My trip to Horseshoe Cincinnati

On Saturday, my mom and I took a trip to the Horseshoe Cincinnati. It was my first time visiting this casino and I wanted to share some of the things I found interesting.

The casino itself seemed small-ish, but not tiny. I would say its probably close to the size of Planet Hollywood, maybe a little bit smaller. A lot of the decor reminded me of PHo. The outdoor sign is styled like the Rio sign, but maybe this is a commonality among all Horseshoes, I'm not sure as this was my first one to visit.

Holy smokes at the video-style slot machines. I didn't see any of the "old fashioned" reel machines anywhere in the casino. I looked all over the casino. They had some of the old favorites (top dollar, inching diamonds, Blazing 7s), but in a video style.

The high limit room wasn't very high limit. A lot of the high limit slots were 5 dollars, but multi-domination up to 25 dollars. I saw nothing above 25. They had three baccarat tables and the buy-in was 10 bucks. There was no baccarat on the floor. No craps or roulette in the HL room either. The limits on the main floor seemed to be higher for blackjack and roulette. Blackjack started at 15 bucks.

While we were there, it was very very crowded. I saw a lot of people in Reds gear, so perhaps there was a game going on? It was hard to find a free machine, or a seat at any of the tables. The restaurants were packed out as well, and the total rewards line was at least 50-75 people deep every time we passed it. The Diamond and Seven Stars lines were roped off and closed at the TR desk.

Parking was weird. There was tons of signs talking about validating your parking or paying before you left the casino, but they weren't actually charging for parking. I also couldn't figure out the drink situation. They had the on-screen video ordering for beverages, but I wasn't sure if Ohio was like Indiana where you had to purchase them. I did see guys set up selling bottles of beer, which led me to believe that you did, but cocktail waitresses were busy floating around. With it being so packed, I didn't experiment. Also, I noticed there was no smoke anywhere in the place, and off to the back there was a "smoking lounge" which led me to believe you can't smoke in the casino.

We didn't really win anything, but I hit a few very small top dollars which I promptly gave back, and my mom won about 20 bucks on a video top dollar knock-off. It was so busy and loud that it was unpleasant to be there. In the midst of all that commotion, they were also doing a drawing. We didn't last very long because of the hectic nature of the place.

Would I go back? Maybe if it was on a non-busy weeknight, but as with Indiana, this didn't satisfy me like a trip to Vegas. I especially didn't like their machines. The drive for me is definitely easier than going to Indiana, and the comps linked to Vegas is nice, but I don't think I have to worry about calling the gamblers' hotline anytime soon!

 

I was there on Saturday as well. To make a few comments:

1. Size-- It is the biggest one in the region, but small by Vegas standards. It competes against the Indiana River "boats".

2. Good points about the HL room lacking Craps and Roulette.

3. It does get crowded on weekends, I try to go during the day time.

4 The lines at the Total Rewards and Cashier and restaurants move insanely slow.

5. Parking-- When the casino first opened a few months ago there wasn't enough parking so they had the infrastructure to charge for parking. Since the novelty has worn off somewhat they have plenty of parking and no longer need to charge

6. The non-alcoholic drinks are free (so long as you are gaming), they charge for alcohol.

7. There is a smokers' patio. Another difference from Indiana where smoking is allowed inside.

8. The comps linking to CET are very nice.

 

I was there the night after the grand opening while I was in town for work. I liked it. Everything was still shiny and new, including the dealers. Went in the high limit room where I was immediately the biggest gambler in the joint by wagering fifty bucks a hand. It was fun and will probably go back

 

They actually had a reserved craps table set up, which surprised me!

 

This is pretty much my feeling about all non-Vegas casinos as well. As far as the new Ohio casinos are concerned, I think Cleveland is my favorite (disclaimer: I have not yet been to the Toledo one) as it seems to have the most tables and the widest variety of games. However, I do not think I would make a special trip to any of them; more of a "If I am there, I will stop by." attitude. Of course, my work takes me to Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati quite often:evillaugh

Regarding parking at Cincinnati, the last I had heard they charge from 7am - 6pm weekdays, but otherwise it is free. As a previous poster said though, maybe the demand is not there and it is free all the time now.

 

Wow. The night I was there, the craps tables were packed. Of course, it was their second day in business, so most everything was packed except the high limit area. In the HL, nobody was playing BJ. They had three mini bac tables set up. A group of younger guys was playing at the $25 table, but then came over to watch me when I sat down at the $50 table. When they realized (like I did) that the dealer was making mistakes in the players favor, they jumped on the table too. We all left when they changed dealers :evillaugh