Gaming Loyalty Programs - Low Limit Gambling Destinations

I'm getting that urge to take a casino vacation. I've been to Vegas 15 times, so I would like a change of pace. I'm also cheap, so I prefer the $5 (or lower) craps and blackjack tables. I've also been through all of the Michigan casinos along with many in Canada, Connecticut and the gulf coast.

Tahoe is on my radar, but probably for summer. I think Atlantic City can wait until I find myself on the east coast at some point.

I've got a boatload of frequent flier miles and hotel points, so travel cost is not a major concern. I can probably swing only 4-5 days, so I'm probably limited to North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Where outside of Vegas can I find:

$5-10 Craps and Blackjack
Decent Video Poker
Free drinks while gambling
Relatively easy to get to from DTW

take a cruise....some have $5 min bets....the premium lines have prepaid drinks....

Many of the Indian casinos in California. There are a whole bunch in San Diego County, all within about a 45 minute drive of San Diego proper. Also, several around Palm Springs.

Another location is Laughlin, about a 90 minute drive south of Las Vegas.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

I think that the Colorado casinos offer low-stakes games. Not sure about the amenities, though.

Wasn't there a gambling forum on this site at one time? What happened to it?

I guess you've been to Vegas so many times. but personally having been to tribal casinos in various states, I would still rather go to Vegas for the food/entertainment options.. and just hit up the lesser popular casinos for lower limits :)

btw if you're cheap, wouldn't you just not gamble at all?
if you win all the time, wouldn't you wanna up your bet to 50/100 limits! ^^

Wasn't there a gambling forum on this site at one time? What happened to it?
Nothing's wrong with it.

It's right here, under Other Loyalty Programs/Partners (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-loyalty-programs-partners-394/):

Gaming Loyalty Programs Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/gaming-loyalty-programs-651/)

Cripple Creek, CO is a beautiful little town in the mountains of CO.
http://www.cripple-creek.co.us/

Where outside of Vegas can I find:

$5-10 Craps and Blackjack
Decent Video Poker
Free drinks while gambling
Relatively easy to get to from DTW


Kansas City Missouri has all these but not FREE drinks. They are very low cost - 2 dollars for a Long Island Ice Tea but not free.

There are numerous casinos in the Phoenix area that will cater to what you're looking for.

www.casinoarizona.com/

www.wingilariver.com/

www.harrahsakchin.com/

www.fortmcdowellcasino.com/

Please follow the discussion as the thread moves to the Gaming Loyalty Program forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Laughin Nevada has what you are looking for.

Where outside of Vegas can I find:

$5-10 Craps and Blackjack
Decent Video Poker
Free drinks while gambling
Relatively easy to get to from DTW


If you can easily fly into Hartford (or Boston), Mohegan Sun (http://www.mohegansun.com/) -- 2nd largest casino in the country, great atmosphere; tons of restaurants and bars.

midweek, you have approximately 10+ $5 dice tables (rises to $10 on Friday and Saturday, but usually still a few $5 tables, as many as 15 craps tables working on a Friday/Saturday, this casino is HUGE!)

$5 and $10 blackjack.

Lots of full pay VP (9/6 JoB) at the bar (and also on the casino floor), they just don't earn points (comps). 25cent level and up.

Free drinks, until last call (12.30am and 1.30am respectively, following CT liquor laws)

If you get 'bored' the largest casino in the country (Foxwoods) is 7 miles down the road. :D

Since you didn't ask about comps, I'm guessing that's not a huge issue for you. (and $5/$10 table players or, shall we say those with under a $100 table average get very little comp love at the tables) Since August, comps at Mohegan for VP have been cut (way down), slots and tables are still at 'acceptable' levels.

I

Lots of full pay VP (9/6 JoB) at the bar (and also on the casino floor), they just don't earn points (comps). 25cent level and up.


I agree Mohegan Sun is a nice place. But where are the 9/6 games on the floor? I've only seen them at a couple of bars.

I agree Mohegan Sun is a nice place. But where are the 9/6 games on the floor? I've only seen them at a couple of bars.

Casino of the Wind, near some of the dice tables; comes to mind right away. You have to check the payables carefully, but the "this machine does not award player club points" sticker usually is a dead-giveaway.

