Laughlin

Please have a look at my new article on Laughlin. As always, I welcome comments, corrections, and questions.

Quote: Wizard

Please have a look at my new article on Laughlin. As always, I welcome comments, corrections, and questions.

Very good article

(1) I think you have to mention the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in an article about Laughlin. The southern portions of the NRA are an important reason to visit Laughlin

(2) The comment As far as I know, it is still run by Don Laughlin . Don is over 80 and is more or less the CEO. His son , Dan, is almost age 60 and had been the general manager for a long time (possibly 20 years).

(3) You can compare the gaming revenue between Downtown Vegas, Vegas Strip and Laughlin. Laughlin is much more about slot revenue than other markets

Revenue FY2011	Pit/Room	Slot/Room
Laughlin	$19.03	$170.85
Downtown	$41.38	$136.78
Major Strip Resorts	$98.44	$101.87

I didn't have a chance to read it, but a quick scan looks good.

One thing: You didn't change the page header.

Here is a good photo of Katherine's Landing. It emphasizes that a trip to Laughlin could be about boating and river activities during the day, and about gaming at night.

@pacomartin - What does your chart mean? What is slot revenue per room? Is that per hotel room? That seems sort of arbitrary compared to per-machine which I what I normally see (I think from you!) :)

"It would please me to know this review helped drive some visitors their way, although I fear I may have scared away just as many."

I have been to Laughlin a couple times and I plan to return again in March as a result of your Article, Mike. Great Job.

Quote: sunrise089

@pacomartin - What does your chart mean? What is slot revenue per room? Is that per hotel room? That seems sort of arbitrary compared to per-machine which I what I normally see (I think from you!) :)

Shot in the dark:
I think he means per "casino" and that some casinos have more than one distinct casino "room" and he's counting each room (i.e. gaming area).

nice article! enjoyed reading it!

"It would please me to know this review helped drive some visitors their way, although I fear I may have scared away just as many."
No, it didn't scared me away, just made me postpone my visit a couple of decades.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I didn't have a chance to read it, but a quick scan looks good.

One thing: You didn't change the page header.

Yeah, the breadcrumbs and also the page title still mention "Hoover Damn Bridge"

I'm in my late 20s and it honestly doesn't sound that bad. I love the craziness of Vegas but this sounds like a nice change of pace. Maybe I'll check it out on my next trip.

The Riverside is like stepping back in time, unlike the other casinos in Laughlin, which remodel somewhat from time to time. I doubt it's changed much at all since it opened, kinda like walking into the El Cortez, it would appeal to folks who like antiqueing. Its car museum is okay, but not as good as the IP's in LV.

There's very little mention of the food in the article, but I've found Laughlin's offerings to be on par with downtown Vegas but maybe a little less expensive.

Also, the trip to Laughlin is worth it just for the drive from US95 down into the city.

Quote: Early Visits

Relative to my income, my best gambling trip ever was to Laughlin in 1989. For a solid weekend it seemed I could do nothing but win. Not just little wins, but every sitting seemed to rain money my way. Even teaching my friends craps resulted in a healthy profit. One of them remarked, "I made about $300 before I understood what was going on." I probably brought about $200 to play with, and I left about $1,400 up. At the time, that was a lot of money to me. I made a deal with the three friends from Orange County I went with that the one of us who made the most money would get thrown in the Colorado River. However, I conveniently forgot to remind them of that deal until we were half way home.

Hmmm....

Quote: Ten Commandments

2. Thou shalt honor thy gambling debts.
A true gentleman honors his debts, especially gambling debts. When making a bet with another person you are putting your honor on the line. If you lose, you pay. No excuses!

I guess that trip was prior to writing the Ten Commandments. Either that or you weren't a true gentleman in your youth!


Just razzin' ya, but I'm gonna be mentioning this the next time you ask us our opinion about a problem with one of those silly "friendly" bets you so often make.

"nothing particularly interesting happened". Yup, that sums
up Laughlin nicely. "Dueling piano's", now thats entertainment.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Shot in the dark:
I think he means per "casino" and that some casinos have more than one distinct casino "room" and he's counting each room (i.e. gaming area).

DJ, that's sort of how I read it too, but that's a terrible measure isn't it?!

Quote: rdw4potus

There's very little mention of the food in the article, but I've found Laughlin's offerings to be on par with downtown Vegas but maybe a little less expensive.

