Casino Reviews

The Horseshoe casino & hotel is a 14 story hotel with over 500 rooms and suites to its credit, along with a large casino. Most rooms come with a flat screen TV, fridge and coffee maker. These last two items rank high with us since you can keep soft drinks and water cold for use in your room and also enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning before joining civilization!

The Horseshoe casino has over 1700 slot machines and video poker terminals. There are over 70 tables including all of the popular table games as well as a live poker room with daily tournaments.

We enjoy the Horseshoe casino & hotel every time we go to Tunica and so far we have found very reasonable rates as well as excellent service. Drinks are free as long as you are gambling, however you cannot carry them outside the casino or hotel property.

Colorful & Bright

The Horseshoe casino & hotel is one of the most colorful and bright casinos in the Tunica area as can be seen by the picture. Customers can enter at the front under the lighted signs directly to the casino or they can enter at both ends of the building.  If you enter on the right as you face the casino, patrons can be dropped off by car and enter directly into the lobby of the hotel without having to go through the Horseshoe casino.

The slots are about the same here at the Horseshoe casino , not tight but not loose either. Playing the slots here at the Horseshoe casino means you have to be careful and play with your head just like everywhere else.

There are three hotels and casinos in this particular are and you can walk safely from one to the other. The Gold Strike and the Sheraton casinos and hotels are on either side of the Horseshoe casino & hotel. This makes for great competition as well as if one casino is not working for you, you can always try another.

In addition there are 4 or 5 additional casinos in the area, however you have to drive to each one of these or you can take a shuttle. There sometimes is a long wait for the shuttle so if you came by car the easiest way is to drive over. Patrons should be mindful of the number of drinks you may have had and getting behind the wheel after several drinks at the casino.

Restaurants

Restaurants at the Horseshoe casino & hotel include Jack Binions Steak house, Magnolia: a Delta Cafe, The Village Square Buffet, and the Ace High Snack Bar as well as a Starbucks. We have eaten at the Village Square several times and have found the food and service fine. Both the quantity  and the variety is more than enough to satisfy just about anyone. We would recommend this buffet. We have also enjoyed Starbucks. This is a pretty standard Starbucks so nothing special to report. We have not tried any of the other restaurants.

What We Liked

We like the following areas:

• Nice bright and clean casino area with lots of slots machines and video poker
• Great buffet with good variety of food and excellent service
• Lots of parking which is monitored and routinely patrolled
• Entrance to lobby area from the parking garage
• Lobby area and entrance to the elevators is located next to each other
• Security guard at the elevators verifying guests
• Rooms were clean and well appointed
• Nice bar area as long as a band is not playing, then it is far too loud

What We Did Not Like

• Some rooms are located on the 2nd floor without good access to the elevators
• They were also a long walk to the casino area as well from the room
• The bar area has a band behind it that plays music far too loud

Slot Player Card

The slot player card in use is the Harrah’s Total Rewards. This slot card is good at all of the Harrah’s properties across the US. Also at the Casino in Windsor Canada. Slot players as well as table players are encouraged to always use their slot cards. They will receive benefits such as free rooms and free meals, along with cash back are earned. Any of the Harrah’s properties including the Horseshoe casino & hotel will comp you a room just to get you to come to their casino and hotel. In fact one night we were playing the slots. A slot hostess approach us, confirmed that we were the people she was looking for and handed us a free voucher to the buffet! Now that was a nice touch!

Parking

There is ample parking at the Horseshoe casino & hotel both in front of the main entrance as well as in a large parking garage behind the hotel. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather. We have stayed there a few times when there has been heavy rain and threat of tornado’s. You can reach the parking garage by following the signs that lead to a short road that runs between the Horseshoe casino & hotel and the Sheraton hotel & Casino. You will see the entrance to the garage on the left.

Directions: Take route 55 from Memphis, then route 69 west to 61 and south on 61. Follow the signs to the Gold Strike hotel & casino. Mapquest and GPS systems may suggest you take highway 61 all the way from Memphis. This is the shortest route, however you drive through a rather run down and difficult looking area. The safer route is to take 55 south as mentioned before.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is located just north of the village of Tunica in Mississippi and south of Memphis. There are two casinos located beside the Gold Strike hotel & casino and several more within 5 or 6 miles of the Gold Strike hotel & casino.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is a modern casino with lots of glitz and gold. The foyer is marble throughout, very modern and clean. The entrance to the hotel is very nice, not exciting or memorable. Hotel guests can register, then head up to their rooms without having to go through the casino which is a big plus in our books.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is part of the MGM Mirage casino hotel chain. Slot players who use their slot cards will be pleased to know that there slot play will be considered at the Gold Strike hotel for discounted room rates and meals. If you are not an MGM slot player member already, and you play the slots or the tables, you should get one. There are numerous benefits to having one of these memberships and they are absolutely free.