To expand on my (possibly over picky) needs, I try not to repeat my vacation destinations, with Vegas being the exception. I also like to wander among casinos, so a high concentration in a smallish area is good. I also like to get out of the casino when the burnout stage hits (or my bankroll is empty), so not being the only place for 50 miles is good.

Foxwoods & Mohegan Sun - been there done that.
Laughlin - been there twice and found it rather boring
Outlying Vegas - I learned from cheapovegas.com, so I've hit most of the dive and low roller places over the years.
Pacific NW - did a rental car run from SEA to SFO and hit many casinos along the way.


What about Central America, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands? Costa Rica looks interesting, but the casino info I have found so far seems a bit outdated.

What about Central America, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands? Costa Rica looks interesting, but the casino info I have found so far seems a bit outdated.

We do San Juan, Puerto Rico almost every December. There are 5+ casinos in the San Juan area. The Ritz is the largest, one of my favorites (and also the newest) is the casino at La Concha.

Table limits are always low ($5 tables always available), table maxes are also limited (say $5 to $300 or $25 to $1000 at dice).

Video Poker is universally awful, but is readily available at the 25cent denomination. (games like 6/5 JoB).

AFAIK, the best casinos in the caribbean are in Puerto Rico, Aruba and Bahamas (Atlantis). Gaming currently, is mostly an after thought in the Caribbean; since the expansion of gaming in the United States.

Quite frankly, if you are 'really' interested in gambling, you are best off sticking to the larger casino properties in the continental United States. Most of these locations are an extreme disappointment.

In any case, I do enjoy my very limited gaming at La Concha, the Conrad, and the San Juan Marriott every year.

Shreveport LA casinos has all that. There are 6 casinos there, free drinks, low limit tables, many video poker machines and some are at the bar where you get unlimited free drinks along you are playing.

We're staying at the Harrahs New Orleans next week. Looks like they offer everything you are looking for. Easy to get to, plenty of good VP (including 9/6 JoB at all denominations), free drinks, and tons of other stuff to do within walking distance. I'm not sure about their table minimums however.

I'd also recommend Harrahs new Orleans. Not many (any?) other casinos in the area but the location is excellent.

Mohegan is a good casino.. but it's still just one casino in that location.. if you want a change of pace, sorta outta luck?

They have great food and the hotel is pretty nice too.
I've been once but was on a work visit of the casino so never did get to play :(

I guess that means Macau is off the table for you?

Cripple Creek, CO is a beautiful little town in the mountains of CO.

Agree. If you haven't yet, I would suggest your flying into Denver, renting a car, and visiting one or both of the Cripple Creek and Black Hawk/Central City gambling destinations, depending on the time you have available. From the DEN airport, it is approximately an hour and a half drive west to Black Hawk, via I-70 and the new Central City Parkway, exit off I-70, and two and a half hours down to Cripple Creek, via I-25 south and Hwy 24 west. If you fly into COS, it's a little less than an hour and a half drive up to Cripple Creek.

At both destinations, drinks are complimentary, and there is now no smoking allowed in the casinos, although a number do provide enclosed smoking areas. Rather recently, voters approved 24 hour gambling and an increase of betting limits up to $100. You will enjoy a beautifully scenic drive to either destination and, should you visit during winter, their local access roads are kept fairly well plowed after snows, as the casinos have a vested interest in keeping them open. :p

My preference is Blackhawk/Central City, as not only are there so many more casino options there than in Cripple Creek, but more lodging and dining options to choose from as well. The highest quality lodging is provided by the 500-room, 33-story hotel at the Ameristar Casino, where top quality rooms mid-week can be reserved for as low as $89 on their website. Next best room I've experienced was at the Lodge Casino, across the street from the Ameristar.

Enjoy.

There's always the Longstreet Casino about 10 miles north of Death Valley Junction, California. I think the only slot machines I saw there were penny slots. They have table games but they are usually closed, not enough business. The chicken fried steak and eggs breakfast in the cafe is $6.95 and huge. Free drinks if you are playing all 180 lines or whatever on the penny slots provided you can find someone to serve you.

OK, we went there as an alternative to eating in Death Valley, not exactly as a casino treat but it is low limit!

You've already done Pac NW, but just to say there are atleast 6-7 good low limit casinos in a 30 mile radius of Seattle. Though no free drinks in any of them, I think.

