TheCooler's regretful Sunday trip to the Horseshoe in Hammond.

I woke up yesterday and realized I had nothing productive to do, so I decided to make a quick day trip to the Horseshoe in Hammond. I typically avoid CET properties, but this is one of a few places near where I live. In my opinion, it is by far the best casino around.

I'm not big on fast food, but my god do I love Popeye's. There isn't one anywhere near my home, so whenever I'm on the road and I pass one I have to stop.



Like many have said, this casino is not in a nice area at all. It is very close to the oil refineries and steel mills. It's also in a very rough part of town (as if there is a good part of Hammond, IN).







The casino sits right on Lake Michigan and even has it's own Marina. This makes boat rides from Chicago a breeze.







I'm not going to be very wordy in talking about my play, other than to say I got absolutely destroyed. I took $10k and went home with $700. I bought in at blackjack for $4000 and was betting around $400 a hand. I don't recall getting a single hand to split or double. This session went very quickly and I left the table -$4000.

I then went and bought in at craps for $2000. We got a couple of decent rolls going, but nothing major. I think the most points in any roll was two. I lost $1500 in about an hour of play here and then quit.

At this point I was -$5500 and went to play baccarat in Le Cheng, which is the baccarat room. After looking all over for a big table game, I asked the pit and they said the one big table had been removed at the end of last year. That sucks. So I played a mini game, because that's all they had. The limits at this place are all over the board, more on that later. I lost another $2000 at bacc before I quit. -$7500 at this point. I had only been there for about two and a half hours at this point and didn't want to go home yet.

I went and bought in for $1500 at blackjack and actually had a decent run before losing it all. I know it sounds like I have terrible bankroll management here, but that just isn't the case. The dealers were pulling five and six card 20 and 21's all day. It was brutal. Down to my last $1000 for the day, I went and ran $300 through a $1 Cleo 2. I didn't hit anything. At this point I went home. I didn't even eat at the casino I was so angry.

Here are some pictures I took for those interested.

Like I said, the limits here are all over the place.





The craps limits are especially weird. Notice the $10,000 max odds bet. Not 3x 4x 5x or anything conventional. On a $10 pass bet, you could have 1000x odds.



This is Le Cheng, the baccarat room. Sorry it's a bit blurry.



This is the high limit room. Also blurry, sorry. They are really strict on phones here.



This is one of two private rooms. One has a blackjack table and one a bacc table.

 

Ouch!!! Kudos for you to write this up and show pics of Hammond. I definitely like going there. I wanted to go there earlier this month, but it didn't work out. Also love popeye's too. We occasionally eat it at McCarran.

As for the odds thing, they still may max out at 100X bet like all other Horseshoes.

 

Brutal run. Thanks for the ninja pics though. Next time I'm in Chicago I'll look into a water taxi!

 

Hammond has always been a blue collar town. There are some parts that look a bit gentrified but as someone who spent a lot of time there visiting family as a kid, it's never been a sexy place to live. Sorry to hear it was so brutal. I have had luck there on my last few visits but it's not enough to keep me coming back. There is something about that place that keep me off kilter.

 

I had a similar experience after returning from Vegas the other week when I went to our local Horseshoe in Cincinnati. . . Lost several thousand playing HL blackjack, to win most back playing craps, then lost the rest playing blackjack again. I feel the same way about Popeyes!

 

I was wondering about that. I rarely take more than 5x so it doesn't matter anyways.

 

Takes balls to write about a shitty day at the casino ...thanks though, you'll get em next time!!!

 

Meh, we all have shitty days. And I thought peppy would like the pics.

 

Hope you stopped at Popeyes again on the way home to soften the blow just a bit.

 

Damn 100k Bacc max!

I would rape that shit!

 

They go up to 200k if you ask.

 

Holy shit now that's some serious change

 

I know Hammond might not be your scene shifter, but you catch a run and you could crush you out there bud. You probably need a body guard with you though...

 

I would agree on that. I was there a few years back and saw the $200-$200,000 max at the baccarat tables and blackjack tables. No prior request needed if you have the chips you can place the bet.

Shifter if you go you should Limo in and out. Oh and they don't have a Hotel on site.

They will comp you a Chain hotel close by.

 

I've taken a black car in and out from Chicago. They comped me at the Hyatt Regency. It's about a thirty minute ride into Chicago.

 

Ouch! That was a tough trip. On beatings like that I always curse myself on the drive home. Its a 2.5hr drive from Houston to Louisiana and I get in the truck and by the time I am halfway home I am steamed for taking a whipping!

Reminds me of the Uncle Eddie line in National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation;

I haven't seen a beatin' like that since somebody stuck a banana in my pants and turned a monkey loose.

 

It's people like you who come here and blow the family nest egg that built this town.

 

lolol

what can I do with $5?

I don't know...buy a bullet and rent a gun!?

 

and some jerk would be betting against you for $10!