Empty Encore this weekend.
 

My wife and I stayed at Bellagio this past weekend (3/5-8). We've stayed at Wynn before and enjoyed it so we wanted to check out Encore while we were in town by having dinner there. We chose the steakhouse, Botero.

As our reservation was at 8 pm on Friday we took a cab from Bellagio about 7:30. When it arrived at the Encore entrance off LV Blvd. about 7:45 our cab was the only car in the entryway! We entered an essentially empty lobby and felt like we had the place all to ourselves. It was almost like you could hear a pin drop (if they turned off the Sinatra sound track that is). This is NOT the "buzz" that we seek in Vegas! ;)

I've been receiving some pretty good offers from Wynn/Encore (at least for low rollers like us) that included 3 free weekday nights or weekends at about $149 and now I see why. I realize the whole city is slow, but Bellagio was fairly busy as were other places we visited. As we walked around Encore, we noticed most of the restaurants were only about two thirds empty..though they may have filled up more as it got later. Much of the table games were closed and we had our choice of BJ tables with limits as low as $10-$15. Decor was clearly high quality...but not really our taste with the red satin chandeliers and overall Asian feeling theme.

Dinner at Botero, however, was excellent. Great looking restaurant serving well prepared food. The staff was well-trained and efficient, though the average was about 25 (so it seemed at least). My wife and I asked to share a bone-in NY strip that was cooked 1/2 medium (her) and 1/2 med-rare (me). Our waiter checked first with the kitchen, which agreed to the split, and then the chef cooked the steak perfectly.

We were shocked at the basically empty casino floor at Encore and hope it was an anomaly....but I fear that it further confirms the difficulties that Vegas is having and will continue to have in this economy.

That's definitely not what I experienced at Encore when I was there on two seperate occassions in January. Then again, both stays were within a month of open and the place was VERRRY busy with both onlookers and guests. I was able to find $10 and $15 blackjack on Sunday evening and Saturday afternoon though.

The current financial situation and decrease in gaming, notwithstanding, I have seen this over the past year at Palazzo as well.

I call it the new smaller casino next to big brother casino affect. :D

Even last year, when things weren't as dire, there were often times when none of the dice tables @ Palazzo had any action, but right next door at Venetian there were 2 or 3 crowded tables. I'm not really sure why this is. Maybe people tend to return to where they have gambled previously, and it just takes time for a new "wing" to attract the gaming folks. Though, until recently (Wynn/Encore and Venetian/Palazzo) you didn't really have this "new" casino opening adjacent to the older casino as a separate property. [and still a decent walk to separate the two] Previous expansions at other properties, Caesars comes to mind, just involved more dining, rooms, and convention space. The casino floor was only expanded in small amounts, and then directly adjacent to the old casino floor.

My experience last week, also showed a rather quiet Encore (and a slightly more busy Wynn), but I don't make very much of that, since it was Wednesday/Thursday.

Probably, the bigger sign of the times are the table limits, though this is also a bit YMMV. Baccarat limits still tend to stay high, but dice and blackjack limits have been reduced substantially.

My barometer is based on dice, and the visible presence of $5 tables (at Mirage, and once even at Palazzo), and the regular $10 tables at Wynn/Encore and Venetian/Palazzo are most definitely a sign that gaming is off. It's almost like we're back in the 1980's, well without the really "cool" clothes. :cool:

Ya know I've been wanting to get into shooting dice but the $10 and higher minimums have kept me away. Even when I was at MGM and Palms a few months ago it was $10 late on Sunday night. I'm comfortable with higher limits at blackjack but don't want to blow through a few hundred when a bad streak comes the craps table. Maybe I'll find some $5 ones next week...

I'm staying at the wynn right now and there is no question that the wynn is busier than the encore. The encore does sell itself as having a more intimate feeling and they are certainly trying to fill up the wynn rooms more than the encore. As bellagio, I've always found it to be busier than the wynn. But the encore and the wynn seems to attract more high rollers at least at the craps tables.

For what it's worth I got approached by a host within a minute of making my first bet at the encore. My bet was $60 on 6 and 8 each. I was flattered but i do see that as another example of casinos trying to lure more low rollers to the casino.

FWIW,

My brother in law, who just arrived back in London (on the VS non-stop) reports that Palazzo was very crowded this past weekend. He specifically spoke about the casino floor @ Palazzo, though he did mention the restaurants were not that crowded.

