relief (both
         temporary and permanent), it being acknowledged and agreed that any
         such actual or threatened breach will cause irreparable injury and that
         money damages alone will not provide an adequate remedy..
         Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tribe, Authority and Casino or any of
         them as may be appropriate shall be entitled to money damages for any
         loss suffered or to be suffered as a consequence of Employee's breach
         of this Agreement. The parties acknowledge that this provision shall
         survive the termination of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything
         herein to the contrary, Employee acknowledges and agrees that
         information regarding the internal operations, actions, plans,
         statements (other than public statements), or activities of the Tribe,
         the Authority, the Casino, the Board, the Tribal Board of Directors, or
         the Tribal Council, or any of their officers, employees, members or
         representatives (including personal information), are included within
         the meaning of confidential or proprietary information herein and shall
         be protected as such.

         9. ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement may be assigned by the Authority, on
         behalf of itself or the Casino, to any entity formed by the Tribe or
         the Authority for the express purpose of operating the Casino and any
         related economic development activities. This Agreement contemplates
         the personal services of Employee and neither this Agreement nor any of
         the rights herein granted to Employee or the duties assumed by him
         hereunder may be assigned by him.

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         10. MISCELLANEOUS.

         (a) Employee warrants and represents that there are no restrictions to
         which he is subject or agreements to which he is a party that would be
         violated by his execution of this Agreement and his employment
         hereunder.

         (b) This Agreement and all questions relating to its validity,
         interpretation, performance and enforcement shall be governed by and
         construed in accordance with the laws of the Dry Creek Rancheria and
         the State of California.

         (c) No amendment to this Agreement or any attempted waiver of a
         provision of this Agreement shall be effective unless in writing and
         signed by the parties to this Agreement.

         (d) Any controversy that arises between Employee and the Casino or the
         Authority regarding the rights, duties or liabilities hereunder of
         either of them, shall be settled by binding arbitration under the
         Uniform Arbitration Act as adopted by the State of California. In no
         event shall any liability of the Tribe, the Authority or the Casino or
         any of them, exceed an amount equal in total to three (3) months of the
         Base Compensation for a one year period.


The Parties have executed this Agreement on November 8, 2005, as of the
Effective Date hereof.


RIVER ROCK ENTERTAINMENT AUTHORITY, a government Instrumentality of the DRY
CREEK RANCHERIA BAND OF POMO INDIANS, a federally recognized Indian tribe, on
behalf of its governmental economic development project, the RIVER ROCK CASINO,


By: /s/ Harvey Hopkins
   ----------------------------
Name: HARVEY HOPKINS,
Its: Chairman of the River Rock Board of Directors


EMPLOYEE


/s/ Norman Runyan
------------------------------
NORMAN RUNYAN


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