Montbleu Tahoe

Introduction

Montbleu Tahoe opened in 1978.  It was originally known as Park Tahoe.  It became a Caesars property the next year.  It was renamed Caesars Tahoe Palace.  The property was sold to the owners of Horizon Casino, located across the street at the time.  This was done to resolve a potential antitrust issue in the Lake Tahoe market due to the Harrah’s Entertainment and Park Place merger.

Casino at Montbleu

Montbleu is a medium sized casino.  It spreads about 500 machines and 25 table games across a 45,000 square foot casino floor.  There are no playable video poker games at Montbleu. 

Old school gamblers may enjoy the two Sigma Derby machines located just inside the front entrance at the bar.  This is a classic virtual horse racing game. There are only two other machines in existence, both located in Las Vegas.  These machines only operate on quarters. They do not accept cash.

There are three types of blackjack at Montbleu.  There is $5 single deck that pays 6-5 on a natural.  There is a four-table party pit that pays 6-5 on shoes.  There is also $5 shoe blackjack in the main pit that pays 3-2 and allows double down on any two cards and double down after splitting.  Surrender and re-split aces are not allowed.  There are two video blackjack machines with a $3 minimum bet that allow double down after splitting and surrender. The dealer hits soft 17 at all blackjack games at Montbleu.

There are three craps tables at Montbleu that offer five times odds, the best in Tahoe.  The Field pays triple. There are four $5 double zero roulette tables.  Other table games include $10 Pai Gow Poker and $5 Three Card Poker.

Hotel at Montbleu

There are 437 rooms at Montbleu.  There are four room types: Deluxe, Lake View, Executive Suite and Sierra Suite.  The Deluxe room starts at $79 on weeknights and $199 on weekends.  The Lake View room is $30 more per night.  The Executive Suite is typically three times the standard rate.  The Sierra Suite is four times the base room.  There is a $20 per night resort fee.

Restaurants at Montbleu

There are five restaurants at Montblue.  Café Del Sol is open 24 hours a day.  It offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night menus.  Happy hour, which includes $1 and $2 drink and food specials, is offered from 1pm to 6pm.  Happy hour requires a Montbleu players card.

The Montbleu Café is a small coffee shop that offers prepared sandwiches.  It is only open for breakfast and lunch except on weekends when it closes at 8pm.  The buffet is open for dinner Thursday through Monday and Sunday brunch.  It is $16 with a $4 discount for locals.  The Zone is a 24-hour sports bar.  Ciera is a steakhouse that is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Entertainment

There is a small music venue at Montbleu that hosts lesser known names.  There is also a center bar and ultra lounge.  The outdoor amphitheater in Stateline is within an easy walking distance of Montbleu.

Environment

Montbleu is the slowest of the four tourist casinos in Stateline.  The floor is nearly deserted during the week.  Very few table games are open.  The food is decent.  It offers one of only two buffets in the area, although it is only open five days a week.  Our favorite feature is probably the Sigma Derby machines.  These are extremely popular but with two machines it is likely that a seat will be open, especially on weekdays.

My Conclusion

Monbleu is a pleasant casino.  It is quieter than others in South Tahoe and recently remodeled.  Its food options are average and its gambling is about the same.  Craps players that want the maximum odds will want to choose Montbleu over the others in Stateline.  Video poker players will want to look elsewhere as the games are far below average in the market.