Tunica-area casinos review:

Did you see any evidence of the massive flooding there this spring when they had to close the casinos? Was it hot and humid when you were there?

I used to live in Central Illinois, and Tunica was an easy, albeit boring, six-hour drive. When I had three days off, I would go down and spend some time playing down there. I have not been to Tunica since 2007, and I know things change. However, from the reviews I've read, much has stayed the same. These are my ramblings from my trips of yore.

OVERALL: You MUST, ABSOLUTELY MUST have transportation if you want to see all of Tunica. They had a joke of a shuttle that would run from casino to casino, but it was worthless most of the time. If you have a car, I would argue that Tunica is 10x better than AC and Las Vegas. I belive it to be the "Gambler's paradise." As mentioned in the review, the comps are endless, even for very low limit players, and the rooms are typically plentiful. Although I have a Vegas trip planned next week, I would much rather gamble in Tunica (except I'm not driving there, and I don't want to rent a car and you MUST HAVE A CAR IN TUNICA IF YOU LIKE TO CASINO HOP LIKE I DO!!!)

From North to South:
Harrahs (Formerly Grand): The biggest ain't the best, in my opinion. Before Harrah's took over, they did have Single-zero roulette (although I never played it), and single deck 3:2 could be found for $10 mins. They also were the only casino that really had Pai Gow Poker at the time. There are three hotels, two of which are about a half a mile off the property, but most likely too far to walk to from the casino. The rooms are comfortable. Luckilly, the shuttle runs consistently 24-hours (and is the only shuttle I would use in Tunica). The Paula Deen Buffet was not open at the time, but the one at Horseshoe Southern is fantastic. I always get really sick from eating too much food... it is SOOO INCREDIBLY TASTY THOUGH!!! Grand was the first Tunica casino I visited, and I really enjoyed the poker room when it was laid back. They made it bigger to compete, and I remember not enjoying it nearly as much after that.

Ballys: This is a joke of a casino. I've never stayed at Bally's, but supposedly it had the highest $/sq. foot. It is super tiny comparatively, but everytime I went it was deader than a doornail. A no-go for me.

Tunica Roadhouse (formerly Sheraton): This is probably my favorite casino without a poker room in the world. The table games staff was super attentive, and the hotel rooms are to die for. They were all suites with a jacuzzi in every room. The beds and beddings were plush, and a big shower was also very nice. The check-in when it was Sheraton was at a sit-down desk and very casual, yet elegant. I'm sure it's not the same now, but the hotel was worth it. The VP was fantastic too... 9/6 JoB all over... I hit two or three royals there. And the buffet (Big Kitchen Buffet) was the best hidden gem in Tunica. They also used to have the best daily promotions of any casino around. They had one, one time, that you would get 7:1 on a BJ if it was the first out of the shoe (shoe games only, and they only had 8-decks). Apparently, some guy would bet table max on the first hand, and then wait. He hit like 6 or 7 BJs for 3500 each, and they made the max $25 from then on. Overall though this had the best values with by far and away the best hotel.

Horseshoe: It's really sad to hear that the Shoe went downhill. They used to have single deck all over the floor, many at $10 with fantastic penetration. The dealers would count for you and even encourage you to raise your bet if the count was high. You could raise table mins. to whatever you wanted, and still grandfather in existing players. We had a great table going on a six-deck shoe one time, myself and a couple. The guy was playing at least 100 each hand, so they raised the min. to 50, but let me stay at 5. I often would sit on a double-deck game and raise the min to 25 to keep others from hopping on (and amazingly it worked most of the time). The casino hosts were attentive and helpful, and there was always someone to help you. The buffet is legendary, and the hotel was nice (although lacked the pizzazz of neighbor Sheraton). VP was pitiful there, but since Horseshoe and Roadhouse were both Harrah's, I'd get my VP on at Sheraton. 3-card was 4-1 on flush for a long time too... oh the days of old are long gone I'm sure.

Gold Strike: It also amazes me that people can rave about this joint. I understand that they had renovations recently, and while I was visiting, MGM was offering a very hostile takeover that was obvious on the face of every casino employee. I would joke that you could walk through Gold Strike and never see anybody smile, except one dealer name Jhydis (yeah it was a strange spelling). She is perhaps one of the best dealers I've seen... she runs a clean game, and ALWAYS smiles. And to me, THAT was the best thing of Gold Strike. Sure, they had okay VP, and their poker room was better than Horseshoe, but the attitude was sick. The hotel wasn't all that great either, but again, I understand they renovated.

Fitz: For a long time, the table games dealers at Fitz boxed their own tips. When this was the case, I really enjoyed playing there. Yes, I spent more on tips than I should have, but you got the best service there. They also had carport type parking, which is nice in Tunica's ever changing weather. Other than those two things, Fitz was a forgettable casino.

Sam's Town: I'm not a Boyd player. When I lived in Peoria, they owned Par-a-dice, and they really screwed over a lot of dealers when Illinois changed their gaming law. Sam's Town feels like where my grandma would have loved to play. The dealers overall there were the best, in the sense that they dealt the cards well and were pretty easy going. The hotel was ok, but I see online they now look fantastic. The poker room had really good promotions, but the action was rather boring most of the time. I didn't ever spend much time there, even when I stayed there.

Resorts (formerly Harrah's): The only reason I started making Resorts my destination was because I liked it when it was Harrah's. It lacked the charm of Harrah's, and the hotel was not up to Harrah's quality. The buffet was kind of gross, and it needed help. Yet, the dealers were great, and the games were surprisingly good. Then Colony bought it, the improved nearly everything and turned it into an AC casino. This took a lot of the dealer charm away, and I felt that it was very sterile. I've hit a few royals there, and spent a lot of time on DD and the comps program used to be uber generous. But the main reason I would play at Resorts was to walk when I was done with my favorite Tunica property...

Hollywood: Yes, Hollywood casino. I won a car there, I had amazing luck on table poker. They used to play 80s movie themes that you would sing with. They had the Orange Julius drink on the floor (a to-die-for drink... seriously, I came down to Tunica the second time JUST to get this drink). Decent DD BJ rules (although not fantastic), 4-1 on flush on 3-card. The rooms were nicely appointed, and the shower water came out boiling hot. I'm sad to find out that you did not like Hollywood, but I could see how Penn would screw with a good thing. I was playing very heavy at the time, and when I asked for an upgrade on my card, they said I wasn't even close. However, I always got to use VIP services for check-in and I was RFB without a doubt. I think I was also on watch on BJ there, for no good reason, since I don't change my bet even though I know how to count.

So yeah, Tunica was my favorite place. And I would love to go back again... thanks for the review... I really miss that gambler's paradise.