Casino entertainment in Las Vegas
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Binion's
This old-school casino hotel is best known for its 'zero limit' betting policy and for being the birthplace of the World Series of Poker. While its heyday is over, it's a perfect place for beginners to learn blackjack at the low-limit ($2 and up) tables.
reviewed
-
B
Slots-a-Fun
For cheap booze and cheap thrills, it’s tough to beat this low-brow dive. Grab a coupon book, give the giant slot machine a free spin and scarf down a few $2 beers and half-pound hot dogs. Then kick back, relax and enjoy the laughable lounge acts. Park at Circus Circus next door.
reviewed
-
C
Sahara
Standing in the no-man’s-land of the North Strip, the Sahara is a survivor. The Moroccan-themed casino is one of the few vintage Vegas icons to withstand the onslaught of corporate megaresorts. After the Sahara threw open its doors in 1952, its Conga Room showcased everyone from jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald to the Beatles.
reviewed
-
D
Planet Hollywood
In a slightly out-of-the-way locale, Planet Hollywood took its sweet time stripping the ex–Aladdin casino hotel of all of the trappings of its Middle Eastern fantasy. For fans of vintage Vegas, that felt like a crime. But for Paris Hilton imitators, World Series of Poker wannabes and those who like their casinos pimped out in LA style, the new PH fits the bill.
reviewed
-
E
Casino Royale
Tired of megaresort casinos stealing your dough courtesy of bad-odds video-poker machines and table games with ridiculous rules that inflate the house advantage (ie ‘edge’) beyond limits that even mobsters would find respectable? Well, the odds aren’t great here either, but at least low-minimum wagers make it easier to stomach. Cheap drinks and fast food keep die-hard low rollers sated.
reviewed
-
F
Golden Nugget
When it debuted as the world’s largest casino in 1946, the Golden Nugget looked like a million bucks and, unbelievably, poker players were allowed to deal their own cards. In the 1970s, casino impresario Steve Wynn brought vintage Vegas back into style by inviting Frank Sinatra to star. In the 21st century the Nugget was catapulted into the national limelight by the Fox reality-TV series Casino.
reviewed
-
G
Palms
Designed to seduce Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers, the ultramodern Palms catapulted into the limelight with a starring role on MTV’s Real World reality-TV series and Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown. Today it’s Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club that calls the shots, and you’ll have to cough up some cash to peek inside his hybrid casino-nightspot atop the Palms’ Fantasy Tower, where flashy Moon nightclub has a retractable roof that opens up to the desert’s starry skies.
reviewed
-
H
El Cortez
A classic dive dating back to 1940, El Cortez is choked with smoke but has vintage Vegas appeal in spades. In the crowded casino, rough-edged local gamblers grudgingly allow accidental tourists like yourself to buy into the low-limit action on roulette, craps and other table games aimed at cheapskates and gambling novices. El Cortez is the kind of place where it’s almost impossible to lose your shirt, but you’ll need a few stiff drinks first. It’s a few too many blocks east of the Fremont Street Experience.
reviewed
-
I
Monte Carlo
Fronted by Corinthian colonnades, triumphal arches, petite dancing fountains and allegorical statuary, this not-so-elegant casino is still bustling and spacious. A magnificent marble-floored, crystal-chandeliered lobby with Palladian windows is reminiscent of a European grand hotel, but otherwise this is a poor person’s Bellagio rather than an evocation of the grandeur of its namesake in Monaco. For entertainment, there’s live music at the Pub and tacky, trashy Diablo’s Cantina towering over the Strip out front.
reviewed
-
J
Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon
Lavish Tiffany-styled stained glass, stately chandeliers and polished dark wood dominate this pint-sized neo-Victorian casino. Only downtown’s Main Street Station evokes turn-of-the-20th-century Nevada better. Opened as the Barbary Coast, this 1970s-era casino claims 650 slot and video poker machines and precious few table games. Downstairs, Drai’s draws a hip post-clubbing crowd, while lounge acts like ‘Big Elvis’ play upstairs. Parking is almost impossible here; try walking over from the monorail line instead.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Orleans
A mile west of the Strip, this N’awlins-themed casino hotel has done a so-so job of re-creating the Big Easy. Among its many diversions are the 70-lane bowling alley, 18-screen cineplex and specialty bars like Brendan’s Irish Pub, which has live music some nights. Entertainment legends such as Willie Nelson and LeAnn Rimes have performed in the Orleans showroom, while megaconcerts and sports events take place in the arena. The high-ceilinged casino is an airy, rectangular room filled with thousands of ho-hum slot machines and table games.
reviewed
-
L
Tropicana
Built in 1957, the Trop has had half a century to sully its shine, lose its crowds and go the way of the Dunes and the Sands – ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But thanks to a massive new facelift, it just keeps hanging in there. The sleek, new Miami-meets-Havana theme is a spirit-lifting change, especially in airy, light Paradise Tower rooms. Investigate the casino’s mini mob museum for more vintage Vegas atmosphere. Out back, the tropically inspired pool complex has multilevel lagoon pools, streaming waterfalls and classic swim-up blackjack tables.
reviewed
-
M
Hard Rock
The world’s first rock ’n’ roll casino, the hot, hot, hot Hard Rock embraces what may be the most impressive collection of rock-star memorabilia ever assembled under one roof. Among the priceless items being watched over by the ‘eye in the sky’ and eagle-eyed security guards suited up like bouncers are some of the more bodacious fashion statements by Elvis and Britney Spears; a custom motorcycle (donated by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe) that once belonged to the Hell’s Angels gang; and Jim Morrison’s handwritten lyrics to one of The Doors’ greatest hits.