Nothing's wrong with it.

It's right here, under Other Loyalty Programs/Partners (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-loyalty-programs-partners-394/):

Gaming Loyalty Programs Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/gaming-loyalty-programs-651/)

Thanks for this. I thought it was cancelled or something. I was looking under
'Special Interest Travel.' My bad.

Recently visited Harrahs New Orleans. Its a nice casino. If you play 30 minutes a day then you get free parking in the Harrahs deck. That was my main motivation for going, since my hotel was nearby and parking was $38 daily at the hotel.

I wanted to warn that on special events (Saints Game and BCS National Championship when we were there) they take away all the low limit tables. My husband plays black jack and the lowest tables those days were $25/hand. I am just a play for fun-er so I stuck to the penny slots when there weren't $5 or $10 tables.

Agree. If you haven't yet, I would suggest your flying into Denver, renting a car, and visiting one or both of the Cripple Creek and Black Hawk/Central City gambling destinations, depending on the time you have available. From the DEN airport, it is approximately an hour and a half drive west to Black Hawk, via I-70 and the new Central City Parkway, exit off I-70, and two and a half hours down to Cripple Creek, via I-25 south and Hwy 24 west. If you fly into COS, it's a little less than an hour and a half drive up to Cripple Creek.

.

Hmmm. This is very tempting. I love mountain drives and have only spent one night in DEN for a Wings/Avs game. Is winter advisable for areas off the casino roads? I'm an experienced Michigan driver so snow does not bother met.

Hmmm. This is very tempting. I love mountain drives and have only spent one night in DEN for a Wings/Avs game. Is winter advisable for areas off the casino roads? I'm an experienced Michigan driver so snow does not bother met.

Unless you happen to be in Colorado DURING a snowstorm, and the chancess of that are pretty slim, you should have no problem driving to either casino town. The weather was quite nice here today, so I drove up to Blackhawk, some 85 miles one way. I'd suggest that you visit mid-week, as weekends in either location can be abit crowded. You can PM me if you have any specific questions about driving to or spending time in either location.

I'd also recommend Harrahs new Orleans. Not many (any?) other casinos in the area but the location is excellent.
There used to be a riverboat casino "parked" right at the back of the Hilton in New Orleans, about two blocks from Harrah's. I don't know whether it still is there.

IIRC St Louis has gambling on some riverboats near the arch.

In Minnesota, there's an Indian casino in Shakopee, not far from MSP airport. Another is a couple hours' drive north, at Mille Lacs. There must be some others in the area.

There used to be a riverboat casino "parked" right at the back of the Hilton in New Orleans, about two blocks from Harrah's. I don't know whether it still is there.

IIRC St Louis has gambling on some riverboats near the arch.

In Minnesota, there's an Indian casino in Shakopee, not far from MSP airport. Another is a couple hours' drive north, at Mille Lacs. There must be some others in the area.

How long ago did you see the riverboat casino? I was at Harrah's NO in the fall and don't remember it. There are plenty of riverboats of course but I don't recall anything like a gambling barge.

I remember visiting an Indian casino near MSP maybe 10 years ago or so and I wonder if it's the same one you're referring to. I don't remember much about it but it was very pleasant.

How long ago did you see the riverboat casino? I was at Harrah's NO in the fall and don't remember it. There are plenty of riverboats of course but I don't recall anything like a gambling barge.

I visited Harrah's NO in December and also don't recall any casino on a riverboat near there. I did walk right by a riverboat behind the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, but, the riverboat was not a casino.

you can get $1 BJ 24/7 on the strip (Sahara). of course, BJ pays 1:1, but great rules are hard to come by. There's $2 BJ in Kigali, Rwanda with better than strip rules.

Deadwood, SD. I liked the old west history of all the saloons. There are some great national and state parks nearby, as well. South Dakota legalized gambling in Deadwood as a means of paying for restoring the historic downtown, but to keep out Las Vegas style casinos, they set the max bet at $5.00 for all table games. They recently raised the max bet to $100, but I understand that it's still a low rolling kind of place.

They had plenty of blackjack and poker tables when I was there. I don't play slots, so I don't know what the video poker is like.

you can get $1 BJ 24/7 on the strip (Sahara). of course, BJ pays 1:1, but great rules are hard to come by. There's $2 BJ in Kigali, Rwanda with better than strip rules.

