Video Poker is a game that is in a class by itself.  Unlike slot machines where you press a button and cross your fingers hoping for the best outcome, video poker requires some CHOICES by the player that will determine the final outcome.  There are some that will say that there are slot machines that have bonus round where you have to pick and choose items on the screen that will determine things like the number of free spins, bonus multipliers, extra credits, and a whole pile of other gimmicks to entertain the slot enthusiasts, but as sure as you are able to select what prize awaits you behind door number 1, 2 or 3 you can be sure that it doesn’t matter which door you pick because the computer has already determined in advance what prize you will receive.  With slot machines and bonus rounds, you are presented with the ILLUSION of choice.  In video poker the choice is real.  How do we know this?  Because the choice you have to make with video poker is not so much which cards you will keep, but which cards you will THROW AWAY.  Once you throw away a card from a hand, that card is gone and can not be redrawn from a deck of 52 cards.

It is because of this fact that players that do not have a good working knowledge of the game along with at least a basic strategy can end up making bad decisions that will dramatically reduce the payback percentage for their play.  It is also for this reason that GAMING LAWS have very specific language addressing video poker and payback percentages.  This is why video poker is quickly becoming a dinosaur in the casinos.  If you can find a video poker machine, then you need to first check for the pay tables and you should also ask the slot host about the comps associated with video poker play (which are most likely less than slot comps).  Now that we know why it is important to have a strategy, let talk about a basic one for for Jacks or Better that will keep you playing for a long while.

Basic Jacks or Better Strategy

Here is a good strategy that will help you to maximize your payback percentage.  The way to use this table is to evaluate the hand that is dealt to you before you discard and find it on the list from the top down for the correct play.  Just remember that that higher the hand is on the list, the more valuable it is in terms of payback percentage.

Pat Royal Straight Flush
Pat Straight Flush
Pat Four of a Kind
4 to the Royal Straight Flush
Pat Full House
Pat Flush
Three of a Kind
Pat Straight
4 to an open ended straight flush
Two Pair
4 to an inside straight flush draw
High Pair
3 to a Royal straight flush
4 to a Flush
TJQK
Low Pair
9TJQ
89TJ
QJ9 suited
JT9 suited
4 to an open ended straight, 2345-789T
3 to an open ended straight flush, 345s-89Ts
KQ9, KJ9, QJ8 suited
QT9, JT8, J98 suited
QJ suited
AKQJ
KQ, KJ suited
AK, AQ, AJ suited
4 to an inside straight with 3 Hi Cards
3 to an inside straight flush (2 Gaps & 1 High card)
3 to an inside straight flush ( 1 gap & no high cards)
KQJ
QJ
JT suited
KQ, KJ
QT suited

AK, AQ, AJ
KT suited
Jack
Queen
King
Ace
3 to an inside straight flush (2 Gaps & no High cards)

Redraw

Feel free to cut and paste this table into your word processor and make a little index card that you can laminate and take with you to the casino.  The casinos don’t mind it at all.  As a matter of fact, if you go into one of their gift shops you may actually find similar strategy cards for table games like Black Jack which they encourage the players to use because it generates more business.

Give this strategy a shot and write back with your experiences.

Laters,

Casino Junkie

I was never much of a video poker fan, mostly because I considered it relatively boring compared to a lot of the other games offered by the casinos. It’s mostly a lot of back & forth…you win a hand, you lose a hand, and you’re pretty much going nowhere fast. What changed my mind about video poker was that my wife is a video poker fanatic and we like to play side-by-side, so I learned to appreciate the game and its nuances over time. Over the past five years, we have collectively hit about 20 royals so for the people out there that have looked at it and said that it is next to impossible, let me tell you from first hand experience that it happens more frequently than a jackpot on a slot machine.

Not All Video Poker Games are the Same

If you walk through a casino, you will usually find all of the video poker machines grouped together in one section and if you look at the machines you will find that there are a lot if different variations to the game. Aces & Eights, Double Double Bonus, Shock Wave, and the list goes on. For the sake of simplicity I am going to focus on the most basic of the video poker games which is Jacks or Better. OK, now that we’ve decided to play Jacks or Better we just need to find an open machine, sit down, and put our money in and start playing, right? No, because not all Jacks or Better machines are the same either. What we need to look for are the ones with the best pay tables. You see, unlike most slot machines where the pay tables are printed on the back glass, the video poker pay tables are programmed into the machines and can be changed at any time by the casino in order to increase or decrease the payouts. Just because two Jacks or Better machines are sitting side by side and the back splash and the buttons and the screen look the same doesn’t mean that the pay table is the same. Here’s what you need to do:

1. If it is a machine that allows for multiple denominations (i.e. 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, 1 dollar), then select the denomination you want to play first.
2. If it is a machine that has multiple games, then select the Jacks or Better game. When you do, the game will appear on the screen with the correct denomination displayed at the bottom center of the screen.
3. Select the button at the bottom of the screen that corresponds to “View Pay Table”
4. When the pay table appears on the screen, press the button that corresponds with “Bet Down” until the pay table displays the payouts associated with betting One Credit. What you should see is something that looks like this:
   

   Royal Straight Flush: 250

   Straight Flush:                50

   Four-of-a-kind:               25

   Full House:                       6

   Flush:                               5

   Straight:                           4

   Three-of-a-kind:                3

   Two Pair:                           2

   Jacks or Better:                  1

5. If the pay table is displaying anything less than what is shown for Jacks or Better, Two Pair, Three-of-a-kind, or Straight, then RUN (do not walk) to the nearest exit. You will be DESTROYED by a machine that pays anything less.
6. Next, press the button that corresponds with “Bet up” and you will see the pay table change to what the payback will be if you bet 2 credits, 3 credits, and so on. As you page through the pay tables, note that the payouts for each of the different hands goes up in proportion to the single credit pay table, until you reach the top. When you get to the maximum number of credits allowed for a single hand you should note that the payout for the elusive Royal Straight Flush jumps from 250-to-1 up to a whopping 800-to-1. Mos machines max out at 5 credits but there are some that allow you to play more. Only play the number of credits required to get you to the 800-to-1 payout for the royal.