reviewed
-
N
Harrah’s
Though it’s not nearly as rambunctious as Vegas’ carnaval casino hotel, the Rio, Harrah’s may be the brightest, friendliest and most playful casino on the Strip – and it’s swimming with gamblers. An enormous backlit mural over the hotel’s front desk depicts the greatest Las Vegas entertainers of all time, and entertainment is still the name of the game here, with the Improv comedy club and other headliner comics and magicians. After dark, try out for TJ’s All-Star Karaoke at the piano bar or get soused in the outdoor Carnaval Court, where flair bartenders juggle fire.
reviewed
-
O
Rio
The name of this wildly popular casino hotel says a lot about the Rio. The corny Masquerade Village, the center of the action, offers an ongoing carnaval atmosphere. In the free ‘Show in the Sky, ’ Mardi Gras floats suspended from tracks in the ceiling parade above the gaming tables while racily costumed performers dance and lip-synch to pop rock and jazzy numbers, and toss shiny beaded necklaces to the crowds. The rambunctious fun is infectious. You can even ride along in one of the floats while having your souvenir photo taken for a fee (reservations required).
reviewed
-
P
Plaza
Built on the site of the old Union Pacific Railroad Depot, Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza is a 1970s time capsule. Like most downtown joints, the down-at-heel Plaza is made for low-rollin’ gamblers. Its tacky decor doesn’t correspond to any known theme, unless the theme is cheap. And that’s just fine with the Plaza’s patrons, who are hypnotized by the penny slots, nickel video-poker machines and $1 blackjack tables with sarcastic dealers. Feisty blue-haired ladies play for keeps upstairs in the 400-seat bingo room. Also upstairs is Firefly, a tapas bar with cockpit views of the Fremont Street Experience.
reviewed
-
Q
Binion’s
Opened in 1951 by the notorious Texan gambler, Benny Binion, who sported gold coins for buttons on his cowboy shirts, this casino became famous for its ‘zero limit’ betting policy, and as the place where the World Series of Poker was born. Now that Benny has gone ‘all in’ in the sky, the ex-Horseshoe casino is struggling to live up to its legacy. But it’s worth swinging by the poker room to witness nail-biting, around-the-clock Texas Hold’em action. On the main casino floor is Binion’s Cafe with fresh, never-frozen beef burgers piled high with crackling onions, iceberg lettuce and huge tomato slices.
reviewed
-
R
Imperial Palace
The blue-roofed pagoda facade and faux–Far East theme are hokey, but the zany atmosphere at what was once the Flamingo Capri is quite alright. The always-packed casino is decked out in bamboo and rattan under a dragon-motif ceiling. If you liked the indie movie The Cooler, you’ll love it here. There are lots of low-minimum table games to be found here, but avoid the bad-odds blackjack in the pit. Time your visit to coincide with the evening shift change of the ‘dealertainers’, celebrity impersonators who do double duty as dealers, or catch the sham stars performing in Legends in Concert at Harrah’s.
reviewed
-
S
California
At many Vegas casinos, a lucky spin of a slot machine will earn you a brand-spanking-new BMW, a racy Jaguar or a red-hot convertible. At the downtown ‘just-call-me-Cal’ California, one very lucky nickel-slots player will someday ride home in – drum roll, please – a brand-new PT Cruiser! That simple fact tells you a lot about the 1970s-era Cal, ‘the hotel with aloha spirit, ’ where even the dealers wear Hawaiian shirts, because over 80% of the Cal’s guests hail from the 50th state. On the skybridge connecting to Main Street Station are photos of the Cal’s Golden Arm Club, which immortalizes lucky shooters from the craps tables.
reviewed
-
T
Riviera
The Riviera was the first high-rise on the Strip when it opened in 1955. Liberace did the ribbon-cutting honors. Film auteur Orson Welles appeared on stage the next year performing – of all things – magic acts. A host of big-name entertainers have starred at the Riviera ever since, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Tony Bennett. But that Hollywood glamour has been almost entirely lost by now. Inside the dimly lit, confusingly laid-out casino, Penny and Nickel Town are faves with the old-as-the-hills clientele, who love the hot, hot slot tournies. Outside the front entrance, a bawdy bronzed statue of the Riv’s showgirls is fondly fondled by drunk…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
Fremont
The Fremont casino hotel has been packing ’em in since 1956, when it opened as downtown’s first high-rise and the tallest building in Nevada. Separating it from the motley pack was wall-to-wall carpeting –almost all of the other nearby casinos still had sawdust floors then. It was here that legendary lounge singer Wayne Newton (aka Mr Las Vegas) launched his career. Despite these firsts, the Fremont has since slipped into mediocrity these days. With its weak tropical motif, the 32,000-sq-ft casino is nothing special, except for its purple felt tables and location in the middle of the Fremont Street Experience which has made it a favorite with many gamblers, not to…
reviewed
-
V
Mandalay Bay
The tropical-themed ‘M-Bay’ fails to match the grandeur of Vegas’ more famous mega-resorts, although high-stakes gamblers will appreciate a classy casino that seems as limitless as the credit line needed to play here. Everything can be a spectacle here, if you only know where to look.
Big-name bands electrify the House of Blues and M-Bay’s events center, catsuit-clad ‘angels’ scale the wine tower at Aureole, and sable fur coats are loaned to enter the frozen vodka locker inside Red Square. Stylish boutique extras include Mandalay Place, a skybridge shopping promenade, and the minimalist modern THEhotel with its lofty Mix bar and bathhouse spa.
M-Bay’s aquatic…
reviewed