Laughlin Buzz

Aug 30, 2014

River Palms Laughlin. The End.

Laughlin, Nevada

River Palms Hotel and Casino



The River Palms is tentatively set to close on September 3rd (2014).  

It looks like this will happen right after the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.


Even the large sign/marquee for the hotel and casino is now blank.




The property was was purchased by Nevada Restaurant Services from Tropicana Entertainment in July for a reported $6.75 million.  

The new owners also operate a chain of slot parlor/taverns called Dotty's. They anticipate opening sometime in October after meeting with the Nevada Gaming Commission.  

At this point, do not expect them to get a license for table games, it will be slots only.

The large River Palms wall mural 

We have heard the name of the new place will be the Laughlin River Lodge or River Lodge.   
The same owners are renovating the Hacienda Casino they also purchased in Boulder City. That one is going to be called the Hoover Dam Lodge.

We dropped by for the first time in a very long time.  And most likely for the last time as the River Palms.  Virtually nothing seemed different than in the past. There were still very few people.  Of those who were there, very few playing machines.  A few others were just walking around, perhaps looking to eat somewhere, often with children.

The 3 table games sat silent.  No dealers, no action.



Various rumors are going on about what will reopen or be opened first.  Just the hotel? Or everything at once.  Opening of the Casino may take longer as they go through the approval process.  It remains to be seen which restaurants will remain. 

Both Denny's and the Buffet were open when we visited. One family was dining in Denny's and the buffet was empty.  It looked open even though no one was at the hostess stand. Food was steaming in the trays at the buffet. 


The Buffet, Denny's and The Lodge Restaurant
are downstairs in the otherwise empty, cavernous space. 



Once the River Palms is closed more information is expected to be forthcoming on what the new place will look like and what will be there.





The River Palms website shows that they are no longer taking reservations.  If people are there for the Labor Day weekend, they must of booked in advance.  Or perhaps they are taking walk in guests still.




The property has potential.  Not that long ago they repaved the Riverwalk in front and it is a beautiful place to walk and see the River.  The grounds have been well kept, they have a decent pool in full sun.  Hopefully, the new owners have plans to revamp the rooms, clean the inside, and create a nice spot.  






We saw one of the very first machines we ever played at the River Palms when we came to the area.  This is still showing the long time standing $29,999.99 progressive jackpot.  It has been stuck on that amount forever. When the River Palms closes all the money ever played into build that over the years will most likely be "lost". 

Yes, we put in 5 dollars  in it.   


No, we didn't win it. 



The Bingo was the only place that had more than a handful of people.  Perhaps the new owners will continue the Bingo tradition, although now the Tropicana is adding a new Bingo Hall on their Casino floor.

River Palms Bingo Room 


Perhaps the new owners won't use "black out" tape when something changes in their property. 


 Everything was on sale in the Beach Shop Gift Shop, not much left though.  
The normal $2.00 16 oz soda was only 25% off.

  

Java Joes, the coffee/snack bar by the Casino floor was open, 
but unattended with very little in the coolers.



On the way back to the Golden Nugget we passed through the deserted Riverwalk portion with the Big Monkey statues and empty lot (where they held concerts before the Laughlin Event Center was built). 




The End. 



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All opinions expressed are our own and from our personal experience.  Views and information is presented solely for informational and entertainment purposes only.  Photo's presented are ours.  We receive no compensation from the properties or restaurants mentioned and are not in any way affiliated with them.  Dates, times, events if included are the sole responsibility of the property or entity involved. 

Aug 29, 2014

Labor Day Weekend in Laughlin

Labor Day Weekend 2014

Riverwalk Party and entertainment on the Loading Dock Stage at the Colorado Belle 

Fireworks Show at the Avi Casino in Laughlin, NV


Fireworks display - Sunday, August 31st at 8:45PM at the Avi Resort Casino


Music and entertaiment at the Avi before and after the Fireworks



The Avi always puts on an excellent fireworks show.  
The clip below is an example of the Finale from a previous event. 



Two bands at the Loading Dock
Lil Elmo and the Cosmos ~~~ Surf City All Star Band



A clip of a few songs from 
Lil Elmo and the Cosmos the last time they were in Laughlin




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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Dates, times, and events are subject to change at the discretion of the property or entity in charge.  Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.  