Gold Strike Hotel & Casino – Slots

We have been going to the Gold Strike hotel & casino for several years now and have never had any serious issue with the hotel and services. The slots pay relatively well since there is some competition for slot players between the various casinos in the area. Fridays and Saturdays there is lots of action in the casino and many times the hotel will be fully booked. If you plan on staying over the weekend, we recommend that you book ahead.

Weekdays, you can usually get a room at the Gold Strike hotel & casino at very reasonable rates. With your slot card you may even receive a discount or a free room. Simply call the 1-800 number and ask to speak to your casino slot host. He or she will review your previous play and offer you room rates at a level commensurate with your level of play.

The Gold Strike hotel & casino is also a riverboat casino, however you would never realize it, since they have integrated the casino and the hotel so well. Hotel guests staying on higher floors can actually see the Mississippi river from their rooms. There is actually what looks like

Rooms are modern, clean and nicely appointed. This hotel is not at the standard of the some of the Las Vegas properties that are part of the MGM Mirage chain, however you will not be disappointed with the hotel, the rooms, the casino or the restaurants.

Great Restaurants

We have eaten in the buffet several times. The variety of the food, quantity, service and value are very satisfactory. They also provide a free wine with meals on Sundays which customers can either serve themselves or request one of the servers to provide. The only negative about the buffet is that it is a bit dark and drab. We have also eaten in the coffee shop called the Atrium Cafe. Service is great as is the food. Decor is a little dark, however we really enjoyed it.

The casino has over 1400 slot machines with all of the favorites , such as video poker and reel slot machines. In addition there are 40 table games available, a poker room and high limit gaming for those more discerning players. The poker room is upstairs and there are also a number of poker machines on the 2nd floor as well.

The hotel offers a spa and pool. There is shopping and golf near by. The pool area is free for hotel guests, clean and offers a nice respite from the action of the casino floor.

Gold Strike Hotel & Casino – Restaurants

The Atrium Cafe is an attractive and relaxing spot to eat towards the rear of the casino. As its name implies, the cafe is decorated to look like an atrium outdoors, complete with fake sky, fountains, a greenhouse, and plenty of plants. The small menu includes soup, salad, appetizers, sandwiches , burgers  steak and seafood entrees , breakfast at all hours, and desserts.

Chicago Steakhouse is next to the Atrium Cafe on the first floor of the casino and serves steaks, fish, and chops in an elegant, mahogany-paneled dining room.

Courtyard Buffet> features a carving station, made to order omelets, and quite a selection of other food as well.

A food court, located near the lobby has the following to offer: Burger City has hot breakfast items (pancakes, waffles, etc.) and typical burger joint fare.

Pizzeria Fresh get a whole pie or just a slice.
Gold’s Deli serves sandwiches, Nathan’s hot dogs, baked potatoes, donuts and ice cream.

Java Hut serves Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts (in the lobby).
What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Free drinks while gambling
• Free entertainment at the bar located in the casino
• Buffet
• Pool area and spa free to hotel guests
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking
• Easy access from all highways
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• Great stopover point on your way to Biloxi or points west

What We Did Not Like

• There are no real complaints about the Gold Strike hotel & casino
• Internet is provided by Cox and costs $12.99 for 24 hours. The charge is applied to your credit card and you must deal directly with Cox if you have any problems.
• It is a 4 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for our needs

Slot Player Card

They are part of the MGM Mirage slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of benefits at many Las Vegas hotels,  as well as sister hotels in Tunica, Biloxi, Laughlin and Reno.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Gold Strike hotel & casino both in front of the main entrance as well as in a large parking garage beside the hotel. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather. We have stayed there a few times when there has been heavy rain and threat of tornado’s

Directions: Take route 55 from Memphis, then route 69 west to 61 and south on 61. Follow the signs to the Gold Strike hotel & casino. Mapquest and GPS systems may suggest you take highway 61 all the way from Memphis, however we do not recommend this, due to the area immediately south of Memphis appearing to be somewhat run down and dangerous.