In most reputable casinos, the variations in the pay table will occur with the FLUSH and FULL HOUSE. The pay table displayed above is referred to by video poker pros as the 5/6 pay table (the 5-to-1 payout for a flush, and the 6-to-1 payout for a full house) and carries a 95% overall payback for the game. Here is a list of the most common pay table variations and their associated payback percentages:

Pay Table Percentage

6/5               95.00%

7/5                96.15%

8/5                97.30%

8/6                 98.39%

9/5                 98.45%

9/6                  99.54%

The 9/6 pay table is also referred to as a Full Pay machine and is getting harder and harder to find. If you do happen to run across one, hold on to it for dear life! In recent history, the only full pay machines I recall are in older casinos that have not upgraded their machines for ticket-in/ticket out, so you are having to deal with buckets of coins. In my mind it is a minor inconvenience for getting an excellent payback percentage! Typically, the higher the denomination the better the pay table. It makes sense because from a hard dollar perspective, the casino doesn’t have to squeeze you as hard to get their cut from a dollar player as they do with a nickel player. If you happen to be sitting at a machine that accepts multiple denominations then check it out for yourself. Look at the pay table for the same game under the various denominations and in most cases you will find variations with the higher denominations paying more.

The cool thing about video poker is that YOU CAN calculate the payback percentage whereas with slot machines you can not. Even if you are not a video poker player, just knowing how to find out what a casino is paying on their video slot games will give you a general idea of how tight or how loose their regular slot machines are. If a casino does not have any video poker machines, that should be your first clue that you’re about to be taken for a ride. If you walk into a casino that you’ve never been to before, seek out the video poker machines and look at the pay tables. They will give you an indication of what you can expect from the rest of the slot machines in the house. If you see nothing but 5/6 and 5/7 pay tables, then don’t have high hopes of getting too much play from their other machines. Stick to the table games.

Now that we know how to select the machine with the best payout percentage, we will focus our next post on Video Poker Strategy.

Trivia: Did you know that Video Poker was fist introduced in casinos in the mid-70s at about the same time as personal computers hit the market?

Laters,

Casino Junkie

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to write about Texas Holdem.  I guess it’s because I spend too much time playing the game instead of writing about it.  Make no mistake, Holdem is a game of SKILL.  Yes there is a component of luck involved, but in order to win consistently (and there are players that do that very profitably), then you can’t rely upon luck alone.

Regardless of whether you are playing in a live casino or on the Internet, here are some tips that will help you come out ahead.

1. Practice, Practice, Practice:  Nothing will hone your skills better than experience.  Before you break out your first dollar, play some free games on the Internet and get a feel for the different opening hand combos and styles of the different players.  Make no mistake, playing in a free game will not be nearly the same as playing when there is money on the line.  More players will be “all-in” pre-flop with garbage cards.  It doesn’t matter.  Your goal in playing these games is to acquire an instinctive feel for opening hands, position, reading the board, and reading players betting patterns.  When I’m playing for fun (i.e. Play Money), I find that the players at PokerStars provide the truest play simulating real money activity.  I prefer the 10-seat ring games and the 45-seat tournament games.   These are closest to the types of games you will find in a live casino and give you a lot of good practice.  You can also join in FREEROLLS.  There are tournaments that don’t cost any money, yet you can win real money! What can be better than that?  Freerolls are available at PokerStars, Reefer Poker, and a bunch of others that I will find and post.  All you need to do is download the software, setup an account, then check the schedule.  No deposit is necessary.  Those will really test your skills!
2. Know the House Percentage: You may be able to fine tune your game to where you can beat the other players consistently, but you will NEVER be able to beat the house.  The house percentage is a constant and will tear apart the best professional players if it is too heavy.  If you are playing a RING GAME, then the standard rake in most casinos is 5% meaning that they will pull $1 out of the pot and rake it into their box for every $20 in the pot.  If you have a full table playing a ring game, you can bet that the big winner at the end of the night will be THE HOUSE.  That’s the price of playing poker as the saying goes.  There is even a House Percentage involved if you’re into Tournament Play, however it’s a hidden percentage relative to the ring game.  Let’s  assume that you enter into a tourney that costs $20 and is limited to 50 players, and the top 5 players win money: 1st – $400, 2nd – $225, 3rd – $100, 4th – $50, 5th – $25.  Not bad you say.  But if the house has collected $1000 in entry fees (50 x $20) and they are paying out $850 in prizes ($400+$225+$100+$50+$25), then the house retains $150 of the $1000 collected for a cool 15% rake.  The bottom line is that if you have a choice of Live Casinos or Internet Casinos to play at, then search for the LOWEST HOUSE PERCENTAGE before you lay your money down.
3. The 80/20 Rule: When you are playing a Fixed Limit Ring Game, you should statistically be folding 80% of your hands.  Sure, you’ll hear players say “any 2 cards can be a winner” and “you can’t win if you fold”, but keep in mind that the objective in a Ring Game is not to win a single hand, but to walk away from the table at the end of your session with more money that you came with.  The only way to do this on a consistent basis is to play HIGH VALUE hands at the right time.  Click on this chart to see the full screen view and then we’ll talk about it:
   

