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Favorite CET property located outside of Vegas

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Casino Hotels' started by nubia11, Mar 23, 2013.

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  1. nubia11

    nubia11 Low-Roller

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    I've only been to a couple of CET properties outside of Las Vegas to include Harrah's North Kansas City and Caesar's Atlantic City. I haven't spent enough time in AC to form a strong opinion but, I've been to KC many times and, I'm not a huge fan. The casino is smokey. The drinks are expensive and, by law, don't get comped while playing. Finally, the machines are tight and the VP paytables are horrid. Will I go back? Probably, simply because it is convenient when we are in KC but, not worth a special trip for sure.

    That brings me to my question. Do you have a favorite non Vegas CET property, one that you'd structure a trip around?
     
  2. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    We used to plan trips around St. Louis but those idiots sold it. But NOLA is a great one. There is so much to do besides gamble there and you don't need to have a car to have access to lots of attractions. I have heard good thing about Reno. I want to try Tunica because it's close to Memphis. And the Iowa casinos bomb us with offers even though we don't have a clue on what to do other than gamble.
     
  3. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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  4. Buddha

    Buddha VIP Whale

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    Very difficult question, with the variety of CET properties around the country. We have been to about 11 or 12 different CET locations, from Atlantic City, through the south and midwest, and out west to Laughlin, Tahoe, and Reno ... and they all have different offerings (plus & minus).

    For strictly video poker offerings, I would have to pick the Southern Indiana Horseshoe in Elizabeth, IN ... and for tourism, sightseeing, great area food offerings, and atmosphere, I would pick New Orleans. Third place for me would be Tunica, which has three CET properties to move around in.

    Like I said ... tough to pick just one.
     
  5. LOCommish

    LOCommish Tourist

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    We also love Harrahs N.O. Good mix of machines & tables. Great location for getting out and taking a break.

    I'd say our favorite is Tahoe - but not for the casinos themselves as they seems to decrease the playing room everytime we're there. The hotels rooms are nice as are the staff, but the location is what makes it our number one. Beautifully situated near the lake.

    Reno has a great staff, too, but the casino is actually split on two sides of the street which is rather annoying. Airport shuttle is great - rooms are smallish but comfortable - food choices quite good.
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    I have been to several CET casinos outside of Vegas, mainly in the Midwest, some good, some not.

    St. Louis is my home but I play at many other CET properties, so I am sad that Harrah's got sold. They had great video poker for a CET property and the best in the St. Louis area. Fortunately Hollywood has kept the good video poker there for now.

    Joliet...small casino...bad VP paytables...the biggest plus to me, it's not smoking. Same description fits for Metropolis.

    Hammond, IN...has a very nice casino in a terrible location. Has an awesome craft beer bar next to the poker room for decent prices. No hotel, so that is a bummer too. Good VP if you're willing to play dollars.

    Southern Indiana...bit cramped...hotel light years away from the casino...isolated from civilization, but lots of good VP at the 50c level or higher, and 9/6 JoB for quarters. The Paula Deen Buffet is better in Tunica than there.

    Tunica (drinks are comped in Mississippi, unlike the other places listed above)
    Harrah's Tunica...property is quite nice and spacious. Quite active on the weekends. One drawback is that most hotel rooms are detached from the casino; their shuttle system is good though. Decent VP exists at the 50c level or higher. Paula Deen Buffet is one of the best buffets in Tunica. Drink service is hit or miss.

    Horseshoe Tunica...I definitely like the way any horseshoe looks, but I still stay away from here because until recently I never found a VP machine that paid back 97%...lol Tables are packed on the weekends. Drink service also hit or miss. Buffet is okay if it's free, or only takes 25 Tier points to gain one.

