Best place to *stay* in Reno?

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#1
Hey gang, I'm going to spend a weekend in Reno in a week in a half, and I'll need some place to sleep. I've never been to reno before, except for one night at the Reno Hilton (back when it was the Reno Hilton) and I didn't know how to play cards.

I'm looking for a place that is (in priority order)"

1) Cheap, or easily earned through comps
2) Convenient location
3) Ideally, has a decent game.

Any suggestions? Worst case, I can always burn some of my hotel points on a regular hotel, but that seems like a waste in Reno.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#2
No Problemo!

Circus is running about $59/ night weekends. If you take your registration receipt to the Siena, they will give you $10 play bucks. Also Circus was running an extended stay program on your next visit (Sun-Thurs, if that applies to your case) with $10 discount. Circus is middle of Va. St.action, but don't play there. Lousy pen. on SD games. Siena is about 4 blocks south (on Lake)- SD DOA, good pen. All other great games require a car. Atlantis DD $5 min. Peppermill SD, Boomtown(Exit #4 off I-80) has SD, DOA great pen. and Silver Club (Sparks, Victorian Exit) about 5 mins. from Circus. Hope that helps.
 

avs21

Well-Known Member
#3
EasyRhino said:
Hey gang, I'm going to spend a weekend in Reno in a week in a half, and I'll need some place to sleep. I've never been to reno before, except for one night at the Reno Hilton (back when it was the Reno Hilton) and I didn't know how to play cards.

I'm looking for a place that is (in priority order)"

1) Cheap, or easily earned through comps
2) Convenient location
3) Ideally, has a decent game.

Any suggestions? Worst case, I can always burn some of my hotel points on a regular hotel, but that seems like a waste in Reno.
What is your bet level? Will you be playing some DD or only SD?What is your bet level? Will you be playing some DD or only SD? Silver club is cheap and they have good games H17 with good pen. Min bets usually 3-5 dollars. I like its location its right across street from Nugget, which has SD h17 25$ min and $5 min bet for their SD H17 10,11. It's in Sparks, so it will be closer to other good low level games for red chip players. Rail City, Baldini's has $50 max bet, but doesn't even have PB watching games all the time, Alamo, Western Village. Back in the end of August all these places had H17 DOA SD games with pen varying from decent to 75%. If your driving you should stop in Boomtown its in Verdi ten mins from Reno they have a good game also, but it is crowded often. There are playable games in downtown Reno with H17 10,11. Sienna has the best game in the city of Reno for red chip players as mentioned above.
 

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#4
We're talking $5-$50 bets, and I think I'm going to try to stick to single deck, because I've never really played single deck before, and it's kind of the whole reason I'm going to drop by in town.

I'll just be in for the weekend though, I have a business trip nearby.
 

jetace

Well-Known Member
#5
I'd stick with Silver Club. They are extremely cheap compared to the other casinos (not the nicest rooms but you don't spend much time in there anyway). The game is good and PB's won't give a hoot if you are $5-$50. They have the best game in town other than Alamo's LS. If it gets too crowded just jump over to Alamo or Western Village, they are never too crowded.
 

avs21

Well-Known Member
#6
Silver club I think right now on weekends is 25$ a night. Western Village is one of my favorite places to play they have $2 H17 SD games. Baldini's bj tables last time I was in the area closed after 1. Silver Club, Western Village, Alamo, Siena and Baldini's would be the best places to start at with your bet level.
 
#7
In Reno you might want to consider not staying where you play. The chances of getting thrown out of a game in Reno are probably higher than anywhere else in the country, and you don't want to get thrown out of your room too. Plus you will have to give them ID to check into a room and there are disadvantages to that. The motels on Wells Ave. are just fine.
 

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#8
Well, I did end up staying at Silver Club. Rooms were reserved fro $35 per night weekend rate ($25 was already booked). Got the rate shaved back down after playing in the casino a couple hours.

The hotel really is kind of a hole. It was cold out, and the heat was kind of anemic. Plus, the hot water heater couldn't keep up with demand in the morning. I tried to take a shower the morning after a tour bus group had left, and it was painful. I think I know what frostbite feels like now on my feet.

The casino is kind of a dive too, but in a more fun way. I especially enjoyed the drunk black guy next to me who kept insisting on being called Niggerace (rhymes with "Liberace").
 
#9
Well here's how it ended up...

Nothing happening in [a nearby city], except for this. I was checking out dealers, and I saw the prettiest thing I saw all weekend, this old lady in her 70's at least showed me her hole.

