Atlantic Club Casino Hotel has until Halloween to start making money or they will suffer some kind of consequences.

In approving the rescue plan, the casino commission obtained a commitment from the casino to stay open through October 2012.

Of course, the casino operators are hoping that their efforts keep the casino alive.

But Frawley (Michael Frawley, the casino’s chief operating officer said The Atlantic Club) plans to be in business long after that. ”Oct. 31 is not an apocalyptic date for us,” he said. “We see ourselves operating well beyond that.”

There is so much history with the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel building that I would hope the new marketing efforts work. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that there are enough people that will be coming through the doors this spring and summer.

In a perfect world for Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, all the youth marketing by the casinos in Atlantic City will push the older customers their way. Good luck.

Atlantic City Hilton went away last year and became ACH which was just a placeholder name. Beginning next month the hotel, with many names in it’s past, will become Atlantic Club Casino Hotel.

The name change will take effect March 13, with cards, dice and gambling chips bearing the new name and logo. New signs will be erected on the Boardwalk building by the last week in April.

The casino is reducing its slot machines from 1,850 now to about 1,500 and its table games from 86 to 50. The casino floor will be redesigned, including new carpeting, and restaurant prices throughout the casino will be lowered.

Their target demo will continue to be locals and old people. While not having said that this was their target customer for my whole life this has always been their customer – and there’s nothing wrong with that.

With many of the casinos in Atlantic City marketing themselves to younger people, Atlantic Club Casino Hotel will become one of the few places you will still be able to roll dice with people that know what they’re doing. That’s not a bad thing at all.

The week started off with a bang. I did an interview with a website that I love (more on that when it runs) and a podcast talking about Vegas on The Betting Dork with Gill Alexander. The podcast was released this week and it seems to be well received. We talked about my favorite steakhouses, blackjack tips, clubs, naked joints, Erin Burnet and more. You can download it here.

I’m not sure what happened later in the week, but I started to get some kind of sick. I’m resting up this weekend to prepare for Super Bowl on the strip. I can’t wait! Odds are good I’ll be tweeting wherever I end up watching the game. Feel free to follow along to see what it’s like.

Looking back, looking forward, now let’s look back again.

AC2LV

• Baccarat Bigger Than Blackjack In Vegas
• Three Sneaky Bad Bets
• Betting Dork Podcast and Me!
• Want To Buy A Radio Station In Las Vegas?
• Time to Innovate $0.25 Slots
• Dear Boxing, It Was Nice Knowing You
• Sweet Video: Las Vegas 1962

Vegas Chatter

• Where to Find ALL the Prop Bets For The Big Game
• Which Would You Rather: A Free Tee or 5 Bucks in Free Play?
• Prop Bets Are Now Available For The Big Game
• Discovering Zine at Palazzo
• Fitzgeralds Folds Its Poker Room
• What’s Up With Our Identity? 
• Super Bowl XLVI is Set, Let The Betting Begin

In the last few years, the casino slot floor has undergone a transformation.  For most of modern gambling’s history, slot machines were mechanical reeled machines and the only goal was to get the reels to hit the right combination.  As slot machines adopted more and more technology, they became mini computers even turning in real reels for a monitor with fake reels.  All of this has led to the modern penny slots, which have all sorts of animations and bonus games.

These games are magnets for slot players’ cash.  They are often themed after popular movies or television shows (e.g. The Hangover), so people already identify with the machine.  The bonus games give people something to play for, and unlike hitting a jackpot there is a reasonable chance of hitting the bonus games.  For these reasons, its easy to see how these are more popular than a traditional three-wheel slot.

These games, however, aren’t for me.  When you look into it more, the themed machines tend to pay back less because of licensing fees.  Compounding that is the oddity that max-betting a penny machine is usually more than max-betting a $0.25 machine.  The traditional machines, while not nearly as exciting, offer you a chance to play $0.50-0.75 a spin instead of $3.00 or more.

So why haven’t there been more innovations in quarter slot machines?  On the face, the  answer seems to be that you can trick people into paying more by making the penny max play so expensive.  But that doesn’t mean that technology couldn’t be used to enhance the quarter machines too.  It would be awesome if quarter machines, keeping the same max-bets (around $0.75) were enhanced with new technology like penny machines have. (ED: I would love this, but as long as people keep playing the 80 line penny slots for $3 a spin we’re all SOL, unfortunately. Also note, if you’re a high roller these machines are making their way into the high limit rooms as .25 x 80 lines = high limits.)

As always, it was a busy week. As you may know a visitor took had me off to explore Bellagio where I had a chance to take a look at their awesome Chinese New Year dragons. Feeling inspired by that I headed to Venetian and caught a look at their giant, fire breathing dragon. Certainly, good times and it was cool to meet the voice behind one of my favorite sports podcasts, Gil Alexander.

