Casino Reviews

We are visiting the Gold Strike Casino once again this fall. We are writing a brief update about this casino, as well as it’s neighbor the Horse Shoe Casino and the Roadhouse Casino. You can click on any of the links above. Review more information about all of these great vacation spots.

We checked in a bit early and were given our room key right away. The October time frame prior to thanksgiving is a slow period for the hotels in this area. There are lots of rooms available.They put us on the 31st floor with a great view of the river.

We are staying free at the hotel as part of a comp package we received in the mail from the hotel. We were offered free rooms for two nights, $25 towards meals and $55 in free play. When you combine this with the new express comps feature and points conversion for food while staying at the hotel, it turns out that this is a pretty good deal.

Gold Strike Casino Meets Expectations

The hotel as usual met all our expectations. We would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to spend a few days gambling, playing golf in the area or taking in some of the activities in Memphis.

We noticed that the buffet is perhaps a little bit reduced from past years. However the food is just as great and the value is there.  Service was a bit slow, but then we are on vacation and not in a hurry.

The new express comp feature is a really nice add on. Your screen on the slot machine you play will show you exactly how much you have in express comp’s. You do not need to visit the M-Life desk any longer to get a comp for a meal. Just hand over your M-Life card to the cashier. They will use the comp’s on your card to pay for your meal. And the best part is that when you use your comp’s the meal will be half price! We think this is a really good deal for everyone and another reason to always use your slot card.

Gold Strike Casino Update

They have updated the slots with all of the latest multi-line penny machines while still maintaining many of the traditional reel machines as well. There are less video poker machines as well and very few keno machines. There was no damage at all due to the floods as far as we could tell to the hotel, the casino or even the grounds around the hotel.

This is a great place to visit and we will be coming back here again.

We just received news that some casinos are reopening. The Gold Strike has reopened as of May 18th,2011 . Obviously they still have a lot of work to do, and the residents have many repairs to make, but at least some of them have jobs, even if it is part of cleaning up after the flood. this was truly a devastating blow to the region, not only to the casinos and the people who worked at them, but also to the farms and towns in the area.

Many people have lost homes and businesses, equipment has been ruined and land will take months to dry out. With a flood like this it is pretty obvious that the dikes, levies or what ever they are called are simply not high enough. They are also not strong enough. Many broke allowing millions of gallons of water to pass through and flood the surrounding land.

Rebuilding

The Casinos in Tunica have been rebuilt and are in full operation again. Hopefully there will never be another flood like this one in 2011 which disrupted many persons lives. We are looking forward to going to the Tunica area once again. Also we like to support the local economy and to try our hand in the casinos once again.

We love to stay at the Gold Strike operated by the MGM Resorts group. Also the Horseshoe which is operated by the Harrahs group of companies. Both hotels are side by side and compete with each other. They seem to offer the best deals for us and we will return to this area again in 2013. Our slot cards continue to keep us receiving comp’s in terms of food, rooms and beverages. So why not take advantage of these offerings and have a little vacation.

If you need more information about why slot cards are so great, check out the several posts that we have on this subject. Slot cards provide slot players with many benefits. You are really losing out if you do not take advantage of these benefits. I like to think of it as a small jackpot each time I receive a free meal or a free room! These comp’s can add up to several hundred dollars on each trip. Which you might spend anyway on paying for your room and meals if you did not take advantage of these advantages.

Check out our posts as well on the casino reviews for all of the casinos we have visited over the years. With the exception of Texas and Utah there seems to be a casino in every state in the nation.

The water has surrounded the casinos in Tunica as well as the surrounding areas. It looks like they will be closed for another few weeks. This occurred in May 2011 and the casinos have obviously reopened since then. They re-opened about the middle of June, 2011.  Originally we were told that they would reopen sometime around May 23rd. However based on the level of the water, the damage that it is causing and the fact that it will slowly recede, these casinos were closed for sometime.

We have included a picture of Harrahs in Tunica, which we have visited several

Thanks to WMCTV Action News

times. This picture is courtesy of  WMCTV Action News. Pictures are worth a thousand words. It is certainly true in this case. Based on this picture the main lobby area, the restaurants and perhaps even the casino is flooded. Rooms at the hotel will be find. However before guests can come back to the hotel a thorough cleaning is required. In addition, repair to the building, electrical systems is needed. All furniture that could not be removed prior to the waters appearing on the scene has to be replaced.

Tunica Casinos Still Flooded (2011)

At the present time there is over 7 feet of water covering the parking lot and the hotel entrance. The casino itself is supposed to float which will protect the slot machines. The casino operations should be ok. However there is a limit to how far up they can float.

As more information is made available we will include an update on this blog regarding the rising flood waters at the casino hotels in Tunica.

While this blog focuses on casinos and information about them for our readers,  we also want to acknowledge the hardship that many people in the Mississippi delta are experiencing. We have traveled to Tunica, to Memphis and Helena many times and our hearts and prayers go out to these people.

We once had car problems in Helena and the people at the garage were extremely helpful and friendly to us. They drove us to a hotel were we stayed the night while we were waiting for parts for our car and then picked us up the next morning to bring us back to the garage. this was service that we have never experienced before and we appreciated very much. The repairs were completed on time and the price was very reasonable as well. We compared the cost of repairs with our own garage at home and found them to be less expensive at this garage in Helena. Great people, very helpful!

They sure do not deserve this huge flood and the damage it causes to land , to buildings , to families and the ability to earn a living to support your family. Our prayers are with you!