Sahara has been closed for 6+ months; and will most likely never re-open.

Kigali, Rwanda? Seriously? :p

There is $1 blackjack in Atlantic City, with a HORRIBLE 25cent ante rule. (I've never checked it out personally, but it does exist if one is dumb enough to play it.... ;) )

How long ago did you see the riverboat casino? I was at Harrah's NO in the fall and don't remember it. There are plenty of riverboats of course but I don't recall anything like a gambling barge.

I remember visiting an Indian casino near MSP maybe 10 years ago or so and I wonder if it's the same one you're referring to. I don't remember much about it but it was very pleasant.

It's long, long gone - when I visited in 2000, it had probably just been removed. I remember seeing directional signs where the name had just been scraped off.

Deadwood, SD. I liked the old west history of all the saloons. There are some great national and state parks nearby, as well. South Dakota legalized gambling in Deadwood as a means of paying for restoring the historic downtown, but to keep out Las Vegas style casinos, they set the max bet at $5.00 for all table games. They recently raised the max bet to $100, but I understand that it's still a low rolling kind of place.

They had plenty of blackjack and poker tables when I was there. I don't play slots, so I don't know what the video poker is like.

This combined with the Denver area casinos could be a plan. Mt. Rushmore is also on my bucket list along with that part of the country.

My travel plans had to be put on hold due to some family medical issues, but those are hopefully resolving themselves shortly. Weather-wise, how early is too early to do a driving tour of Colorado, Wyoming, Dakotas, Montana, etc.?

I need a one way rental deal like Thrifty had last year with the $1/day SEA-SFO.

And the winner is .......


Colorado!

Just booked a flight for Friday to Tuesday over Easter into DEN along with a cheap rental car. I'll be sure to hit Cripple Creek and Black Hawk. I'll let the weather and how I feel any given day decide where I go otherwise.

I see there are some casinos around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Are they worthwhile for that long of a drive?

Saw you already booked..

Trump Plaza in AC seems to have changed their strategy and is catering to low rollers. They have $3 craps and 1$ BJ all day every day.

I like their $3 craps.. I was amazed that $3 craps even existed in AC. even 5$ is relatively hard to come by except for way way off peak times (weekdays, early weekends)

Are the rules the same for the $3 craps tables? I was in Caesars Windsor a couple weeks ago - curious as to why the $5 table was empty. After I cashed in and put out a pass bet, I realized it was a crapless craps table. I didn't know the odds/strategy, but being a gimmick game I figured it was bad and walked away after hitting a point.

AC does not feel like a destination for me. It is on my list to hit some day when I am in the area, or maybe a quick overnight trip. I'll probably end up doing more driving than gambling on the Colorado trip - especially if I head towards SD.

Are the rules the same for the $3 craps tables? I was in Caesars Windsor a couple weeks ago - curious as to why the $5 table was empty. After I cashed in and put out a pass bet, I realized it was a crapless craps table. I didn't know the odds/strategy, but being a gimmick game I figured it was bad and walked away after hitting a point.

AC does not feel like a destination for me. It is on my list to hit some day when I am in the area, or maybe a quick overnight trip. I'll probably end up doing more driving than gambling on the Colorado trip - especially if I head towards SD.

as far as i know, it was standard craps rules, no gimmicks.. i think Atlantic Club Casino Hotel (formerly Atlantic City Hilton/ACH) also is catering to low rollers/locals and has a 3$ table, although I've never been here... It will be interesting to see how the AC gambling market shakes out with ACH/Trump plaza targeting low rollers and the Revel targeting whales.

I've never been to any gambling destination outside of Foxwoods, Vegas (and Macau in the 80s where it was a backwoods gambling destination for HKers), so I have no context of where AC lies (ie: Tahoe, NOLA, etc). I probably wouldnt go out of my way to fly to AC as there isnt much to do here but gamble.

And the winner is .......


Colorado!

Just booked a flight for Friday to Tuesday over Easter into DEN along with a cheap rental car. I'll be sure to hit Cripple Creek and Black Hawk. I'll let the weather and how I feel any given day decide where I go otherwise.

I see there are some casinos around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Are they worthwhile for that long of a drive?