This week seems as like it will be quiet before the Super Bowl storm. For now, let’s look back.

AC2LV

• Joe Paterno – Rest In Peace
• NFL Conference Championship JMPicks & Fantasy Football Fantasies
• Festivals Approved For Atlantic City: Metallica, Phish, Kenny Chesney Rumored To Headline
• When in Vegas for Business
• More Dragons!
• Happy New Year From Bellagio
• Nobody Else Likes Caesars
• My CES 2011 Predictions Are Coming True
• Get Used to Gambling
• It’s Gonna Take A While To Make This Attractive
• Miami Casinos > New York City Casinos

Vegas Chatter

• Online Gambling Looking More Legit, Every Day
• Tasted: Society Cafe at Encore
• Self Parking Nightmares On The Strip
• The Real Big Game(s) Ahead
• It’s a Sure Bet, Linemakers Will Return

Year of the Dragon

It’s no secret that many state governments are having budget concerns. Even as signs point towards the economy recovering, states are struggling to increase revenues without having to increase taxes on the population.  In many states like Massachusetts, Florida, and New York this means legalized or increased gaming.  Why do casinos make so much sense?  Just look at the Kansas Star.

It was released yesterday that the Kansas City Star made $6 million just in the month of December.  That is on top of a reported $3 million in revenue in just it’s first eight days alone.  Supposedly 25% of that will go to the state and local governments.  And that is just one casino, in rural Kansas.

The city of Chicago is fighting tooth and nail to get it’s own casino.  Currently there are no casinos within Chicago’s city limits.  They should use this as a poster child.  If this is what a small casino in rural Kansas can make, what could a casino in the city of Chicago make (If NYC can make $676 Million/month with a racino, Chicago should do as good if not better with less competition)?  And even more, the city wants to own the casino, not just the tax revenue.

For a city with budget problems, this seems like a no-brainer.  For other states and cities looking for increased tax revenue from gaming, it’s obvious that the market is there.  People who want to gamble will find ways to gamble.  States and cities can either lose this revenue stream to other places, or they can use it themselves.  The answer is clear, and it will be to governments too.  Gambling, as an industry, will only keep growing in the United States.

Since I live in Chicago, I keep my eye out for any gambling related news that would pertain to the city.  There’s plenty of casinos in the Chicago area (all in suburbs) but none in the city proper.  I’ve talked before how Chicago could get a downtown casino owned and run by the city, but that bill has stalled.  What seems more like a reality is Video Poker coming to local bars.

In 2009, Governor Quinn (ED: Medicine Woman?) signed into law a bill that would allow bars to have Video Poker.  Yes the same Governor Quinn who is opposing the current Chicago casino bill.  To date, no bars have been given a license to operate video gaming machines and the subject was silent.  Until today.

It was announced that the State of Illinois has hired a company that will monitor all video gaming machines in the state.  Depending on how many people play the machines, this contract could be worth $69 Million.  With the agreement in place, theres a decent chance bars could begin installing Video Poker machines by the end of the year.

This is awesome since I recently dubbed 2012 the year I will get my first Royal Flush.  If Video Poker becomes more accessible than traveling to the Chicago suburbs, there is a decent chance that I will play more often.  If I can play more often than maybe, just maybe, #RoyalFlush2012 could be a reality.

It’s no secret that I absolutely love to visit Las Vegas.  When I share this fact with family and friends, it’s usually followed by a long discussion of what I like about it and how often do I go.  This inevitable turns into a discussion about why I just don’t go to the casinos in the area, if I’m so fond of gambling.  Here’s why I don’t.

Lack of Centralized Casino Corridor – The Las Vegas strip is awesome because you can easily move from one place to another and keep a lot of different experiences going, even if most of the games are the same.  Chicago area casinos are all one-off places and if you aren’t feeling the vibe or can’t find a place to sit down, you can’t just walk to the next place.

Comped Booze – In Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and even Colorado casinos, you get your booze comped while you play.  As these were the only places I had ever gambled until I moved to Chicago, I has always assumed this was a rule of casinos.  Not in the Midwest.  Casinos in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri all charge you for a drink, regardless of whether you play or not.

No commute required – When I’m in Vegas I’m staying and playing on the strip or near it.  I can get everywhere I need to by foot.I don’t have to worry about driving, parking, missing the shuttle, or any other commute related issues.

At the end of the day, no place in the United States is like Las Vegas.  The atmosphere, the convenience, and the fun is unmatched.  It isn’t all about gambling, and to people who have never been it seems almost impossible to explain it.  Vegas isn’t for everybody, but every one should go just once.  If only to understand what Vegas really is.