Apparently the casinos in and around Tunica will be closing from May 3rd 2011 until approximately May 22nd 2011 due to the rising flood waters  from the Mississippi. This picture shows the Gold Strike Casino with their parking lot under water and the casino itself flooded. Lots of damage to the floors and the machines. Not only that if your car was in the parking garage it was going to have to stay there until the waters receded.

We had reservations at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica for May 5 and 6th. We received an email advising us that this casino along with all others in the area were closing. This is due to the expected rising flood waters cresting as much as 60 feet above normal. This is an unprecedented flood level! We are glad that they warned us that the casino was closed. We would not want to be there when the waters were coming into the casino! Who would not like being stuck in our rooms with nothing to do.

We wish all of the employees and the residents in the area good luck. They need to take special care that they and their families are safe during this difficult time. We have watched the weather over the past week. Although the rain has stopped, the swollen river will not crest in this area for another few days.

Tunica Casinos closed

Several articles have that we have read indicate that employees will continue to be paid during this time while the casinos are closed. Hopefully all of the casinos will do this, so that employees can meet their financial obligations. This will also ensure employee loyalty and return to their jobs when the casinos reopen. The entire area appears to be depressed from an economic perspective and they really need the money they do not need to be losing their jobs or dealing with floods like this.

We will be back to Tunica, perhaps in the fall when hopefully all repairs have been made and everyone has recovered from the Mississippi river floods.

Note that the Tunica Casinos reopened a few weeks after we wrote this post. There was little damage to the casinos and what there was, was quickly cleaned up by the staff. One of the things we really liked about this set of casinos is that they continued to pay all of their staff while they were closed to make sure they had jobs to come back to and did not go looking for new jobs.

While we could not confirm this story, we did hear it from a reliable source and felt that this was a really nice gesture on the part of the casino owners. This was in one of the online papers that we keep an eye on when we are in the area. Reading online news is a great way to stay in touch with the world as well as local news. Most of the casinos will have WiFi available for their customers.

All casinos were reopened shortly after the waters receded and the clean up was completed.

We just finished staying at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi Mississippi for two nights and have to report that it is just as nice as it always has been. Unfortunately for us the weather was a bit on the cool side so we could not use the pool. However we did have a great view of the ocean from our room on the 18th floor. To look at the original review of the Beau Rivage casino, click on the link in bold.

They have rearranged some of the slot machines around as most casinos do from time to time. Of course they still had all of our favorites. There are more penny and nickel machines, however their casino floor is large enough they can accommodate slot machines of all types and denominations. We ate in the cafe and enjoyed a really nice meal as well as had our coffee in the coffee shop, called the Roasted Bean. For those of you over 50, Wednesdays are seniors day which means you get double points and you can eat at the buffet for half price for breakfast as well as lunch. Sorry dinner is the regular price.

Beau Rivage Bloody Mary’s

They still also have fantastic seasoned bloody Marys, with olives and okra in the drinks. I can only handle about two of them, but they are excellent and everyone should try them at least once.

The MGM chain, which the Beau Rivage is part of, recently updated their casino slot card membership system. It is now called “MLife”, with new cards and a couple of new benefits which we like. The card still lists all of the properties with individual phone numbers that are hard to see because they are so small and they are color coded depending on the level of play.

Express Comps at the Beau Rivage

One of the new features is the addition of express comps, which show on the screen on the slot machine so you can monitor how much you have to spend on food in the restaurants. Express comps can only be used in restaurants in any MGM family casino. You do not have to see the slot host. Just go to the cash when it is time to pay and present your MLife card and they will deduct what they need from your express comp balance. This is a nice new feature.

We also like the Roasted Bean and have included a  brief review of the Roasted Bean. Hope you enjoy it.

Coffee at the Roasted Bean

Coffee at the Roasted Bean at the Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi! Fresh coffee under a glass canopy with shrubs and trees around you, background music and free WiFi. Wait it gets better, although the first coffee is expensive, as long as you have your receipt, all of your refills are free for the rest of the day! For a large coffee you are going to pay $3.85, which is one of the most expensive around, surpassing even Starbucks. However all you need to do is show your receipt and you can get a free refill any time that day. So if you are a coffee lover, then after even a 2nd cup of coffee you are starting to get to a reasonable price for coffee.

The Roasted Bean coffee shop is better than any coffee shop we have been in, including Starbucks! Muted earth tones decor, open to the atrium above, it is an enjoyable place to sit and savor your morning coffee. It can get a bit crowded at times, especially if the hotel is full, however most people only stay for a few minutes and they are on to their conference, the pool or to the casino.

Seating Arrangements

All of the chairs are padded and they have invested in easy to clean marble tables. None of these short stay uncomfortable non cushion chairs make you want to leave. And the place is clean, which says a lot about the management.

On nice warm days in Biloxi, you can also go outside. Enjoy the warm air on the patio while you enjoy your coffee. The Roasted Bean has solid tables and chairs with umbrellas for patrons to sit and enjoy their coffee! All in all the Roasted Bean coffee shop is one that we enjoy going back to! This is one of the features that keeps us coming back to the Beau Rivage Casino and Hotel.

The only negative thing about the Roasted Bean coffee place is that there are not enough wall plugs to plug-in your computer. I could only find two. I guess they really do not want you to stay too long working on your computer.

Informative comments are appreciated especially those that will help our readers with their travel planning. If you need additional information about general travel planning, click here.