The Seminoles

Looking at the other thread Link

It seems the Seminoles are not adored for their approach to casinos, so thought I would give my 2 cents.


I went to the Seminole Hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale as I was attending the $10k WPT Main Event (sick brag).
That I won on a free-roll (sick brag), but honestly I was impressed! If you let me back track a second...

In the UK a casino is just a casino. If your lucky you might get a meal, and if your really lucky it might not make you ill. Comps for anyone other than a whale, do NOT exist in any form. Some casinos do offer a players card, but the payback is less than 0.01%. There are no hotels, no pools no lingerie clad dealers or 'pleasure pits'. I believe this is mostly down to the law, in that they want you to go to a casino, gamble then leave. Other than the fact they are open 24 hours, there is little reason to socialise or meet up in a casino. If you were meeting a freind for example, suggesting a casino would be met with confusion.

When I got to the Seminole I was in awe. The parking lot was bigger than the biggest casino I have ever been to in the UK. The non-smoking area was bigger than my local back home. Ok so there was no roulette and no craps, but I dont really play them anyway. I played a fair amount of blackjack and some spanish 21, where the dealers reminded you as soon as you sat down "this is not blackjack". There was no free drinks, but I am used to paying for them anyway. In fact I put most the charges on the room, and got them all comped when I checked out.

Now fast forward to November this year, I went to Vegas to rail my friend on the final table of the WSOP. We stayed at The Riv, probably a bad choice in the end, as it was so far away from everyone else, but the hotel was huge, if a little dated. The free drinks went down a storm, and dare say I drank 300+ coronas in about 10 days. For me the difference between Vegas and the Seminole casino was small, probably just the free drinks. I just wish casinos were like that here.

So what do you think?

Did you budget $300 for the cocktail servers?

Quote: 1BB

Did you budget $300 for the cocktail servers?

yes

I dimly remember a review of the Seminole Hard Rock in "Fort Lauderdale" (actually Hollywood, FL):Link

I guess a great deal depends upon one's expectations and desires. Some people go to casinos for slot machines, shows, upscale hotel rooms and high-end restaurants. Some people are clearly attracted to the "party pit" or party pit atmosphere. Some are actually simply gamblers there for the experience of trying their luck.

It certainly means that casinos have different impact on the local community in the USA and the UK. If a casino in the UK is just a quiet, sedate gambling salon then its quite possible a UK casino could have fewer employees than some USA casinos have valet parking attendants, line cooks or dishwashers.

I see nothing wrong with the UK version, indeed it has some good points to it, but in the USA casinos tend to be large. Indeed in the Downtown area most casinos were built long before the hotels or parking structures were. Many Indian casinos start out small but add amenities when they see the amount of money that can be made.

Free drinks? Its not just in the casino while gambling. Many players are RFB ... that "B" means beverages and usually embraces top shelf drinks while in the casino as well as drinks at the various bars in the hotel. Currently the Venetian has some sort of One Hundred Dollar "Five Bars, All You Can Drink in Four Hours" special.

I would say the local casino I go to is of average UK size. They have;

1 Valet
2 Doormen (bouncers) 9pm onwards
2-3 front desk girls
3-4 bar staff
2-3 Waitresses
2 Cage staff
10 Dealers on the floor
10 Dealers resting (they seem to do 40 minutes on, 40 minutes off)
2 Pit Bosses
1 Casino Manager
1 Restaurant Manager
2-3 Cooks (guess)
1 Poker room manager
2 Poker dealers
? Surveilence team

Casinos in London I would guess are 1.5-3 times larger.
I have only ever seen Craps in one casino in the UK

The UK casinos also don't have a Wet Willies!

>1 valet

Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida (USA) had at least six valets then on duty, one valet cashier then on duty but windows for two more for busy times and four computer terminals dedicated solely to valet car requests from patrons leaving the casino.

>2-3 waitresses
2-3 waitresses per pit but drinks were not free. Usually in casinos in the USA drinks are comped, so more waitresses are needed.

Quote: LonesomeGambler

The UK casinos also don't have a Wet Willies!

A what?

Quote: WizardofEngland

A what?

Wet Willies is a franchise, one of its locations is inside the Seminole Hard Rock. It is one of the about a dozen bars in the casino. In addition to the dozen or so bars there are about fifteen or so restaurants.
Also well over a dozen stores.

a wet willy is also to lick your finger and stick it in somebody's ear [grade school stuff]

Quote: FleaStiff

Wet Willies is a franchise, one of its locations is inside the Seminole Hard Rock. It is one of the about a dozen bars in the casino. In addition to the dozen or so bars there are about fifteen or so restaurants.
Also well over a dozen stores.

Ahhh frozen daiquiris?