Canadian Casinos

[babs7262]

I did this for you Happy

Ive never been to Canada but will shortly because my meds are getting too expensive lol

[happygobrokey]

gee thanks.

i have been to both casinos in niagara falls, the fallsview and casino niagara. only once each though, well multiple spells in the same trip, but never stayed at one for more than a couple hours.

first and foremost:

parking is free at both casinos once one obtains a comp card. it is easy to apply online for one, and a day or so later it will be ready at the desk for you when you go to pick it up. this is most important because parking is very difficult and costly in niagara falls. having two free choices (both use the same card), the fallsview two minutes from the falls, and c-niagara closer to the more established tourist areas, makes it easy to do other things you want, without having to shuttle it or pay through the nose to park.

fallsview casino:

this is the new casino on the scene. it is built close to the skylon tower and the hilton niagara. it is only a short downhill walk to the brink of the falls. it is very swanky and lavish inside and out. a large fountain adorns the front circle, and another lies just inside the lobby. a covered walkway allows patrons of the hilton and another adjacent hotel to get there without going outside and across the street.

the casino floor is expansive. thousands of slot and vp machines are scattered about, and accept denominations as low as one penny on some machines. of course, one must buy into the machine with paper currency or a ticket issued from previous play. there is a bank of ~8 deal or no deal slots which seemed very popular. other staples like price is right and wheel of fortune can be found as well.

there are ~15 poker tables at one end of the floor, and there are tournaments held periodically. they didn't seem very busy when i was there.

there are many blackjack tables, however all but a couple bear a minimum bet size of $25, and the lower-limit tables were full and crowded with punters waiting to sit down. let it ride, three-card, caribbean and paigow are among other card games dealt in the table area, carrying minimum bets of $10-15. there are also 00 roulette tables, and enough of them that it is not crowded. they also have craps, but usually only one or two tables running.

the casino boasts at least 5 places to eat, from tim horton's down below to a $20 buffet to expensive gourmet specialty restaurants. the buffet includes all cuisines, from "canadian" to middle eastern to asian to italian. the food was quite good, but as in any buffet, some meats were a little underdone and fatty. particularly annoying was that the outstanding view of the falls was not allowed to be photographed, even from within the restaurant. my mom got tapped on the shoulder to stow the camera or lose it.

also inside is a posh shopping centre, including a swarovski crystal store and a fur boutique. they also play host to shows, from orchestras to rock musicians to comedians to performance art. all in all, this is a beautiful casino, but seems to cater to the affluent. a side note: many are pissed that the multi-level parking structure interferes with the falls view from nearby hotel rooms advertising a view of the falls, particularly the hilton. along this vein, it would have been nice to at least adorn the roof of the structure with trees and/or landscaping, so it isn't just a garish chunk of concrete you see out your hotel window. i suppose you still get a "fallsview room", just the view is not of the falls but rather the actual fallsview hotel and casino. i am sure the views from the rooms of the fallsview's hotel are fantastic though, given how close it is.

casino niagara:

i had a much better time here. it doesn't boast a lot of the frills that fallsview has, but it provides a good experience nonetheless. the street entrance looks like a normal office building from outside. decals on the doors advertise that it is indeed a casino. there is also access from the adjacent hotels because they are all connected internally. wheelchair users or those with trouble ascending stairs may have to enter from the parking garage, as the street entrances all have stairs, unless one were already inside one of the hotels. the location is close to clifton hill tourist area, and hard rock cafe is attached like the nearby hotels.

the casino floor spans three levels. this makes the atmosphere less crowded and much quieter than fallsview. the number of tables and machines is roughly equal to fallsview, but table limits are regularly set at $10 and there are far more penny machines than at the fallsview. this is definitely a more blue-collar atmosphere, but in no way cheap or dirty. one of the table areas was under renovation when i was there, but there were still plenty of open spots to play at. some banks of slots are even in small adjoining rooms with booths to sit at, giving a very secluded and comfortable place to play. however, i did not see any deal or no deal.

there is also an adjoining room with ~15 poker tables, and again i noticed little activity here. they do hold poker tournies, and weekly bj tournies as well. i won $50 (ninth place) in a bj tourney for a $10 entry, my ending stack was about 5500 and starting with 2000, max bets 500, ~10 hands of play. also they have something called hot slot fridays, where you get bonus comp points and a chance to win a random prize if you wear their special t-shirt while playing. however to get the t-shirt requires accruing 100 comp points on slot games (not necessarily on a friday i don't think). one thing that c-niagara has that i didn't notice at fallsview is a sports betting lounge, with tv's and comfortable seats. bars were easy to find at both casinos, and serve non-alcoholic draught drinks (coke, water, etc) for free. beers and cocktails were a little steep, around $4-6 each (prices from fallsview, i did not drink while at c-niagara).

