I've just returned from a vacation to Cancun, Mexico, and while there, was very happy to learn that the Playboy organization had recently opened a brand new Casino in the Hotel Zone of Cancun. Here's a quick snapshot of the joint for those interested:
First, the casino is located quite a bit north in the Hotel Zone of Cancun, but thanks to the flat-rate pricing scheme of the taxi fleet, you are guaranteed a single-way trip for 200 pesos, to most locations in the entire Hotel Zone. I was staying at the Club Med, the southernmost point of the Hotel Zone, and it was a good 15-20 minutes by cab to the Casino, but still, only 200 pesos. Cabs are clean and plentiful, so have no worries there.
The Casino itself is a charmless concrete box, on the main drag, and is situated close to several ADULT SPAS, what a coincidence... There is a one-time admission fee of $20 USD, anathema to true gamblers, but get over it and enjoy yourself. In return, you get a fancy black membership card with the legendary logo on the front.
Once inside, the casino is nice enough, but small. If you've visited the clubbier casinos in London, this will feel right at home. There are six BJ tables, 2 Roulette wheels and a single craps table. As well, there is a poker room, that looks to have 3 tables, but I didn't venture up to the mezzanine to check it out personally. Limits are low (100 pesos), so everyone can play, which is not a good thing with so few tables. Along with the table games is the usual collection of slots, but not being a slot player, I didn't notice the type or denomination. There is also a sports book, but it looked small and dodgy so I did not investigate.
As for the gaming, the BJ rules are more or less standard, with a few exceptions. Double and Split anything, with a single card on aces. Six decks in a shoe, and the shuffling is done by hand. The dealer only gets a hole card, and draws her second card at the end of the players' hands, so if you've doubled on an 11 and the dealers pulls a 10 (on her ace) or an ace (on her 10), you lose both bets, which is lame. Surrender is offered, as is typical insurance (or even money on BJ).
More problematic is the poor understanding of the game by the standard Mexican gambler. It will drive you crazy as they stand on 15 versus a dealer 10, or will draw on their 14 versus a dealer 6. It happens everywhere, I know, but I saw more of it here than almost anywhere else (perhaps Macau is the single worst BJ skills location I've ever seen). All in BJ is a fair bet.
As for craps, first of all, the table is so dark and poorly-lit, I thought they were kidding when they said it was open for business! Craps clearly has not caught on, as they only staff the game with a Stickman and a single dealer, using only half of a full-size table. Business as usual, but they only pay 55 pesos on 50 pesos bets on the 6 and 8, and you can't buy the 4 and 10 for true odds. Other than that, good fun, except that people look at you like you have 2 heads because no one else seems to have ever seen a craps table.
Be advised that drinks are not free, even sodas, so get ready to shell out for anything. The Bunnies are nice, but a temporary distraction to the gaming. One funny part of my last night there was after winning 13,000 pesos, I went to the cashier to cash out, and the poor kid behind the grill had never seen so many chips. He opens the cash drawer, and pulls our a fistful of 100- and 200-peso notes, for a total of 3,500-4,000 pesos. He looks puzzled, recounts the money, realizes again that he's short, doesn't know what to do, then asks the neighbouring cashier if HE has enough money. The other cashier snorts, NO WAY! does he have enough. The first puzzled cashier then picks up the phone and calls a supervisor, who, after 2-3 minutes, finally comes out of the back office with some cash. Whoa, red flag!
By the way, they don't change the money at the tables, you need to go to the cashier, and then bring the checks to the table to play. One other comment is, having been to a hundred casinos or so, this one certainly feels like it is being run by a bunch of kids, and while there is no immediate drawbacks to the joint being run by youngsters, the place does feel a bit amateurish.
Go and have a good time!