MGM National Harbor 1/12-1/14

So I’ve got a few days off, and a complimentary room at MGM National Harbor so how about a trip report?


MGM NH sits adjacent to the National Harbor planned development (which is relatively new) at the confluence on Maryland, DC, and Virginia on the Potomac River in Prince George’s County, MD. I grew up about 15 minutes from here and currently live about 20 minutes the other direction. While definitely appointing itself as a luxury property with decidedly “not the best” odds for gamers I’m proud of the investment made in PG County. The National Harbor development along with MGM has made it a world-class place to visit, and brought tons and tons of jobs. Plus, there’s no shortage of money in DC and the surround suburbs. Enough backstory.


The real purpose of this visit is an audition of sorts for casino spending dollar. I am not a rich lobbyist so I don’t necessarily like throwing money down the toilet but I do like to gamble. I am taking what should be sufficient bankroll to put $10,000 coin-in on slots for 3 days. If I can’t at least take an 80-85 percent win from that coin-in I’ll stop playing here for the foreseeable future. I’m not opposed to table games but I prefer lower minimums and a more relaxed pace. If they fail the test I’ll have no problem limiting my casino spend to places I have to travel for.


#WishMeLuck and I’ll update as much as possible!

 

Good luck.

 

Have fun and good luck!!! I lived in Laurel, MD for a year a lllloooonnnngggg time ago. A short drive down the parkway would've beat the 4 hour bus ride to Atlantic City (where the casinos closed at 2AM) in those days.

 

Take the train to Philly. Connect to the train for AC. You'll have lower minimums, fairer games and 9 casinos. The train station runs free shuttles to all of the casinos. Enjoy the rides on the trains. Bring a book or some work you have to do. No stress with TSA, no stress driving...you can drink.

 

looking forward to detailed report... thought about going there at some point and donating to the slots

 

That’s what I’ll be doing more often depending on how this visit goes! It’s been a few years but Borgata is calling my name.

 

This is my local, as I live on Capitol Hill in DC. I like the casino but detested the rooms...I hope you have a better experience with the accommodations. There are limited dining options at present and no indoor dining allowed in Maryland, so they have like these heated tents outside that, despite being enclosed, are somehow not considered "indoors".

 

I got a notification that my room was available about 4 hours earlier than normal check-in at 3pm so I got my shit together and got on my way via 395/295. I love the mobile check-in because you can just walk straight into the lobby and up to your room. Given a room
a room on the 3rd highest floor. The standard resort rooms here aren’t the largest but they are nicely appointed, clean, and I swear to God the most comfortable bed I’ve ever used in my life. Also of note is a very well-stocked and very expensive minibar. I’ve opted to pay a one-time fee of $25 for use of a fridge to store my beers and water. I think it’s a net win at the end of the day.










I walked down to the casino floor just to get the lay of the land. It’s pretty quiet as to be expected in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday. Roulette had a $25 minimum bet. Blackjack was all over the place with minimums from $15-$100 with $50 and $100 being the only 3:2 tables. I always look forward to the conservatory display here. Last time I was here 5 days ago it was a Christmas theme, but they are working on a Chinese New Year display as we speak. Also of note, Prince George’s County (along with DC and Montgomery County) have banned indoor dining of any kind so there’s no drink service in the casino and none of the bars are open.









Walked around a little bit more through the “District”, which has some retail stores and some quick service restaurants including a Vietnamese spot, Sushi, Pizza, Fried Chicken, Crab Cake (because Maryland), and Shake Shack which is always a treat. They’ve set up tents and heaters right outside the food service area for outdoor dining. Retail stores available included an MGM shop (essentially an expensive convenience store with some MGM branded merchandise), Breitling, and MCM (a luxury accessory store). Time to eat, and then sink into this lovely bed for a prolonged nap before gambling tonight.

 

Really?? $25 to use the refridge? Are you kidding me? Do they charge to use the mirror? All I can think of is Master of the House:

Charge 'em for the lice, extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice (Hand it over!)
Here a little slice, there a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks I knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!

 

Loving the report so far! Looks nice in there, especially the room. I am a local, and my wife and I considered a staycation there, but weren't sure due to pandemic concerns. It looks nice and quiet during the week, so I may try to present this trip report as evidence that it is a good idea!

 

They bring one up for you to use. Sucks but it is what it is

 

Ah. Not in the room already. I saw the pic you posted and thought it was already there. Yeah, a charge to bring up a fridge isn't unusual. Room does look nice.

 

Agreed, and you can drink out of @smerrian’s trunk in the Borgata parking lot!

 

I’ve also been trying to balance not being cooped up in the house with being safe. I feel like this is a happy medium. I can spend a lot of time enjoying a room and appointments that are much nicer than where I live, and I can choose where to gamble and appropriately space.

 

I’m a sucker for any type of view

 

Sitting down to gamble now on the road to 10k coin in for the night. I usually like to play in the $5-$15 range per bet but I’m going big to set the tone. 100 spins at $50 a pop for 5k coin in on Moon Maidens. The machine won’t let me exceed $3,000 in but I really hope I don’t need to anyway. After this I’ll slot around for a bit. Here we go!

 

I've heard that craps tables there are 50-100 during COVID. Was 25 on most days. Can you confirm that?

Playing a $10 table makes me sweat sometime. The one time I played a $15 table I held onto the table to whole time as my knees were jelly. It's not that I can't afford it, I don't like to gamble that much.

It does look like a nice property.

 

The person who puts $3,000 into slot and can easily bet $100 per minute.

 

This feels...intrusive. And gauche.

 

The wealth in the DC area is beyond what most people can comprehend unless you see it firsthand. It's a visually nice casino to be sure, but just ridiculously high minimums and the rules are pretty poor (MD doesn't comp drinks either).

Hope you win big, looking forward to more!