Top Ten Las Vegas Casinos

I am sure each one of us has his own version of this list. To be honest, the average person probably has not frequented Las Vegas all that much. This would be especially true if you do not live near the area. So how do you choose which casino to go to on that once or twice in a lifetime trip to Vegas? Casino City Times has released its own version of the Top 10 Vegas Casinos. Here it is – it is up to you to make your judgment.

10. The Stratosphere
“There’s nothing like dangling unnaturally over the side of a really tall wobbly building to make you forget how much money you lost in the blackjack pit.”

9. Binion’s
“It’s hard to beat a classic. It’s not very pretty, there’s a ton of damage and stale air from the year of smoking patrons and the people inside this place are quite frightening. But I love it nonetheless. This is where the World Series of Poker was born and it’s not quite a Las Vegas trip until you pay homage to poker’s Mecca.”
8. New York, New York

7. The Mirage
6. Caesars Palace
“This is the ultimate Vegas experience that you have try at least once.”
5. Treasure Island
4. Hard Rock
3. Mandalay Bay

2. The Palms
“I like to play blackjack here because the poker room is small and the tournaments offer terrible payouts for larger-than-normal-buy-ins. However, the table games are very nicely laid out and are often filled with classy looking people if you’re into that crowd.”

1. Bellagio
“The casino’s primary attraction isn’t actually inside the casino. It’s outside, where thousands gather daily to watch fountains dance to the music of Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Johnny Mathis and others. In fact, you’ve never officially been to Vegas unless you’ve seen fountains dance to Sinatra’s “Luck be a lady.”

A note for you guys – these are clips from Casino City Times’ own list. To see the more comprehensive reviews click here.

$800 Million Resort and Casino Project in Viejas

American Indian tribes continue to be the big thing when it comes to casino projects throughout the country. In a recent announcement made by the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, they revealed plans to expand the already existing Viejas Casino. The project is expected to cost about $800 million and includes the following plans:

• A new casino
• A hotel, with a spa, retail outlets and restaurants
• Resort cabana, pool area
• Conference & banquet space
• A movie theater
• A new parking structure
• A co-generation power plant.

The new project is planned to be developed next to the Viejas Casino, located off of I-8 east of San Diego. The existing casino (Viejas Casino and Turf Club) already has 2,500 slot machines, more than 80 table games, a poker room, a bingo hall, lounges, and restaurants. As a matter of fact, this casino is already accepted as one of the best in California. The new casino is scheduled to be completed by 2012. Neighboring residents need not feel left out of the picture as Bobby L. Barrett, Viejas Tribal Chairman, has said that they plan to hold regular community meetings to gather input and offer updates to everyone.

Just a note on the Viejas tribe: “As a sovereign government recognized by the United States, Viejas Tribal Government operates a fully functional, modern government structure and has a strong government-to-government relationship with the members of the local, state and national government. Maintaining economic self-sufficiency for the members of the Viejas Tribe is the main goal of the Tribal Government. Largely through tribal government gaming revenue, Viejas Tribal Government provides its members with services including housing, health care, education and fire protection.”

Ninth Nepalese Casino

People from the United States or the United Kingdom would probably be wondering what the big deal is about having another casino. Yet think about it, Nepal is one whole country and they are going to have only their 9th casino! Of course, we have to consider the size of the country to the US or the UK. Still, building a casino is not a small matter. More so, people who love to frequent casinos in this part of the world are probably ecstatic about the news that they are going to have a new place to visit.

R.D. Tuttle, also called Nepal’s casino king, is planning to open a new casino in the said country. It is planned to be built at the Hotel Malla, which actually has just recently gotten the tag of a five star hotel. In Nepal, five star hotels are allowed to operate casinos. This piece of news comes from sources which are closely associated with the Nepal Recreation Center, which is the entity that manages the 8 existing casinos in the country.

Tuttle is in fact an American expatriate who has been in the casino business for many decades. He also pioneered the Nepal casino industry when he managed Casino Nepal in 1968. This casino is known to be the first gaming house in the country. Aside from the rumored 9th Nepalese casino, Tuttle is also working on another casino project in Goa, India. Goa is becoming known all over the world as a recreation and gambling center.

