Best/nicest casinos in Reno

Hello all,

I'm thinking of a trip to Reno in the coming months, partially because I just enjoy visiting new places (not necessarily travel, esp. with the ridiculousness going on right now) and partially for the gambling. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the casinos there.

-Which hotel provides the best value for the money?
-Any particularly good BJ rules to watch for? How about odds limits in craps?
-What do minimum bets generally hover around?

I was looking at the Cal-Neva for a couple of reasons, the price is good, but also because I've heard their dealers "go for their own" tips and, being a dealer myself, wanted to get some ideas on how they make their money :-) But I'm open to other suggestions as well.

Also, any other attractions in the area worth seeing?

If you are a dealer, I think it is important for you to atleast visit a "go for your own" establishment. All dealers in pooled-tip places always seem to feel that they are supporting others, so I think its important for you to atleast make a minimal exploration of the alternative to tip pooling.

Recent headlines of four casinos being on the foreclosure auction block just might mean that your visit to Reno should be prompt.

Quote: OneAngryDwarf

Hello all,

I'm thinking of a trip to Reno in the coming months, partially because I just enjoy visiting new places (not necessarily travel, esp. with the ridiculousness going on right now) and partially for the gambling. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the casinos there.

-Which hotel provides the best value for the money?
-Any particularly good BJ rules to watch for? How about odds limits in craps?
-What do minimum bets generally hover around?

I was looking at the Cal-Neva for a couple of reasons, the price is good, but also because I've heard their dealers "go for their own" tips and, being a dealer myself, wanted to get some ideas on how they make their money :-) But I'm open to other suggestions as well.

Also, any other attractions in the area worth seeing?

Please report back on your trip as I have considered going to Reno sometime vs LV. I have heard BJ is not as good as Vegas due to "Reno Rules." Not sure of them right now, but I remember it is not as good for the player for some reason. I have heard that the poker rooms there are fairly soft, though.

Quote: AZDuffman

I have heard BJ is not as good as Vegas due to "Reno Rules."

Latest figures I have are from 2000 but at that time figures of 0.43 and 0.51 house edge were common and there was only one joint in town which had the 0.17 percent house edge. Now, I expect things are indeed different.

I think the El Dorado is the nicest casino in downtown Reno. And probably the most expensive rooms. Craps is 3-4-5 odds. They have the most active poker room with games going all the time. The Silver Lagacy is across the street and is also nice, with the same 3-4-5 odds at craps. I usually stay at the Sands Regency a couple of blocks away, as they have good room rates and 10X odds at craps. The rooms at the Sands are larger than your typical hotel rooms. The only thing wrong with the Sands seems to be their clientel (sp?). As my brother said to me, when bowlers upgrade your customer base, thats not a good thing. However, I will say, the dealers and employees at the Sands have always gone out of their way to be cordial. Sorry, I can't help with the BJ rules.

The two casinos outside of downtown (about 2 miles down the street) are Atlantis and Peppermill. The Silver Legacy is in between Circus circus and El Dorado and is 50% owned by both properties. They are connected by bridges over the highway to make on giant complex. I would say Silver Legacy or Eldorado are the nicest places downtown.

Interactive map

Reno rules is a common term for restricting the player to doubling down only on an initial player total of 10 or 11. Wizard says:
Reno rules has an -0.18% effect on expected value;
Player may not double after splitting has an -0.14% effect on expected value;
Dealer hits on soft 17 has an -0.22% effect on expected value.

Club Cal-Neva seems like a pretty cheesy casino. It is classified as under $36 million in gaming revenue by the gaming control board which makes it pretty small. Is the bikini girls wrestling in baby oil, or the midget wrestling that caught your attention?