Aug 28, 2014

Slow but Steady Face Lifts in Laughlin

Laughlin, Nevada

By local terms we are still newcomers in Laughlin. Having lived in cities and towns big and small, all over the country, we are still sometimes surprised by the slow pace here in Laughlin. This isn't a bad thing, this is just how it is.  One of the reasons we love Laughlin is that it is not Las Vegas or even a mini-Vegas as it is sometimes called.   Progress and new things come about very slowly.  Perhaps that makes us appreciate them more when they happen.  Time crawls along as restaurants replace old ones that closed, burned out light bulbs are changed, flash flood debris is cleared, and Casinos make changes to their brand.

People have said the iconic Cowboy sign at the Pioneer Casino has not been fully operational going back to 2005 and beyond.  We know in the past half a decade he has looked like a grotesque burned out relic instead of the mascot of the Casino. We were even getting tired of pointing it out.  Then out of nowhere he heard he was almost fully lit up.  Not completely but much better.  Now, this morning a huge crane and maintenance people were working on him again.   Let's hope this is the final phase and he is restored to what he once was.



Meanwhile, over at the Golden Nugget the slow face lift of the entrance continues.  They redid and reconfigured their Casino floor.  A new players card and system was installed.  The revamping of the main entrance and awning has been in the works for over 9 weeks.  At least this is when we first noticed it.

Although we don't get to the Golden Nugget Laughlin often, we have seen a long transformation in the work. As you can tell from our Instagram pics:  


Casino entrance at the Golden Nugget Lauglin this week


At one point two weeks ago it looked complete (the picture below), only for it to be torn up and worked on again this week (pictures above).


Before that, going back 9 weeks, it was in various stages of a face lift. 

3 weeks ago

3 weeks ago

9 weeks ago

We can't wait to see what the final look is!

Over at the Tropicana Laughlin more new changes are happening.
 


Because the River Palms is closing and there will no longer be Bingo, Tropicana is putting in a brand new Bingo Hall right off the Casino Floor.  This will be in the area where the Players Club used to be.  The Players Club has relocated to the Cashiers Cage area.


They are also doing work and enhancing or expanding their outdoor Victory Plaza area that runs right along Casino Drive. 




Plus there is the ongoing beautification of Casino Drive is beginning slowly and is set to run into November.

We are happy to see some of the management, the town representatives, and the Casinos take ownership and pride in the image and ultimately the economics of Laughlin.

If you have pictures of River Rick or anything unique in Laughlin and want to share them with us, drop us a note or picture on Instagram or  Facebook or Twitter.   #LaughlinBuzz

We would love to hear from you and see them.




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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.  

Aug 27, 2014

New Players Card at Golden Nugget Laughlin



Laughlin, NV

Golden Nugget Laughlin


Golden Nugget Laughlin has switched their 24 Karat Players club cards over to a new card.

New look of the 24 Karat Club Card at the Golden Nugget Laughlin

To play in the Casino (other than on a few older coin based machines) everyone needs to go to the Club desk and get a replacement new card.
New Card (top) - Old Card (bottom)


Most of the machines have a sign attached to them like the one below to remind players that the old card will not work in the slot machine they are at. 


There were a couple banks of video poker/keno machines that had a sign telling people to use their old card on those machines.  These were machines that still dispensed coins instead of ticket in-ticket out.   Most likely these have a limited shelf life left on the Casino floor.  



If you are new or have never had a players card, you will be issued a new version card.  Plus when you first sign up you get a spin on the slot machine behind the players club desk (for a chance to win up to $1,000 in free slot play*).  We were lucky enough to actually hit that years ago when we first signed up at the Golden Nugget Laughlin.  Plus even more luckily, walk out with over $1100 in winnings from the free play.  We did notice a odd thing when we got our replacement cards.  Now new player sign ups do not actually get to spin or hit the spin button on the machine.  The clerk at the Players Club turns a key and the spin that results is what you get.  Seems it would be more fun to let the customer spin it themselves, but that's just our thinking.