   Limit Holdem Pre-Flop Chart

   So a new hand is being dealt.  The dealer gives you your 2 cards and the betting begins.  When the bet comes around to you, your main decision is whether or not you will play the hand.  80% of the time the answer is NO.  There are a lot of factors that come into play in making the decision besides the 2 cards you are holding.  You need to be aware of your position.  How many players have had an opportunity to bet at this hand before you and how many will still have the chance to RAISE after you have bet?  This is very important and decides which column you need to consult when looking at the chart.  Now that you know your position the question is will you play if: the pot has already been RAISED (R)?  Will you play if the pot has been RE-RAISE (RR)?  Will you just CALL (C) the blind?  Will you FOLD (F)?  And in those rare instances where you are the big blind and the pot has not been raised, will you CHECK (X)?  Once the decision has been made to play, then you are in it for the long haul to see the flop, regardless of how many more time the pot is raised.  The chart above is a good starting point to help you limit your play to the high probability hands that give you a fighting chance of taking down the pot.

4. Change it up a bit: If you’ve been playing for a while at the same table with the same players, you get to know who is playing aggressively, who is playing tight, and who doesn’t know how to play at all.  And because you can tell these things about other players, you can be sure that they can tell the same thing about you.  So, to keep the other players off balance regarding your game, it is good to change your style for a given hand every once in a while, even if it results in losing that hand because you will gain in the long run by keeping the other players guessing.  If you play a tight game all of the time, then whenever you bet at the pot everyone will fold and your winnings wont amount to anything.  Sometimes its good to get caught bluffing every once in a while (especially if your ahead), that way when you do have a MONSTER HAND the players will stay in the pot just to keep you honest and you’ll end up cashing in more than what you lost on your bluff.
5. Keep your Head On: Every table has at least one player that rubs you the wrong way for one reason or another.  Maybe they are drunk and obnoxious, or they are pulling out a win on the river to often.  It doesn’t matter what the reason is, just be aware that once they get under your skin they’ve already beat you.  You will make irrational decisions when you are in hands against them to try to beat them.  DON’T DO IT.  STICK TO YOUR GAME or even better is to take a break.  Once you lose your head, THE GAME IS OVER FOR YOU.  Know the warning signs and act like the professional that you want to be.

That’s all for now.  Keep in touch!

Before I get into the actual casino reviews I need to lay down a little prologue.  It’s been a while since I’ve visited the Biloxi, MS area. The gaming industry was really on the up-swing and then it all came to a crashing halt on August 29^th, 2005 when hurricane Katrina hit the shore. The devastation was far worse than anything you might have seen on TV. While the nation focused on New Orleans and reporters asked the question “Who is going to help all of these poor people who were already living off of government assistance?”, the state of Mississippi went virtually unnoticed even though they took it the hardest. My respect for the good people of Mississippi has gone through the roof as I kept track of the intense clean up and rebuilding that took place from ’05 through ’07.  This they did all in spite of having to take a back seat to Louisiana in terms of government assistance due to politics, and the criminal stone-walling from the insurance companies who gladly took insurance premiums from individuals and businesses then had the audacity to question claims because they couldn’t determine if damages were due to winds!

Scars from Katrina are still evident 5-years later

I had to drive through the area in ’06 and decided to veer off of I-10 down to highway 90 along the coast to see what I could see. If the torn up billboards, road signs, and general debris along the shoulder of the Interstate was any indication, I could only imagine what I would find along the coast. All that I can say is that there are certain images that can not be re-created on television. You can’t see Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon on television and come away with the same experience as seeing it in person. This was the same thing. I managed to work my way through some of the back streets that were passable (mind you that we are talking about 4-months after the hurricane). The sounds of chain saws was humming from all directions and the smell of freshly cut wood was noticed throughout the neighborhoods as people were out working to clear out the remains of 500-year old live oak trees that were uprooted. Blue tarp was covering the roofs of most of the houses that were still standing. The thing that was most impressive was that everyone was out working to fix things up. Nobody was sitting on the curb drinking a beer wondering when the government was going to show up and fix everything for them. Even though I’m not from Mississippi, I had a sense of pride when I saw this along with a renewed hope for America that ‘the dream’  based on rugged individualism is still alive. As we all experienced with 9/11, sometimes it takes the worst to bring out our best.

I finally worked my way down to Highway 90 in Ocean Springs. That’s when I saw that an entire section of the bridge that takes Highway 90 over Biloxi Bay to the casino strip was gone…and so were the casinos. I couldn’t go any further so I had to turn around and head back to the Interstate. I was still curious, so I decided to drive up a little further then cut back over to Highway 90 via I-110. Driving down I-110, I could see that Imperial Palace was still standing strong because it sits on Back Bay and was shielded from a lot of the force, but I’ve heard that they sustained a lot of water damage on the casino floor. When I got down to Highway 90, there was a barricade manned by either the National Guard or regular army that limited access to authorized clean-up personnel only. What I could see from my vantage point before I had to turn around was that Beau Rivage was still standing, even though most of the hotel room windows were blown out. The presence of the young men in full cammo and rifles with the backdrop of the hurricane damaged strip gave the whole thing an eerie 3^rd world feeling. That’s all I could deal with. I needed to get back on the road.

