What’s so special about your favorite casino?

In the thread about Resorts World Catskills, TumblingBones had a reply to my review that really got my thoughts going.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Quote: TumblingBones

Doesn't sound like it's worth a special trip.

While I tend to agree with that assessment, it also makes me wonder: What’s so special about ANY casino?

So what's your favorite casino, and what makes it so special? I mean, to a certain extent, the casino part of casino resorts are all the same. Oh, sure, there are differences in size, number and types of games and slots available, minimum bets, etc. Hell, even silly things like the carpeting can make one casino stand out over another. But does any of that make any casino special?


For example, it's easy to say something like the Bellagio Fountains are your favorite thing in Vegas, but does that make the Bellagio your favorite casino? Doubtful. Favorite resort, perhaps, but favorite casino? I'm guessing that if Bellagio is your favorite casino, the fountains are only a small part of that.

Maybe your favorite casino is the one where you won big on your first visit. Fair enough. Or maybe it's one where you seem to win every time. Can't argue with that either.


I've been going to Vegas at least twice a year for about 8 years. People ask me what my favorite casino is. Amazingly, I really can't answer. There is no specific casino in Vegas that stands out. No specific casino resort either. At least not for me.

So when you read a review, what grabs your attention and causes you to consider making a stop at that casino, or decide a stop is not necessary?


I recently cataloged my chip collection. Not counting those that I know have closed or been renamed, I have chips from 82 different active casinos. Of those, I can only think of one that really stands out as a favorite of mine.


Mohegan Sun CT.

Of course, part of why I love it so much is because I'm really not that turned on by Foxwoods, and it's hard not to compare and contrast the two. You can read more about that in my thread comparing them. And since they're so close to each other, but 130 miles from home, a trip to one usually includes a visit to the other.

I know I've mentioned some of these things in that thread, but MS really makes me stop, look around, and love the place.



The design REALLY makes it look like what I think an Indian resort should look like. "Trees" which are obviously not real, made from lumber, but curved the way a real tree would bend, 'leaf' canopies made from beads that hide the MS logo within. Plus, except where a floor meets a wall, there are hardly any right angles.

A great variety of restaurants, specifically Michael Jordan's Steak House and Sports Bar. While they have very different menus, the one common item is their Bleu Cheese Fondue with Garlic Bread. Yeah, it's so good that it helps make Mohegan Sun my favorite casino.

Lastly, step outside of Michael Jordan's, which is on the second floor, and step up to the railing. This is the view. How can a craps player not love this spot?


Anyway, that's my favorite casino.

What's yours, and why?

My favorite casino is constantly changing because the reasons (and my luck) constantly changes.

I loathed the general atmosphere of the old Terribbles in Vegas, but their comps were generous and immediate and a toothbrush there was 99 cents whereas at the Venetian a tooth brush was eight dollars. Truth be told though absolutely nothing makes up for the crowds of noisy drunks and the feeling that neither your wallet nor your companion are safe.

I like the atmosphere of the Venetian and its safety, its skilled dealers, etc. but its an expensive place with terrible slot payback rates.

The Fig Tree Oil at the M is wonderful but who wants to go from the Strip to half-way to California to get there? Okay, okay.... its only eight miles as the crow flies but I've never traveled by crow.

Sam's Town, is real nice but its for the older locals though once you go to Laughlin you will NEVER call Sams Town Geezersville again.

It was eons ago that I went to The Palace in Biloxi but it was nice air conditioning and the friendliest, most helpful personnel ever. real attentive craps dealers too. I like the no smoking policy there. Everything may have changed in the interim though. Boomtown in Biloxi seemed real nice but it was utterly deserted when I went there eons ago and I just never went back despite the attractive décor and bargains in food and shuttles .

Mainly of course we like the casinos where we have won money.

Now that I have mobility problems I guess I love casinos that are close by even though I would normally not even want to go to a Seminole owned and operated joint at all.

I'm going to say the aviation club in Paris, now closed for money laundering.

It think it evolved from an old gentleman's club. You still had to dress somewhat nice. (Nicer than for a vegas wedding evidently) they had wood panel walls and leather chairs fancy paintins and a library.

You could sit around playing backgammon or gin or some similar card game if you liked. Or you could play poker or bj. Maybe some carnie games.

No mongo machines. No horrible pop music blaring. No noise.

The restaurant was easily the best bargain I found there. 30 euro bux. No menu. Just tell the waiter what you liked and get a fancy 4 course meal with house wine in a lovely restaurant.

My favorite casino by far is Main Street Station for the following reasons:

1) the scratch cards on a four of a kind for video poker makes the return slightly higher than the same game at another casino
2) all the dealers and cocktail waitresses know me, so when I go, I'm greeted by name by everyone. It makes it feel more homey and friendly.

