March 2009 Archives

Saturday night was Earth Hour and this year Las Vegas got involved.

A truly weird sight, you need to check out this article over at Boston.com to see how different the City of Sin looks in darkness. Las Vegas is the last one, but it's worth checking out all the different cities to see how different they look in the dark.

Not going to lie, the Water Cube in China looks really weird turned off.

In what was a move in hopes of reaching a younger demographic more accustomed to playing poker on computers, Trump Plaza finally decided to remove their automated poker tables and replace them with a real human dealer.

Turns out when people play at casinos, they prefer the atmosphere the dealer creates over the cold, robotic auto-dealers.

This is good for the dealers too who were concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs to these automated tables.

Read the full article over at NJ.com.

Further updates have come in since the fire broke out after a construction accident in Harrah's/Empress Casino Joliet On Saturday, the damage was inspected by Fire Chief and it was determined that the new pavilion and office spaces were lost, but there was some good news.

"What we have learned is the casino was not damaged," Frank Quigley, General Manager, said. "The Joliet Fire Department did a great job and saved the casino, which is very significant."

For more information about how the fire spread, check out the article at the Morris Daily Herald.

Saturday at 8:30 pm, the Las Vegas strip will be turning off the lights for Earth Hour. Signs will be dimmed, the Bellagio fountain will be put on hold and even the Luxor Beam is being shut off

To raise awareness about energy consumption, Earth Hour is a world wide event about conversing energy and increasing sustainability. But Las Vegas is also letting people get in on the fun by offering some unique promotions for the night!

To read about the actual event and how Las Vegas got involved, read about Harrah's leadership over at Las Vegas Sun.

We've included a full list of promotions after the jump!

The month is coming to a close but Las Vegas has plenty of entertainment!

Las Vegas Hilton is hosting two different tournaments! Both craps and slots are available over the weekend to play! Tropicana is having their own slot tournament as well. If you prefer poker tournaments, daily ones are being offered on and off the strip at the Bellagio, Harrah's, Fitz and more!

Looking for some entertainment? Harrah's Legends of Rock is on most days and Hooters has both the Mentalist and Bobby Slayton, known as the pitbull of comedy!

Check out the full listing after the break!

At Roberto's Ristorante in Trump Plaza Atlantic City, customers can find great deals besides on the gaming floor. Now, every Friday night, customers can enjoy a three course, small plates meal for only $30 (2 person minimum) in Trump Plaza's gourmet Italian restaurant. From a menu of 18 different items, customers can pick 8 to create their own meal. To further add to the bargain, Roberto's is offering $15 bottles of wine, which changes every six weeks.

"We are the only ones offering a small plate menu like this," says Antonio Sanza, Food and Beverage Director of Trump Plaza. "People are loving it. Our trip report shows that more than 25 percent of our diners on Friday nights are ordering from this menu. Of course there are gamers in there who like to have the big dinner items. But the ones who are looking for value get to order eight plates for half of what the usual check per person is." Read the full article over at PressofAtlanticCity.com

See the whole menu after the break!

To conclude March, here are the final promotions for the month!

At Mohegan Sun, you can earn entries for $500,000 Getaway Giveaway or win $75,000 on Sundays! Head over to Twin River for your final chance to make the most of the March Madness and Pot of Gold!

Newport Grand is hosting their Spring Fling! And you can't forget about the daily poker tournaments at Seneca Niagara & Salamanca.

Check out the full list after the jump!

*UPDATE* The source of the fire was the result of some welding, combined with a disable sprinkler system and the fire doors, that would have contained the fire, had not yet been finished.

The crew was aware of the situation but the fire grew out of hand too quickly. "Everybody has described it as the perfect storm," said David Mackley, director of inspection services for Joliet.

Read the new article at CBS 2 Chicago.

Post from 3/24/09
Last week a fire broke out at Empress Casino's pavilion in Joliet. The area where the fire occurred was under construction, as part of the $50 million renovation project.

All employees are still being paid but are strongly encouraged by the casino to take part in volunteering.

Read the full article over at Chicago Breaking News Center.

First things first, check out this picture of the Bellagio. How many floors are there?



How many floors did you count? 15 or 16, right (You can't see the ground floor).

So how many floors are there at the Bellagio? 32. Wait-what? Read the explanation after the jump!

This is an extra big listing for the last 10 days of March! Wondering what to do while the month wraps up? Look no further!

At Casino Queen on Sunday you could win a 2009 Mustang! While Fridays at Harrah's Joliet and Harrah's Metropolis are Rock Band Tournaments! Head down to Argosy Casino Alton to make the most of Winnersfest everyday until the end of the month!

Belterra Casino is having their $40,000 Spring Fling Slot Tournament on Friday. Horseshoe Hammond is presenting B.B. King on Tuesday!

Check out all the listings after the jump!

The month is coming to a close, but Atlantic City still have plenty of offers. Earn entries for Trump Marina's $1,000,000 Roll-of-a-Lifetime or go to Trump Taj Mahal to earn entries for your chance to win free slot play for a year!