there are also at least three places to eat there, including a buffet. i did not partake in any of these however, or check out what the buffet offers. dining is ridiculously expensive everywhere in town, however, so the casino is probably good a place as any to eat. even denny's was around $20 for pretty much anything meal-wise. wendy's or burger king on the clifton hill "strip" was the most affordable thing we could find, $20 fed two people ("frosty"s included), i digress.

verdict:

i definitely recommend casino niagara for actually gambling, but if you want a good view and a truer "casino" atmosphere, and have the roll to afford it, the fallsview is newer and nicer. however c-n is much closer to the bird sanctuary and the "strip" where ripley's and guinness etc are, if you are looking for other forms of entertainment as well. but like i said, you can park at both and walk to the nearby things you want to see. it's a matter of taste, but i would give both a try, since each has its strong points.

niagara falls is a beautiful town, and you can have a blast there. make sure to scour the internet before going, and you can find lots of coupons to get 2-for-1 on the attractions like skylon tower, bird sanctuary (this is amazing), etc, and $x off admissions, plus discounted or free merch at ripley's, guinness, hard rock, ferris wheel (looks kind of like the london eye), maid of the mist boat tour (you get really close to the bottom of the falls and covered with spray so dress consciously), etc.

if visiting ontario, niagara falls is the first priority. the natural splendour and man-made attractions are unforgettable. it is a very popular honeymoon destination as well, top three in north america i think. i promise you won't be disappointed. and if anyone here is planning to come, give me a shout if you want and i'll try and make it up there to meet you and attempt to show you around a bit (about 200 km from my hometown, but well worth the drive).

[babs7262]

$25 minimum?? I was mad that the Trop and other A.C. dropped the $5 table with the exception of late night/early morning.

I remember $2 BJ tables years ago, ahhh, the good ol days. Ive been really wanting to go to Canada, it would take me forever because I would have to stop so much for my legs and back

I had no clue you had casinos! Nobody in my family that went told me. (probably for a reason lol)

[happygobrokey]

yes the falls is a huge tourist trap. there were many asians there. the fallsview had one $5 and one $10 table, but they were really full and people crowding around betting on the players' spots and waiting for a chance to sit. it was quite lame. i emailed their table games department head, and she said they will open more tables based on demand, but the day i was there, they could easily have shut down some $25 tables and opened them @ $5-10, but did no such thing over the five or six hours i was in there.

so, next time i stuck with casino niagara and was able to find plenty of $10 tables, but still no $5 tables. these visits were in march and may, respectively, so maybe in the summertime they have the required "demand" for more lower limit tables. and perhaps one could voice their wish to a floorperson and get it looked after, but i was with people that wanted to play slots and vp anyway, so i played some vp and also the vp machines host a variety of games in them, including bj for any coin size. unfortunately, the rules were shit. double down only on 9-11, bj pays 1:1, single split only.

the casinos are run by the government (ontario lottery and gaming commission), and actually even in my hometown we have a slot parlour. went there once, on my friend's 19th birthday, and dropped twenty bucks in under ten minutes, and decided slots weren't for me lol. nickel coin size minimum at the ones here i think.

look at olgc.ca and you can probably find out every place that has a slots parlour or full-blown casino here in ontario. i know sarnia has one as well, or in that area at least. nearly went there when my mom had a week off and her dad-in-law (not my grandfather) was forbidden from driving pending getting new glasses or something. he's a big gambler, he goes down to vegas and/or a-city every year i think.

there's a lot about canada you don't know. wonder if you can even find us on a map. only 20% of u.s. americans can even find america on one. lmao!

and don't go to the falls if you got bad back and legs. it's all about walking there. anaesthetize/sedate yourself heavily so you're not hurting, or better still get one of those rascal scooter things.

[Dewberry]

I've been to several (actually many lol) casinos here. I loved the one in Halifax, NS. It was close to Christmas and outside the casino there is a marketplace on the waterfront. There was a beautiful tree set up inside and a large area where you could buy food and sit at the tables and admire the view through huge windows. I was in the Air Force at the time and was there for a 3 week course.
The casino was quite big but at the time, it was basically empty. Don't remeber if I came out ahead.

The Palace casino at the West Edmonton Mall apid well - at least for my Mum. She accidentally sat at a dollar Wild Cherry Machine and played 3 loonies (they're Canadian dollars). Well on her first spin money started dropping out and she couldn't figure out what was going on. Turns out she won $1000 because she had 3 cherries in any position. My husband ran back and forth cashing it in for her.