Card, you sick freaks, and I sat down and played this low-stakes table. Not much result though, and after a few rounds she started getting bashful and covering up, so I got out of there with what I walked in with.

Midday back in Downtown Reno, started at one end of Virginia St. and took a grand out of there. Wandered across to Harrah's and was able to get into that BJ Switch game, but being it is a new game for them with inexperienced players, it was extremely slow. Took a bill out slowly and painfully. Went back to a place I was playing the day before, got good playing conditions, played it hard for a few hundred and got ejected.

Then the bad part. Kept on walking to [a decrepit place with mediocre rules and a bad reputation] ,also got good conditions, but got slaughtered. I don't think I've ever seen a dealer catch hands like that. Down $2K. Awful, time for a dinner break.

Then a good part. Back in my car, to what is probably everyone's favorite place to play (other than the truckstop!) I got a dealer dealing RO7. Blessed RO7! There is nothing else like it. Nearly emptied the tray, then gave a bit of it back for a cool profit of $1X00, and a profit of a few hundred for the day. Proud of my EV for the trip, but actual results are down about 50 units. Can't wait to go back.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#10
"Chimp Runs Wild In Reno"

.....tomorrow's Gazettte headline. Sounds like you're going ape in a banana shop!! Ro7? Must be BT, no? Trying to figure out which decrepit house you got booted out of. There's a few. (You lost me after Harrah's) Don't forget to check out Happy Hour at the Sienna 10-11 Mon-Fri. I'm still working on an optimal betting scheme for that game.. Also, time permitting, you've got to check out the Biltmore @ North Shore, go the back way though, up to 80-W and rt. 437 to King's Beach. Mt Rose Rd. way too slick at night in the winter. Let us know what else you run into. Good luck! and BTW, you'll notice they refelted BJ-2 at Rail City. I guess the PB got embarrased when the cards started getting stuck in the tears on the old felt and I told him I would gladly make a $50 donation to the refelting fund. If you have any senitive info, PM me.
 
#11
Boomtown Sucks!

My wife and I stayed at Boomtown on 3/2/2007. The rooms are dark and dingy with tiny bath and a hard bed. We lost $140 playing $5 SD in 3 hours and saw no one at any of the four tables we played winning. There were lots of angry players. Last, but not least, I ate their seafood buffet. In 4 hours I was heaving and dumping it all out. I was up and down all night and couldn't keep anything on my stomach for 3 days! We stayed until checkout so I could try to get well enough to go to Reno where we could get a decent room at a fair price at Silver Legacy. We passed the time by complaining to the management. The first geek said they weren't cheating and sited as evidence that the casino had lost money the night before. Eventually his boss showed up and dismissed the geek, then the boss said that they had had a very good night the night before. We were offerred a suite and when we said that we had already booked a room, we were offerred a free ($100) meal voucher and given 4 decks of cards. I would never stay or play or eat at Boomtown again. We spent 4 days at Silver Legacy playing basic strategy double deck and did very well and earned enough comps for two free meals. This is just one couple's experience, but we are accomplished basic strategy players and have played many times in 10 casinoes in two states and have lost money in only two places Boomtown and Kah-nee-ta.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#12
Feeling your "pain"

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate episode at Boomtown. Just a couple suggestions and observations: 1) No one should actually "stay" there. It's just a great place to play BJ . Same way with Rail City and the Silver Club, i.e. play there, don't stay there .Your choice of the Legacy was right on. 2) Losing ~9 units / hr. is not even a blip on the radar. If you play enough BJ much worse swings will occur and even if you have not already experienced it yet, then hold on to your hat. You ain't seen nothin' yet! 3) It seems to me that they made a bona fide effort in response to your concerns with the $100 comp. That at least shows some class .4) As far as the seafood I can't say either way, I've eaten there a number of times but haven't tried the fish etc.
5) Finally, as far as "cheating" goes, I've walked out of there more times than not with nice little pile ($100-300- I'm not a greedy monkey!) but, I do count and that may be why. I'd definitely give it another shot with those caveats in mind and if you do see something "fishy" (besides the buffet) we would be more than happy to know about it. Good luck!





I
 

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#13
Funny Cliph, we seem to have had opposite experiences at the tables. Boomtown was the first place I hit driving into town, and the first place I even played SD, and I won a couple hundred (counting, of course).

