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Yes it's over 105 degrees out there but I'm really talking about the general mind set of casino management. Casinos seen to follow one off two business models. Either they're lowering limits and running promotions to increase floor traffic or they're going the opposite direction and raising limits on certain games and machines and or food or beverage, cutting back on floor staff and trying to cut back on service like cocktail servers and cleaning staff etc.
Many of the strip casinos have lowered their room rates and have been running promos to increase floor traffic, and many have lowered their table limits to generate more action on their tables. Like a $10 Craps Table at the Encore? Unheard of two years ago.
Every casino on the strip we went to had at least one $5 dollar table except for Caesar's.
One thing I've noticed across the board, and maybe it's just me but the machines don't seem to be hitting like they used to . I played a couple of sessions of 9/6 JOB VP at Ellis Island and got nada!
At one of my favorite joints, Ellis Island they raised the Black Jack limit to $5 from $3 where it was last time I was in Vegas. It used to be $3 for some time. However it's still $3 from 4 am to 10 am in the morning on weekdays, not sure about weekends because I was elsewhere in the wee hours of the morning on this trip.
They also increased the max coins on the nickle VP progressive bank over by the bar-b-que restaurant to 50 CENTS. It was really cagey how they did it, the first 5 coins were .5 to a quarter, then the 6th coin went to .50 cents. So, if you hit the max coins button it put you in for fifty cents a pop. Now, that might not seem like much but it sure will eat a twenty dollar bill in short order.
It was hitting little jack pots here and there and it was good for a couple of free beers with only one waitress working the entire casino. Now Linda is a great cocktail waitress and she's very good but that a bit much for one person.
Wheel of fortune? Forget it. Those machines used to hit a spin every 15 or twenty plays but they weren't hitting for *&^$%#.
I did hit a Black Jack on with a $5 match play.
The bar tops VP's were banditos and returned exactly less that nothing.
Doesn't it cost money to re set those machines?
Downtown the El Cortez had a $5 dollar craps game going at about 1 am with 3 people playing. Guess it stays at $5 during the weekend no matter what. Earlier they did have $3 two deck Black Jack which I won at but $5 craps? Drink service was nill so we went over to the center bar and got a free Martini with a coupon we got from What's On magazine last time we stayed there, and ... we stole the glass!
We spent most of our gambling hours at the locals casinos, where the gambling is better in my opinion. At least the limits are lower.
Try the Joker's Wild for Craps, two dollar line 10X odds, or the Klondike Sunset for $2 dollar Black Jack and dynamite drink service. Then the M for a huge clean casino where the pit boss said "We don't have 6 to 5 Black Jack here any more!" ($5 dollar table)
Hallalooya!
The El Dorado has taken it's legendary $1 Craps table out and has mediocre VP and BJ, we didn't play it because I went there to Play Craps! We did have a couple of their $1 beers from a friendly bartender there as well.
The Rainbow Club next door has some pretty good food and you can get a buy one get one half off from the local throw away in the news rack on the side of the El Dorado. Prime Rib and a New York steak, beer and Ice tea for around $15 total. The place is primarily for machine players, I don't think they even have a pit there.
Then, up to Arizona Charlies Boulder by way of the East Side Cannery for some more nickle VP at 9/6 it's not bad but doesn't hit that often. Tables were $5 and up, and they do have some decent VP here and there as well.
Well, we stayed at the IP (Imperial Palace) for $45 bucks Friday and Saturday night and $15 Sunday. $105 plus fees for for a weekend on the strip. Yes it's better to be comped but who wants to drop a grand to get comped at a Harrah's property?
I'm sure we hit some other places, I just wish I could remember them but we came home pretty close to even considering we spent and gambled and ate non stop for three days.
The American Casino Guide Coupons came in very handy when we ended up in a place where we had a coupon, like the East Side Cannery. Too bad their night club closes too early and it's open on Fri and Sat for now.
Robert's took the coupon from ACG no issue so we had dinner there Sunday night, wifey had lobster and I the salmon and It was good, but all sides are a la cart and the asparagus was a bit over cooked. But whadda ya want for $25 bucks cause I used my points to pay for dinner as well.
