Casino Reviews

Slot players, you will love the Horseshoe casino in Tunica! You can now order your drinks at the slot machine by touch screen using your Harrahs Slot Cards! All you do is activate the little screen on the slot machine that normally shows your casino points to show the drink menu and then order the drink you want. The casino waitress shows up five minutes later with your drink! Don’t forget to tip the waitress, this is how they make their living. The casino pays them very little and also limits their hours so tips are really important.

The RoadHouse Casino is also part of the Harrahs chain and they have implemented the same feature. We were in this casino early in the morning and there was really no one there except us and the employees and a few people playing at the tables. There is usually only one waitress at this time of day serving drinks. You can wait a long time for a coffee or something stronger at this time of day. We used the new screens to order our drinks and she was there with our drinks in less than 5 minutes. This is a great service.

We cannot wait to go to some of the other Harrahs casinos to see if they have implemented this feature to other locations as well.

Harrahs Slot Cards – Order Your Drinks

It is really great in the mornings when there are not many waitresses on the casino floor. Just order , the bar makes the drink, and the waitress picks it up for delivery! No more waiting to flag a waitress or playing at a machine just to be near the bar to get a drink! Order whatever you want – water, coffee, beer, wine, mixed drinks, and special drinks such as Irish coffee’s and liquors.

Needless to say we used this new service at the Horseshoe and also at the Road House Casino.

Call Slot Attendants

If you are having trouble with your slot machine you can call a slot service attendant the same way. They usually arrive within five minutes. Harrahs casino resorts is really leading the casino competition with this new service.

Slot Cards

In case you have not used a slot card, we cannot emphasize enough why you should always have a card when you are playing the slots. Some of the features of slot cards include:

• Free meals
• Free play
• Point play
• Meal and merchandise discounts
• Free rooms
• Free airport pickup ( High Rollers)
• Free airline fees ( High Rollers )
• Free gifts
• Invitations to slot tournaments or table games tournaments
• Free tax report( more on this later)

Frequent players can expect more while less frequent , or low denomination players will take longer to build up their comp’s. With all of these features everyone should have a slot card.

Express Comp’s

Harrahs has had this feature for some time, and MGM Grand hotels has just introduced this feature on their new MLife cards. Basically you build up comp credit on your card as you are playing slots. These comps can be used to purchase meals in any of the restaurants associated with the hotel your card is associated with.

All you need to do is present your card to the cashier at the restaurant you are dining in and they will deduct the amount of the bill from your comp’s. You do not need to see your slot host and you do not need to line up either. This convenience is another reason why slot cards are a must-have.

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We just finished staying at the Gold Strike casino one of the Tunica Casinos,  just outside of Tunica for two nights. We enjoy staying at this hotel because it is always clean. It provides good value for our time and of course our money. We did not win any thing on this trip, however we did have our rooms comp’d as well as two dinner buffets that were worth $20 each. So in a way even though we lost money at the slots, we broke even in total when you take into account these comp’s.

The location of the Gold Strike is great because there are three casinos within walking distance. There is the Gold Strike, the Horseshoe and the Roadhouse. The last two are owned and operated by Harrahs Casinos. You can go back and forth between them if you need a change of action or you find that the machines are not paying very well at one or the other. They both honor the Harrahs slot card and you can order your drinks right from the slot machine. This is a huge advantage for Harrahs and a service for their customers. You do not have to wait for a server to randomly come by your slot machine now. Just order it on the screen and it will arrive usually within 5 minutes.

Tunica Casinos – Remember to Get Your Comp’s

While it is nice to go back and forth, you need to take into account that to continue to receive comp’s in terms of free rooms and free play along with meals you need to play were you want to stay. We really enjoy the MGM chain in general. They are usually a level above some of the other hotels in terms of service and rooms. If you are new to slot cards take the time to read one of our posts. It will help to understand why you would want to have a slot card and the benefits of having a slot card. You can click here for more information.

We did not notice a lot of change at these three hotels. In fact a great deal was the same. For a review of each take a look at our previous posts about these hotels.

What we did notice is that both chains, MGM and Harrahs, have updated their slot card systems. They are making them more convenient for the players and reducing the control that the hosts have on comps. If you are a high roller, you will still want to get to know your slot host or table host, however for the average player, you really do not have to stand in line any longer to receive your cash comps . Both systems display your cash comp balance either right on the slot machine screen above the reels or on special terminals located throughout the casino.