Prefer rocking out? Harrah's AC has Rock Band tournaments on Wednesdays, while Bally's has them every Thursday!

Want to play poker? Check out the daily tournaments at Tropicana, Trump Plaza, Showboat and more! Want to play slots? Delaware Park has free slot tournaments on Thursday!

Check out the full listings after the jump!

As of Friday morning, Treasure Island's owner, MGM, sold their ownership to Phil Ruffin, a Kansas billionaire. Ruffin paid $600 million plus an additional $175 million in notes to be paid by the end of April.

The whole process went faster than expected and has been very orderly so far.

Will this have any effect on the players? "We believe customers will see no impact from this transaction," MGM Mirage Chief Executive Jim Murren said.

Read the full article over at Las Vegas Sun.

The middle of the month is slow in Las Vegas, but there are still some great promotions and giveaways.

Head over to the Venetian to see Blue Man Group or Wayne Brady live, or take part in their daily poker tournaments! If slots are more of your thing, go down to Main Street Casino for the Big Kahuna Slot Tournament.

Planet Hollywood has both daily poker tournaments and the $30,000 Hollywood Cash Slot Tournament!

Check out the full list after the break!

I don't know how I missed this the first time around, but at the end of February a man snuck into Bally's AC and stole 91 pounds of frozen lobster meat by hiding it under his clothes and in a backpack. Valued over $1,200, the man was caught when policed noticed "his clothing was very bulky and he appeared to be concealing items beneath his clothing."

A guy somehow managed to get into Bally's kitchen and then stuff his clothes (note: that probably means more than just a jacket) full of frozen lobster meat. I supposed that's slightly more comfortable than live lobsters. Either way, the police caught the guy seeing as he was moving very slowly.

I hope the lobster was in containers, otherwise I wouldn't eat lobster at Bally's for a while since the article never says what happened to it.

Hopefully everyone has recovered from St. Patty's day, but the promotions aren't slowing down! Everyday, Mohegan Sun is hosting poker tournaments and on Thursday, they're hosting 7 card stud poker tournaments!

Head over to Twin River to make the most of their March "Bonus Play" Madness and their Pot of Gold promotion.

Finger Lakes is giving you the chance to win your share of $125,000 Pot O' Gold giveaway!

Check out the full listing after the jump!

Indiana Live Casino can't seem to catch a break this week. After their last ad campaign was willingly pulled once they received a letter from the White House about using Obama's likeness, they've been hit with another problem around their grand opening.

Last week, a huge push was made about Indiana Live Casino having two celebrity guests at their grand opening: Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake. Turns out, neither of them showed and other issues are coming to light between Indiana Live and their (now former) marketing firm, Coles.

Coles dropped the casino's account after communication broke down between the two, but the absence of Jessica and Justin was the final straw. Especially when Justin's publicist has said that Justin Timberlake never planned on attending the event. After that, Indiana Live soon backtracked by claiming that there was no formal contract put in place.

Oops. So what do you think? An elaborate hoax to bring more people to the grand opening or was there a break in the communication?

Las Vegas is a city known for gambling and fun, but seeing as today is St. Patrick's day, we're going to take a look at the fun side by giving you Las Vegas's Top 5 Most Outraegous Cocktails!

5. Warp Core Breach

What is it?
The cheapest (and nerdiest) item on the list at only $29.95, this Star Trek themed concoction created at Quark's Bar in the Las Vegas Hilton. Ten ounces of rum in five different varieties, Razzmatazz and assorted fruit juices make this big enough to share, unless you're a Klingon.

Why is it outraegous?
Being a blend of rums isn't enough to make this list, but there's more to the Warp Core Breach than just some alcohol. Served in a special glass that embodies the spirit of USS Enterprise, the Warp Core Breach is topped off with some dry ice allowing the drink to smoke over!

For some reason, Indiana and Illinois seems to be the apex of promotional offers. There are more offerings then we could every discuss here, so check out some highlights!

Hollywood Casino Aurora's Cash Royale giveaway is worth $33,500 in cash prizes! Belterra Casino is giving away 20 lawn mowers for their Mower for Your Money giveaway!

Horseshoe Hammond has two concerts this weekend. Friday night is Arabian Nights II presenting Kazem El-Saher and Saturday is Ron Hawking presents "The Men and Their Music."

Hoosier Park is giving you a chance to win your share of $150,000 in their Easy come, Easy dough giveaway!

There's a whole lot more after the jump, check it out!

It's the week of St Patty's, so be ready for green beer and themed promotions! Harrington Raceway has the $10,000 Luck of the Irish Sweepstakes or Trump Plaza's $15,000 Pot O' Gold!

Trump Taj Mahal is giving away a BMW Series 1 and the Conquer the Empire at Caesars. Daily poker tournaments are being offered at Bally's, Trump Plaza, Tropicana and more.