Also, the trip to Laughlin is worth it just for the drive from US95 down into the city.

Can you elaborate on both items?

Thanks for all the comments.

Paco, interesting statistic. Can I have a URL(s) to the sources. I'd like to mention it, but I always like to indicate my sources. For those wondering, I assume that is the table game and slot revenue per hotel room for the entire area.

Fair about that "friendly bet." In my defense, it wasn't my job to remind them about it. It wasn't that I had to be thrown in the river, they just had the right to do it, which I view that they chose not to invoke that right. Furthermore, I think had one of the others won the most, knowing those guys, they would have found a way to worm about of it.

Quote: Wizard

Furthermore, I think had one of the others won the most, knowing those guys, they would have found a way to worm about of it.

Gross, who has impersonated the Wizard? If you don't like the people you're betting against then don't bet against them, right?

I think for penance you should jump in the river the next time you go to Laughlin. I think that would appease the honorable gambling gods. I'll be in Vegas in early April, if you'd like I'll drive you to Laughlin for the river jump ;)

Re: the article. I think it's great. I agree with rdw4potus that some dining info would be nice, at least from the places you yourself ate at (as you usually do in your hotel reviews). One thing I noticed in several of the casino mini-reviews is that the claimed number of hotel rooms don't match up, sometimes AT ALL, with the pictures. The Riverside and River Palms look spot on and the Edgewater is too if I make some liberal guesses based on the lack of detail in the photo, but the Aquarius, Colorado Belle, Tropicana Express, and Pioneer all claim way more rooms than the photos indicate. Do lots of Laughlin casinos have multiple towers out of the shot, like Caesars in Vegas? Or am I thinking windows represent single rooms when they really represent pairs (I assume they represent pairs at the River Palms, but most of the others look like singles).

Finally the story of card counting at the Ari was great!

Quote: Wizard

Paco, interesting statistic. Can I have a URL(s) to the sources. I'd like to mention it, but I always like to indicate my sources. For those wondering, I assume that is the table game and slot revenue per hotel room for the entire area.

Never assume. Paco often quotes statistics and forgets to say "Millions".

Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if it did mean per hotel room, although that's a wierd statistic to look at.

If it is hotel rooms, is it using ALL hotel rooms, or just rooms attached to a casino?

I spent three days in Laughlin. It's great for low-rent gambling with out low-rent surroundings. The brew pub in the Belle is a nice enough place, and I had a great steak at the Harrah's. There's also an abundance of golf courses in the area that were pretty cheap to play on (we only play par-3 golf) and fun enough for the experience. I was about 32 when I went there.

It's definitely not for the rager, but it's not the worst place I've spent three days. Plus going for a dip in the Colorado was nice (I should start colelcting "rivers I have swam in").

Quote: sunrise089

Finally the story of card counting at the Ari was great!

I skimmed over the hotel parts and totally missed that. Thanks for pointing it out! Pretty crazy story in this day and age. Wiz, do you think he didn't care because he knew you were a respected author/webmaster/gambler and just wanted to make a good impression? Or because you were keeping your spread modest ($25-$400 isn't going to break the bank at any casino over a short time).

That's unfortunate about the River Palms....the last time I was there (I think in 08) it was pretty sparse..however, when I went in in 02 for a friends birthday (we stayed in Stateline/Primm) it was HOPPING (and I actually remember I got some sort of special blackjack that rewarded me with a Free Night Stay; I still have the coupon actually, albeit expired)

Quote: AcesAndEights

I skimmed over the hotel parts and totally missed that. Thanks for pointing it out! Pretty crazy story in this day and age. Wiz, do you think he didn't care because he knew you were a respected author/webmaster/gambler and just wanted to make a good impression? Or because you were keeping your spread modest ($25-$400 isn't going to break the bank at any casino over a short time).

I'm not sure what he was thinking. He was friendly, yet with somewhat of an "I don't give a damn attitude." Or, perhaps he just wanted me to talk him through it, as a lesson in the craft.

I've been to Laughlin twice. First time I stayed at Harrah's. I found it pretty much how you described. I even played the same bad video poker game you did. The second time I stayed at the Pioneer on a two-night comp that I got from a mailer. The rooms were pretty mediocre, and the casino wasn't much fun. Their restaurant, the Boarding House, was one of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. I didn't enjoy my stay there.