The Mirage Hotel & Casino is one of the most beautiful and elegant hotels in Las Vegas. We have stayed at the Mirage many times and can attest to this being one of the best hotels. We have found that it has declined a small amount since MGM took over the hotel from Steve Wynn. It is still one of the greats, however being longer term patrons we notice the difference. This post is our Mirage Hotel Casino Review.

As you enter the Mirage Hotel Casino property from the strip you are greeted by a beautiful lush tropical waterfall and volcano.  The volcano erupts during the evening, once it gets dark and entertains strollers along the strip. Occasionally the volcano will be out of service due to weather or maintenance.  If you are standing across the street,( 4 lanes plus a boulevard) you can actually feel the heat from the flame erupting out of the top of this man made volcano and running down the sides.

Mirage Hotel Casino Review

The senses continue to be stimulated as you enter the hotel with a huge aquarium behind the front desk and lush tropical gardens. The hotel provides excellent service and is a full service hotel with all of the services that anyone could require. This hotel is at least a 4 star if not a 5 star hotel.  These include of course the casino, restaurants, fine dining, coffee shops, gorgeous pool, shops, conference facilities, and ample parking. With the exception of the casino, which is all carpet, the hotel is marble throughout.

The Mirage hotel and casino has recently updated the casino and other parts of the hotel. In 2009 when we were there they had completed remodeling  Kokomos from a tropical environment to a more contemporary design, however the menu is the same with great food.

The bars, the high roller area and the entrance to the theater had also been changed. All of these changes are meant to attract a more hip crowd to the Mirage hotel . The rooms have also been updated, cleaned up with new furniture and flat screen TV’s.

If you have not visited Las Vegas in some time, you should  note that the former white tiger area is no longer available and has been replaced with a brand new restaurant. Siegfreed and Roy used to entertain at the Mirage and their white tigers were always the center of attraction.

It looks great, however we have not dined in this restaurant. The Mirage is beside Treasure Island and Caesars. Harrahs and the Venetian are directly across the street making this location a prime place to stay in the middle of all of the action. These four hotels alone comprise over 15,000 rooms between them. We follow with more details about our Mirage Hotel Casino Review.

Major Points of Interest

If you are just passing through the hotel, you will want to take a moment to see the following areas of the Mirage Hotel & Casino. Some are fun and the kids will enjoy them as well.

• Aquarium behind the front desk
• Lush tropical gardens
• Tropical pool and water falls
• Dolphin Habitat – small charge, but worth it
• Volcano erupts at night and is a must see item on your list
• Any of the restaurants from the coffee shop to the high end restaurants. You will not be disappointed by the quality of the food or the service.

What We Liked

These are some of the items or areas that we liked about the Mirage Hotel & Casino.

• California Pizza Kitchen is in the casino and you can also keep an eye on the sports deck or just watch folks play the slots or poker while dining. Excellent food.
• Kokomos restaurant is our favorite at the Mirage and although there are other equally great restaurants, we have always enjoyed excellent steaks and seafood at Kokomos
• The pool, with the waterfalls , lush palm trees and tropical gardens has to be seen. You can dine for breakfast or lunch outside by the pool or in the poolside restaurant. You also have to have a room key to enter the pool area that is registered with the hotel.
• Tropical Gardens are everywhere and if you enjoy botanical gardens, the Mirage maintains all of these at their best.
• Very Clean everywhere in the Hotel & Casino
• Always great service
• Coffee Shop
• Friendly service
• Security – at first it is a little annoying, however everyone must show their room key before entering the elevator banks. Anyone who is determined could get past, but at least it stops people from just wandering around.

What We Don’t Like

These are some of the items or areas that we did not like about the Mirage Hotel & Casino.

• The hotel elevators are accessed by walking through the casino. Sometimes you just want to go to your room without walking through crowds of people in the casino. Many casinos have employed this technique to wring a few more dollars out of customers.
• Pool restaurant should open at 9 am instead of 10am
• Pool music can be too loud at times.

Parking

There is lots of parking at the Mirage with a large parking garage as well as valle parking. Pull up to the front doors and drop off your keys and your luggage and everything is taken care of for you. Patrons can also park in the parking garage and roll their bags to the front desk. It is a bit of a walk, but you should get used to it since you will be walking a great deal in Vegas. There are lots of bell hops around once you enter the hotel from the garage who can help you with your bags. They will take them to your room once you check in and also pick them up for you when you check out should you need that service.