    Roadhouse...Probably my favorite place for gaming and staying and we structure trips around here, but my last trip there was the most disappointing. Hit nothing at video poker, and it looked like our main drink server had a drug problem and took over 30 minutes to get our drinks! Generally they are one of the faster places for drinks in Tunica. I eventually converted to getting drinks at the bar instead because I got tired of waiting. Hopefully next trip she shapes up or gets canned. 99.96% Deuces Wild, 99.96% DDB, and 99.94% Super Aces Bonus are available for quarters plus many other good paying games. Easily the best video poker paytables outside of Nevada. All rooms come with a whirlpool tub, and are reasonably prices on weekdays if you're compless like me. Also if you ever plan a birthday trip to Tunica, make sure you stop here on your actual birthday and put your card in a machine as they give Gold members $20 slot play, Platinum $30 slot play, and I assume more for Diamond/7 Star.

    And finally...North Kansas City
    You are right OP, this place generally sucks and has pretty bad video poker. All other KC casinos have better video poker options. We usually go to Ameristar more often for nickel/quarter VP, and Ameristar has their own brewpub which is pretty good. Harrah's NKC is also quite smoky, but the hotel is pretty nice though, imo. Also for the last two years, if you attended a Royals game and parked ($10 to park), your parking ticket offered you a buy one get one free buffet at NKC. The buffet is pretty good too, imo.

    What frustrates me about this place is it is currently where my biggest win occurred. I was there for the "Race to Rewards" and trying to earn 25 Tier points as fast as possible. Also trying to find a paytable that didn't totally blow, I finally settled on a 9/5 DDB with Double Super Times Pay (98.37%). Hit four 2's with a 4X multiplier for $400...lol But I still don't like the place!
     
  7. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    1. Lake Tahoe Harrah's - This is a very nice part of the country and the rooms,
    staff and VP pay-tables are better than Vegas ($1 9/6 JOB).

    2. Harrah's Marina - Atlantic City - Would likely rather stay on the Boardwalk if there is a next time, but the room was decent and the casino nice. I was able to find the three $0.25 9/6 JOB machines. Caesars and Bally's also offer 9/6 JOB. I qualified for Platinum in a day on the Bally's three line $1 game.

    3. Harrah's Metropolis - I'm not sure I'll ever be back in the area (only went for the Road to Rewards contest), but the rooms were very nice. The casino itself was a dumpy riverboat.
     
  8. RebelDiceMan

    RebelDiceMan VIP Whale

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    Harrah's New Orleans. It and the Hard Rock Biloxi are pretty much my two home casinos.
     
  9. DMSCR

    DMSCR High-Roller

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    Harrah's, Caesars, and Showboat in AC.
     
  10. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    In AC its Harrahs by far. I just recently discovered this. Harrahs is separated from the rest of the CET props because its in the marina area, not on the boardwalk. Every time I went to the marina it was for the Borgata and didn't even bother going into Harrahs cuz it's a Harrahs after all. Big mistake. Very nice casino, some good VP and blackjack. Lots of tables. Most importantly it has a good crowd and vibe.

    The casinos in the marina area don't get much of the riff-raff you see in the boardwalk casinos which are right up against ghetto neighborhoods and are also where all the buses come in from the surrounding cities.

    The casino at Harrahs AC is better than any of the CET casinos in Vegas...though that's probably not saying much.
     
  11. nhcris

    nhcris VIP Whale

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    in order of my preference.

    Harrah's AC - solid and my go to casino in AC. Off the Boardwalk so need to use car or jitneys to casino hop.

    Caesar's Windsor - nice rooms and pleasant atmosphere. Smoking outside only.

    Bally's AC - beware of old non-renovated rooms but the Wild West Casino has a great vibe.

    Harrah's New Orleans - nice rooms & great location but casino feels dark & old and can't win a thing.

    Caesar's AC - casino is nothing special. Some great rooms and some old rundown rooms & they don't guarantee room category for comped rooms.

    Showboat - casino ok. Staying for the 1st time in Aug but rooms look mediocre.

    Harrah's Cherokee - was a dump and very tight, but I think they are completing some renovations.


    I am really hoping they get the go ahead to build at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts. The plans look good & that will become my home casino if it happens!
     
  12. mrstealth

    mrstealth VIP Whale

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    Outside of Vegas my favorites (in order):

    #1 - Harrah's Ak-Chin Phoenix - Love the pool (Sidewinders), the Diamond Lounge and the Virgin Mudslides.

