Fireworks will light up the sky on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas.
There’s still plenty of time to pack a suitcase and head to Las Vegas for a memorable New Year’s Eve celebration. Las Vegas hotels – both on and off The Strip – are more affordable than ever this year with many offering dining and show ticket discounts as well as last-minute hotel deals. (Really, if I hadn’t offered to host this year’s party for friends, I would so be loading up the car RIGHT NOW.) (more…)
Among all the visitors coming into Phoenix for the upcoming Insight and Fiesta bowls happening here in Arizona next week, there are bound to be a lot of casino gaming fans. For those who like to play, here is a list of our Phoenix and Scottsdale area casinos along with casino-related info on dining, lounges, shows, golf opportunities and more.
Harrah's Ak-Chin is one of several Phoenix area casinos visitors can choose from to play slots, poker and more.
Casino Arizona: Two locations, both of which are just off the Loop 101 freeway making them very accessible to all the major hotels and resorts. Free limo service available by calling 480-850-7790.(more…)
The spectacular new Wynn Las Vegas property Encore will be opening this coming Monday, December 22, with a sold out crowd for that specific night. Rooms (including New Year’s Eve) are available beginning the 23rd. Reservations at the original property, Wynn Las Vegas, can be had throughout the time period.
The new Encore website is up and running with lots of photos and information along with a video of the very cool Encore commercial showing owner Steve Wynn atop the stunning copper-colored tower.
For up-to-date information along with “live” reports from the opening celebrations, tune into a new website built specifically for this grand event. This exciting new venture is helmed by the editors/bloggers of two popular Las Vegas websites, vegastripping and ratevegas. Thanks to them, we can all ride along as they experience the exhilaration of opening night at the fabulous new Encore resort and casino.
Has your mailbox been as stuffed with casino offers as ours has lately? Thanks to the downturn in the economy, P.B. and I are hearing from every casino we ever stepped foot into over the years. Stacks of promotional flyers for free room stays - now for three or four or more nights at a time! - and invitations to tons of slot, video poker, live poker and black jack tourneys inundate us. (My mail carrier, Veronica, must think Doyle Brunson’s living in my guest room!)
We’re also being showered with bigger and better coupons for “free slot play.” Even our local Indian casinos here in Arizona are not only joining in the marketing fray but upping the ante with $100 for Diamond members at Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Maricopa and $25 from Fort McDowell in Fountain Hills, just to name a couple. Those same offers usually come with food coupons as well. Free buffets, free dinners, free food vouchers - if you’re hungry they’ve got you covered.
Email offers? Check. Offers by phone? Check again. Leather jackets, Dooney & Bourke handbags, gift cards? Check, check, check.
So what really gets us into the casino and sitting at a machine or table? Locally, coupons for free slot play or cash are number one for us with merchandise giveaways a close second. But only if the item is something we want like the Sony PSP® we got last year at Harrah’s Ak-Chin.
When we travel several times each year to Las Vegas, we do look at the offers we’ve gotten when planning the actual dates. We especially enjoy slot and video poker tournaments and try to play in a couple of those each year. Oh, and cash and free slot play and gift cards are good, too. Merchandise doesn’t really get us to go to Las Vegas - too far for a leather jacket with “Caesars Palace” emblazoned on the back.
We’re curious. What are your favorite offers? What gets you to make the date?
We have our very first contest winner! In a random drawing,* our reader/commentor “AL” has won a copy of the 2009 Edition of Steve Bouri’s popular “American Casino Guide”. Congratulations to Al and thanks to all who entered. Our next contest starts tomorrow so come back then for details and another chance to win.
Here is the comment Al posted about his favorite/first big casino hit: (more…)
Here’s a very smart move from Harrah’s Entertainment. They’ve collaborated with WMS Gaming, makers of the wildly-popular Wizard of Oz machines, (you know, the ones I can never play!) and will introduce a special TOTAL REWARDS® version of WMS Gaming’s new Star Trek machine beginning this week in Las Vegas.
Here’s the skinny from a joint press release dated December 1, 2008 (Emphasis mine) - “Players who are members of Harrah’s TOTAL REWARDS® program will be able to use their cards to create a personalizedand differentiated gaming experience on the STAR TREK themed gaming machines at most of the company’s casinos in North America, as Harrah’s moves forward with a market-by-market implementation plan, subject to additional jurisdictional regulatory approvals.
“This server-enabled, networked gaming platform provides players with the unique ability to personalize their game play, allowing them to save their play status and unlock additional bonus rounds and game episodes over time. ” (more…)
This Week’s Hot Post– “And It Feels Like the First Time!” Just leave a comment on this post and tell us about your first big win, or your favorite game, or simply a note saying “hello.” We’ll choose our first winner on Thursday morning so enter today.
The PRIZE: The 2009 edition of the American Casino Guide which contains 496 pages of detailed information on every U.S. casino, plus it includes more than $1,000 in valuable casino coupon offers! This book is a gem for casino players and retails for up to $18.95.
