Steve Wynn at the entrance of the captivating atrium at Encore Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy of Wynn Resorts.)
It seems completely appropriate that the signature restaurant of the just-opened Encore Resort at Wynn Las Vegas should be “Sinatra.” Owner Steve Wynn and “Ol’ Blue Eyes” have at least two things in common: they do things their way and they are very good at what they do.
In a city, in an industry and in an economy that are all seeing their biggest downturns in recent history, Steve Wynn opened this glamorous $2.3 billion property on Monday — yes, a Monday! — during what is traditionally the slowest week of the year in Vegas. Pure genius. The timing is perfect for working out any slight bugs — and with Wynn’s legendary attention to detail, the problems are apt to be small — prior to the big New Year’s Eve holiday and the major conventions coming in early-2009. I also like his approach of simply opening the doors to the public. No massive grand opening events, it’s just like he says in the commercial: “THIS is Encore.” Let the resort speak for itself.
Using a “back-to-basics” approach — when those basics include paying attention to what makes a resort a Five Diamond experience — owner Steve Wynn, told The Associated Press that guests at the new Encore resort should expect “better service, nicer rooms, better lighting. Themes that are corny get old quickly, but real and wonderful environments with great service are timeless.”
In addition to Sinatra, the 2,034-room Encore will feature four additional chef-driven restaurants including “Switch” - a dining experience where walls, ceiling and even server uniforms change colors every 20 minutes. The resort also boasts the highly-anticipated exclusive new nightclub, “XS,” which opens for the first time at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Also, long-time Strip entertainer Danny Gans will begin his run at Encore in February.
See photos of the resort on the Encore website here and video reports including interior shots are here at local Channel Eight’s Las Vegas Now. (We’ll be making our maiden voyage to Encore in January so look for more coverage then.)
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.
We’ve got a few things to pick up in the stores this holiday season but most of our shopping is being done online this weekend. Easy on the budget and the feet plus we can buy lots of unique gifts without ever leaving the couch!
So, sit back and relax, pour yourself a cup of cocoa, and shop for all the casino fans, poker players, and slot players on your list with our tailor-made gift guide. We sorted through tons of items and websites to bring you our “Best Gifts for Casino Players.”
I’m giving P.B. a watch this Christmas and in my search found a great site with a huge selection of the most popular watch brands including Fossil, Citizen and more – both men’s and women’s — at phenomenal prices with free shipping and a 110% price guarantee. Be sure to use the special coupon code “10off” to save an additional $10 on any watch purchase.
Also, check out the custom-designed tee-shirts, thermals and more at Bad Beat Clothing. This stuff rocks! Speaking of poker, great article at Poker Listings about the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic that starts today at The Bellagio.
The iconic Mirage Volcano made it’s newly-renovated debut on The Strip in Las Vegas last night. Under construction since February of this year, the $25 million face-lift caps a recent $110 million room and suite redesign to The Mirage’s 2,765 Deluxe and Tower Deluxe accommodations.
The new volcano show features a musical score by Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame and Indian impresario Zakir Hussain and comes from the acclaimed design firm WET, creators of The Bellagio lake show. Fireballs and the aptyly-named Fireshooters explode into the air and send fiery waves of burning lava across the Strip-front lagoon during the four-and-a-half-minute blazing spectacle.
See it for yourself with this terrific video of the opening night’s show from KLAS television. Mirage Volcano Video.
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…)
Here’s the perfect gift for that would-be Steve Wynn or Sheldon Adelson on your holiday shopping list.
Yes, Casino Mogul really is a game. Yes, you can actually buy it. And, once again, yes, I really, really want this for Christmas. (And here you thought I was going to try and sell you a half-finished Echelon. Maybe next year.)
How do you play you ask? Well, directly from the advertising copy on the box comes this riveting description:
“Build, design and manage your own casino! (Hmm, I would think you would want to design it and then build it. But, then, what the heck do I know since I’m not (yet) a casino mogul?)
“Hire and Fire Staff!” (Oh yeah, that sounds like fun but better make sure they’re not union before you do it!)
