Gambling Forums

[LBoyd]

Heading for Vegas for a few days and will try to check out Laughlin on my way there or back.

You can still get decent marketing deals at the Belle or Edgewater but avoid using a host for now. Janella is in Phoenix helping to care for her mom so I think the real estate person is just a coincidence. Linda

[dewey089]

I just caught up with this post. Wild Bill and I were considering Laughlin again for the November 5-6 weekend that is rather expensive in Vegas, and sorry to see that Janella was gone. She may be selling real estate in Bullhead City as I see a woman of her name doing that.
Your review of Laughlin was pretty sad looking.

I think I want to stay in Vegas anyway as the Conventions have packed the tourists in that week and that looks good for live poker. Bill was hoping to get a little golf in as well. If Janella gave us free rooms it would just about make up for the expense of the rental car, but I'm happier on buses in Vegas and hoping that Coast will give me some offers if they ever get their offers out beyond August.

[LBoyd]

My post included all Laughlin casinos but Riverside. I returned to Laughlin for two days and checked out Riverside. (See first post for details on other Laughlin casinos.)

Riverside: First, if you're not a big fan of thick smoke don't even bother. There's a discount smoke shop, a discount opal jewelry store as well as knock off sunglasses, purses and watches, as previously mentioned. The watches are always there and are on the gaming level; purses/glasses are sometimes there and are on the higher entertainment level and down a long corridor.

The video poker is absolutely horrendous and I wouldn't play here even if they were giving away the opals. (Didn't go inside the store so can't say if they were real or not.) Nickels included 6/5 JOB while quarters had either 7/5 JOB or 8/5 JOB. It didn't seem to matter much as people were playing like it was the only game in town. There was a long bank of quarter machines with poor pay tables for every game that had a live body atop every chair. I also found some pseudo Bonus Poker machines (even money instead of double the wager for two pair) that had players. The high roller room (dollars--remember this is Riverside) had a silver tray of some food and 9/5 JOB machines.

Mostly Coyote Ugly Deuces with non-progressive Illinois Deuces having the best ER. That means no Full Pay or Not-So-Ugly Deuces in sight.

There were six people helping at the slot club with two extremely long lines--same system as your local bank. Both lines were very long on a Tuesday night and I waited 35 minutes for a slot card. I didn't need it since there was nothing I would play.

Very surprising to see such a big crowd at a casino with such bad bets. I also noticed a section with old Sigma coin-droppers, circa 1997, that were all being played. An old gentleman on the end machine explained that he and his wife only played these coin droppers. Bad pay schedules like all video poker within this casino. They do have several movies, good entertainment (Ty Herndon while I was there) a wonderful iconic bar (Loser's Bar) and an old time feeling. Some people simply like the old-fashioned atmosphere--very understandable. What I don't comprehend is the willingness to throw money into video poker devices with such downgraded pay tables.

I liked the fact that there were plenty of elderly change people on the floor--they would cash in your TITOS. I'm told several Indian casinos in the Midwest do this as well. Really good idea because it gives employment to people and it's quite convenient at times. In Arizona I've noticed a lot of malfunctioning cash redemption devices--Grrr! I was a bit unnerved when a lady had no less than 6 separate tickets ranging from 2 cents to $10.56. Really this is not hyperbole--she cashed in a two cent ticket!

Overall the Riverside is not a place where I would want to stay or play; I will, however, continue to visit the Loser's Bar now and then. Linda

[MaryP]

Good report on Laughlin casinos I will be taking this with me when I go to visit. The Aquarius used to be the Flamingo Hilton many years ago. I think I will try to stay and play at the Aquarius. It sounds like they have some good video poker even though I would rather play dollars than quarters.

[ACDUC]

Information like this is useful. I haven't been to Laughlin for a long time but thought about going in my rental car from Vegas. I think I will wait until they have a place where I can be comfortable staying and have something to play as well. I would be happy with a reasonable game like 9/6jacks or not so uglies for dollars. Even 8/5bonus would be okay on fifty cent or dollars. It does not sound like they are trying very hard at Edgewater or Belle and I like to have a good restaurant in the casino where I play.

[Vegas Vic]

Linda,
Thanks for the thorough update. I'll be LV in late September and had given some thought for this year's "day trip" to be to Laughlin..but not anymore. It's been probably 8 years since I've been there, and by golly, have things gone downhill. I see there is absolutely no reason to go there now.

[Brian in MI]

Thank you very much for those very complete reviews, Linda. Stuff like that is very helpful to the rest of us! For me, there is the occasional BJ tournament in Laughlin - never good enough to warrant a dedicated trip from Michigan but sometimes attractive if I'm going to be in the LV area for another event anyway. Seeing the mostly abysmal VP in that town would factor heavily in my decision to enter their BJT because there is usually so much downtime in the early rounds.

Great write-up and thanks again!!!!!

[LBoyd]

I checked out the video poker inventory and general atmosphere at every Laughlin casino, except the Riverside. I just ran out of steam and headed home without going there. I do get a kick out of the iconic "Loser's Bar" at Riverside, they have good entertainment and if you like knock-off watches and purses, they're for you. Next time I go to Laughlin I'll make sure I check out their video poker games.