The newest room deal from The Venetian in Las Vegas continues the $119 weekday/$159 weekend room offer that has been so popular since first being announced back in October. Along with the fantastic rates, the package (available on select dates) includes not only the luxury room suite but also the following enticements:
- $25 in Slot Credits or Table Match Play
- 2-for-1 drink voucher at the V Bar
- 2-for-1 Gondola Ride
- 2-for-1 admission to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
Book offer code EVODECR by December 15 to nail those rates.
Unlike the last offer, The Palazzo is NOT included in those rates at this time. Rates at The Palazzo are $159 weekdays/$199 weekends and again, for select dates. Visit their website for details.
While you’re at The Palazzo site, don’t miss the opportunity to register for “The Lamborghini Italian Getaway Sweepstakes.” Fill out the entry form for your chance to win a Grand Prize that includes a trip to Italy and a demonstration racing drive at the Lamborghini factory among other goodies. The drawing will be held in April 2009. (Some exclusions apply so be sure to read all the fine print at The Palazzo’s website.)
Beginning today and continuing for the next few weeks, you have a chance to win a copy of the 2009 American Casino Guide FREE just by leaving a comment on that week’s designated “Hot Post!”The winner will be randomly selected from all comments left on that specific article.
This Week’s Hot Post– “And It Feels Like the First Time!” Just leave a comment on this post and tell us about your first big win, or your favorite game, or simply a note saying “hello.”
The PRIZE: The 2009 edition of the American Casino Guide contains 496 pages of detailed information on every U.S. casino, plus it includes more than $1,000 in valuable casino coupon offers! This book is a gem for casino players and retails for $18.95.
Each contest will run Wednesday to Wednesday and the winner from the random drawing will be announced each Thursday. An email confirmation will be sent to the winner so be sure to use a proper email address when registering your comment. Good Luck!
Check out Britney Spears tickets on pre-sale at MGM Grand.
Tickets for “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” on April 25, 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden are now available for pre-sale using password IHEARTBRIT. Special guests are The Pussycat Dolls. Tickets will sell out fast so go to Ticketmaster here.
Brit’s new CD “The Circus” drops today. You can buy Circus here for less than $10 and stuff Britney — who’s looking pretty darn good these days – into someone’s stocking this holiday season.
So it’s now the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving and I haven’t set foot in a store all weekend. (Well, except for the grocery store and that was just a quick stop for bread to make turkey sandwiches!) No Christmas shopping, no bargain-hunting, no “Black-Friday-up-at-o’dark-thirty-to-hit-the-mall” stories, nothing … nada. Instead, P.B. and I headed out to Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Maricopa for Black Friday where we played our favorite video poker game, Spin Poker.™
Harrah's Ak-Chin casino in Maricopa, AZ.
Harrah’s was actually pretty crowded Friday, probably due in part to people using the free slot play coupons — good for the holiday weekend only – like the $100 ones P.B. and I had just received in the mail. (Way to get people in the doors, Ak-Chin marketing!) Plus Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are when the qualifying drawings are held for the $1,000,000 giveaway finale coming up on December 28 at Ak-Chin so I’m sure lots of players came out for that, too.
We had a fun day at Harrah’s — much more fun than slogging through the stores looking for some Holy Grail of gifts. We each started out playing Triple Double Bonus games on nickel Spin Poker Deluxe™ and not hitting much at first but then the cards started coming and we each hit for some aces, some deuces, and then threes with a kicker. I even hit for a Royal Flush in hearts. P.B. had the “best pay of the day” (we always have a fun competition going between us) with his four aces and a kicker on two lines which paid a little over $440. We stayed most of the afternoon and left with a little more than we walked in with so a good trip in more ways than one.
Oh, and on a side note, the bank of new Wizard of Oz™ slot machines was crazy-crowded with people gathered around watching the players and rooting them on during bonus rounds. People love these new Wizard of Oz machines! Guess you have to get there early to snag a seat at one.
The rest of the weekend I’ve spent pulling together the holiday “Gift Guide“ along with the other gift suggestions you’ll find here on our site — all for you to give to the players on your holiday list. The Internet is a wide and wonderful place if you know where to look!
And how did you spend your holiday weekend? Get any gaming in you want to tell us about?
Just a quick reminder for Harrah’s Total Rewards® club players — this week is the 2008 Great Gift Wrap Up® at Caesars Palace. From December 1 through December 7, redeem club points earned throughout the year at Harrah’s Las Vegas properties for a wide array of gifts including jewelry, electronics, luggage, kitchen gadgets plus sporting goods, accessories and more. Great brand names in electronics include Sony® and Apple® with high-end accessories like Dooney & Bourke® handbags and Movado® watches also well-represented.
To view your points and the gift selection catalog, visit the Great Gift Wrap Up site here. Also, while you’re in town, check to see if The Mirage is previewing it’s new Volcano show yet. A recent video posted at You Tube gives us this look at the fiery new attraction.
. Congratulations to Al and thanks to all who entered. Our next contest starts tomorrow so come back then for details and another chance to win.
here for less than $10 and stuff Britney — who’s looking pretty darn good these days – into someone’s stocking this holiday season.
