To clarify, I was at the pre-reopening party and talked to
the casino manager and the CEO of Intrepid Gaming. CML was
my favorite LV casino before they closed, it was one of my
most profitable as they had 6-level 25c thru $10 machines,
and I was hoping for something similar this time around.
They seem to have missed that mark. I hit a nerve with my
first question: "If the casino couldn't make it thru the
good times, what's the secret to success this time when the
economy--especially the LV economy--is in such a challenging
struggle?"
After scanning the floor and the machines including the
bartops (interesting that every slot & vp machine includes a
small TV) all single line machines are 5-level
5c/10c/25c/$1/$5 with the games previously mentioned. That's
as odd a combination as I've seen. They put in that strange
BP paytable for nickels (& it may be on dimes too but
nothing higher) because they believe the majority of their
players will be playing 5c games. It also brings up the
question of comping drinks to nickel players at their 2
bars. Upstairs used to comp players ANY pour--and they had
and still do have some good ones.
I estimated there are about 70% less vp machines in there
now than there were before. The floor as mentioned is
well-spaced but it just had a funny feel to it with its lack
of vp machines. When I asked about that I got blank stares.
When I asked how they thought these games were going to get
loyal regulars in they said they were counting on a
combination of locals and hotel guests. Yeah right.
Mortgage & debt-strapped yuppies with families on business or
pleasure trips never gambled when it was the Ritz. They
believe just because it's now Dolce Hotels it'll make a
difference? If they really did then we'd see $10 & $25 video
poker.
I pushed. I again asked what made them think locals would
make the trek out there to play games with the same or worse
paytables than a casino 5 minutes from their homes, and they
said they'd get back to me on that.
The slot club pays .4% in cash back, free-play, or comps.
One of my complaints with the old owners was, even though I
put a tremendous amount of play thru their machines, I never
got a comp to the Ritz. I always stayed somewhere else and
as a result, if I attained my win goal where I stayed I'd
not go back to CML on that trip. I mentioned this to the
brass and questioned if it would be the same with them &
Dolce, and the "we'll work on that" response only showed how confused
they were.
I'll stop by on our way to Lake Tahoe in June and I'll play
a little in the upstairs bar. I like it for the eye-level
TV's, and they say they'll still comp premium pours--at least
for a while. I don't play professionally any more anyway since turning 60, along with there being lots of grandparent and other family duties here in Phoenix. Since I won't play at our local Indian casinos--which I believe have biased machines--and it no longer makes sense to keep making weekly overnight trips to Nevada, I'll enjoy monthly or bi-monthly recreational play from here on out. Casino MonteLago, with their 25c/$1/$5 BP and SDBP games on every machine, will see me on occasion.
If I receive any further clarifications from CML I'll post them.