Ditto on Main Street Station. I'm in that sometimes frowned on 60+ age group, but I enjoy the more laid back atmosphere. Could not agree more on your comment about the employees. My wife and I are also on first name basis with many and we visit maybe 5 or 6 times a year from out of state. If you notice the employee name tag you will see they all have the year that employee started. Many have 20+ years of service. Usually a sign of a good company and good management.

I may be mocked for this, but I really enjoy the El Cortez. It is small, cheap, and I like the music they play. I have never had a bad experience there.

I went to the Cal for the first time on my last trip and really dug the vibe there. Laid back Hawaiians made for a fun craps table.

My current favorite casino is Harrah's Las Vegas because they have a regular Tile game with awesome dealers.

EDIT: I guess overall though I really like the obscenely fancy and grandiose casinos like Caesar's and Bellagio. So maybe there's a three-way tie.

My current favorite is the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, FL. I just love the overall resort feel of the property. Service has also always been on point and they've always been awesome comp-wise. A close second would be Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, followed by Turning Stone in Verona, NY. I do find it weird that my top 3 are Native American run properties.

I have a good feeling the two properties in AC opening will become favorites...and being much closer to home will be nice.

My favorite Casino is Gulfstream Park Casino. It's convenient for me to get there and they have a lot of my favorite games such as Lotus Flower , Wild Wolf, Wolf Run, and Coyote Moon. And they let you bring tote bags with you. And they have double Casinos in one building. But I am also favoring Casino Miami. I get a lot of good sessions there and they have Lotus Flower, CATS, Coyote Moon, Secrets Of The Forest. I don't like their "No bags allowed," rule since I have to leave my tote bag outside. I had someone take my tote bag that was filled with candy I really wanted to eat when I left it outside. Drats. I should have known better than to just leave it under an outside bench and hope no one would take it. I now hide my tote bag in the bushes which is where the tote bag should have been hidden in the first place.

Quote: Nathan

My favorite Casino is Gulfstream Park Casino. It's convenient for me to get there and they have a lot of my favorite games such as Lotus Flower , Wild Wolf, Wolf Run, and Coyote Moon. And they let you bring tote bags with you. And they have double Casinos in one building. But I am also favoring Casino Miami. I get a lot of good sessions there and they have Lotus Flower, CATS, Coyote Moon, Secrets Of The Forest. I don't like their "No bags allowed," rule since I have to leave my tote bag outside. I had someone take my tote bag that was filled with candy I really wanted to eat when I left it outside. Drats. I should have known better than to just leave it under an outside bench and hope no one would take it. I now hide my tote bag in the bushes which is where the tote bag should have been hidden in the first place.

Is this real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Quote: Jmarch79

Is this real life?

Yes, sadly, this is real life. I don't understand why they don't allow bags after checking to make sure that the bags aren't carrying weapons or explosives or anything dangerous or hazardous.

That place with bushes full of hobo bags sounds like it might be a favorite spot for many people. They should make a house slot with a 3 hobo bag scatter bonus.

Quote: Nathan

I had someone take my tote bag that was filled with candy I really wanted to eat when I left it outside. Drats.

How much candy could you possibly need in one sitting? If I had just a pocket full of candy I'd be sick to my stomach before I could finish eating it.

Quote:

I should have known better than to just leave it under an outside bench and hope no one would take it. I now hide my tote bag in the bushes which is where the tote bag should have been hidden in the first place.

How 'bout you hide it in your car? Or at home?

I like South Point

Good VP
Decent promos
Food options are top notch
Sportsbook is open 24 hours

Only bad thing is that it's so far away

Quote: TigerWu

How much candy could you possibly need in one sitting? If I had just a pocket full of candy I'd be sick to my stomach before I could finish eating it.



How 'bout you hide it in your car? Or at home?

Because I don't have a car. I eat my candy on the road often. :)

Quote: MaxPen

That place with bushes full of hobo bags sounds like it might be a favorite spot for many people. They should make a house slot with a 3 hobo bag scatter bonus.

LMAO! :D

My favorite Atlantic City is any casino that has FREE PARKING.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

So what's your favorite casino, and what makes it so special?

Great question. I want to address the 2nd half of your question before answering the first part.

After pondering a bit and discussing with my wife, I realized that for me the first question is not what it has but what it doesn't have: all the little things that annoy me (of which there are many). For example, I don't mind that much paying $5 or $10 for parking but I really hate spending 5 or 10 minutes hunting for a parking spot. I could use Valet parking but then I have to wait 5 or 10 minutes for them to fetch my car when I'm ready to go. Either way I waste time which is something that annoys me. The parking situation is why I don't like the Boardwalk casinos and prefer playing in one of the Marina District properties.