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Now it is 2010 and it’s time to give the new Biloxi a visit. I apologize for the lengthy prologue but I felt that it was necessary due to the unusual recent history of this gambling area. I don’t want anyone to take my reviews in the same light as with other areas because there is more playing into the current state of affairs in Biloxi other than the economy and industry marketing, and it may give us all insight into the direction of the industry as a whole since Biloxi had to start over from scratch. There are 9 casinos in the immediate area: Island View Casino, Treasure Bay Casino, Beau Rivage, Hard Rock, Grand Casino, Isle of Capri, Palace Casino Resort, BoomTown, and Imperial Palace. If you are planning a trip to the area, DO NOT RELY ON GOOGLE MAPS…IT IS WRONG. They still have pre-hurricane information out there. If you need info, send me an email and I’ll be glad to help. If we had more time, there are more casinos within driving distance in Bay St. Louis. They have Hollywood Casino, Casino Magic, The Silver Slipper.

We flew into the Gulfport/Biloxi regional airport. The airport itself has recently been remodeled. As a matter of fact, it is one of the few airports left in the country that has designated smoking areas INSIDE of the secure area by the gates. The airport is services by all of the major rental car companies. One thing we did notice when making our plans was that the price of rental cars DROPPED has time got closer to our trip. We were able to secure a weekday rate of $23/day for a mid-sized car. A few weeks ago it was in the $40-$45 range.

ISLAND VIEW CASINO

Our first stop is the Island View Casino which is about 15 minutes from the airport. The Island View is on the inland side of Highway 90 in Gulfport. After the hurricane, the laws that required casinos to be on the water were relaxed. I don’t know why that had that stupid law to begin with so this is one of the good regulatory changes that has taken place. There were a couple of other casinos right here before Katrina, The Grand and Copa Casino. They have been wiped off the the map (except for Google Maps) and the only remnant is the 3-story concrete parking garage that just stands out there by itself on the south side of Highway 90.

Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House at The Island View Casino

There is plenty of parking around the perimeter of the Island View as well as a covered parking garage. The hotel has 560 rooms equipped with pillow-top mattresses, FREE Wi-Fi, Flat pannel TVs, and refrigerators. The casino is a massive 83,000 SF single story layout. It has a relatively small table game area with 47 tables; Craps, Blackjack, and a few novelty games. I would say that 95% of the gaming floor is consumed by their 2000 slot machines, primarily penny slots. They are on their own loyalty card system and free play is earned easily. If you are a golfer, then just by getting a player card you can get a discounted green fee at the neighboring Windance Golf Club. They have a unique system for for checking and claiming your comps. They have kiosks scattered throughout the floor and whenever you earn at least 20 points on your card, you can swipe your card at the kiosk and play a game that will give you bonus points and multipliers. A new player gets some free play just to start with. I got $10 just for signing up. There are probably a lot more features that this kiosk is able to perform that I just didn’t have time to explore. There is a high limit area in the center of the casino where there are $5, $10, $25, $100 3-reel slots. In the rear, there are about 20 video poker machines and there is view poker at the 3 different bars. Other than that, it is penny slot heaven. The place is very clean and spacious. The buffet is very reasonably priced and has a good selection of southern-style cooking…and sweet iced tea! You can only get that in the south. They do have an Emeril Lagasse Gulf Coast Fish House restaurant on location. We’ll check that out the next time we come back because we will be back. Overall our experience at the Island View was very enjoyable and we received a good amount of play for our entertainment dollar. The machines seemed to have reasonable paybacks.

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Treasure Bay Hotel & Casino

Treasure Bay Hotel & Casino, Biloxi, MS

Next we’ll drive east along Highway 90 with the Gulf of Mexico to our right. About 5 miles up the road midway between Gulfport and Biloxi we find Treasure Bay on the north side of the road. I remember Treasure Bay from before the hurricane. It was on the south side and the theme was that that of a ‘want-to-be’ Treasure Island with the whole pirate ship thing working throughout. Now that it has been re-built on the north side of the highway, they have dropped the whole pirate ship theme and now the decor kind of reminds me of something out of the ’70s. They bill themselves as the place that local come to play and that may be true because there sure weren’t a lot of tourists there. The place was relatively empty compared to the Island View. Their gimmick to get people to sign up for their player card is to guarantee that players can not lose up to their first $100. The key words are “UP TO” because most only end up with $10 cash back. We looked around and weren’t impressed with what we saw. Just a lot of the same old tired machines. Just another casino. We have bigger fish to fry, so on to Biloxi.

Beau Rivage

Heading to Beau Rivage along Highway 90

THE BEAU is the primer gambling mecca in the Biloxi area and this is where we chose to stay for our visit. It is located on the south side of highway 90 right at the end of the final I-110 exit, so they have by far the best location in the area. We had comparable offers from some of the other casinos, but comparing apples to apples we felt that “The Beau” gave us the best centralized location and came highly recommended in terms of amenities and overall comfort. Valet parking is available as well as a multi-story self parking garage. The minute you walk into the lobby to are surrounded by luxury. High end shops line the corridors that connect the parking garage to the lobby and casino. Check-in is painless but be warned…they do not guarantee the room type that you request. We requested a king bed and ended up with 2 queens. The room was very musty and the mattresses sagged so bad that we had to call down to complain. Their solution was to put some ‘egg-crate’ foam under that mattress which helped a little, but that’s about all. Knowing that the hotel had to be renovated after the hurricane, I wondered if I was sleeping on a renovated mattress! Then we turned on the flat screen TV and the picture was fuzzy and the sound quality was tinny and there were no premium channels available. Overall I was very disappointed with the room, but we’re not here for the room…we’re here to gamble.