Two days later, at Silver Legacy, I needed to kill about an hour before a "free" slot tournament (Had to try it), I played their DD. Counting, but only spreading like $5-30. Lost about $400. It was horrible.

I accuse neither place of cheating. I didn't take up Boomtown on the buffet, because it seemed too expensive for the environs.
 
#14
My experiences at Boomtown make it the best game in town. I've never stayed there because I don't stay where I play in Reno; I'm always anonymous and I don't want to have my room messed with if I get booted out which I always do 1-2 times per trip. Never eaten there either, but I will take your advice and avoid it, because if there is one thing I hate it's being sick when I am on the road.
 
#15
Boomtown Bye Bye

I suspect that we suffered at Boomtown because we DON'T count (cards). We simply play basic strategy based on the ev we find here modifying our game to meet the house rules and number of decks. We seem to benefit more from double downs and splits than from Blackjacks. We have lost money in two places, both were SD. Kah-nee-ta is a very small casino ans we were there for 4 days and lost $90. When I complained to the pit boss that we were losing and it was our wedding anniversary, he said to the dealer, " Give them a Blackjack". That hand we both got BJ's and never another. The other thing Kah-nee-ta and Boomtown had in common was neither my wife or I saw anyone make any money. Usually, even if we aren't winning, we'll see another player or player's at the table having some luck. We spent a total of 5 hours combined at Boomtown and never saw a happy player. When we play at Silver Legacy we always see some happy players and some unhappy players. (We also see some bonehead plays, too). I amsimply reporting our experience and we won't be back. We may try Sienna or Silver Club. I also think its an empty gesture to offer a man who can't hold food down a free meal, especailly when you know he will have to drive 25 or more miles to get it.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#16
[QUOTE= We were offerred a suite and when we said that we had already booked a room, we were offerred a free ($100) meal voucher and given 4 decks of cards.
They obviously offered the room prior to the food, no?
 

nc-tom

Well-Known Member
#17
Cliph said:
My wife and I stayed at Boomtown on 3/2/2007. The rooms are dark and dingy with tiny bath and a hard bed. We lost $140 playing $5 SD in 3 hours and saw no one at any of the four tables we played winning. There were lots of angry players. Last, but not least, I ate their seafood buffet. In 4 hours I was heaving and dumping it all out. I was up and down all night and couldn't keep anything on my stomach for 3 days! We stayed until checkout so I could try to get well enough to go to Reno where we could get a decent room at a fair price at Silver Legacy. We passed the time by complaining to the management. The first geek said they weren't cheating and sited as evidence that the casino had lost money the night before. Eventually his boss showed up and dismissed the geek, then the boss said that they had had a very good night the night before. We were offerred a suite and when we said that we had already booked a room, we were offerred a free ($100) meal voucher and given 4 decks of cards. I would never stay or play or eat at Boomtown again. We spent 4 days at Silver Legacy playing basic strategy double deck and did very well and earned enough comps for two free meals. This is just one couple's experience, but we are accomplished basic strategy players and have played many times in 10 casinoes in two states and have lost money in only two places Boomtown and Kah-nee-ta.
Whow not a very good experance to say the least. Just read of another reason to not stay a the place. they just fired there whole housekeeping and room cleaning staff and farmed out there jobs to a private company. They stated that " they lost 5 million dollars last quarter" and could not afford? to keep the staff on claiming they were "to expensive".just go there to play there good game and screw staying at the hotel.
 
#18
Boomtown

BJ Bob,
Yes, the "suite" was offerred before the meal. As you can understand, food was not a priority for me then, nor for the next two days.
 
#19
If you use Hotwire

EasyRhino said:
Hey gang, I'm going to spend a weekend in Reno in a week in a half, and I'll need some place to sleep. I've never been to reno before, except for one night at the Reno Hilton (back when it was the Reno Hilton) and I didn't know how to play cards.

I'm looking for a place that is (in priority order)"

1) Cheap, or easily earned through comps
2) Convenient location
3) Ideally, has a decent game.

Any suggestions? Worst case, I can always burn some of my hotel points on a regular hotel, but that seems like a waste in Reno.
If you choose a downtown hotel with a casino, you'll get the following:
Sands Regency is the cheapest at $17 - $21 a night and is 2 stars
Circus Circus is mid $30's and has 3 stars
Harrahs is low $40 and is rated 3.5 stars
Silver Legacy is low $40 and is rated 3.5 stars

Harrah's is clearly the best choice but you won't know that it's Harrah's until you agreed to the unnamed hotel.
 
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