Ordering Beverages From the Slot Machine

In addition, Harrahs has added another feature which we really enjoyed. Now you can order beverages right from your seat without having to try and flag down a casino waitress. Place your order on the slot machine touch screen, the order is sent to the bar and the cocktail waitress delivers it 5 minutes later. Wine, mixed drinks, beer, water , coffee and specialty drinks can all be ordered in this manner.

In the mornings when there are only a few cocktail waitresses around or at night when it is really busy, patrons will really appreciate this feature. We found that at the Roadhouse Casino in the morning, there was only one cocktail waitress on duty for the entire casino. We never saw her until we ordered our coffee on this new touch screen. She was there in five minutes. Without this feature, we would never have seen her, since she would hang around the tables were  most of the players were ordering drinks and tipping of course.

We are off to Vegas next and looking forward to staying at the Mirage Casino. We have not stayed at this casino for some time, and there are rumors that there have been lots of updates to the casino and the rooms. It is also part of the MGM chain so we can use our MLife cards at this casino as well. The Mirage has already comp’d us for the rooms so we have already won before we even arrive!

Comments are welcome, especially if you have information about the Tunica Casinos that our readers will find interesting.

MGM Grand has changed their slot card from MGM Mirage to “MLife” over the past few months. They have also updated features as well. We assembled some of the new features for MGM Grands New Slot Card MLife as described to us by a slot host at the Gold Strike in Tunica, MS.

This is the new slot card from the MGM Grand group, renamed and now called MLife. It still has all of the casinos that are part of the group listed on the back of the slot card. Several new casinos have been added and at least one removed. Treasure Island was sold and is now called TI. It is no longer part of the MGM grand group. MGM has so many properties and each of them have their own 1-800 number so they all have to be listed individually. Makes it tough to read for some of us who need better glasses. There are a total of 12 properties now listed on the slot card and your new MLife slot card can be used at each one of them!

MGM Grands New Slot Card MLife – Express Comp’s

MGM has added “Express Comps” to the screen readout. These Comps are used at the restaurants to pay for your meals. MLife  Comps cannot be used for merchandise. Use these express comp’s at any of the MGM properties all over the US and also at one property in Canada. This is also a great convenience which their competitors have had for some time. Watch our next post for an article about a competitors improvements to their casino slot cards. To find out more about slot cards in general, click here.

This saves a lot of time. Before you had to go and talk to the slot host to see if they would comp you for a meal. Now you go straight to the cashier at the restaurant and hand them your slot card. Now the cashier will deduct your meal from the express comp’s balance on your account. You can even use these express comp’s to pay for your hotel bill at the end of your stay.

Slot Hosts

Of course slot patrons should also talk to their host before checking out. There may be additional meal Comps they might have coming to them. It never hurts to ask. We have had several nights and meals written off amounting to several hundred dollars. It is the same as winning a small jackpot!

Also many people either are uncomfortable about doing this or cannot be bothered. One couple we know do not even bother to get a slot card. As a result pay top dollar for their rooms and all of their meals. They never get comp’d for anything. Of course they are forgoing thousands of dollars sometimes in lost comp’ds.

Provide Comments about MGM’s Mlife slot card. New enhancements or deals that our readers may have come across. Spam comments are deleted.

We just have to leave a post about this subject to show how cheap and sad the OLG really is. The Ontario Lottery Corporation is a running a month of OLG Give Aways, actually it is not even a full month, but then who is quibbling! OLG is run by the government and of course they see casinos as another source of income without the negative that taxes are perceived with. Here are the giveaways.

OLG Give Aways – 21 Days of Giveaways

January 3-9 You could win an all-expense-paid trip to Ottawa from January 29 – 31, 2011 to see country superstar Brad Paisley perform live!

Prize package includes:

• Concert tickets
• Transportation, accommodation and dinner
• $500 in spending money

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

January 10-16 You could win 100,000 Reward points!

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

January 17-23 You could win a Home Entertainment package!

Prize package includes:

• SONY Bravia 55″ TV
• A SONY Blu-ray player
• SONY Surround Sound System
• Tech Craft LCD Mounting Stand
• La-Z-Boy Diplomat Recliner

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

Minuscule Prizes

These are nice prizes, however what is so sad is the smallness of these prizes. Other casinos will give away huge prizes in the thousands of dollars, while here you might win $100! or one of the other prizes. And they really do not say how many of these prizes are being won or given away each day, so you can be sure there are not many.

This coincides with their slot cards which give away a minuscule amount of money and meals to patrons of the casino compared to US casinos. We go once a year to Tunica and stay at the Goldstrike there and we receive free rooms every year. We are only there for two days, yet we get all of these free rooms! The OLC does not even come close.