The Beau Rivage is part of the MGM family of casinos which includes MGM Grand, Aria, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Monte Carlo, and Excalibur in Las Vegas along with Gold Strike in Tunica and MGM Grand in Detriot. Although the points that you accumulate are not directly transferable from casino to casino as they are with the Harrah’s player card, don’t be surprised if you see offers from the other properties even if you have never visited them. What I’ve found is that the MGM tracking system is designed to get you back for subsequent visits, but not to reward you for your play during your current visit. The lines at the player card booth are constantly long because people are up there arguing to get a few buffets comped. The comp system on site is very poor. No self-serve kiosks, just too much waiting in line just to be told that you haven’t quite earned enough points and never getting a straight answer on how much is enough. Now, if you’re all about free play mailers and not the meals or other comps, then maybe this is the system that works best for you.

The casino is a bit larger than the Island View. THE BEAU has 2,500+ machines, 85 tables games, a high limit area and a poker room. The slot floor also has a non-smoking area in the back that I have mixed emotions about. There are certain games that are available in the non-smoking area that are not duplicated the the majority of the casino. I think these non-smoking areas create more problems then they solve. Smoking, drinking, and gambling all go together so if you can’t deal with it then maybe you should be attending a church group meeting instead, but that’s enough of my soap box. The one cool thing that they do have here that I haven’t seen elsewhere is their FIRE JACKPOTS. If you are using your player card, in most of the machines you are eligible for a random jackpot at one of three levels. Level 1 is guaranteed to hit at $1,000, Level 2 at $10,000 and Level 3 at $200,000. Pretty cool! The table game denominations are the typical $10 on the weekends and $5 during the week. There is a good mixture of slots in various denominations, but I would not say that THE BEAU is where you want to go to find the latest & greatest games. They look like they are about 6 to 12 months behind the curve. Overall the play I received was fair and the machines were not overly tight. I wouldn’t mind coming back to THE BEAU, but next time I will hang my coat somewhere else.

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ISLE OF CAPRI

Down at the far end of the strip is the Isle of Capri which is on the site that used to be home of The Grand Casino Resort which was completely destroyed. A majority of the maps on the Internet still show it as The Grand. THE ISLE has about a dozen different locations, mostly in smaller venues operating as either Isle of Capri or Lady Luck. They seem to move around a lot. We’ve been to 3 other ISLE locations in Shreveport, Tunica, and Lake Charles…the first two are gone. In my opinion, they are the ‘traveling carnival’ of casino chains. This is an ALL NEW Construction facility that is about ½ the size of the others we’ve been to. I wish that I had taken a picture to show you but we got there after the sun went down.  The pictures you see on other sites for this location are inaccurate.  They must be showing another location.  The hotel has 700 rooms and the casino is a 2 story layout with only 1,300 slots, 31 table games, and a poker room. The slot machines are old and tired and tight, and the carpeting in every ISLE I’ve been to looks like it has been specially made to look old and nasty. THE ISLE is on their own player card system that works at all ISLE locations, and if you ask you might get lucky and they will honor offers you’ve received from their other locations. The redeeming quality of THE ISLE is the food. Farraddays is an upscale restaurant with excellent food. Plan on ~$50pp to enjoy a meal that will highlight your stay in the area. They also have their Calypso Buffet which we sampled for breakfast. The food and service was very good and the specialty was the made-to-order waffles with all of the fixings. I would have liked to see them do the same with eggs but I guess that would have been asking too much. Overall, THE ISLE was a great place to eat, but I’ll take my gambling budget elsewhere.

IMPERIAL PALACE

Driveway to the main entrance of Imperial Palace

On the other side of the peninsula on Back Bay is Imperial Palace or IP. The hotel/casino has a very inviting look to it and it has easy access off of the I-110. Valet parking is available along with a multi-story parking garage that sports a marquis telling you how many parking spaces are available on each level. I thought that was a nice touch! The lobby has a semi-circular layout lined with shops, restaurants, and their night club with live entertainment. This is also where they house their players club booth. IP is not affiliated with the one in Las Vegas which is a Harrah’s property.

Imperial Palace as you exit I-110

The Biloxi IP is on their own player card system which is kind of like the one we experienced at the Island View but not as extensive with the kiosk options. New players receive $10 in free play for signing up and then the rest is all done from kiosks located throughout the casino. In talking with some of the regulars there, the kiosks will also do things like enter you into a free football pool during the season and you can make your own picks and tie-breaker score for each week. Pretty cool! IP has by far the largest casino area in Biloxi. It is a 2-story layout with a massive ground floor which features penny slots to the far left, table games in the center, and old-school reel to the right along with a high-limit area and a large poker room. When you take the escalator up to the 2^nd floor, there is a mixture of penny slots and video poker machines to the right and the buffet to the left. Their signage is not so good here. If you go to the far right, there is a hallway that looks like it goes to the hotel. If you are adventurous and head down to the end of the mystery hallway, it opens up into two other separate gaming areas with all new games. The gambling here is good and the selection is excellent. The only weird thing with IP was the multi-game machines that have poker, slots, and keno all available through a menu selection. I’ve seen these games available at most casinos, but here they have Poker and Slots available for 5 cent denominations, but when you tab over to keno the smallest denomination is 25 cents. That is just backwards from everywhere else I’ve been. I don’t understand the logic to that.

We also sampled the food at the Back Bay Buffet and it was excellent southern-style cooking. All-in-all, the IP was an excellent experience and I look forward to coming back to spend more time and money.