I go to LAS often, and even in good times, as you deviate from center strip (Bellagio, Caesars, Ballys-Paris) the crowds seem to decrease. South of MGM (since there are only 4 casinos: Trop., Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay) the decrease is even more. I stayed at MB, this past weekend, and the slots were not heavily used. MB (at least for the weekend of 3/6-3/8) seemed to have groups in their early 20's with lots of cases of beer.:)
[But, if someone passing through plays $3.00 for a few minutes, this is not a "money maker" for the casino.]
PS: The tram from MB to Excalibur was not in operation, so maybe fewer people ventured as far south as MB.

When I say empty, I mean EMPTY!
 

I understand what you mean. We've stayed at MB/THEHotel & 4S often enough and, as I mentioned, we've stayed at Wynn before as well.

But maybe I wasn't clear enough...Encore was EMPTY. As in, no cars/cabs pulling up EMPTY. 2/3 of the tables and slots closes EMPTY. Restaurants 1/2 EMPTY. Bunches of low limit tables EMPTY. I've been coming to LV for 3 decades and especially as it was a brand new, high end property, it was startling that, on a Friday night, that there weren't at least a bunch of folks curious to see the newest joint on the strip. Perhaps it was an aberration for the 3 hours we were in the property, but I thought it said volumes about the economy's impact on LV.

Here's to hoping that it's empty when I'm there on my honeymoon March 22-26. We're staying at Skylofts so I'm banking on MGM having $5 BJ tables available so we can play together. I hate going to Wynn and playing $25 tables when she doesn't like playing that much $$.

I would not expect $5 BJ after the late morning, even though you'll be out there midweek. Should be plenty of $10 BJ, though.

Fortunately you're right across the street from Hooters, Tropicana, NYNY and Excalibur, all of which should have $5 BJ as well.

With all the wedding money, you guys will be all over the $200/$300 tables @ Wynn/Encore. I seem to recall they have a pretty good double deck game @ Wynn at that level anyway. :p:p:p

Encore is pretty dead during most nights. You actually see a whole lot more people during the day. The wynn is another story. It gets more packed at night in part due to show and dinner visitors. Most of the people you see at encore are young people in their way to clubs or back to their rooms.

He just got married so his days of $5-$10 BJs are over. They will cost him LOTS more than that in the future! :D

If it is dead at night, then Steve W. wasted skads of $$$$ in bringing Danny Gans over to headline the show at Encore. I thought the point of having a big name in the showroom was to get people in the "house" that might just end up losing some money! :confused:

$100 double deck at Wynn is the worst game in Vegas... :mad::mad::mad:

When I was playing double-deck at the Wynn, there were plenty of 21s, 20s, 19s, etc. The only problem - it was the dealer getting those numbers, not the rest of us. He was certainly having a good time.

Glad to know I'm not alone. I clean house at single and double deck games at Paris but get killed at Wynn. I do quite well at shoe games in Encore though! :cool:

I like 19's, Jack-9 for the banker, natural 9, there will be no draw...
Pay the Banker. :D:D

Oh, wait, wrong game. :D

I am like that with BJ at the Mirage. Over a spread of about three trips, I have yet to hit a blackjack. This past trip, I was dealt and doubled with 11 on three hands in a row, and lost each one.

I know that our experiences aren't statistically significant, but it is interesting how a lot of people have certain "Kryptonite games" at certain properties.

Funny, I do acceptably well at Wynn on 21 but get slaughtered at Paris.

I was at Wynn and Encore Sunday evening to see Le Reve. We were shocked at how empty both hotels were. I have never seen a hotel so empty. I took some photos of the entrance of the Encore and not a single person in them.

I would say Le Reve had less than 50% capacity. Unfortunately for the show, my friend and I were on comp tickets from a neighbor who performs in the show, and I'm assuming a fair percent of those in the theater were on comps, too. Again, I have never seen a theater so empty.

Finally, we grabbed a bite at the Terrace Cafe at the Wynn (not Bellagio). Only one small area of the restaurant was open. I asked the hostess if it had been like this (not busy) for a while and she replied, lately, yes.

It was disheartening to say the least.

I was there at the encore and wynn the same sunday night. Encore was completely empty but not the wynn. I was playing at a completely full craps table and there were several ones going. Other table games also had players. Wynn is never a completely packed casino the way some of the lower end ones are.

For some reason palazzo does seem more packed than I have ever seen it. Packed in the sense there were pol at almost every table. But of course they don't have that many tables.