Casinos in Ireland

Call me shortsighted but I would never have associated Ireland with casinos. Sure, there are bound to be a couple of casinos in most any country in the world but to me, Ireland has just always stood for something else – the greenery, beer, whiskey, and U2!

Anyhow, there does exist quite an active “casino life” in Ireland, though most of it is concentrated in Dublin. Some of the most popular casinos in Dublin are the 76 Club, the Amusement City Casino, and the two locations of Atari Expo, the Mayfair Casino Club, the Merrion Casino Club, the Silks Club, and The Fitzwilliam Card Club. If you combine everything that these casinos have to offer, you would have a considerable choice when it comes to slots, poker and other table games. It is a bit harder to find race books or sports books, though.

If you are planning a trip to Ireland and you would like to see the casino scene for yourself, then you have the above choices. One good thing about Irish casinos is that they are in good locations. That is, they are very close to nice hotels and other accommodations. Fine places to dine in are within close distance as well.

For those who are used to huge and spacious casinos, you may be a bit disappointed in terms of floor space. Irish casinos are not very big. However, they do offer an elegant ambiance that you would find charming and different. So. though there are a lot more interesting things that Ireland has to offer its visitors, if you love casinos, you should check one out.

Casino Management

Have you ever been in a casino and then look at the people working there and think about how their lives are? Have you ever envied those working in casino management and wished that you were living their lives? Well, with the proper training and education, you can actually do what they do! You can enroll in a school which has a program for hospitality management specializing in casino management. Before you do that though, make sure you know exactly what the casino people do.

The basic stuff is that the casino managers monitor staff, establish casino policies, and resolve customer complaints. They also handle the comps (bright flashing lights!), keep track of the money at the tables, and oversee the credit that can be given to casino players. Still want to become a casino manager? Read on.

First find a school that offers the program I mentioned above. Make sure that they have a specialization on casino management and gaming. Courses of this nature actually give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to the career path you want to take. You can work towards the goal of becoming a casino manager or you can work as a gaming manager, surveillance officer, and similar positions.

Though you may get the education and training that you need, there is something that you have to have inherently if you want to succeed in the casino business. That is interpersonal skills as well as leadership skills. These two things are of utmost importance if you want to get to the top of this career.

Tips On Choosing An Online Casino

When one hears the word casino, the image commonly conjured is that of a brick and mortar establishment, Vegas style. Yet the world of online casinos is just as vast and exciting as that of the traditional ones. If you are new to online gambling, then you may want to have a helping hand when it comes to picking out which casinos to frequent. Here are some tips to point you in the right direction.

Make use of online casino portals. These are web sites which feature various online casinos. They provide a wealth of information about these online casinos. They even have rankings depending of different features. These portals will help you sort through the muddle of countless online casinos.

Compare various bonus programs. Online casinos are well known for this sort of promotional stunt. While you are on the prowl for a good online casino, take special note of their sign up bonuses and the like. When you have visited all that you want, then compare the different promos and see which one is the best. More than this, find out if the casino immediately credits the bonus to your account or whether you have to wait for several hours before this happens.

Also check the casino’s loyalty section. Many online casinos offer loyalty programs whereby you can earn points depending on how often you play. In the long run, the accumulated points can be exchanged for cash.

Ask for referrals from people you know. This is one of the best forms of advertising – ask you friends and family who are into online casinos for their recommendations.

Poker Scam Busted in NJ

This news item really made me mad while I was reading it. Featured by AP, here’s a snippet of the story:

It was a high-tech variation on one of the oldest tricks in the book, dating back to the Wild West saloon days - cheating unsuspecting poker players by rigging the game.
But the tools in a scam broken up by New Jersey State Police were decidedly 21st century, including tiny video cameras and earpiece radio receivers designed to be undetectable, and laptop computers.

One of the four men arrested is a well-known consultant who charges people for advice on how to detect and thwart casino cheaters. In arrests carried out June 7, but made public Wednesday, police charged Steve Forte, 51, of Las Vegas, with using a computer and cheating devices to commit theft, attempted theft by deception and conspiracy.