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HARD ROCK CAFE

Beau Rivage to the right / Hard Rock to the left

Right next door to THE BEAU within walking distance is THE HARD ROCK. They did not have a presence here before the hurricane. I believe that I heard stories that they were in the middle of construction when the hurricane hit which may have turned out to be lucky for them if they had the right kind of insurance coverage! If you choose to park in their parking garage, then make sure you are wearing a good pair of walking shoes because you are going to walk and walk and walk some more to get to the casino. There is plenty to see along the way with the hallways lined with all kinds of rock-n-roll memorabilia. We passed a RUTH’S CHRIS steakhouse and a Ben & Jerry’s along the way. Once we entered the casino area the first things you notice is how dark it is in there and how high the ceilings are. I’m talking about 40 foot ceilings! Over to the far left is the players club booth. On the way to the players club were signs touting BRING A FRIEND AND EARN FREE PLAY so we were hoping to cash in on some of that action. As it turn out, the player club had a bit of a line and there wasn’t much opportunity to ask too many questions, but the deal is that a new player has to earn at least 50 base points in order to be eligible for any of the promotions. OK, so we go ahead and earn our 50 points then go to the kiosk as instructed to find out that we have won $10 in free play, $5 today and $5 tomorrow…LOL. That has got to be the CHEESIEST gimmick I’ve ever seen! Overall, the HARD ROCK has a decent selection of games and I would say that they are comparable to THE BEAU in terms of the amount of play you get for your gambling dollar. The thing I don’t like about the HARD ROCK is the dark and dreary atmosphere. It constantly feels like it’s 3am inside there. I doubt if I’ll be back any time soon.

BOOMTOWN

Boomtown is next door to IP along Back Bay, but not nearly within walking distance. Back in the day, Boomtown used to be our favorite place in the Biloxi area with the latest games, good food and reasonable payback on their machines. It had been about 5-years since the last time we had been there so we were really looking forward to see what the place has turned into after the hurricane. The main thing that stands out about Boomtown is that it is the only full scale casino I’ve ever been to that DOES NOT HAVE A HOTEL, and it has always been that way. When we first started going there some years ago, we analyzed the situation and declared it GENIUS! Here’s a resort town with lots of hotel rooms offered by the competition that for the most part they can’t keep filled during non-peak periods, so why not forgo that overhead and offer the gamblers a better payback percentage as a result and steal away customers from he competition! We’ll even throw in a shuttle bus that picks up people from the strip for free to get them back and forth! Pure Genius!

Now that they have re-opened after the hurricane, we anxiously walk in the front door to see what it has turned into and to our surprise nothing much has changed. The layout is exactly the same. I think I even recognize a few of the old machines. I know that the gaming tables haven’t moved an inch, but believe it or not after 5-years our players cards still work! Now for the real test…can we continue to expect more play for our gambling dollar than at the other casinos? Unfortunately that’s where all of the changes took place. Not only didn’t we get more play, we got less. These machines are TIGHT. We tried different denominations and different flavors, all with the same results…very little play. I just don’t see any reason to be that greedy, especially if the end result is that you lose customers. The moral of that story is that BOOMTOWN quickly went from the top of the list to the bottom. I’ll keep any eye out to see if they have changed upper management before deciding to try them again.

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THE GRAND CASINO BILOXI

Back on the strip before you get to the Isle of Capri on the end you will see GRAND CASINO on the north side of the street. It looks like Harrah’s had to retro-fit their casino into their administrative building and hotel after the hurricane hit. With only 800 machines and 35 tables, that’s exactly what it feels like. This building was not originally designed to handle a casino, but they are doing the best that they can with the situation. As always the biggest plus going for this casino is that it is a Harrah’s property and all of the Harrah’s player club perks come along with it. This is by far the best loyalty system in the industry which makes even a mediocre casino more pleasurable. Kudos to Harrah’s for a good try here, but without the players club this casino ranks towards the bottom of this market.

PALACE CASINO RESORT

Across from THE ISLE on the bay side of the peninsula is THE PALACE. First off, I need to confess that we did not have enough time to give the Palace a thorough review. It was mostly a quick ‘in & out’ just to get a feel for the place, but my impression from looking at the casino and the clientele is that they are all about quality which is something that I truly appreciate (unless I am the one paying for that quality with smaller paybacks on the machines). I promise to spend a little more time in there the next time around to give you the skinny on the players club and the overall gambling experience.

More About Biloxi

Besides for the casinos, Biloxi has always been a great resort destination in the south. The beautiful white sandy beaches along Highway 90 have easy public access. For golfers, Biloxi has a huge selection of public courses to choose from. The new Edgewater Mall located along Highway 90 between Biloxi and Gulfport has a wide array of shops and there is also a standing flea market along Highway 49 in Gulfport. Lots to see and lots to do. All said and done with, if gambling is your thing (which it is otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this) then Biloxi offers a lot of gambling excitement and I would recommend it in the non-summer months if gambling is your primary goal. Here is how I would rank the casinos in terms of the gambling experience:

1. Imperial Palace
2. Island View
3. Beau Rivage
4. Hard Rock
5. Isle of Capri
6. The Grand
7. Treasure Bay
8. Boomtown

…and the jury is still out on The Palace.

Have fun and don’t get too much sun (-;

Laters

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Holy Craps Batman!  You have to go to Tunica, MS if you’ve never been before.  This is probably one of the best kept secrets in the country.  This is the LAS VEGAS of the South.  You have HOLLYWOOD, RESORTS, SAM’S TOWN, THE GRAND, BALLY’S, HORSESHOE, GOLD STRIKE, SHERATON, FITZGERALDS…that’s NINE full hotel/casinos at your disposal with all of the amenities you would expect from one of your favorite Las Vegas properties.  I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me give you the rundown.