Haven't been to the Yellowhead casino in Edmonton.

Next, on to Vancouver. Played at Fraser Downs in Surrey but machines were tight. It's been updated and although not huge, it's got quite a variety of slots.

Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam is beautiful. There are lots of machines as they have added on to this casino and it is open 24 hours/day. Unfortunately, there is no hotel attached to it so it involves driving or cabs.

Cascades Casino in Langley is really nice - it has a Coast Hotel with it but it gets booked quite fast as there aren't that many rooms.

Vicoria (on Vancouver Island) has a nice casino but I find it rather tight, as is the ugly one in Nanaimo. I live within an hour of the ugly one.

It seems like BC casinos in general are stingy with their payouts but I have had a big win twice in Nanaimo.

Neither has a hotel attached, but Nanaimo has one about a block away. Just don't park in the underground parking - it is a theives haven.

Most of the casinos open at 10 a.m. and close around 3 a.m., however the busier ones stay open from Friday night through the weekend for 24 hoursday.

[wangpoker]

CNE casino is open until Sept 3.
http://www.theex.com/whatson.php?menu=01:02

Try Your Luck at the CNE Casino

The CNE Casino is now open and is in full swing until Monday, September 3rd. Located in the North East corner of the Better Living Centre, it is open from Noon to 6 AM daily*.

A popular annual draw, the CNE Casino features a variety of games including Multi-action Blackjack, Roulette, WAR, Spanish 21 and Three Card Poker. New this year is: Texas Hold 'Em "Bonus" Poker. In addition to the private air-conditioned Texas Hold ‘em Poker area, the casino offers a beautiful outdoor patio. Guests can also enjoy nightly live entertainment and order from a selection of favourite midway treats. The Casino Patio is licensed under the LLBO.

For information on our 18 Texas Hold 'em Poker tables, please call 416-263-3251. For general Casino inquiries please contact the casino office at 416-263-3852.

License No: P070419

The min blackjack bet is $5.
All dealers are beginners, they make a lot of mistakes.

[wangpoker]

Originally Posted by happygobrokey

gee thanks.

around a bit (about 200 km from my hometown, but well worth the drive).

I guess 1/3 patrons of Casino Niagara, Fallsview Casino and Casino Rama are Asians, especially Chinese. There are many gambling addicts in Chinese Communities in GTA.

[jenn1381]

I started gambling when we lived in Calgary Alberta. There were 2 casino's there at the time - a small one in the north end and then a large one in the south. I have heard the small one has closed but I don't trust my source. I can't remember the names.. I actually liked the smaller casino better, they expanded and had tons of nickel slots.

Now I live in Barrie, Ontario. I travel to Casino Rama in Orillia a few times a year, love it there although it is rather large. The buffet is amazing but be prepared for a long wait! They also have a very nice hotel, although I haven't been inside. They have lots of entertainment there, lots of music groups and entertainers like Regis Philman go there a lot. The other casino I go to is in Innisfil - Georgian Downs racetrack. It's about 15 minutes away from my house and often gets me into trouble! lol. It has horse races, and other that that it's not really a very large casino. They recently added 2 cent slots which are pretty popular but I am not a fan. They have the Deal or no Deal game, which I loved at first, but they seem tight now. They have a very small bar that serves food but I have never eaten there. They also do some entertainment, usually knock off bands like a Abba impersonation for instance.

I hope to one day soon go to Niagra Falls... I went there a couple of years ago but my travel companions were not gamblers so I didn't even get to set foot in a casino. Hopefully that's a trip I can make before I start school in the Spring as once school starts all fun is over for a year or so.. lol

[happygobrokey]

Originally Posted by wangpoker

I guess 1/3 patrons of Casino Niagara, Fallsview Casino and Casino Rama are Asians, especially Chinese. There are many gambling addicts in Chinese Communities in GTA.

i hope you take no offence at my comments. i was referring more to asians from asia who are visiting here, and thus have a lot of money. and i do agree with you that many asians who live here as well as in asia enjoy gambling as a cultural and communal pastime. i like examining other cultures to see what kinds of values and traits and mannerisms we get regionally and biologically and socially. perhaps the asians were only overrepresented at the table games, since us roundeyes gravitate more to the slots.

[SlotsWizard]

Originally Posted by babs7262

$25 minimum??

I was going to point out that this figure was in Canadian dollars, but then I checked the exchange rate. I didn't realize that US and Canadian dollars are almost equal these days. Everything about the US has completely turned to shit. Soon we'll be begging the casinos to let us gamble in JPY because it'll be more valuable than USD.