Have fun...look forward to reading your trip report...hopefully! :)

Here is the quick trip report.

Friday:
Flew from DTW-DEN and arrived about 30 minutes early. ^ Grabbed a rental car from Enterprise and headed north bound for Deadwood, SD (I-25 to US-18). Pretty boring drive actually - lots of fields to look at, and cows. I had been planning on heading straight to Deadwood, but when I hit the decision point of hitting Mt. Rushmore, clouds had cleared and I still had plenty of daylight so I shot across US-16. I did a quick drive by of the Crazy Horse memorial, but opted to save my $10 and just check it out from the far parking lot.

When I got to Mt. Rushmore it was deserted. The gates were even up, so it was free. A storm had rolled through, plus it is still off season, so there were only about 20 people there. Gift shop was the only thing open. Custer and Silver City were pretty much shut down as tourist season really does not begin until May.

I then headed to Deadwood, as three deer tried to kill me. I swear I bumped the third one as I locked up the brakes, but no damage.

I wandered all the casinos. No table games I could find - slots only. Didn't see any full pay VP, but did managed to find some 8/5 JoB which is not horrible. I ended up staying at the Super 8 for $59 and took the $1 trolly back to town for some more gambling. Not a bad place for a day trip, but I don't think I would want to spend a full weekend there just to gamble.

Saturday:
Headed west on I-90 and stopped at Devils Tower. This was the highlight of my trip. Incredibly beautiful place. I did the walk around the base in about an hour. Again it was deserted - I saw maybe a dozen people in that time, but the parking lot had filled up a bit while I was walking. I continued on to Gillette, and then spent the night in Casper. No major excitement there.

Sunday:
Headed to Black Hawk via WY-487 (Medicine Hat, Laramie), US-287 to Ft. Collins, then Estes Park. I spent a bit of time wandering the town there - which seems to look like every other tourist town in America with t-shirt shops, ice cream parlors, and similar stores.

I continued the drive (very beautiful) through Rocky Mountain National Park. I ended up in Central City first. I did find some full pay 9/6 JOB at the $1 level. Again no tables.

I booked The Isle Casino in Black Hawk for a $69 rate. Not a bad place at that price. Wandered the entire town and hit each casino. Lots of $2-3 black jack and even a $3 craps table, but they only appeared to offer 1x odds. I settled in at a $5 craps table at the lodge. I did decently, but drink service was horribly slow, plus very weak on the booze.

Monday:
Drove down to Colorado Springs via I-25 and explored the Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, and Cripple Creek. Cripple Creek was dead - probably because it was a Monday afternoon, but there were also many vacant store fronts. Similar to Central City. There were table games, but most were closed due to the lack of players. I thought about heading up to the top of Pikes Peak, but it was getting late and there were some clouds rolling in, so I decided against it. I ended up getting a $60 hotwire rate at the Doubletree in Colorado Springs for the night.

Tuesday:
Awoke to dense fog, so ruled out any mountain exploration. I ended up heading for Denver and wandered downtown until it was time for my flight home.

Overall I covered 1420 miles in the car and won about $100 in the casinos. I need to learn to relax more on vacation, but had fun.

Saw you already booked..

Trump Plaza in AC seems to have changed their strategy and is catering to low rollers. They have $3 craps and 1$ BJ all day every day.

I like their $3 craps.. I was amazed that $3 craps even existed in AC. even 5$ is relatively hard to come by except for way way off peak times (weekdays, early weekends)

The Atlantic Club Casino which was previously a Hilton caters towards low rollers as well. Most of their slots are penny slots and a lot of table games have $1 minimum bets.

as far as i know, it was standard craps rules, no gimmicks.. i think Atlantic Club Casino Hotel (formerly Atlantic City Hilton/ACH) also is catering to low rollers/locals and has a 3$ table, although I've never been here...
If you have a $3 bet in AC craps and the table offers 5x odds, does that mean you can bet $15/$20/$25 odds? (AC rules allow $75/$100/$125 odds with a $15 flat bet, for effective odds of 5x/6.67x/8.33x.)

Most of the casinos in Shreveport/Bossier now have $3 craps, blackjack and roulette.

Most of the casinos in Shreveport/Bossier now have $3 craps, blackjack and roulette.