Casino Hopping along I-90
March 21st, 2017 at 6:36:33 AM
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This past weekend I had to make an appearance at a family event in upstate NY so we decided to use this as an opportunity to check out the two new casinos (Del Lago and Rivers) that just opened up this month. We figured we could stop for an hour or so at each while driving back home to NJ on Sunday.
Sunday, 11:15 AM, Exit 41 - The Del Lago:
This is the new casino a few miles east of Rochester and when I say "at Exit 41" I mean about 800 ft from the exit. Doesn't get easier to find than that. The casino has been open for business for 2 weeks but the hotel is still a work-in-progress judging from all the construction equipment in back. Walking up to the front entry the first thing I noticed was a sign announcing that the entire casino was "No Smoking". Not a problem for me but it did strike me as a bit atypical. Second weird thing is the entrance. When you walk thru the doors you are in an entry foyer about 150' wide and 30' deep with a 3' high barrier that separates you from the casino floor. There is a single gate in the barrier manned by 3 or 4 security guards whose job is to make sure that nobody under 21 gets in. My 26 year-old daughter had to show her ID before we could enter.
The casino floor is one big open square room (roughly 300' x300' I would estimate) with a bar area in the center and a small poker room in back. In the slot area they have self-serve soft drink stations along the wall so I'm guessing drink service for players may be minimal or non-existent. Other than that so we didn't pay any attention to what was going on with the slots since we're all craps players in my family.
We found two craps tables just to the left of the bar. One was open and going strong with a packed crowd and no room for us. The second table had a full crew standing around but had not yet opened. The games were both $10 with 10x odds and the Fire Bet. Nothing weird, right? Then you notice the red felt. Maybe I've led a sheltered life but this is the 1st time I ever encountered a non-green craps table and to me it just seemed wrong and slightly unsettling. I asked a dealer when the table would open. His answer was "Yes". He didn't mishear... he was just being a smart-ass. Next question: where these the only two craps tables? He grudgingly told us there were 2 more on the opposite side of the bar area. We wandered over and found one open with a $15 game and no players. Staff did, however, seem more friendly when we talked to them so maybe the a-hole at table 1 was an anomaly.
At this point we decided to keep our money in our wallets and head on down the road to the next casino. My wife summed the Del Lago as feeling new and old fashioned at the same time. It also felt like a cheap operation with minimal planning when put together and a focus entirely on separating the locals from their $$ as quickly as possible. So 30 minutes after walking in we got back in the car and headed east again on I-90.
12:15 PM, Exit 33 - Turning Stone:
Our original game plan was to skip Turning Stone since it isn't new and we've been there 3 or 4 times but since we blew off Del Lago we had some slack in our schedule and so we added it to the rotation at the last minute. Turned out to be a very good move. It had been 5 years since our last visit and they've been going thru a major remodel and upgrade. We do most of our gambling in AC at the Borgota since its less than a 2 hour drive from home and easily the nicest place in AC. Turning Stone however makes the Borgota feel like a 2nd rate operation. They've done a great job making the place look great and feel comfortable. They had also added a lot more places to eat and drink since we had last visited. The biggest change however is a 'casino within the casino' called Casino Blu. It's designated for smoking with the rest of the gaming area being non-smoking. The two areas are separated by a glass wall and both have a full selection of table games and slots. The HVAC in Blu is ramped up to handle the fumes and even tho we are non-smokers, we ended up at a table in the Blu section and never felt bothered by all the smokers around us.
We ended up at a couple $10 tables (I was at one and my wife and daughter at another). No side bets are offered and its 3/4/5 odds. My table had a couple of hot shooters, one of whom was the spitting image of Duck Dynasty's Uncle Si. I know the question of whether or not DI is for real can start a religious war but Uncle SI was clearly going that route and was having amazing runs. He was the most consistent shooter I've ever seen. Every throw landed an inch short of the wall and the bounces were fairly short. His runs lasted 30 to 40 throws each. Once I figured out what was going on, I kept my bets minimal until the dice came around to him, then started maxing the pass odds and pushing the wins on the 6/8. After about 45 minutes my daughter came over to the table I was at and quickly started making back the $$ she had last at the other table.
