Fun At Casinos

The Price is Right in Tunica

2011-06-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Whether it is just to due to the economy or an attempt to recover customers after the flood induced shutdown, the Tunica casinos and trying to fill their hotels with super rates. Below are summer Sunday through Thursday rates from some of the Tunica casinos:

Bally's $25
Sam's Town $37
Gold Strike $54
Fitz $45
Tunica Roadhouse $50 (these are Jacuzzi suites)

Rates are considerably higher on the weekends.

Ameristar St. Charles - new slots

2010-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lots of new slots at the Ameristar, most if not all are penny machines. They are putting the new games on the first floor where they can be seen by everyone. If you are looking for an old favorite try the second floor.

Winner at Alton Argosy

2010-06-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

My son and girlfriend just visited "the boat" and while he had a good time, she won some money. She won $250 on a Wheel of Fortune slot. The flashing lights and the crowd visible bonus round sure do make these a fun machine. Now, if only we were all so lucky!

Be sure to visit http://www.theillinoiscasinos.com/.

Great Time at the Ho Chunk Casino

2009-09-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

Our annual trip to Wo Zha Wa Days in the Wisconsin Dells is also our annual trip to the Ho Chunk Casino. I'm not sure what was different this year but it just seemed more appealing this time than on any of our other visits. They did have a lot of new penny slots that I haven't seen in Illinois or Missouri casinos yet, and I did win a little money, so maybe those two factors boosted the appeal.

Their Friday night buffet has more types of fish and seafood than I have seen on any other buffet (see www.YummyFoodandTravel.com for more information) and is less than $20.

This was one of those visits that casino owners love - we enjoyed our time spent there and can't wait to return to give them some more of our money.

New Penny Slots at Alton Argosy

2009-06-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to the Alton Argosy yesterday and found a lot of new penny machines. And the good thing is many of them are twenty five lines minimum and 1, 2, and more bets pers line - not the five big button type with few choices.

I had a free buttet on my user card so dinner was half price for the two of us.

For hints on how to make your gambling trips more economical check out this book.

Casino Hotel Rooms for $0!

2009-06-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Even though most states don't require that gamblers use a player card, it is essential that you do this to get the most for the least at casinos. Some casinos are much more generous than others and the benefits they offer usually increase with your frequency of play. The Fitz in Tunica has always been the most generous to me with mailed coupon offers of free money and free rooms after just a single annual visit.

And don't forget to visit the casinos' websites and sign up for email offers. With the economic downturn, the casinos are offering more incentives to lure us in. Even though I am not currently receiving substantial mailed coupons from the St. Louis area Harrah's and Ameristar, I have been receiving monthly email offers from both for free hotel rooms.

Follow this link to learn how to get the "most for the least" at casinos.

Winning at the Goldstike in Tunica

2009-06-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I actually won some money! Our recent trip to Tunica was a lot of fun as always. We stayed at the Fitz (three rooms/two nights) and one room was free with a coupon mailer. I have never had much in the way of winnings at the Tunica casinos except at the Sheridan but this time was different. I didn't win at the Sheradan but my son and girlfriend each left there $100 ahead. I did, however, do better at the Goldstrike and the Fitz. Some late night/early morning gambling at the Fitz netted me a $200 profit.

The Goldstrike proved best of all. After a wonderful Saturday evening buffet, we decided to gamble an hour before heading into Memphis and Beale Street. I tried a new penny machine (don't remember the name) and on my first push of the button ( a ninety cent bet) I won $500. Instantly turned a good day into a much better day.

Click here for information on how to save money and have more fun at casinos.

Tunica Casinos in May

2009-05-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

We are heading to Tunica in Mid May. Anyone know of any available coupons? Let me know where you have had good luck on the slots. I will be posting casino and restaurant reviews soon.

$100,000 in cash, points, and prizes at Argosy

2009-02-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

Argosy Alton has 10 PM drawings every Wednesday and Sunday night until March 29 in attempt to make us winners. Yeah, right. Well, somebody's going to win something!

Be sure to swipe your card at one of the kiosks on the Argosy every time you visit between now and March 29th. It will add an entry for you into the drawing and if it is a Wednesday or Sunday you will get 4X your earned entries into the drawings.

Let me know if you are a winner!

Triple Thursdays at the Par-a-dice.

2009-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Other than actually winning, the best way to improve your overall return at a casino is to take advantage of the promotions and coupons. Peoria's Par-a-Dice casino is offering Triple Thursdays in February. This includes 3X points on play (be sure to use your card), a $3 meal at Nelson's Deli, and $3 off the buffet.

Even if you aren't winning, at least take advantage of whatever the casino offers you.

Argosy Alton Promo Newsletter

2009-01-31T18:09:00.003-08:00

To receive the monthly email promotion newsletter from the Argosy Alton (IL), click here. For information on Illinois casinos visit www.theillinoiscasinos.com.

