Riviera
The Deal
For the Riviera, 58 is Reason to Celebrate
April 17th, 2013
Casino anniversaries usually aren’t a big deal. A casino might do something like free cake and Champagne as a marketing promo, but most just let the day come and go without so much as a press release. The notable exceptions are Caesars Palace, Tropicana, Flamingo, and Circus Circus, along with the Riviera, which is celebrating its 58th this weekend as one of two better-than-average anniversary celebrations in April. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
The Strip in 2013: Recovery and Retrenchment
January 10th, 2013
The New Year has its restorative elements—the celebrations, the resolutions, the fresh hopes. But, against the background of the Great Recession, it’s also another occasion to fret about what lies ahead for Las Vegas casinos. Read more »
Reading
Geek Massive
Two big comic shows draw Las Vegas into the national spotlight
September 27th, 2012
This weekend, Las Vegas may finally land on the national comic-book scene with not one, but two new comic conventions. The serendipitous double booking of Las Vegas Comic Expo and MorrisonCon could make up for the fact that Sin City hasn’t yet snagged Comic-Con International from America’s Finest City. Read more »
The Deal
Free Money, Free Rides, and a Shout Out for Security
June 7th, 2012
I recently wrote about the big loss-rebate deal at the Riviera. Now two more casinos have joined the rebate rush: Hooters is offering one for $100 and the Hard Rock’s is $500. There are now nine casinos offering a total of $2,650 in free money via these offers—Riviera, Palms, Hard Rock, Tropicana, Cannery, Eastside Cannery, Cosmopolitan, Hooters and Westin. Read more »
Dining
Against the Grain
Three venerable properties revamp their meateries to wonderful effect
April 5th, 2012
Tender Steaks & Seafood at Luxor got the ball rolling in 2009. R Steak & Seafood at the Riviera followed suit last year. And last month, Center Cut opened at the Flamingo, for a total of three do-overs, turning venerable rooms into new-generation steak houses. Read more »
The Deal
Free gambling, free beer, cheap noodles
March 8th, 2012
Both the Cannery and Eastside Cannery have initiated loss rebates for gamblers as an incentive to join their players clubs. In both cases, the deal is for a refund (in slot free-play) on up to $100 in losses on the day you join. Read more »
A&E
The Genius of an Unlikely Residency
The Riviera’s Confessions of a Rock Star tracks the rise of a garbageman-turned-tunesmith
December 15th, 2011
The musician responsible for the old college-radio staple “Behind the Wall of Sleep” is now headlining a show, Confessions of a Rock Star, in Las Vegas? Pinch me, please; this has to be a dream. Read more »
The Deal
The 6-5 Jive
November 10th, 2011
Do you play blackjack? If you do, you need to realize that an old blackjack rule of thumb ain’t what it used to be. For many years, the reliable assumption was the fewer the number of decks being dealt, the better the odds for the player. Following that rule led to single-deck blackjack’s reputation as the game to play for best results. But that’s no longer the case, due to a single rule change that showed up more than a decade ago and is now in place on almost every single-deck blackjack game in Las Vegas: paying 6-5 on a natural, as opposed to the standard 3-2. Read more »
The Deal
Riv, ribs, wings and cheap beer
November 3rd, 2011
For a number of years, it seemed the Riviera’s main role in life was to take up space on the Strip. But it looks like that’s about to change. The new management has emphasized that value is the prime directive, and it’s making solid moves. One of the new additions is a buffet-and-show deal for $22. You almost can’t go wrong with a comedy club, and the new Riv Buffet has been upgraded big-time. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Riviera Rebirth
September 15th, 2011
As destroy/erase/improve gives way to rework/repaint/recycle, older Las Vegas hotels that a few years ago might have been imploded have gotten new leases on life. Over the past year, both the Tropicana and Plaza have been thoroughly revamped after each had been bandied about as a possible demolition candidate. Now it is the Riviera’s turn for a makeover, and the ultimate fate of the property could reveal much about the next decade or more of Strip development. Read more »
