teddys's Blog

Lima casino reviews

I'm just finishing up a trip to Lima, Peru. I stayed in Miraflores, which is one of the more upscale neighborhoods. I spent a good amount of time in the casinos -- more than I expected, actually. Here is my review of them generally, and then specifically based on the casinos I went to.

Generally:
Gambling is legal in Peru, with no restrictions from what I can tell. Most neighborhoods have a casino or a few, with the quality of the casino reflecting the quality of the neighborhood. All casinos have slots; some have table games. One had sports and horse betting, with lines set by an internet bookmaker. I didn't see Keno at any of the casinos. Miraflores, where I stayed, has a lot of international hotels and tourists, and thus, a lot of casinos.

Slots/VP:
Slots seemed to be the most popular game, as is to be expected. Most casinos were simply slot parlors. They are non-smoking, with a smoking section. That was a nice touch. They have all the modern video slots from IGT, Aristocrat, etc. I also saw some old three-reel mechanical slots, but those were rare. Most parlors are divided into areas where you can bet for dollars or soles. The one centimo (one sole "cent" or .35 cents US) slots are a great deal. I played a lot of these. The best video poker I saw was nickel 9/6 Jacks without the bonus for the royal. They also had Illinois/Airport Deuces (98.5%) for nickels in triple play. I played both these games.

Table Games
Blackjack was the most popular table game. Surpringsly, Carribean Stud was the second most popular. Roulette seemed to be also very popular, with single-zero wheels. Craps was available in two casinos, for $5 minimums. The minimums on BJ ranged from S/.5 (5 soles, or $1.70) to $5 U.S. I played a little S/.10 blackjack, and some at $5. I didn't play craps or roulette. Baccarat was available in one casino, at $5 minimums. It was in the high-roller room. I saw a guy playing by himself at the table, betting $30-$50 and he was allowed to handle the shoe and deal the cards. I thought about joining his game but he looked like he didn't want to be bothered.

Comps
I was pleasantly suprised while playing video poker at the Atlantic City casino in Miraflores when they came around with a dinner cart! The meals were very good, and we returned every night to get our free meal while playing VP at a nickel a spin. I would say the meals were above airline-meal quality. Some of preparations were very creative. One time we got beef steak with grape leaves and a kind of cilantro-seasoned rice. They also gave you dessert, including tres leches cake and flan. I have to say this is one of the better comps I have had at any casino. On the other side of the coin, their drinks were horrible, as they only comped well vodka, rum and whiskey. The soda was flat and came from a 2 liter bottle. The coffee, however, was decent, and they also had chicha (purple peruvian corn drink) that was good.

We discovered the Majestic casino late in our trip. They comped very good Pisco sours (Pisco is peruvian grape brandy). They came in small glasses but sometimes they would bring a large ones if you tipped well. We really enjoyed playing here and getting these drinks. (Most cafes sell Pisco Sours for $5.00 or more). They also comped small bites like ham and cheese paninis and tea-size sandwiches. We also got comped ice cream! I think I saw a guy getting a smoothie... In the high-limit room they would push up a small rolling table next to you and deliver a hot meal.

Busted!

Well, it happened. I busted my bankroll. Chalk it up to bad decisionmaking and overbetting. It all started when I hit three $.25 video poker jackpots last year in quick succession for $1,500, $1,000, and $1,000 each. Suddenly I found myself with a lot of money to work with. (I don't dip into other funds for gambling). So I upped my bets to $25 a hand in Blackjack and played multi-hand video poker for $5-$7 a spin. I also played some poker-based carny games that require you to raise with extra betting units. Well, the variance kicked in and I ran REAL bad the last three months. It seems like every time I played BJ I lost $200-$400. VP was a reverse ATM, and the poker games were especially unkind. Lesson? I should have stayed at the same bet level I was at before I hit the jackpots. All the knowledge and experience gained from this site and others can't help you when the luck turns bad. There isn't a lot said here or on the main site about bankroll requirements and variance, which I think is as important as house edge. So let me say it for posterity: DON'T OVERBET!!