Praise for the CR!

Heya all,

Just wanted to chime in about the Casino Royale. I have been playing at this casino for over 20 years now, and still love it. Forgive me if I ramble, I'll try to make this as coherent as possible.

I started visiting LV in 1990, and on my meager budget at the time, found the Casino Royale a perfect place to practice my craps skills, with $1 craps with 100x odds, as well as a fleet of other low stakes decent-odds games.

I made friends amongst the dealers, and still see some of them today. 20 years later, I'm president of my own company, and finding limits isn't a problem anymore. My wife, given the choice of where to stay, oddly still picks the Royale. It's comfortable, and we enjoy the people. I'll take a moment to discuss their current scene:

Games:
On the strip, it's still probably the best craps game going. $3 with 20x odds, and $5 with 100x odds. You aren't going to get much better than that. If you take your gambling seriously (you're reading this, coming from the wizard, I assume you DO), you know to take every advantage. I just can't bring myself to play 3 to 5 times odds.

Over the years, the rest of the decent games have disappeared, leaving only Blackjack Switch in their wake, which as table games go, is about as good as you're going to get without counting cards (I'll post my favorite count spots in another post sometime). That being said, craps and a decent game of switch are enough to bring me back. There's also a coupon for blackjack paying 2 to 1 on blackjack switch, every month. With one coupon for me, and one for my wife, that's basically a $50 bill every visit. Hey, things could be worse.

Staff:
Dealers:
I know many of the dealers personally, and of course, there are some that are quiet, and robotic. If ANYONE knows a casino without a portion of mechanical dealers, please let me know, cause I've seen them everywhere from Palace Station to the Salon at the Bellagio. Instead, lets focus on the quality dealers, of which the Royale has an ample supply.

Take a little time, TALK to your dealer, and try to remember that their job isn't as glamorous as you might think. *grin* They work hard, are tipped not nearly often enough, and as the stakes at the Royale are on teh low side of the strip, they routinely have to deal with a higher percentage of overly drunk hooligans. Ok, I'm rambling, these rules go for ANY casino, ANY dealers.

Wait staff:
There is no question in my mind. The drink/bar service at the Royale is an order of magnitude better than any other casino I've ever set foot in. Drinks come quickly, waitresses don't linger or stare for tips, and despite it being an affordable casino, all the premium liquors I drink are "on the gun". :) There's no comparison here. If I got this kinda service anywhere else, I would be amazed. Now, I just kind of expect it, and am disappointed everywhere else.

Hotel:
They just finished a major remodel in the summer of 2012, and the rooms are now in line with most of the other casinos. Again, I won't say you're going to get a suite like the Palazzo (one of my favorites for sure), but they are clean, and fairly well maintained considering the age of the property. I have a friend who's been going to Vegas about as long as I have, and when we're in the mood for a gambling trip, and I call for our free rooms, I'll suggest the Mirage, and he says, "Let's just stay at the Royale... the rooms are about the same, and we'll save ourselves some walking to the craps table.". I won't go on about the old "you don't spend much time in your room anyway" speech. If having a posh room is a high priority for you, go for it. For me, I'd rather have a short walk to the games I wanna play, and the top notch service I want.

If you haven't stayed or played at the Casino Royale, definitely give it a shot. For the educated gambler, it's an amazing deal.

.02

Marketing department or stockholder?
Or did you make a deal with your host?
:)

Thanks for the review. To each his own. I can't stand the Royale. I hate the crowds, the 5 oz. glasses of beer they serve, and I can't bring myself to play craps there anymore even though they offer the best odds in town. Can't speak to the hotel, but if you have to wait in that line for the players club/hotel, it can't be that fun. That said, the 2-for-1 BJ payout is cool, although only worth $25 for two (extra half-bet each BJ). Do you take 100 times odds?

Quote: WongBo

Marketing department or stockholder?
Or did you make a deal with your host?
:)

Not sure what you're getting at here.... no, not a smurf marketing account, and not a stockholder (CR is privately held I believe).

Just a long time customer, surprised at some complaints about the service and games at the CR. I try to be unbiased, but would like to hear where people have seen better service/games. I've played everywhere from the Station, to the Fremont, to high limit at Bellagio/Venetian...

Teddys, No problem. Everyone has their feelings....