Another gripe is not having a quiet and comfortable place to sit and relax when I'm taking a break from the Craps table. This is my main problem with Borgata. Their "Front Room" (I think that's what it's called) is quiet and comfortable but only available to hotel guests. We live less than 2 hours from AC so are strictly day players and therefore out of luck. The Food Court is incredibly noisy. On the weekends, especially during football season, the bars are crowded and noisy. About the only option is sitting at an empty slot which isn't anywhere close to my idea of comfortable relaxation.

Other annoyances include smoke-filled casinos too cheap to invest in a decent HVAC system, rooms that haven't been completely cleaned since the previous guest checked out (e.g., trash left in wastebaskets), high noise levels in the gaming areas due to live music from adjacent club/bar areas (that's just bad architecture), and so-called "fine dining" restaurants that serve food that is only slightly better than Olive Garden or P.F. Chang's. These last two items are what dropped the Mohegan to 2nd place on my list.

On the plus side is friendly staff (both gaming and hotel), a great view from the room, and at least one true "fine dining" restaurant (even if, as is typical in a casino, it is over-priced by about 30-50%).

So based on all of the above, our favorite casino is Turning Stone. It's just under a 5 hour drive so there are plenty of places closer but in the fall, the drive up the Thruway and along the Mohawk is spectacular. Once there, we have never been disappointed. They just completed a major renovation and made it even better.


Bottom line is that I have yet to encounter there any of the pesky annoyances I mentioned above. It's the only casino that I would make a special trip to get to.

As to DJTeddyBear's fav, the Mohegan, I agree its a pretty good place and currently #2 on my list. Everyone is very friendly and I agree with DJTB on the architecture and general look of the place. It loses points on two counts:

(a) the Wolf Den: smack in the middle of the Casino of the Earth, when they have a band on there is no way I can enjoy the craps action and have to go to one of the other casinos and hope there is room at a table.

(b) fine dining: have not yet tried Michael Jordan's but was not impressed by Tuscany (an over-priced Olive Garden but with a better wine list) and Bar American (not bad but the Bobby Flay operation at Borgota is much better).

So that's my answer to DJTB's question YMMV.

Free Root beer floats on Friday, free Sundaes on Sunday, the ability to drink top shelf while playing nickel VP, and they play great music.
Feels like home to me.

Quote: VCUSkyhawk

I may be mocked for this, but I really enjoy the El Cortez. It is small, cheap, and I like the music they play. I have never had a bad experience there.

I went to the Cal for the first time on my last trip and really dug the vibe there. Laid back Hawaiians made for a fun craps table.

January was the first time that I had been there in many years.we played slots for about an hour. I really enjoyed the mix of old and new games that they had. I told her next time we are in we should plan a day to spend some time there again. I am surprised that I have not recieved any offers. We didnt play a ton but Indid probably have about 3k coin in on slots.

I like to find places with the games I like at the table minimums and paytables / deniminations I like. I also prefer places where the cigarette smoke isn't overwhelming.

Once I find that and sit down at the table or find my spot at the craps table, casinos are pretty much all the same.

If it's not a daytrip, then the quality of the rooms becomes important.

As far as food and drink- it doesn't matter much. I'm from NYC so not exactly yearning for fine dining when it comes to casino trips.

The Horseshoe in Hammond, IN. I love the dealers there - almost universally nice with good senses of humor. I was there today playing craps, and the table mood was pretty poor due to three seven outs in a row. A new stick comes in and asks who's shooting. The dealer points to my neighbor and says, "Baldy." I look around and there are at least five baldies at the table, including myself. The dealer sees this and says that the table is a regular bald convention. We all laugh our asses off and Baldy goes on a great roll and I make all my money back.

Also, play Pai Gow or baccarat for a half hour and get two free entrees at the noodle bar. Today I had roast duck and Vietnamese egg rolls, both excellent. My only complaint about the casino is the lousy video poker.

The tourists who enjoy Ellis Island should be glad to know they are now able to comp rooms in the adjacent motel. The rooms are nice and reflect a recent remodel. One unique thing is the room/resort fee includes an Ellis Island glass jug and a fill-up of one of their craft beers!

A full-on WOV review from one of the new, secret writers like flowlexa is in order.

Quote: billryan

Free Root beer floats on Friday, free Sundaes on Sunday, the ability to drink top shelf while playing nickel VP, and they play great music.
Feels like home to me.

you still never got me my fee Sunday or root beer float.

Mohegan Sun, for the same reasons as DJTeddyBear and TumblingBones: beautiful architecture, friendly staff, good restaurants. Also, a wide variety of games, good shows, great hotel, great pool.

Michael Jordan’s for steak, Tuscany for Sunday brunch, Bar Americain for duck. But my favorite is Ballo, and I am surprised that was not mentioned. Get seating in the back room and you won’t be bothered by the show in the Wolf Den. Yes, there are many restaurants best avoided.

Heard the Casino of the Wind will be repurposed as a shopping venue, all gaming to close, poker room to move to The Hall of the Lost Tribes.