A couple years ago I put where I would stay on my trip to Vegas up to vote and the you chose Palazzo. Since then I’ve returned to Palazzo for a couple of trips. My friends and I really enjoy having suites and newness of the rooms and casino. This year our choices came down to Cosmopolitan and Palazzo which were available for the same price. Since I live in Vegas now, I let the other guys choose and they decided on a return to Palazzo instead of exploring a new place.

I was going to be stoked with either selection so this is cool and now that I’m upgraded to a platinum Identity member, I get a free terrace suite upgrade at Cosmo, so I can buy a cheap room and get a sweet suite in the future.

As I did before I lived in Vegas, I checked the video poker offerings on vpFree at the casino I was staying. In the past year, I don’t think there is anything new at Palazzo or Venetian. I found no surprises. Take a look:

Palazzo

98.91% Deuces Wild
1-2-3-4-4-9-15-25-200-800
$5, $10, $25 – 1 Play – high limit room – Slant-tops

98.45% Jacks or Better
1-2-3-4-5-9-25-50-800
$1, $2, $5 – 1 Play – inside & outside high limit room – Slant-tops
$5, $10, $25 – 1 Play – high limit room – Slant-tops

98.44% 1 Pair (Kings or Better) Joker Wild
1-1-2-3-5-7-17-50-100-200-940
25¢, 50¢, $1 – 1 Play – near slot club – 8 Slant-tops

98.01% Bonus Poker
1-2-3-4-5-7-25-40-80-50-800
25¢ – 3/5/10 Play – STP – between slot club and Grand Lux Cafe – 4 Slant-tops
25¢, 50¢, $1 – 1 Play – SP – several banks
25¢, 50¢, $1 1/3/5/10 Play – several banks

97.87% Double Double Bonus
1-1-3-4-5-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800
5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 – 3/5/10 Play – QQ – near Grand Lux Cafe – 4 Slant-tops
25¢ – 1 Play – Prog – between slot club and Grand Lux Cafe – 10 Uprights

Venetian

98.45% Jacks or Better
1-2-3-4-5-9-25-50-800
$1 – 3 Play – STP – high limit room – 1 Slant-top
$1, $2, $5 – 1 Play – SP – inside and outside the high limit room – Slant-tops

98.44% 1 Pair (Kings or Better) Joker Wild
1-1-2-3-5-7-17-50-100-200-940
25¢, 50¢, $1 – 1 Play – near La Scena Lounge – 8 Slant-tops

98.01% Bonus Poker
1-2-3-4-5-7-25-40-80-50-800
25¢, 50¢, $1 – 1/3/5 Play – several banks
$5 – 1 Play – Prog – high limit room – 4 Slant-tops

97.87% Double Double Bonus
5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 – 3/5/10 Play – QQ – near center bar – 4 Slant-tops
25¢ – 1 Play – Prog – outside high limit room – 12 Slant-tops

97.81% Double Bonus
1-1-3-5-6-9-50-80-160-50-800
25¢ – 1 Play – near the escalator – Slant-tops

Chances are, if I am in a casino in Las Vegas (or anywhere, really), I am going to be gambling.  But when I play, I rarely gamble for hours and hours straight.  I generally do a short session, followed by another short session and at some point, I’m going to want a break.  Those breaks may happen after coloring-up ahead, riding steady, or needing a breather after getting killed, but either way, the break will come.  A lot of times, I prefer to grab a drink and people watch in the casino.  Here, in my opinion, are the top three places to do that on the Las Vegas Strip.

1. Parasol Up – Parasol Up has a killer location on the Wynn casino floor.  Wynn, with its mix of very wealthy people and skanky club goers has some of the best people watching around.  Combine all that with Parasol Up serving one of the best cocktails in Las Vegas, the Sinatra Smash and you have a great place to chill and have a drink.
2. Baccarat Bar – Baccarat Bar, like Parasol Up, has a great position on the (Bellagio) casino floor.  Baccarat Bar is more open to the casino floor than Parasol Up and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.  While they don’t have any drinks that compare to the Sinatra Smash, it is still a great place for people watching.
3. Vesper – From a location on the casino floor standpoint, Vesper is worse than these other two.  But Cosmopolitan is a small enough place, that there is still decent foot traffic and there isn’t a bad seat in the bar.  If you go to Vesper, I suggest ordering the Mayan Manhattan (can you tell I like whiskey?), it’s delightful.

There is a plethora of decent bars in Vegas, but finding that right mix of atmosphere, good drinks, and decent people watching is a must for me.  These places fit the bill.  If you have any others you’d recommend, I’d love to hear it in the comments.

(ED: I love each of these places, but this list would not be complete without my favorite hang – Petrossian Bar at Bellagio. See my thoughts on Vegas Chatter - the pic above was taken @ Baccarat Bar. Upright bass dude was killing it!)