Dealers at T-Stone were all pretty friendly, greeting all the regulars by name. I asked if they had seen any drop in business since Del Lago and Rivers had opened up but they said if anything, business had picked up in the last few weeks. At that point one of the regulars chimed in that he had checked out the Rivers but didn't care for it. He described it as small and run on the cheap which made it sound a lot like the Del Lago. He also said everybody he knew who had checked it out came away unimpressed.
Normally, having encountered a hot table, I would enjoy the ride as long as possible but we still had a 5 hour drive ahead of us so we cashed out after only 90 minutes and hit I-90 again with $200 more than when we arrived. We definitely plan on returning to Turning Stone soon and hopefully we'll run into Uncle Si again.
3:45 PM, Exit 26 - Rivers Casino:
Given the opinions offered up about this place by our table-mates at Turning Stone, some negative reviews on this forum, plus our experience at the Del Lago, we decided to skip this one.
7:10 PM - Home
The family reunion turned out to be less stressful than feared with everybody getting along and only 1 minor 'embarrassing drunk' incident. Wife and I agreed, however, that the best part of the weekend was the too-brief visit to Turning Stone.
Sunday, 11:15 AM, Exit 41 - The Del Lago:
This is the new casino a few miles east of Rochester and when I say "at Exit 41" I mean about 800 ft from the exit. Doesn't get easier to find than that. The casino has been open for business for 2 weeks but the hotel is still a work-in-progress judging from all the construction equipment in back. Walking up to the front entry the first thing I noticed was a sign announcing that the entire casino was "No Smoking". Not a problem for me but it did strike me as a bit atypical. Second weird thing is the entrance. When you walk thru the doors you are in an entry foyer about 150' wide and 30' deep with a 3' high barrier that separates you from the casino floor. There is a single gate in the barrier manned by 3 or 4 security guards whose job is to make sure that nobody under 21 gets in. My 26 year-old daughter had to show her ID before we could enter.
The casino floor is one big open square room (roughly 300' x300' I would estimate) with a bar area in the center and a small poker room in back. In the slot area they have self-serve soft drink stations along the wall so I'm guessing drink service for players may be minimal or non-existent. Other than that so we didn't pay any attention to what was going on with the slots since we're all craps players in my family.
We found two craps tables just to the left of the bar. One was open and going strong with a packed crowd and no room for us. The second table had a full crew standing around but had not yet opened. The games were both $10 with 10x odds and the Fire Bet. Nothing weird, right? Then you notice the red felt. Maybe I've led a sheltered life but this is the 1st time I ever encountered a non-green craps table and to me it just seemed wrong and slightly unsettling. I asked a dealer when the table would open. His answer was "Yes". He didn't mishear... he was just being a smart-ass. Next question: where these the only two craps tables? He grudgingly told us there were 2 more on the opposite side of the bar area. We wandered over and found one open with a $15 game and no players. Staff did, however, seem more friendly when we talked to them so maybe the a-hole at table 1 was an anomaly.
At this point we decided to keep our money in our wallets and head on down the road to the next casino. My wife summed the Del Lago as feeling new and old fashioned at the same time. It also felt like a cheap operation with minimal planning when put together and a focus entirely on separating the locals from their $$ as quickly as possible. So 30 minutes after walking in we got back in the car and headed east again on I-90.
12:15 PM, Exit 33 - Turning Stone:
Our original game plan was to skip Turning Stone since it isn't new and we've been there 3 or 4 times but since we blew off Del Lago we had some slack in our schedule and so we added it to the rotation at the last minute. Turned out to be a very good move. It had been 5 years since our last visit and they've been going thru a major remodel and upgrade. We do most of our gambling in AC at the Borgota since its less than a 2 hour drive from home and easily the nicest place in AC. Turning Stone however makes the Borgota feel like a 2nd rate operation. They've done a great job making the place look great and feel comfortable. They had also added a lot more places to eat and drink since we had last visited. The biggest change however is a 'casino within the casino' called Casino Blu. It's designated for smoking with the rest of the gaming area being non-smoking. The two areas are separated by a glass wall and both have a full selection of table games and slots. The HVAC in Blu is ramped up to handle the fumes and even tho we are non-smokers, we ended up at a table in the Blu section and never felt bothered by all the smokers around us.