We flew into the Memphis, TN airport which happens to be the primary hub for NorthWest Airlines as well as the world headquarters for FedEx.  I’ve never seen so many FedEx airplanes in one place in my life!  What a sight.  We rented a car and got directions to the Tunica, MS casino area which is only a 40 minute drive from the Memphis airport.  What we learned is that even though the casino area is referred to a TUNICA, you never actually go into the Tunica area.  The casinos are actually in Robinsonville, MS.  I still haven’t learned why they picked up the Tunica name.  It’s probably just a marketing thing.  Never the less, the drive is quite nice and one could easily become distracted from the “casino mission” if you’re not careful.

The first distraction is downtown Memphis and the infamous BEALE STREET area where ‘The Blues” is alive and well.  This is a smaller version of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street and the home of B.B. Kings restaurant.   All kinds of music (mostly THE BLUES) goes on nightly in the restaurants, clubs, and on the street.  The street is closed off to traffic so there is always a party going on somewhere.

Next along Elvis Presley Boulevard is the Presley Mansion and museums with tours going on daily.  Whether you are an Elvis fan or not, you should not miss the opportunity to visit here while you are in the area.  It is more than just a shrine to THE KING.  It is a monument to a era with a genuine sense of southern hospitality, humility , and a piece of Americana that can not be duplicated anywhere else.

Next, as you cross the border from Tennesseee into Mississippi, there is a sudden change in the landscape.  The trees, homes, buesinesses and all of the other suburban images of the Memphis area quickly disappear into acres and rows of Cotton and Sorghum fields for as far as the eye can see.  Depending upon the time of year, the plants will be in different stages and the landscape takes on a whole new feel.

Now you need to start watching closely because it wont be long before you are in the casino area.  Pay close attention to the billboards which promote the current specials for each of the casinos.  Point multipliers, tournements, mega-jackpots, and world-class entertainment.  I hope you have your wing man riding shotgun to take notes!

THE GRAND

Your first stop is THE GRAND which is now a Harrah’s property and home of the PAULA DEAN buffet Y’ALL (-; with some of the best southern style cooking you’ll find anywhere.  There is plenty of available parking out in the open.  Just be careful of the crazy traffic scheme they have in the parking area.  The design engineer for that parking area was smoking something when he came up with that idea!  If you are a golfer, this is your place.  They have their own private golf course and the grounds keeper looks like he knows what he is doing.  Now on to the important part…The Casino.

When you walk from the parking lot to the casino, you go over a pedestrian bridge which spans a little inlet from the mighty Mississippi River.  You are entering the gaming area in the center of the layout where the table games are located.  To the far left are mostly penny video slots, and to the right are the higher denomination machines as well as the video poker area.  I like the layout because all of your gaming is conveniently located on the main floor, and all of the dining and shopping is located on the 2nd floor.  As far as the gambling is concerned, this is a typical Harrah’s property, meaning that the payout percentages on the machines are a bit less than at other properties, and the table game rules are a little to tight for my liking, particularly on the Craps table where 3x, 4x, 5x odds are in effect, but the Harrah’s loyalty program more than makes up for the difference.  If you are playing at a Harrah’s property and you are not using a Harrah’s loyalty card to track your play, you are SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT.

SAMS TOWN

Next on the agenda we are going to drive down to the far end of the strip to visit SAM’S TOWN.  There’s plenty of parking out front and an RV area off to the side, if your fortunate to come at the right time the SAM’S TOWN parking lot hosts a multitude of VINTAGE CAR shows throughout the year.  There is also a free covered parking garage and valet parking available.

Entering the casino through the main entrance, you have the buffet to you immediate right and the escalators to the 2nd floor straight ahead.  To your left is a 24-hr snack bar and a wing to the hotel check-in area.  Behind the escalator to the left is the Player’s Club booth and the entrance to the main casino.  SAM’S TOWN is a Boyd Gaming property which also owns MAIN STREET STATION, THE CALIFORNIAN, and THE FREEMONT in downtown Las Vegas not to mention others around the country.  They all opperate on the B-CONNECTED card and just within the last year these systems are all linked, so now they can truly begin to compete with Harrah’s when it comes to the loyalty program.

As you enter the main casino the table games are straight ahead, mechanical slots are to the left, and penny video slot are to the right.  To the far right is a bar/night club area with video poker at the bar.  Live entertainment takes place here in the evenings with a lively local crowd taking full advantage of the dance floor.  Upstairs is a 1/2 floor casino area with video poker and penny slots.  There is another bar on the 2nd floor which is a lot quieter if you want that, also with built-in video poker.  The 2nd floor also hosts live poker and live Keno.  Also, right outside of the gaming are on the 2nd floor is SMOKEY JOE’S cafe.  I highly recommend the RUBBED RIBS.  They will make you JUMP BACK & KISS YO MAMA.

SAM’S TOWN is the place to be if you like tournaments and live promotions.  They have regularly scheduled Hold’em, 3-Card Poker, Blackjack and other tournaments.  They also get very creative with their live promotions.  We were there for the BIG DICE promotion where player cards inserted into machines were selected a random throughout the day and then at 8pm the winners gathered at the top of the escalator so they could roll the BIG DICE down the step to min a multiple of the number they rolled.  It was a pretty cute gimmick that generated a lot of excitement.

Overall, the gaming here is quite enjoyable and you get a lot of play for the dollar.  I hit a jackpot on one of the penny slots which caused them to break out the dreaded 1099-G form.  BE WARNED…Mississippi withholds state tax from your winnings and IT IS NOT RECOVERABLE on your tax returns, even if you live out of state!