His Web site describes the services and products offered by his company, International Gaming Specialists, including a four-part video series “designed to help protect all those that play in private games from card and dice cheaters.”

Can you just imagine the nerve of this guy? This is why gambling, casinos, and related activities get such a bad rap. People like this guy try to take an unfair advantage. What makes it worse is his attempt to come off clean. His guise of being the owner of International Gaming Specialist – bah, it just makes me royally peeved! Then again, if you think about it, he has all the tools and know how – he is indeed in a good position to con other people. Still, that is no excuse.

Maximize Your Comps (Part 3)

In the last post we talked about tables and staying put in order to get as many comps as you can. In this post, let’s focus on the people involved in the casino. The floor manager is often mistaken for the pit boss. He has a bit more power though, when it comes to comps. Upon his discretion, he can award you comps – just because he wants to. So if you are playing at a table and you see the floor manager hovering around, show off. He is more likely than not watching how much you are betting, how much you are winning and how much you are losing. More than that, chat him up. Look for opportunities to make small talk with him. What you want is for him to get to know you and to somehow like you enough so that he will give you the comps that you are after.

Ever heard of the casino hosts? They are also called the casino marketing reps. They are also good people to know when it comes to comps. Just some examples of what casino hosts can do for you: reduced air fares, set up lines of credit, reduced or free rooms, and take food and beverage bills off your tabs. What you would want to do is start up a relationship with them. Know them by name, get their numbers. Before you go on a trip to Vegas, give them a call and let them know that you are coming. Of course, the comps they award still depend on your play, so set realistic expectations.

Maximize Your Comps (Part 2)

In the last post we took a look at some ways that you can maximize your comps at any casino. Though we have been talking about how comps do not really mean that you are winning that much, it still feels nice to get those freebies that the casinos give to those who spend (or lose rather) enough money at the tables. Let’s look at a few more ways to maximize comps.

Stay where you are. Of course this does not mean that you should never visit other tables or games during your night at the casino. The whole idea is to get enough time at the table. Based on experience, casino veterans would tell you that 10 or even 15 minutes at a table would not be enough for you to earn comps. So you have two choices then. Stay for longer than 15 minutes or if you just can’t stand that table anymore, get up and let the floor supervisor know that you are changing tables. This way, he will record your playing time as one continuous session.

However, it is really not that advisable to keep moving from one table to another all night. That is why I suggest that before you actually sit down at a table, go around and observe first. This will help you decide which table would be the most profitable for you. Otherwise, you would have to keep on moving and the floor manager who started your session wouldn’t find you and then clock you out, making you lose comps.

Let’s take a closer look at the floor manager next time.

Maximize Your Comps

We all know that comps are a way for the casino owners to entice potential and existing high rollers to patronize their premises more. We also know that getting more comps usually means that you are losing a lot of money at the tables. Yet we cannot help but want to get those comps anyway. Well here’s news for you. There are ways by which you can maximize those comps without having to lose all that much money. Here are some of them.

Do not underestimate your player card. This card is something given to casino patrons and is intended to track your movement around the casino. It keeps track of what tables and machines you play at, how much you spend, and the like. The information it gathers is then sent to customer service, which determines who gets comps. Not everyone uses their player card. If I were you, I would use it whenever I play any machine or at any table.

Play it smart at the blackjack table. Once you get to the table, give the dealer your card. He’ll then give this to the floor sup who will enter your information. What you should do is to buy in for large amounts. The minimum is $25. When the sup leaves, you can lower your buy in. This is totally possible for blackjack but not for other machines such as slots. The whole idea is to make it seem like you are a heavy better.

Let’s look at more ways to max comps in the next post.

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Gaming Highlights

Recent Articles

• Top Ten Las Vegas Casinos
• $800 Million Resort and Casino Project in Viejas
• Ninth Nepalese Casino
• Casinos in Ireland
• Casino Management
• Tips On Choosing An Online Casino
• Poker Scam Busted in NJ
• Maximize Your Comps (Part 3)
• Maximize Your Comps (Part 2)
• Maximize Your Comps

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