Harrah's: Found no good video poker plays--8/5JOB (Jacks or Better) and worse. They had an 8/5 DDB (Double Double Bonus) progressive quarter bank that was popular. This is still a bad play, but better than the 8/5DDB without a progressive meter. The rate of the meter was extremely slow. In fact, the 8/5DDB at a local Indian casino is far better due to higher resets and a faster meter. There was a surprisingly large crowd of players on a Monday. Part of the reason is smart management/marketers who have junkets from all over of actual players. (In fact some Arizonans were on a chartered flight to Harrah's, Laughlin Thursday night.)Another smart move by HET was to not charge a resort fee like MGM and other corporations.

Harrah's would be one of my choices of best places to stay in Laughlin, in spite of the poor video poker options.

Golden Nugget:This place is not well-maintained and has very few video poker options. Couldn't find any Barbaric Deuces this time and the DDJ (Double Double Jackpots) were falling apart. Barbaric Deuces used to be an excellent play, known by very few and not shared. Now you can't find them in full pay version anywhere. They had the same pay schedule as full pay Bonus Deuces but paid extra for dealt deuces with no extra coins needed. (On a quarter machine 15 bonus credits for three dealt deuces, 2000 extra for four dealt deuces, no Ace--10,000 extra for four dealt deuces with an Ace.) If you're going to play the DDJ machines you must check the pay tables carefully since 9/6DDJ are mixed with 9/5DDJ, 8/6DDJ and 8/5DDJ. They are all circa 1996 coin droppers and on their last leg. Also, I noticed that virtually nobody (other than me) was checking the pay tables (sigh). One lady saw me and when I explained why she informed me that video poker machines were "set" to pay the same thing so the pay table didn't matter. (double sigh). She offered as proof that she had got a lot of four of a kinds on an 8/5 machine. (Note she didn't know what an 8/5 machine was until I told her.)

The casino is pretty smokey and not well maintained and I'm not sure of the rooms. (Haven't stayed there in a while.)

River Palms:This place has gone downhill since my last visit. Mostly slots and fairly empty. I played full pay All American last time I was there and couldn't find them this time. (Sometimes they move machines, but the games I saw were very poor choices and there were very few players.) Nothing going on at this casino and the tables as well as the casino floor were mostly empty.

Rooms are inexpensive, like most of Laughlin's, and an easy comp. Plain Jane but pretty clean last time I stayed there.

Pioneer:They removed all of the FPDW from the area near the slot club desk. I checked the entire casino and none were to be found. The best video poker bet are the 9/6 JOB scattered around the casino. You must check pay schedules since 8/5JOB and worse are mixed in with them. There are 9/6JOB quarter machines in the river bar, but they are the old coin droppers as are all the 9/6JOBs in the casino. This place needs a face lift. Haven't stayed in their rooms lately, but others report they're very basic but an easy comp. Even if you pay it's less than the resort fees in some Vegas casinos.

Personally, I think the Pioneer has the best pancakes and basic breakfasts for a reasonable price, especially if you order the specials. You get a full pot of good coffee and it's an easy comp with minimal play. If you're really into comps then you could play 9/6JOB quarter machines during COD (card of the day) times and earn free meal comps. (ER for 9/6 JOB is 99.5439, plus BB cash, COD, slot cash and comps. All things considered it's an even money or better play.) Interestingly there was some light play while I was there, but on the downgraded machines. I was the only one playing at the river bar and the only one choosing 9/6JOB on the casino floor. Saw a few playing 8/5JOB coin droppers and worse.

Tropicana:Same story--different casino. Formerly the Ramada Express, this property is on the opposite side of the street from the water. The video poker machines that were located near the main cashier's cage have all been removed and replaced with tables--all tables were empty while I was there. Very quiet and empty casino with extremely bad video poker games. The machines adjacent to the VIP room and against the wall have all been replaced with non-progressive severely downgraded games. Just one player on the entire bank while I was there. Also, the machines in the no smoking area were gone. I saw 7/5BP (Bonus Poker) and 7/5JOB. As I said, few players of either slots or video poker. Mostly elderly and a very quiet atmosphere inside the casino.

I did notice a large crowd of people, many in their twenties, at the pool and they seemed to be having a great time. It was over 100 degrees so I hope they had a lot of sun screen on them.

The train wasn't running anymore and there were changes in their deli. No more best frozen yogurt in town--I asked them to put half or less on a cone, but the quality was so bad I had to throw it away. Frozen ice--really bad.

In the past their steakhouse has been good and so has their Italian restaurant--hopefully this is still the case, but I didn't eat in either place this trip.

Their rooms have always been clean and adequate as well as an easy comp or very inexpensive summer rate. You could just stay here and play elsewhere; if so, it might be best to pay for the room and not feel obligated to play.