I was there at the encore and wynn the same sunday night. Encore was completely empty but not the wynn. I was playing at a completely full craps table and there were several ones going. Other table games also had players. Wynn is never a completely packed casino the way some of the lower end ones are.

For some reason palazzo does seem more packed than I have ever seen it. Packed in the sense there were pol at almost every table. But of course they don't have that many tables.

Oh, please!!! Where did you get that idea? The $100 DD at Wynn does have the dealer hit soft 17, but has all the other customary good rules for DD and good penetration for those who count. Far superior to the shabby 6:5 single deck found at many casinos. Now the $500 minimum DD with standing of all 17s is clearly better. And it can be found at lower limits elsewhere.

me thinks that mctrees02 was referring to the fact that bad game = always loses @ Wynn, not the "actual" game conditions. ;)

Last year we stayed 4 nights in town with 2 downtown and 2 on the strip which was a mistake(splitting my stay that is). I played craps and also was lucky to be seated at a hold em table in Fitzgerald's when the bad beat jackpot went off.

I tried the $3 craps games downtown and could not get a win. Did not suit my game.

Later on strip I found Bills and had some luck on their $5 tables. Ended a very happy visit. Basically paid for my visit and a bunch of cash left over.

"The Polovtsy attack the Byzantine Empire."[1114]

I still haven't visited Encore (and don't really plan to, since I'm not a fan of the Wynn properties) but Bellagio seemed to be pretty crowded this week, a stark contrast to the last time I hung around the property a lot in late January. Le Cirque, Michael Mina, and Yellowtail were more crowded than I've seen since last year. The tables weren't jampacked but definitely not empty either; even the high limit lounge had action into the early a.m.

Hopefully more people are coming because of the low rates and the warming temperature, which is supposed to be into the 80s next week.


Just to point out that Terrace Point is the cafe at Wynn. The cafe at Bellagio is simply named Bellagio Cafe.

Yikes, you're right. Slip of the tongue. I'll edit it so it makes sense. Thanks.

don't know about rooms but the casino at wynn was pretty empty this weekend too. was there on sat. nite and not much happening so went back to palazzo.

we weren't able to upgrade our room because lots of people were at the palazzo this weekend (was told rooms were sold out). however, with the amount of people staying and playing there, there were still plenty of $15 table games in the evening. for most of those $25+ table games, they sit empty w/dealers looking so bored.

the reason we didn't care too much for wynn is because the decor was overwhelming with gold and red and the buffet was overpowering with that large fake flower chandelier.

didn't make it to the encor because my feet gave out from walking too much everywhere. maybe next time.

oh btw, the strip wasn't bad at all as far as driving so i guess vegas is still hurting for visitors.

Wynn was sold out this past weekend too, according to the front desk.

I had similar experiences as above in casinos. Almost every casino was empty or nearly so, and plenty of very low table limits.

Was in Vegas over the weekend for the four days of March Madness. I was at the Encore, and it was fairly quiet, but the Wynn seemed busy enough. The Hard Rock was absolutely packed on Friday and Saturday night.

My experience early last week was similar; Encore was relatively quiet but Wynn was pretty busy. The Wynn buffet lines were really long, too.

Fwiw, we were there over Valentine's Day and several days thereafter, and Encore was STUFFED. We stayed at Encore too - I can't decide if I like it better than Skylofts or not! Decisions decisions...

Anyway, not the best time to judge, since it was V-Day and President's Day all wrapped up into one, but Encore was buzzing. I think it's harder to tell if Encore is busy, though, because of the way the casino is set up. It's smaller, but it's almost boxed into little sections (those who have been there know it's a wee bit more intimate than your typical casino).

In the days following, Encore was still super super busy. We played Craps our last night there (the Tuesday following) and all the craps tables in the place were absolutely jam-packed with people at $25 minimums. Granted, they were all winning ;)

Going next week (staying at Skylofts, but plan to patronize the Encore spa!) so I'll be interested in seeing what's up.

Just got back from 2 nights at Encore this morning and it was not busy at all. This was my second time there and it was busier in January. Tables were dead/empty most of the time. Wynn had more going on as far as people/activity goes.

We had 5 nights in Bellagio over last weekend.

Early one morning we walked up through Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn and Encore. They were all relatively quite but Encore was dead. I thought it was a nice hotel though and would stay there next time we go back over. (Bellagio was great though so it'll be a tough decision)

OUr only problem with Vegas is the distance from the UK. It's a very long trip for us.

g