There are literally hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Tunica, Biloxi and many other smaller cities across the US and Canada. Our site is providing information about the hotels, the casinos, the shows, the conventions, the entertainment and much, much more through our Casino Reviews.

Feel free to visit any of our pages as we add them on a weekly basis. This is the main page for the Casino Reviews Web site. We are constantly adding more pages so feel free to come back any time. If you have comments or wish to add your stories to our web site, please leave a comment at the end of this post or any of the other posts. Please note that we retain all editorial copyright for any thing appearing on this page.

If you have never visited Las Vegas, or any of the other major casino mecca’s, this site is a good site to spend some time on to learn about casinos around the country.

Casino Reviews – Las Vegas

If you have visited Las Vegas regularly, you will already know that Las Vegas is constantly changing. Every year there are new hotels opening and the existing ones are upgrading and changing their existing venues. We try to provide in a short summary form the information you will need to enjoy Las Vegas. However their are no words that can adequately describe Las Vegas. You have to visit it to believe it!

Las Vegas is the mecca for the gambling world in North America, however due to many other casinos springing up around the country as well as the smaller regional sites of Tunica, Mississippi, Biloxi, Mississippi and Atlantic City, Las Vegas has a great deal of competition.

The picture on the left shows the Eiffel tower in front of the Paris hotel and Casino. Sometimes the best deals can be found at some of these locations. This includes hotel rooms and 5 star meals as well as entertainment.

So Many Rooms

Las Vegas has over 100,000 rooms. With the new Village Center opening in December of 2009, another 5000 has been added. The competition is fierce both to get you stay in one of these fabulous hotels and spend some time in the casinos. All of the casinos employ various marketing approaches to attract visitors. Free drinks, loose slots, fabulous entertainment and some of the best restaurants in the world. Also swimming and lounging areas are just a few of the amenities available for guests. Of course if you are a high roller, then the sky is the limit for anything you might desire.

Within 5 hours drive of Las Vegas, there is lots to see. This includes the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam as well as Los Angeles. From boating to golfing to hiking and dirt riding, there is something for everyone in the area.

Casino Reviews – Atlantic City

Atlantic city is much smaller, located in New Jersey on the coast, there are 10 or 15 casinos along the boardwalk and near the marina. There are something like 100 million people within 1 days driving of Atlantic city. People come by the busload every day from New York city, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and many other cities in the area. Atlantic city has the boardwalk which extends for over 10 miles, along the ocean, many great restaurants and lately discount retail shops with all of the latest fashions to choose from. Atlantic City is not the seedy place it used to be.

Casino Reviews – Tunica

Tunica, located along the Mississippi in the state of Mississippi just south of Memphis has 7 or 8 casino hotels to choose from. All are great, not quite on the scale of Las Vegas, but certainly very nice and worth staying at for a few days. These casinos are all on the water, while the hotels attached to them are actually on the ground. They are all connected by covered walkways and you really would not even know that you were crossing onto what essentially is a barge.

Casino Reviews – Biloxi

Biloxi is coming back. Hit by hurricane Katrina a few years ago, the city and the casinos were devastated, some beyond repair. Some of the largest casinos have been rebuilt and are very attractive now. The city is also slowly rebuilding. Hopefully there will not be another hurricane in the near future.We talked to some of the residents and people who work at the casinos. They say that they would never leave the area. They really love living along the coast with its great fishing and beautiful beaches.

Today virtually every province in Canada and every state in the US with the exception of Utah and a few others have casinos. The local governments have realized that casinos can provide an excellent stream of revenue to help fill their coffers. They can avoid raising taxes on their residents. Much of the money goes into general tax revenues, however many also fund specific projects and endeavors legislated by law.

Inexpensive Vacation

A vacation at a casino hotel can be one of the least expensive vacations you will ever take. Especially if you are lucky at the slots or the tables, or you spend what you budget. It is important to have a budget when you walk into any casino. If you don’t you can lose much more than you ever planned. When you win a large amount, also leave or get someone to hold onto the money for you. If you stay, many people have found that before long their winnings have disappeared.

All of the articles have been written from personal experience and reflect our personal comments. If we have not visited a casino we will still add a review. However we will indicate that the review is based on an information search only. If you have personal comments please leave your comments.