Good Day at the Ameristar

2009-01-25T07:11:00.000-08:00

I swiped my Star Rewards card on Saturday and got the bonus 4x points as I mentioned in a previous post. Following the ideas in A Winner's Guide to Slot Machine Fun I arrived at the Ameristar with $24 in coupons for play and left with $3 in comp cash and $5 in food. Oh, I also won a little over $100 at the slots with only using the coupon money to play.

Yes, it was a good day at the Ameristar, $100 in winnings, $8 in usable comps, a good amount of play to keep my mailed coupons coming and it only cost some gas money!

Last November's election repealed the Missouri casino loss limits which means that gamers no longer are required to use a player's card, but if you want comps and mailings be sure to always use your card at slots and the tables.

5 X Points At Par-a-Dice Casino

2009-01-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Par-a-Dice Casino in Peoria is running a Friday in January promotion. On Fridays until 8 PM you will earn 5x points on your B Connected card up to 5000 points. These promos are a great way to get more rewards for your normal amount of play.

For general information on Illinois casinos visit www.theIllinoisCasinos.com.

Triple Your Points At Ameristar St. Louis

2009-01-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

Ameristar is making it easier for customers to qualify for more comps! With just two weekends left in this January promotion, time is running out for you to get 3x, 4x, or 5x points on all of your gambling for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Swipe your Ameristar card at one of the kiosks in the customer service area between 8 AM and Midnight to see what your point multiplier is for that day. Seems to be a great chance to boost your point level without increasing your gambling level.

Check out www.YummyFoodandTravel.com for a review of Ameristar's buffet restaurant.

Slots reign in St. Louis area!

2009-01-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

The draw of Las Vegas can not be denied. The Vegas casinos offer shopping, dining (quality food and a huge number of restaurants), and table games that can't be topped. But what about the slot players?

A look at several of Las Vegas' top casinos showed some surprising results when compared with the Ameristar St. Charles and Harrah's St. Louis.

Casino # of Slots

Ameristar St. Charles 3300
Harrah's St. Louis 2899
Bellagio 2433
Caesar's Palace 2100
Green Valley Ranch 2200
Harrah's Las Vegas 1760
Luxor 2000
MGM Grand 3700
New York New York 2000
Riviera 1400
Venetian 2500
Wynn 2500

I am sure there are lots of reasons for these two St. Louis area casinos ranking so high in terms of slot machines available. But the fact remains that if you want to play slots, a trip to Vegas isn't necessary. Plus the money you save in air fare gives you that much more for play.

Be sure to check out A Winner's Guide to Slot Machine Fun, a new booklet that will enhance your casino slot experience and maybe save you some money at the same time.

Happy New Casino Year!

2009-01-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! It looks like with the economy down casinos are ramping up the comps. I am starting to get some great offers from Tunica - two free nights w/free money and buffets at the Fitz and the GoldStrike is offering its newly remodeled rooms for just $49 per night on Sunday thru Thursday.

Be sure to watch your newspapers for special coupon offers. The Par-a-Dice Casino in Peoria, Illinois has placed coupons in several newspapers to help draw in customers.

Harrah's and Ameristar in St. Louis are among those going a different route by offering a point multiplier on a specific day or days. (For example, all points earned on Tuesday will be tripled.)

Until the economy turns around and people have more spendible income we may be seeing better and more frequent offers from the casinos. Let's just hope they loosen up the slots too.

Ho Chunk Casino better than ever!

2008-09-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Our almost annual trip to the Wisconsin Dells for Wo Zha Wa weekend was a great time once again. The downtown sales, the great restaurants, the required attendance at the Rick Wilcox Magic Show, many more outstanding attractions, and all of my clan together makes for a wonderful vacation.

My wife and I love visiting casinos, but we are the low-roller variety, and our last visit to the Ho Chunk Casino in Baraboo (actually between Baraboo and the Dells) was a disappointment. This year, however, things were different. And better. Much better.

The ladies in the customer service area started things out right by being friendly and helpful. Those signing up for player club cards not only received $10 in free play, but a 10% discount on food, and an even bigger discount on their first buffet.

It was good to see a variety of table games once again - a few years ago they were restricted to only Blackjack. The slots, where we give our money away, are a very unusual mix compared to other casinos we visit. The demoninations are not just the penny, nickel, quarter, and dollar machines. There were lots of two cent machines and something new to us, ten cent machines. I am not sure if they have a smaller percentage of penny machines that other casinos, or if it just seemed that way because the gaming floor was very busy and the penny machines were mostly in use.

Be sure to verify the denomination of the machines before you stick you money in the slot. - the various denominations are not separated very well.

We did find a new slot game, Star Wars, that we liked a lot. It uses pictures, videos, and sounds from the original Star Wars movie and has some fun bonus rounds.

Yes, we had a lot fun in our two visits to the Ho Chunk this year. But no, we did not go away winners.