The Deal
The Deal
King of Shrimp
March 1st, 2012
For years, and what I really mean by “years” is decades, the king of shrimp cocktail in Las Vegas has been the Golden Gate. There have been challengers, even some that have even taken dead aim and surpassed the Gate’s product, but they’ve been few and far between, and none has ever sustained the effort. Because of its quality and staying power, the Golden Gate’s shrimp cocktail is No. 1 for sure … except for right now. Read more »
The Deal
Pull Up a Seat
February 23rd, 2012
“Where is the best place to sit at the table?” If you play, you probably think you know the answer. Most blackjack players, especially if they fancy themselves good at the game, will tell you that the most important position at the table is the one that’s last to act. At a full table, that’s the seat farthest left as you face the dealer, or the “third base” position. Read more »
The Deal
Mob Museum price is right
February 16th, 2012
This isn’t exactly the first time someone’s built an attraction based on the mob and tried to make money with it. Just last year, the Mob Experience at the Tropicana gave it a go. The idea sounded good, and there was a decent amount of anticipation leading up to its debut. That is, right up till the time ticket prices were announced. Read more »
The Deal
Mobsters, Russian Food and a Decent Rib Eye
February 9th, 2012
Things haven’t gone particularly well for Las Vegas’ other mob attraction, the Tropicana’s Mob Experience, where there’s been some legal and financial turmoil. But the biggest problem there was a $40 ticket price. No such problem exists downtown, where a much more friendly $18 price tag has been installed, and it’s discounted to just $10 for locals. I’ve already had a walk-through, and the place is pretty cool. Read more »
The Deal
Making the most of the Big Game
February 2nd, 2012
In fact, most veterans I know don’t go to any parties, because they feel that the best place to be is in a sports book. Almost all of the books will have food and drink specials, along with the big screens and an electric vibe you can find only in a place where 99 percent of the people have a monetary stake in the outcome of the game. Read more »
The Deal
Progressively Worse?
January 19th, 2012
A guy walks into a bar and looks at the video poker schedules. Then he looks up, smiles, and digs for a 20. What just happened? Most likely he saw a progressive jackpot that he liked. Read more »
The Deal
Maxing Out the Buffet of Buffets
January 12th, 2012
Once in a while, an idea really hits the mark. The Harrah’s Buffet of Buffets all-day pass is one of them. It was launched in early 2010 and has now attracted more than 1 million customers. On this offer, you pay a single price for 24 hours of unlimited access to the buffets at Harrah’s, Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood and Rio (Carnival World only). Read more »
The Deal
From Pickles to Poker
January 5th, 2012
The Tropicana has named its poker room the Gold Room for 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jamie Gold, and it’s taking an aggressive promotional approach, with daily tournaments and events, better-than-normal player comps and frequent appearances by Gold. One example is a play-for-pay deal from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, where hold ’em players earn from $5 per hour for three hours of play to $10 per hour for six hours or more—up to $80 per day. Read more »
The Deal
Holiday Cheer
December 22nd, 2011
Las Vegas is a tough sell on the holidays. Some come, but most of the Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa crowd would rather spend the holidays at home with family than have a December blowout in Sin City. Go figure. For those of us who live here, though, it’s a different story. We can stay at home and take advantage of the good deals the casinos throw our way. Here are a few of them. Read more »
The Deal
Spin the Wheel
December 15th, 2011
With few exceptions, bars have a different strategy for attracting video poker players. Whereas the casinos are all about offering the best pay schedules, bars offer lesser schedules with lots of add-on promotions. The bar promos take many different forms, but most common is probably the ETT wheel from IGT. You know the one. It’s big and colorful and you know when someone’s about to spin because Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel” comes on. Read more »