Government Taxing Canadians and Americans

Governments, which the OLG is part of is taxing Canadians to the hilt and taking even more money through casinos. Americans who do not live close to Vegas, Tunica,  Atlantic city or Biloxi are having the same thing happen to them. These casinos are built for one reason only, they are to bring added revenue into the states. The OLG has a casino in all of the major cities in Ontario and where there is not a casino, they place one at the race tracks close by. There is no competition and there are certainly no significant perks for patrons.

We recently saw an interview of a government representative about casinos run by local governments. There attitude is that their constituents are going to gamble anyway, so they may as well gamble in their province and the province may as well collect the revenue instead of losing it to Quebec or to the states. The state governors in the US feel exactly the same way. As a result you see all of these casinos springing up, spread all over the place which means no competition between them and poor payouts as well as poor perks.

OLG Lack of Giveaways

Or should we say OLG poor giveaways? These giveaways are only being done to try to keep Canadians from spending money in the US or in Quebec. January is a slow month, consumers have to pay their Christmas bills and there is less money to go around.

I really think that people living in Ontario should boycott their casinos for just this reason. The Ontario Government is just offering small baubles to entice you to go to the their casinos.

Comments are welcome. Maybe you agree with the writer or perhaps not. We would like to hear your opinion on this subject!

We are starting to receive advertising for the spring of 2016 from the casinos we have visited over the past year. There are lots of free rooms, buffets and also free play available if you can take advantage of them all. Casino comps are one of the casinos primary advertising methods. They reward their customers and attract business to their venues. Of course we are talking about the casinos in the United States since Canadian casinos do not provide significant casino comps. In fact they are down right tight on these sorts of things.

Casino Comps – Free Rooms, Free Buffet and Freeplay

These rewards of course depend on your play and also how busy the casinos are, however with the economy the way it is they all seem to be doing everything they can to get their customers to come back to their hotels, their casinos and their restaurants. We have found that when there are major conferences and trade shows taking place, the room comp’s are not as great or you need to have a lot more play to qualify. On the other hand if the casino is not busy, they work hard to fill rooms and bring people to their property and that often means many more rooms are offered to the slot players who also have a slot card, even if you are not a big player.

How Do You Qualify for Free Rooms?

It is pretty easy. First you need to register with the casino’s slot program. It is free to sign up and make sure you give them your email address, since they will send you deals and information about shows by email. You can choose the regular mail if you prefer, however most people go for email because it is faster and it is eco friendly.

Always use you your slot card when you are playing the slots. Just insert it in the card reader on the slot machine before you start playing. You will have to also insert money as well, either cash or a ticket that you got out of another slot machine. As long as the card is inserted, they will track your play and then based on your play you will be sent invitations to free rooms, meals and shows. Of course if you only play for 5 minutes, don’t expect to receive any free items!

Sign Up for Slot Cards Everywhere

We always sign up for a slot card and now we are receiving all of these offers. Of course we will not take advantage of all of them, but so far we are receiving 6 free rooms, several meals and also some free play. That’s over $800 depending on what you assume a room costs these days! A small jackpot!

Heavy Players

We do not fall into this category, however if you play a lot, then you will likely receive far more that what we have just discussed. Everything from free rooms anytime, free meals, even free airfare if you are a heavy gambler. Note that we are not advocating gambling or playing a lot. However if you do play, you may as well take advantage of these perks as much as you can to enhance your trip and make it more exciting.

Collecting Free meals and Free Play

Most casinos will either send you a voucher which says you will receive free meals and free play. If you get one of these vouchers, then all you have to do is to go to your slot host. They will actually add it to your slot card. Then you can go to the restaurant and enjoy your meal on the house. Same with free play.

Sometimes the slot host will tell you to charge all of your expenses to your room. Once you are ready to leave, they will ask you to come and see them. At that time, they will decide how much to give you or write off for you. If you played a lot, they may write off all of your meals, expenses and room charges. The down side of this if course is that you have to eat within the casino or hotel. Any meals that you eat outside of the hotel you are staying at cannot be written off by your host.

Why Not take Advantage of these Offers

With all of these complimentary meals and rooms available, players would be crazy not to take advantage of them. Sometimes you may have really bad luck at the slots, and recoup the equivalent in comp’s! It is also a bit of payback from the casino for all of your losses.

What a great deal if you play your slot card and comp’s right. If you have comments or know of deals that our readers will benefit from, let us know. Leave a comment.