Just curious though, outside of small beers and crowds, is there more wrong with the Royale? I'm a scotch drinker, so I will plead the 5th on all beer-related stuff. ;)

That checkin line can be a bear for some people, but that's usually on the left, getting the free fun book (coupons), the line to the right is for the hotel checkin. FWIW, the CR and Palazzo have had my fastest checkin times historically, while Mirage/Venetian and Bellagio have had the worst (odd, since Venetian and Palazzo are sisters).

I agree wholeheartedly on the cocktail service. Drinks always are slung efficiently.

I guess there is only one way to look at this.
They are in the middle of the strip with Glitz and Glamor all around them and they do not have to blow up any volcano or choreograph any fountains to get players. So they mine the market for those who appreciate a good stiff drink or a good bargain price on beer and offer fairly good games and fairly good dealers.

Crowded? Yeah. Smokey? Yeah. A bit too much the 'bucket of beer' type place? Yeah.
Still... a gem in a sea of over-priced opulence.

What is the incentive for good dealers to stay at CR for years? With low limits likely resulting in low tipping, it can't be the money. Are there other perks that keep them there, rather than, say, Caesars?

No 3:2 blackjack at Casino Royale (correct me if I'm wrong), and the craps dealers are tip whores. Not that I would ever tip them anyway.

I do enjoy stopping in for a dollar Michelob Light while walking the strip. Otherwise the place sucks.

I love playing craps at Casino Royale. It's one of my top 2 favorite casinos to play craps in, it and Bills's. My first trip to Vegas I stayed at Excalibur. I walked the entire strip our first evening there looking around and finding out what I liked and didn't. I ended up spending most of my play time at Casino Royale and Bill's and most of my bar time at The Flamingo's Poker Bar. I have since stayed at the Flamingo the 4 times I have been to vegas since for close access to these 3 places.

I'm far from a high roller so the fact that there is $3 to $5 limits makes me super excited. I am also a strict dark side player who loves to load up max odds when I see for a 4 or a 10 established as a point. I love the low limits at Casino Royale, love the odds, and love the rlaxed atmosphere. I know it shouldn't matter, but when I make a $5 bet on the DP and a guy beside me places a $600 No 4, I get a little uncomfortable. I like playing with guys betting $25 max and I get that at Casino Royale or Bill's, unlike a Ceasar's or Bellagio.

Not to mention being able to turn around and grab a $1 Michelob when you cant find a cocktail waitress doesnt hurt.

Also, please don't turn my comment into a "Why do you only lay max odds when you see a 4 or a 10?" argument. I know it is not the optimal strategy, but it is my strategy to preserve my bankroll a little until I get ahead a bit.

I usually make a $5 don't pass bet. I wont back up a 6 or an 8 with odds at all until I get ahead a little. I'll only put $9 behind a 5 or 9 until I get ahead a little, and I'll load up a 4 or 10 immediately. I know it's not "optimal" but it's how I play and it works for me as well as comfortably. My last trip to Vegas I left +$656 from playing craps all while betting $3-$5 on the DP.

Last year, I tried to visit their websit using Internet Explorer. IE locked up. So I switched to Chrome. Chrome was better but the website was awful. When I finally got to the place where I could book a room, the prices were 4x what I could get at the Flamingo and 10x the Imperial Palace. Needless to say, I ran a virus scan and then booked the IP.

We have a love/hate relationship with CR-- I love it and my wife hates it. It's sitting across from the Mirage so it's in a section of the strip we like. Low table limits w/variety of games, so my wife can play Carib stud while I play BJ. Good BJ coupon in fun book. The main thing is, everyone is having fun, unlike a lot of other casinos. It's fun and relaxed. And has drink service I can only describe as "aggressive," and the servers don't care if you are playing or just watching. I have fun there..even though we stay at Bellagio usually!
--Joe

Love the Casino Royale, and I would play there every trip. I've been banned from the Royale and I probably got a couple of dealers fired, but how I miss that place. The dealers were surly, and there was a pit boss who would openly wish for the players to lose. He was a real bastard, but he gave the place character. The best was when they would allow $2 or $3 pass line bets with 100x odds. Nowadays less than $5 means you can only do 20x odds. I miss you, Casino Royale.

So what did you get booted for?

Ohhhhhh, I'd rather not say. Let's just say it was advanced AP stuff.

Quote: Beardgoat

So what did you get booted for?

I would guess exploiting weak dealers with barber pole bets. Know exactly what the payoff should be, and if it's more, don't say anything; if it's less, complain. He said he probably got a couple of dealers fired, so that would line up.