RESORTS

Just across the highway from Sam’s Town is RESORTS and HOLLYWOOD.  There is not a lot of traffic on the highway at all and if you like to walk you could definitely walk across to get there to get your exercise.  RESORTS is a pretty neat place.  They have a very open layout with high ceilings so that you feel like you can breathe.  It is a single floor casino with the buffet and steak house located on the 2nd floor and the hotel area attached off to the far right.  Of all of the casinos in the Tunica area, I would say that RESORTS does the best job of keeping their games up-to-date so that their customers always have something ‘fresh’ to keep them entertained.  They have a good mix of game types and denominations.  On the down side, they have this HIDEOUS raised stage right behind the main bar in the center of the casino and whoever is in charge of hiring the entertainment needs to reconsider their carer objectives.  Not only do these bands belt out bad out of tune cover material, but the casino feels that it is necessary to pipe it through their main PA system, so THERE IS NO ESCAPING IT!!!

RESORTS has their own loyalty card which is shared only with BALLYS in Tunica, so this does not provide quite the value that the Harrah’s and B-Connect cards offer.  Otherwise, payout of the machines are OK and table rules are pretty standard.  If you choose to play here, do it during the day before they kick into the live so-called entertainment.

HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD Casino is right next door to Resorts.  It is constantly night time inside of the Hollywood where they want to accent the lighting from the games.  I don’t have too many good things to say about Hollywood other than they are the only casino in the Tunica area that has a self-serve soft drink fountain.  The atmosphere is dismal, the games are tighter than at other casinos, and the loyalty card program is only good for their location.  The bottom line is to go in and check it out just to say you were there, then get out before it’s too late!

SHERATON (ROADHOUSE)

Now we need to get in the car and drive over to the other group of three, the SHERATON, GOLD STRIKE, and HORSESHOE.  The SHERATON (which was in the process of becoming THE ROADHOUSE) is probably the smallest of all the casinos in the Tunica area.  They are a Harrah’s property, so you get all of the benefits that you would expect at any Harrah’s property.  Other than that, there is not too much to say about it.  I look forward to checking it out again after the conversion is complete.

HORSESHOE

The HORSESHOE is also a Harrah’s property.  The thing that stands out about the Horseshoe is that it feels like they have gone out of their way to make it feel a lot like the Horseshoe in Las Vegas…a timeless gambling joint that is trying not to change as hard as they can despite of themselves.  You can tell by looking around at the players that they have a very small but very loyal customer base that they cater to.  Unfortunately, this Horseshoe does not have the history and nostalgia that their Vegas counterpart has, so it just doesn’t work for me.  NEXT!

GOLD STRIKE

The GOLD STRIKE is an MGM GRAND property and is the definition of UPSCALE ELEGANCE.  If you are the definitive HIGH ROLLER or someone that wants to be seen in the Tunica, MS area then this is the place to be.  It’s a young croud that puts more emphasis on drinking than gambling.  Lots and lots of EYE CANDY on weekend evenings!  This is where I want to play table games because there is always a lot of action, especially a the CRAPS TABLE where some young ‘BETTY’ that doesn’t have a clue of what she is doing is going to roll a MONSTER HAND and everyone at the table ends up filling up their racks while she is waiting to hit her $5 line bet (-;

BALLYS

Next we need to get in the car to drive to BALLYS.  It stands alone by itself which actually adds to the allure of the place.  The white wooden railed fence around the parking area and the RED BARN decor of the exterior lets you know that BALLYS is going to be the definition of the OLD TOWN SALOON/GAMBLING HALL.  You almost expect to see KENNY ROGERS greeting you at the door.  The interior does not disappoint either.  It is 100% country.  If they could program the machines to say “Y’all Come Back’ after they take your money I’m sure they would.

Once again, BALLYS works on the same loyalty card as RESORTS so you can get 2x the bang for your buck.  The surprising part is that the paybacks of the machines are not bad at all, and the dealers are all characters.  It’s a good gambling experience and I look forward to coming back.  The only thing I would warn against is the food…save you appetite for somewhere else.

THE FITZ

Lastly we have FITZGERALDS (or THE FITZ as they like to call themselves now).  It also stands alone, but it is a totally different experience than BALLYS.  At you are driving down the winding road towards FITZ’s all-covered parking lot, you do under an arch that makes you feel like you are entering Disneyland.  When you first catch a glimpse of the hotel/casino, it kind of reminds me more of THE EXCALIBUR than anything else.  Entering the main casino, the player card booth is located just to your right.  THE FITZ card is a ‘stand-alone’ program, so not a lot of value unless you concentrate all of your play in this one location.  This is one of the larger casinos in the area, although in my opinion they go not take good advantage of the space they are afforded.  Most of their machines are outdated and the paybacks are moderate at best.  There is a 1/2 floor casino upstairs with mostly penny slots and a handful of old COIN-OP Video Poker machines that pay 6/9!!!  The most impressive thing about THE FITZ is the view of the Mississippi River from the window as you go up the escalator to the 2nd floor.  Only from this vantage poin can you really experience the massiveness of the OLD MAN RIVER in all of its glory.  The other high point is the BUFFET.  This is the BEST BUFFET is Tunica, hands down (sorry Paula Dean).

There it is.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Tunica is a cool place and I’ll definitely be returning as soon as I can.  If you plan on hitting the Tunica area and have any questions about things that I might not have addressed, then feel free to email and I’ll see if I can help out.

Laters,

Casino Junkie