For the record, it is not hard to find $25 rooms in Vegas also. I just checked Circus Circus, and their rooms are $22+$8 resort fee.

Quote: teddys

For the record, it is not hard to find $25 rooms in Vegas also. I just checked Circus Circus, and their rooms are $22+$8 resort fee.

I'd call that a $30 room.

For the record, though, I paid about $21 per night at IP in '09. But then the Wizard said "a nice hotel." I don't think the IP qualifies :)

Quote: teddys

For the record, it is not hard to find $25 rooms in Vegas also. I just checked Circus Circus, and their rooms are $22+$8 resort fee.

That's true, you can get rooms under $30 in Vegas mid-week, but they are all at the bottom-tier properties. You'll get something nicer in Laughlin for the same money. For example, when I went Harrah's Laughlin was offering rooms starting at $25, and that was a pretty nice place.

Quote: Wizard

Paco, interesting statistic. Can I have a URL(s) to the sources. I'd like to mention it, but I always like to indicate my sources. For those wondering, I assume that is the table game and slot revenue per hotel room for the entire area.

Yes it is table game and slot revenue per hotel room per occupied night for the entire area. So this time it is in dollars (not millions). Sometimes it helps to look at it per machine, sometimes per room.

Although, I sometimes makeup statistics that seem to help me, in this case I am using one of the standard statistics generated by the NGC. Some people would feel that per hotel room (vs per occupied hotel room) is a better statistic. Others look at per square feet, and some at per machine, and others at return per dollar invested.

The real takeaway is that Laughlin while smaller than downtown and mostly dependents on slots is more profitable. Last Fiscal Year Laughlin showed a tiny loss of a mere $654 thousand, while the Strip showed a loss of $2.2 billion and Downtown lost $60 million. These figures are from the same reference.

There is a niche for a simple no frills market for people who want to get away for cheap, gamble a little, swim in a pool, eat at buffets, and walk through the park. The only shopping is for souvenirs.

While there seems to be no movement to build a new casino in Laughlin, the ones there are being constantly renovated, and Don Laughlin can still afford to helicopter around wherever he wants to go. Laughlin wasn't crushed lilke Primm, Reno, Tahoe and Mesquite.

Revenue FY2011	Casinos	Pit/Room Night	Slot/Room Night	Reference	Available Room Nights	Occupancy
Laughlin	9	$19.03	$170.85	Page 124	3,670,817	65.95%
Downtown	16	$41.38	$136.78	Page 100	3,256,989	83.13%
Major Strip Resorts	22	$98.44	$101.87	Page 92	25,832,645	91.12%

The 9 casinos do not include AVI which is the only Indian Resort in Nevada and not governed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
13288-02 AQUARIUS CASINO RESORT
10441-01 COLORADO BELLE HOTEL & CASINO
04177-02 EDGEWATER HOTEL & CASINO
01949-04 GOLDEN NUGGET LAUGHLIN
10720-01 HARRAH'S CASINO HOTEL LAUGHLIN
03403-05 PIONEER HOTEL AND GAMBLING HALL
04737-04 RIVER PALMS RESORT CASINO
00920-03 RIVERSIDE RESORT & CASINO
09430-01 TROPICANA EXPRESS HOTEL & CASINO


I did make the assumption that only the major strip resorts should be used. Here is the figure for ALL the strip resorts (including Circus Circus, Riviera, Terribles, etc.)

Revenue FY2011	Licenses	Pit/Room Night	Slot/Room Night	Reference
All Strip Resorts	41	$85.17	$96.19	Page 76

So maybe I didn't give Laughllin a fair chance, but when we
drove out there for the Harrah's Great Race last summer, we
were underwhelmed.

Now, if the rates skyrocketed in LV over a weekend due to a
convention or something, I would consider scootin' down there
to escape LV and get some lower room rates.

If I was a big casino owner, why not try to lure Lv gamblers
with the best VP paybacks around ?

One thing to note about Laughlin is that it has long catered to the Phoenix metro. In particular, it markets to the retirees/snowbirds who occupy the large northwest quadrant of the Phoenix metro (i.e. Sun City and its adjoining retiree communities). As the Phoenix metro has added to, and upgraded, its variety of Indian casinos over the past decade, it was inevitable that Laughlin would suffer. Arizona casinos do not offer table gaming, except for BJ and Poker games. They do have the electronic versions of Roulette and Craps, however.