    #2 - Harrahs Rincon - Love everything about it except the location

    #3 - Harverys Lake Taho - great views

    #4 - Joliet & Hammond - Tie - Hammond has poor location and no hotel, Joliet has hotel but is quite small. Both have nice Diamond lounges.

    #5 - Harrahs Reno
     
  13. salukidean

    salukidean High-Roller

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    What makes the Diamond Lounge at Harrahs Joliet so nice? Staying a night there next week for the first time and curious to know what perks the property has to offer
     
  14. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    They recently moved the Diamond Lounge into the restaurant space with a river view where you can watch the suspension bridges go up and down when the barges come through. They have a one entree buffet with a few salads, sides and desserts. Although alcohol is not free, the drinks are well discounted in the DL. If you happen to be there on the weekend, the free entertainment at Stage 151 is usually pretty good, too. Part of the reason I don't go there much anymore is because they took out the casual restaurant and combined it with the buffet to create a Paula Deen's. I just don't care for it and I am sure I am not the only one because they are tweaking the menu. The diner in the casino and the steakhouse are good, though.
     
  15. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    I keep forgetting about Reno-Tahoe. Both Harrah's and Harvey's Tahoe are great! Downtown Reno is fun for maybe one night. :)

    I loved Horseshoe Hammond when I went there! HUGE! Rivers Casino (Des Plaines, not CET) sucked! :(
     
  16. NickyDim

    NickyDim Hockey is life

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    Absolute agree with this statement. Harrahs AC is such a nice property. It's clean, modern, huge, fantastic pool, lots of tables with some $5 min, tons of VP every variety you can think of, keno (rare for AC), a large poker room, with a choice of 5 different towers each with it's own personality and room style. Great choices to eat, very nice Diamond lounge. And without question the biggest selection of table games you could ever imagine. Including UTH, BTH, Miss stud, Carrib Poker, double attack blackjack, along with many tables of blackjack, 3card poker, let it ride, many tables of roulette and craps. Every choice you could think of is played.

    Drink service is second to none. You order your drink right at your machine, and with your players card you can store your favorites (mine is whiskey and seven) and you can order it one touch. It keeps you posted on the status of you order and your drink comes within minutes directly to you, she knows where the order comes from, and it doesn't charge any comps. It's the best drink service any casino anywhere offers.

    We used to go to BallysAC, but in the last 2 years they've really gone downhill in quality and cleanliness.
     
  17. mrstealth

    mrstealth VIP Whale

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    salukiadean - The diamond lounge at Joliet is more like a buffet than just finger foold that most diamond lounges in vegas offer. Also has a river view

    In my initial list I also forgot to mention Harrahs Laughlin. I actually enjoy this casino quite a bit and the beach fron area for walking around.

    Also, the diamond lounge overlooking the colorado river is pretty cool.

    The buffet is also really good.
     
  18. engicedave

    engicedave VIP Whale

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    Harrah's Tahoe is beautiful because it's Tahoe. Great place to relax.

    I like the play in Tunica, in order, Harrah's, Horseshoe, Roadhouse. Tunica is CRAZY hot and humid in summer. Brutal.
     
  19. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    Only one I've been to is Caesars Windsor, and I do like it.

    What's better there than in Vegas:

    • A good sized, closed off poker room. Nicer than just about any CET one in vegas aside from maybe Caesars.
    • Hotel room quality relative to offers you get ... these are nice, big rooms with many amenities.

    What's worse:

    • No free booze
    • Dining options
    • Table game limits
    • Its not in Vegas
    • No real sports book .... for now

    Basically, its nice because space isn't at the same premium it is in Vegas, so the rooms are spacious, the poker room has its own area, etc.
     
  20. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Spend a lot of time in Harrahs AC

    But,it can be a love/hate relationship . Have had some cleanliness issues in a few rooms,but free is good. Last two times have been in a wrap-around suite in Waterfront Twr. and Atrium Suite last week.
    Being mere Gold Carders thats good.
    For us the hotel is easy to drive to and the garage is simple to figure out .
    Enjoy VP at the XBar ,bartenders mostly know us.
    Some good happy hours,good pub grub.
    We keep going back so that says something.
     
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