Colorado Belle/ Edgewater:This was the biggest disappointment of all. My favorite host, Janella, no longer works here (she is caring for her mother and not a host anywhere right now). I contacted Nora, head host, with a few questions, but none were answered. After accidentally providing me with an incorrect email for the manager, Jeff Pfeiffer, I called back. She referred me to Mark in Mark-eting (I don't make these things up) who could never be reached at his office. (Left messages but calls not returned.) Colleen, in my opinion the sharpest employee in management, gave me the most coherent information about their policies. Mark eventually called and left his cell phone number, but seemed angry that anybody wanted the "secrets" of their marketing policies. I just wanted to know the amount of play for somebody to ask for a host. The best I can tell is they're catering to locals, cut back on hosts and if you're playing video poker instead of slots just use marketing offers. I asked about discretionary comps but Mark said he had to protect that information--this guy is not serving the Marnells well at all.

Both EW and CB have clearly labeled full pay machines. In EW there are 8 near the restaurant escalator-- All quarter TITO machines in excellent shape. Games: FPJP (Full pay joker-poker, kings or better), FPDW (full pay deuces wild), 10/7BP (10/7Bonus Poker) and 10/6 DDB (double double bonus poker). By far the most popular with players were the 10/6DDB (lowest ER of the group). There was a steady traffic on these machines, never saw them completely empty, but never had to wait for a machine. I found it interesting that there were many players who chose the same games with downgraded pay schedules at machines located in the same area. The good news is they are giving cashback points at 1/5 the normal rate--an improvement. It takes 5 hands of max bet quarters to earn a point at the full pay bank and just one hand at the non-full pay machines. That's $6.25 per point at full pay and $1.25 per point at the non-full pay. You also earn food comps, marketing offers and bounceback cash in the form of free play. The marketing offers are good, the food bad and the floor staff excellent. Cocktail service, cashiers, restaurant staff, bartenders, valet, bell desk, maids, custodians were all excellent. (I leave generous tips.) Really a shame that the head host and head of marketing are doing a poor job, at least with customer relations. (Spoke to many with similar views while there. Wonder why the owners either are unaware or just putting up with it.)

The rooms seem shabbier with each visit and many will prefer Harrahs, Trop or Aquarius. It won't cost much to stay in a decent room and choose to play at the Edgewater or Belle on their full pay quarter machines. Unless things change I would not bother with VIP check in or using a host. Under the radar with marketing offers might be best for now.

Aquarius: This place has grown on me. Haven't stayed there but I was told many rooms were renovated and thay are currently renovating the buffet. Best of all is the full pay bank, clearly labeled, and located near the Outback Steakhouse and right in front of their nightclub. They have a 9/6JOB quarter game that pays 450 , instead of 250 for a straight flush. Be careful with the deuces wild, though. It's not FPDW (full pay deuces wild) like I was told by several seemingly knowledgeable players, but NSUD (not-so-ugly-deices wild). That's why it's important for people to check things out for themselves. FPDW has an ER of 100.76% while NSUD has an ER of 99.73%, but that's not even the main problem with this confusion. The strategy for these two games is different for a key play. Dealt two pair, a frequent hand, you hold both pair in NSDW (a 20/20 game, meaning both the full house and four of a kind pay 20 for a max coin bet) and you hold just one pair in FPDW, either one, since a full house pays 15 on a max 5-coin bet and four of a kind pays 25.

Overall I think you should play at one of the full pay quarter banks at Aquarius, Edgewater/Belle but stay at Harrahs, Aquarius or Trop. If you don't mind a slightly seedy room use a marketing offer from EW/CB but I wouldn't use a host--at least not head host Nora.

If you've found a good Midwest casino or several, you're going to have no real reason to visit Laughlin. When the best on the river is on quarter machines that will earn computer-perfect players a red hot $7 per hour and in return you'll get not host services or decent rooms (EW/CB) then why bother? Even if you've rented a car in Vegas why travel an hour and a half each way for no good reason. You'll find some good plays in locals casinos and have better entertainment and dining options to boot. Linda.

[MaryP]

I was thinking about going there for a few days next time I'm in Vegas. I thought they had all these good video poker games and easy comps. do they charge a resort fee?

[LBoyd]

I'm at the Edgewater and miss Janella--no more comps or anything else. Checked in and no anything, not even mailed offers. Will have to call when I'm fully awake. Haven't slept in close to 48 hours. Played FPDW and now you at least get one point every 5 hands--an improvement over last time. Used to have a comp for any restaurant at CB or EW. Color that gone. Never used it much, but at least I could go quickly through the buffet and get the grapefruit quickly. Now must pay for entire buffet which I won't eat. Bummer!
Linda

[LBoyd]

Heading for Laughlin in a few hours to check things out. If any body's going to be there email me at
maggie2194@comcast.com
and maybe we can meet for a meal.

The bad news is that Janella, my host at the Edgewater, is no longer there (moved to Phoenix) so my comps and perks may suffer. Have Elizabeth now and she seems to be both nice and well-informed.

I will be writing a trip report when I return. Might go into Vegas for a day or two but haven't made up my mind yet. Will definitely be writing more TRs in weeks to come--things change often and quickly. Linda