This reality regarding increased Arizona gaming, combined with the recession, has doubtless caused much of the difficulty suffered by the Laughlin properties. All of that said, Laughlin is a unique place with its Riverfront appeal (great for walking in the mornings btw) and I do hope it continues to move forward as a lower cost Nevada gambling option.

And as far as low weekend rates are concerned, IF
you have a rental car.....

We actually enjoyed escaping from LV when we went
to Buffalo Bill's once. Mrs Q enjoyed the outlet mall.

BB's had a kind of cool mining theme. At one time the
Terrible's coupon book had a good coupon for an
all day Ride pass down there.

Quote: pacomartin

I sometimes makeup statistics that seem to help me....

I see a career opportunity for you working on a political campaign.

Quote: midwestgb

One thing to note about Laughlin is that it has long catered to the Phoenix metro. In particular, it markets to the retirees/snowbirds who occupy the large northwest quadrant of the Phoenix metro (i.e. Sun City and its adjoining retiree communities). As the Phoenix metro has added to, and upgraded, its variety of Indian casinos over the past decade, it was inevitable that Laughlin would suffer. Arizona casinos do not offer table gaming, except for BJ and Poker games. They do have the electronic versions of Roulette and Craps, however.

This is true. It is an inordinately easier drive from NW PHX to Laughlin than from the West Valley. That's irregardless of the fact that there are some really nice casinos in the West Valley like Wild Horse Pass and Casino Arizona, which I would take over Laughlin any day. When my friends lived in Phoenix they would go to Laughlin to shoot craps -- the one game AZ didn't have. They would play at Aquarius. They even got to go on a flight junket there once from Phoenix.

I would just keep driving on to Vegas, stopping at the Hacienda, and picking up some pies and beef jerky on the way :)

Off topic, but looks like whatever constrictive typing disease that afflicts EvenBob has now spread to JohnnyQ.

Quote: zippyboy

Off topic, but looks like whatever constrictive typing disease that afflicts EvenBob has now spread to JohnnyQ.

That's not a complement, is it ?

Just wondering what's up with the paragraph returns. Are you posting from a cell?

Quote: zippyboy

Just wondering what's up with the paragraph returns. Are you posting from a cell?

Sorry, didn't realize the the site hosting all this is charging the WIZ by the line. I can type and type and type and type on the same line if that helps any. Funny stuff.
And no, but why would someone in a cell space out his texts like that ? Isn't there an English teacher on this site, or did he get banned for poor English ?

Quote: JohnnyQ

but why would someone in a cell space out his texts like that ?

I can't imagine why, but Bob does and has for a year, but he didn't used to. So why now? Why did you? It's just odd.

Quote: zippyboy

I can't imagine why, but Bob does and has for a year

Are you suggesting that Bob's cell is padded ? Sorry if I'm a bit slow on the uptake there..... Is it OK to use 5 dots like that ?

O M G never mind.

At least I see you're back to posting normally now. Thanks. My autistic mind shorts out reading the unnecessarily short-line posts that Bob makes I guess.

Quote: pacomartin

Yes it is table game and slot revenue per hotel room...

Thanks Paco!

Hey, no problem.

Happy to help.

Have a good one, Zippy.

Over and Out.

Quote: Wizard

Thanks Paco!

It is table game and slot revenue per hotel room per occupied night . Occupancy rates are slightly lower in Laughlin.

Despite my comment on page 2, I didn't have a chance to read the whole thing until now.

Great article.



In the Pioneer section, you provide an URL to your Three Card Poker page. That should be a link.



Harrah's... del Rio ?

It's listed as Harrah's Laughlin on their web page. This Wikipedia page, indicates Harrah's Del Rio is a former name.

Regarding the potential Pick-10 error in Keno, I again suggest you contact them to verify it.



Even though that was a former trip, I loved the story about counting cards at the Avi. It helped put to rest a nagging bad feeling I've had.

When I was in Vegas for G2E, Mike, Miplet and I went to Terrible's to play BlackJack after the WoV dinner. We found an empty table - a $5 pitch game (dealt face down) with rules Mike liked, so we sat down.

As I have mentioned before, when playing BJ, I lose the ability to add several small numbers, so I sometimes get caught in a gear-grind trying to decide if I need to take a hit. Several of those times, I showed my cards and Mike or Miplet would advise me.