*Free Slot Play can be $5, $10, $100 to $1,000 -- or as many people winning a guaranteed minimum prize of a stainless steel Golden Nugget travel mug.

The 24 Karat Club membership is free.  Eventually it is said that the Golden Nugget players card system will be linked with other Golden Nugget properties.



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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.  


 

Aug 25, 2014

Wizard of Oz progressive pays off in Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin, NV

The Aquarius Resort Casino in Laughlin, NV was the lucky spot for a big $953,220.95 payoff on the Wizard of Oz progressive slot machine.  

According to the Facebook page of the resort, Charles from Laughlin NV won the jackpot. 


This slot game is by WMS.  They have a broad portfolio of Wide-Area Progressive machines linked to many multi-property progressive meters, and featuring games such as the Wizard of Oz, Monopoly, Iron Man, Willy Wonka, Spiderman, and others.   

You may have noticed (or not) that many of the games under this brand have the same top progressive amount and when someone hits it, they all reset.  

Congrats to Charles on his win.  It is good to see someone in and from Laughlin win it this time!

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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.  


Titan 360 Slot Lands in Laughlin

Laughlin, Nevada

Just this week the Aquarius Resort Casino added the "Titan 360" slot machine to the Casino Floor.  

Aquarius Casino Resort Facebook Announcement
The Titan 360 is a 12 ft. high round monster of a slot machine.  It has 8 slots/seats that are all connect to the center play area. The game is not only very big, it is very loud.  When someone gets in the bonus round everyone nearby stops to check it out.  

Titan 360 Bonus Round 


When the bonus feature is activated, a large metal ball spins around and ultimately falls into a slot on the huge roulette wheel. This determines the bonus win.  Progressive jackpots of mini, major, and maxi can also be won.  Game choices are your standard Konami selections such as China Shores, etc. Even though it is considered a penny slot, the minimum bet is 50 cents and goes up to 5 dollars for the max bet.  Increases in the bet size also increases the jackpot that is eligible for that spin.     

Titan 360 Bonus Round
The Aquarius Casino announced on Facebook that they have one of the only two Titan 360 slots in the state of Nevada.  We have seen and played this machine at the Quad (soon to be the Linq) and the Venetian in Las Vegas.   As of mid August there still was a Titan 360 at the Quad. Konami released this game in July of 2013.   

We are making an assumption based on Aquarius saying there are only two in the state, that the one at the Venetian is no more.   We had last seen that one sometime in early January (2014).   Vegas Chatter had posted about it being available at the Venetian in November of 2013.

When we played it in Vegas for a short time we did hit for about $100 in a bonus round. Most of the bonuses we saw won though were 10 or 20 dollars.   The regular payoffs on the actual slot game without the bonus is typical of the other Konami games.  Perhaps a bit less due to the take of the progressives.  

Although we have not had a chance to play it yet in Laughlin at the Aquarius, a reader of Laughlin Buzz sent us the above pictures and this video clip of the bonus.  In just a few short days after being there, someone hit the Major Bonus.   See the video clip below.



Even if you don't win a jackpot, the Titan 360 is something different, fun, loud and entertaining to try.

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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.  


Aug 23, 2014

Famous Lion's Share Slot Finally Hit

As seen via various tweets on Twitter....including the MGM Grand account, Norm Clarke (Las Vegas Review Journal) and the slot machine's own twitter feed.:

The famous, or infamous, Lion's Share Slot Machine at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas finally paid out it's progressive jackpot in the amount of 2.4 million. 



click on images for larger view



According to the tweet from Norm Clark (above), a couple, Walter and Linda Misco of New Hampshire won the jackpot.  






We will miss taking a shot and losing our traditional 60 to 100 dollars each trip to Vegas.   Last time we went the lines were too long and we didn't get to play. Our last attempt was in July, the jackpot was $2,389,021 at that time. (see pic below)

The jackpot the last time we played. 


Congrats to the winners, shown below with the three lions lined up on the center line (photo from MGM Grand)





The big question is  do the winners get to keep Lion's Share machine as a souvenir (as was rumored)?

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*All information, pictures, editorials herein are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. Laughlin Buzz has no affiliation with and receives no compensation of any kind from or with the people, properties, and entities mentioned and receives no compensation.