We ended up at a couple $10 tables (I was at one and my wife and daughter at another). No side bets are offered and its 3/4/5 odds. My table had a couple of hot shooters, one of whom was the spitting image of Duck Dynasty's Uncle Si. I know the question of whether or not DI is for real can start a religious war but Uncle SI was clearly going that route and was having amazing runs. He was the most consistent shooter I've ever seen. Every throw landed an inch short of the wall and the bounces were fairly short. His runs lasted 30 to 40 throws each. Once I figured out what was going on, I kept my bets minimal until the dice came around to him, then started maxing the pass odds and pushing the wins on the 6/8. After about 45 minutes my daughter came over to the table I was at and quickly started making back the $$ she had last at the other table.
Dealers at T-Stone were all pretty friendly, greeting all the regulars by name. I asked if they had seen any drop in business since Del Lago and Rivers had opened up but they said if anything, business had picked up in the last few weeks. At that point one of the regulars chimed in that he had checked out the Rivers but didn't care for it. He described it as small and run on the cheap which made it sound a lot like the Del Lago. He also said everybody he knew who had checked it out came away unimpressed.
Normally, having encountered a hot table, I would enjoy the ride as long as possible but we still had a 5 hour drive ahead of us so we cashed out after only 90 minutes and hit I-90 again with $200 more than when we arrived. We definitely plan on returning to Turning Stone soon and hopefully we'll run into Uncle Si again.
3:45 PM, Exit 26 - Rivers Casino:
Given the opinions offered up about this place by our table-mates at Turning Stone, some negative reviews on this forum, plus our experience at the Del Lago, we decided to skip this one.
7:10 PM - Home
The family reunion turned out to be less stressful than feared with everybody getting along and only 1 minor 'embarrassing drunk' incident. Wife and I agreed, however, that the best part of the weekend was the too-brief visit to Turning Stone.
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
March 21st, 2017 at 7:53:41 AM
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Quote: TumblingBonesNothing weird, right? Then you notice the red felt. Maybe I've led a sheltered life but this is the 1st time I ever encountered a non-green craps table and to me it just seemed wrong and slightly unsettling.
If you think red is bad, you should see the ugly a$$ orange layouts at MGM Detroit.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
March 21st, 2017 at 12:31:55 PM
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I don't know how you were in casino Blu and the smoke didn't bother you. I have been there since Del Lago opened, and it was the smokiest dump I think I've ever been in in my life, worse than Gold Coast, Motor City in Detroit or and any of the dumps in the STL area.
March 21st, 2017 at 12:38:04 PM
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Quote: mcallister3200I don't know how you were in casino Blu and the smoke didn't bother you. I have been there since Del Lago opened, and it was the smokiest dump I think I've ever been in in my life, worse than Gold Coast, Motor City in Detroit or and any of the dumps in the STL area.
Casino Blu is in Turning Stone, not Del Lago. Del Lago is supposed to be 100% smoke-free according to signs at the entrance. As to T-Stone/Casino-Blu, since it was early Sunday afternoon it probably wasn't at its most noxious. I image a Friday or Saturday night would be a lot worse.
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
March 21st, 2017 at 2:56:22 PM
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Quote: IbeatyouracesIf you think red is bad, you should see the ugly a$$ orange layouts at MGM Detroit.
Just out curiosity, what color were their dice?
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
March 21st, 2017 at 3:02:59 PM
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Seeing Seneca Niagara and Turning Stone at night, glowing like a candle, from miles away, so cool.
I am a robot.
March 21st, 2017 at 3:30:24 PM
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Quote: TumblingBonesJust out curiosity, what color were their dice?
Red.
All of their table games have an orange layout. Not just craps.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
March 21st, 2017 at 5:26:22 PM
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Quote: TumblingBonesCasino Blu is in Turning Stone, not Del Lago. Del Lago is supposed to be 100% smoke-free according to signs at the entrance. As to T-Stone/Casino-Blu, since it was early Sunday afternoon it probably wasn't at its most noxious. I image a Friday or Saturday night would be a lot worse.
I'm aware. Im saying that I was in turning stone, In the casino smoking area aka Blu (briefly), and it rivaled the smokiest places I've been in my life. The reason I referenced del Lago was to say that it was not long ago.
March 21st, 2017 at 7:45:28 PM
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mcallister: got it. Sorry for confusion and thanks for another data point.
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