“Manage Your Clients! Fleece Them (but keep them happy!”) I didn’t make that up — it really says that on the box. They must be talking to the people who run the real casinos. Except for the happy part.
And my personal favorite right off the box “Become the Bugsy Siegel your parents always wanted you to be — run your own casino and make bucks!” (Well, you would have made bucks, Bugsy, if you had gotten out sometime before October.)
The game is from Monte Cristo software and you can buy it here – Casino Mogul – for your own budding little gambling boss! Just one of the items featured in our new gift guide.
With lights that change colors like an Arizona sunset, a soaring canopy greets visitors to the new Lone Butte Casino in Chandler, Arizona.
So what does it sound like when every one of a casino’s 850 slot machines are ALL being played at once? You would know – or you would have heard – if you were at the grand opening yesterday of Gila River’s new Lone Butte Casino in Chandler, Arizona. Casino-goers flocked to the handsome new gaming facility for a first look and to try their luck at one of the new machines. Guests not seated in front of a machine or at one of the 24 table games milled around eagerly waiting for the opportunity to play. Even the new “High Limit” area was crowded with players hoping to hit it big.
The Gila River Community is to be commended on this classy addition to the Phoenix gaming scene. The interior is light and bright and highlighted by the use of natural materials like sandstone. (more…)
JAQK Cellars wines would make great holiday gifts.
In advance of the holidays, we’ve been combing the ‘net looking for some great gift ideas for the casino players on your holiday list. We wanted to find fun items that we would like to give (as well as receive!) and feature them in a series of posts leading up to the holidays. We do the work, you get all the kudos.
Today’s gift suggestion — definitely one of my favorites – actually originated with my web designer, Chris, at Tornado Design. He emailed me some photos of these absolutely striking wine bottles. The bold graphics on these bottles all riff on the themes of luck and play and games of chance and the designs figure greatly in the story of theJAQK™ Cellars winery. I wish I could run photos of ALL their bottles here but you have to go visit their site.
A single bottle of any of these California wines with names like “22 Black,” “Charmed,” “Bone Dance” and “Pearl Handle” would be a great gift and possibly the start to a new collection. Or, if you want to spring for a few more bucks, check out their multi-bottle gift boxes like the “Four Soldiers” set with a different historical figure on each label. Either way, the player on your list (or maybe you?) will love this unique gift.
From the “look what I came across searching the Web” file, comes this remarkably detailed report on how slot machines operate from the wide-ranging ”HowStuffWorks” website. Both the site and the television show of the same name are owned by the Discovery Company — you know, the same people who have the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet (my fav), and a host of other “let’s-make-learning-fun” ventures. (more…)
In doing my research this past weekend for some upcoming articles, I came across tons of news items detailing the stock declines of the major players in the gaming industry. And it’s not just the casino owners/operators who are seeing double-digit stock drops but also the game and technology manufacturers. Thought it would be interesting to see some of the numbers — all in one spot — so here’s a chart showing just that: (All prices are as of market close November 14, 2008.) (more…)
Screech. Thud. Those are the sounds of casino construction being brought to a halt across the country. It seems there is news every week about another project being put “on hold” as the downturn in the economy continues to affect all segments of the gaming industry. Curious, I compiled this list of who is stopping what and where…so far.
MGM Mirage - Announced in its third-quarter earnings release on October 29 that the company is postponing indefinitely its MGM Atlantic City project citing “current economic conditions and the impact of the credit market environment.” In Las Vegas, MGM Mirage has also halted plans “for the development of a major resort complex on the southwest corner of the Las Vegas Strip and Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas….”
There’s better news, however, for MGM’s CityCenter Las Vegas development. In an interview with Market Watch, company officials said the $9 billion resort complex “will get the financing it needs to be completed.” (more…)
Owner of The Palazzo -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. -- sees troubled times ahead.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. — owner of The Venetian and The Palazzo casino resorts on the Strip in Las Vegas, plus the Macau Venetian, Sands and Four Seasons — said in a regulatory filing today that it probably won’t meet the requirements of loans arranged by Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. unless it cuts spending on developments, boosts earnings at its Las Vegas Strip casinos and raises more capital. (more…)
– for your own budding little gambling boss! Just one of the items featured in our new 
