Harrah's / Harvey's Lake Tahoe

I mentioned in another thread that I plan to visit Reno/Tahoe for the first time in October. I will be staying at Harvey's, so I thought I would resurrect this thread rather than starting a new one.

I plan to visit each of the casinos around the lake and at least the major ones in Reno (chip collecting, you know.) I found an old news item from March 2010 that said, "Cal-Neva Lodge will close its casino March 31, 2010, as it waits for a Nevada-based gaming operator to take over its gaming operations, the Reno-Gazette Journal reported. Cal-Neva aims to re-open by the end of 2010."

Does anyone know for certain whether their casino is actually operating now? Either way, it won't affect my plans very much, since I will visit two other casinos on that same little point of land and can check it out for myself. I just thought it would be interesting to know in advance which ones will be shut down. The Cal-Neva web site uses "Casino" in the name of the place, but it doesn't actually seem to make any claims that they have an operating casino, not even on their "things to do" page. I found that interesting.

At the moment, my "Chips I might get" list includes the following spots:

Lake Tahoe: Harvey's, Harrah's, MontBleu, Lakeside, Crystal Bay, Tahoe Biltmore, Cal-Neva, Grand Lodge.
Carson City: Fandango, Carson Station, Carson Nugget, Gold Dust West.
Reno: Atlantis, Eldorado, Harrah's, Peppermill, Silver Legacy, and maybe these: Circus Circus, Club Cal-Neva, Grand Sierra, Sands Regency, Nugget.

Two questions for folks familiar with casinos in that area: Are there other casinos I should have included? Should I forget from the beginning some of these on my list? I haven't really decided whether to bother with Carson City at all. Please remember that I am not really all that serious a gambler -- I just want to have a little fun (mostly at craps) and add a few more chips to my collection. On a first visit to the area, I think I should try to avoid the absolute dumps; I wound up going to some Las Vegas dumps (reported earlier) after I had my chips from all the nice places, but I don't anticipate collecting chips from all of the Reno/Tahoe establishments on my first trip.

If you don't want to see the dumpy places then you won't have much to do in northern Nevada.

Cal Neva Lodge is something lake tahoe that is not related to the Club Cal Neva in Reno. Harrahs and Harveys $1 chips are pretty much the same and used interchangeably between both properties. MontBleu has a sigma derby. Lake Side Inn is a tiny place but they have the best blackjack on the south shore and they rate the odds. I am not sure of the crystal bay or grand lodge, I think there is a Hyatt in the Incline Village that has a casino you may want to check out for a chip. Fandango in Carson City is the only place that has Pai Gow Poker in Carson City. I suggest doing Carson City when you are on South Shore because it is only a 30 min drive. Sands Regency gives the Western in Las Vegas a run for its money. John Ascuaga's Nugget is in Sparks.

Quote: Doc

Does anyone know for certain whether their casino is actually operating now?

The Cal-Neva Resort is kind of a dump. Last time I slept there (September 2010), the casino was closed but the hotel was open. If you're a history buff, take their Frank Sinatra Tunnels Tour, it's a fun and interesting. (Also if you're a history buff, be sure to check out the Tallac Historic Site on the shore of Lake Tahoe, and Virginia City up in the mountains.)

Quote: Doc

At the moment, my "Chips I might get" list includes the following spots:

Lake Tahoe: Harvey's, Harrah's, MontBleu, Lakeside, Crystal Bay, Tahoe Biltmore, Cal-Neva, Grand Lodge.
Carson City: Fandango, Carson Station, Carson Nugget, Gold Dust West.
Reno: Atlantis, Eldorado, Harrah's, Peppermill, Silver Legacy, and maybe these: Circus Circus, Club Cal-Neva, Grand Sierra, Sands Regency, Nugget.

Two questions for folks familiar with casinos in that area: Are there other casinos I should have included? Should I forget from the beginning some of these on my list?

Your list is very comprehensive. In Tahoe, the only nice casinos are Harvey's, Harrah's, and Montbleu. The other casinos aren't so nice. In Reno, my favorites are Peppermill, Harrah's and Silver Legacy.

Quote: Doc

I haven't really decided whether to bother with Carson City at all. Please remember that I am not really all that serious a gambler -- I just want to have a little fun (mostly at craps) and add a few more chips to my collection. On a first visit to the area, I think I should try to avoid the absolute dumps; I wound up going to some Las Vegas dumps (reported earlier) after I had my chips from all the nice places, but I don't anticipate collecting chips from all of the Reno/Tahoe establishments on my first trip.

All the casinos in Carson City are a bit dumpy. But I really like the Carson Nugget because they have a $1 craps table, so a $20 bill could easily last an hour or so.

If you have any interest in wildlife, be sure to check out Tahoe's Taylor Creek underwater viewing area.

Thanks for the input, all. Nick, I think the Hyatt is the same place that I referred to (in abbreviated form) as Grand Lodge. Could be mistaken.

I'm drawing most of my info from previous posts in this thread and one other, plus an on-line casino directory. Plenty of opportunity for misleading or out-dated information, so I appreciate the input. There's a good chance that I will only hit the first four or five from my Reno list, but I will probably hit all of the ones on the Lake Tahoe list if they are open.

I appreciate what everyone has had to say about the less-than-impressive nature of some of these casinos. I wasn't really expecting Bellagio or Aria, but I'm not particularly looking forward to a Western or Silver Saddle experience. I expect my wife to be with me each place I go, and I don't need to antagonize her.

I wouldn't skip Carson City. Carson Nugget and Casino Fandango are two pretty unique properties, in my opinion. Gold Dust West is blah. Didn't go to Carson Station. I'm not sure they have table games.

I think you could hit all the casinos in Reno in one trip. But it might be easier to split it into two. Watch your driving :)