Gotta Love it!
See Ya
Ben Jammin
Many of the strip casinos have lowered their room rates and have been running promos to increase floor traffic, and many have lowered their table limits to generate more action on their tables. Like a $10 Craps Table at the Encore? Unheard of two years ago.
Every casino on the strip we went to had at least one $5 dollar table except for Caesar's.
One thing I've noticed across the board, and maybe it's just me but the machines don't seem to be hitting like they used to . I played a couple of sessions of 9/6 JOB VP at Ellis Island and got nada!
At one of my favorite joints, Ellis Island they raised the Black Jack limit to $5 from $3 where it was last time I was in Vegas. It used to be $3 for some time. However it's still $3 from 4 am to 10 am in the morning on weekdays, not sure about weekends because I was elsewhere in the wee hours of the morning on this trip.
They also increased the max coins on the nickle VP progressive bank over by the bar-b-que restaurant to 50 CENTS. It was really cagey how they did it, the first 5 coins were .5 to a quarter, then the 6th coin went to .50 cents. So, if you hit the max coins button it put you in for fifty cents a pop. Now, that might not seem like much but it sure will eat a twenty dollar bill in short order.
It was hitting little jack pots here and there and it was good for a couple of free beers with only one waitress working the entire casino. Now Linda is a great cocktail waitress and she's very good but that a bit much for one person.
Wheel of fortune? Forget it. Those machines used to hit a spin every 15 or twenty plays but they weren't hitting for *&^$%#.
I did hit a Black Jack on with a $5 match play.
The bar tops VP's were banditos and returned exactly less that nothing.
Doesn't it cost money to re set those machines?
Downtown the El Cortez had a $5 dollar craps game going at about 1 am with 3 people playing. Guess it stays at $5 during the weekend no matter what. Earlier they did have $3 two deck Black Jack which I won at but $5 craps? Drink service was nill so we went over to the center bar and got a free Martini with a coupon we got from What's On magazine last time we stayed there, and ... we stole the glass!
We spent most of our gambling hours at the locals casinos, where the gambling is better in my opinion. At least the limits are lower.
Try the Joker's Wild for Craps, two dollar line 10X odds, or the Klondike Sunset for $2 dollar Black Jack and dynamite drink service. Then the M for a huge clean casino where the pit boss said "We don't have 6 to 5 Black Jack here any more!" ($5 dollar table)
Hallalooya!
The El Dorado has taken it's legendary $1 Craps table out and has mediocre VP and BJ, we didn't play it because I went there to Play Craps! We did have a couple of their $1 beers from a friendly bartender there as well.
The Rainbow Club next door has some pretty good food and you can get a buy one get one half off from the local throw away in the news rack on the side of the El Dorado. Prime Rib and a New York steak, beer and Ice tea for around $15 total. The place is primarily for machine players, I don't think they even have a pit there.
Then, up to Arizona Charlies Boulder by way of the East Side Cannery for some more nickle VP at 9/6 it's not bad but doesn't hit that often. Tables were $5 and up, and they do have some decent VP here and there as well.
Well, we stayed at the IP (Imperial Palace) for $45 bucks Friday and Saturday night and $15 Sunday. $105 plus fees for for a weekend on the strip. Yes it's better to be comped but who wants to drop a grand to get comped at a Harrah's property?
I'm sure we hit some other places, I just wish I could remember them but we came home pretty close to even considering we spent and gambled and ate non stop for three days.
The American Casino Guide Coupons came in very handy when we ended up in a place where we had a coupon, like the East Side Cannery. Too bad their night club closes too early and it's open on Fri and Sat for now.
Robert's took the coupon from ACG no issue so we had dinner there Sunday night, wifey had lobster and I the salmon and It was good, but all sides are a la cart and the asparagus was a bit over cooked. But whadda ya want for $25 bucks cause I used my points to pay for dinner as well.
Gotta Love it!
See Ya
Ben Jammin
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