At one point, I had asked Mike, "Since they are making no effort for me to not show my cards, why do they bother dealing face down? After all, isn't the purpose of dealing face down to keep important info from a card counter?" I kinda figured Mike would have a good answer, since he was not only the Wiz, but the BJ champ. I had been reminded of that fact because, earlier in the day, I ran into Max Rubin, and introduced myself as the guy who used PhotoShop to clean up the cell-phone photo of him giving Mike the trophy.

As I recall, Mike's answer was partly because of tradition that it's still face down, party because it's low stakes that they don't stop me, but that it's also a good question for Ask The Wizard.

It was shortly after asking Mike that question, that I thought to myself, "IDIOT! Why don't you just stand up and tell the casino that the guy in third base is nicknamed the Wizard of Odds, is the BJ champion, and is counting cards!" And the other thing that went thru my head was, "If he's counting, maybe I should stop distracting him."

For the record, I never asked him if he was counting, but I thought that it's a safe assumption that he was. Miplet too, probably.

So it was comforting to read the story about counting at the Avi. Not only did you tell a floor supervisor that you were counting, but that you got no heat for it, and was able carry on a conversation about counting at the same time.

So I guess my conversation wasn't distracting.

Thanks.

Final Laughlin thought...

I believe that Vegas casino ownership is wise to support the continued viability of Lauglin. You somewhat see that with Harrahs and Golden Nugget continuing to foster the Laughlin market. It's kinda like the principle that three fast-food places on a busy street corner are better for each than just one. It makes the whole corner a 'Destination' for those in need of a fast food fix.

Nevada needs Laughlin to remain viable - if it wants to remain the junk food capital of Gambling.

Quote: midwestgb

Nevada needs Laughlin to remain viable - if it wants to remain the junk food capital of Gambling.

An interesting analogy, though I think you may have meant that Las Vegas needs Laughlin.

Laughlin is the Motorcycle, pick-up truck and busloads of Geezers market. If Las Vegas is dripping in Champagne, Laughlin is dripping in Geritol. If Vegas is offering buffet bargains, Laughlin is offering inedible buffets and five dollar bus rides to those "free" buffets.

Is it that Vegas wants to preserve an oasis free of TimeShare Hawkers and PornoSlappers and weird people in weird costumes blocking the sidewalks? Nah, its just that the market down there has always been for those the "real" entrepreneurs forgot about.

Don't get me wrong. I have fond memories of Laughlin: I'll never forget how nice it was for the airport to hold my flight when they saw my water taxi chugging along trying to make the landing dock. ONE additional passenger chugging his way across the river and they radio the airport to hold that wound-up rubber band for a few minutes. Now that's service!! Of course this was all long ago when youngsters in Los Angeles were all yacking about Bullhead City, AZ and its one Red-Light and booming real estate because the casinos were just a hop, skip and jump across the river. (Well, hop, skip and jump for those who were able, a water-taxi for others). Did it turn out to be a Real Estate Boom? Yup, sure did. Boom in traffic lights and stop signs too.

But its still a place where no entrepreneur envisioned a limousine, just RVs, Pick-Up Trucks and Motorcycles. BBQs and two dollar movies may have increased in price and RVs may now have to register and join the players clubs but its still the same low price town pulling a market share that knows that very much "more" is available only a short distance away but just as motorists often prefer a suburban Fast Food joint to the traffic of a Downtown one, some people prefer Laughlin to Las Vegas. Its a town that reminds me of Long Beach, California. It was one third retirees, one third bikers and one-third gay but it was an oasis of fresh air and cheap real estate near Los Angeles. Laughlin seems the same thing. Its an oasis of no glitter, no glamor, no porn, no peddlers, no panhandlers. Its an oasis of meeting the needs for a limited market ... and what is wrong with that?

True, in the downturn some elevator maintenance got deferred that probably shouldn't have been deferred. Some places have changed a bit, but in reality its a nice place to have. If a man is 70 and wealthy, he will continue to drive his Cadillac in Vegas traffic. If he is 70 and less well off, he may opt for Laughlin. If someone is having fun tearing through Arizona roads and stopping at various Biker Bars enroute, there is a pleasant run into Laughlin. Its not a high rollers pipeline but its a pipeline to people who do like the Poker Runs, BBQs, Ghost Towns and Free Buffets.

Wife and I are next week visiting her folks in Phoenix. Off mid-week with them to Vegas, but we plan to return via Laughlin for a night there. Love the place. ;-)