You can't forget the continuation of the Rock Band tournaments at Harrah's and Bally's AC.

Full breakdown after the jump!

It's time to celebrate St. Patty's in Las Vegas! Looking for some ideas? We've got them!

The Golden Nugget is hosting the $100,000 Luck of the Irish Blackjack Tournament! Prefer something a little less green? Check out the tournament of Kings at Excalibur or watch the Mentalist at Hooter's Casino!

The full list is after the jump!

Big poker news for those who like to play 7 card stud! Mohegan Sun is hosting their own 7 card stud poker tournament this week!

But that's not the only way places are celebrating St. Patty's! Twin River has Pot of Gold and Seneca Allegany has St. Patty's Payday!

What are you waiting for? Check out the full list!

It's time for some fun in Indiana and Illinois this month!

Head over to Casino Queen to earn entries to win a brand new Mustang or Par-A-Dice for the multiple mania and blackjack tournament!

If you're looking for entertainment, Harrah's Metropolis is holding a Kage One fight!

Looking to rock? Harrah's Metropolis and Joliet are both hosting weekly Rock Band tournaments!

Check out the full listing after the break!

Looking for some fun in Atlantic City this week? We've got you covered.

This week marks the kick off of the Rock Band Tournaments! So grab you plastic guitar and get ready to rock at Harrah's or Bally's! Prefer poker? All the daily tournaments are still being offered as well!

If you're in Pennsylvania, Harrah's Chester is hosting their own Rock Band tournament or Mount Airy's daily Rainbow of Riches promotions!

Check out the full list after the break!

When Las Vegas brought back the single deck game of blackjack, they changed the rules but didn't tell anyone. Thanks to the book "Beat the Dealer" by Edward Thorp, casinos were forced to come up with new ways to combat card counting. Methods have traditionally included multiple decks and continuous shufflers, which make card counting near impossible.

A few years ago, single deck black jack returned to Las Vegas, but the payout was changed. Instead of being 3-2 for a black jack, it is now usually 6-5. That means, when you used to win $7.50 on a $5 bet, you now only win $6.

So why has this stuck? Because the tourists don't know the difference. For those who want the best deal when playing, avoid tables using the 6-5 payout.

It's a new month full of new and exciting promotions!

Head over to Mohegan Sun to win your share of $75,000 on Sunday or earn entries for a dream vacation! Twin River should keep you busy with their Pot of Gold promotion or the March Madness!

Check out the full list after the break!

This myth keeps making rounds on the internet. People keep claiming that casinos pump oxygen into casinos to make players happier and feel better about losing.

There are two big issues with this myth: one about legality, one about safety.

First, it would be illegal to pump anything into casinos that make people gamble more. This whole case stems from a scientist in Atlantic City who wanted to test how different scents effected how people play games.

The second reason is a safety one. Read the explanation after the jump.

No, this isn't a reference to Hardee's 920 calorie "Burrito Bomb," but it is a new promotion being held at Sahara Casino & Hotel Las Vegas in their NASCAR Cafe that started last Thursday.

"The Bomb" is two feet long and weighs a whopping SIX pounds. For those that can eat the whole thing in a single sitting, they get the burrito for free (it's normally $20) and earn free, two free unlimited Speed roller coaster tickets and a t-shirt that boldly proclaims "Conquered the Bomb!"

For those that dare to try to eat the burrito but fail to finish it, you'll have to pay up but there's a reward for that too. If you try to finish it and fail, you'll get your photo taken and hung up on the wall, wearing a tiny pink t-shirt with the word "Weenie" across it.

Are you brave enough to challenge "The Bomb?" Let us know!

On March 1st, a new casino opened off the strip called the M Resort. In a time when existing casinos are struggling to stay afloat, the M hopes to buck the norm. Designed, developed and run by a team that is focused on putting service back into the casino experience, the M Resort is trying to be unique.With a 92,000 square foot gaming floor with 64 tables and almost 18,500 slot machines, the M is hoping to set themselves apart through "an unrivaled standard of personal service and resort amenities." We'll see how it turns out. Did any of our readers get to check out the grand opening?

For such a short month, we sure were busy. Here are some of the highlights:

At the beginning of the month, we gave you some help at playing poker like James Bond by teaching you how to spot tells.

Then the internet went ablaze when the California Gaming Commission warned casinos about a iPhone card counting App. But it turns out announcing that spiked sales through the roof. Oops.

Trump Casinos declared Bankruptcy shortly after Valentine's Day.

But then Mohegan Sun announced the return of the $5 Blackjack tables.

To help out with the cheaper blackjack, we offer a guide to common hand signals in blackjack.

But that wasn't enough for everyone, so we expanded to include a guide to table etiquette at blackjack tables.

Harrah's Casinos announced the launching of their Rock Band Tournaments taking place nation wide starting in March.

A brief history lesson on slot machines was posted giving some insight to the infamous one-armed-bandit.

We wrapped up the month with a post on 6 superstitions and myths about slot machines!