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Best
Table Game
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No matter
what new table game innovations appear on the casino floor, there is
no competing against the traditional game of blackjack. Basic
strategy reduces the house edge to under 1 percent, depending upon the
rules and the number of decks. It’s an easy system to learn, but
it takes discipline to stick with basic strategy when the cards are
running against you. If you want to devote even more time to the game,
you can learn how to count cards, which will reduce the edge even further.
It’s one of the few games where practicing actually makes a difference
in your potential to win. Far and away the casino’s most popular
table game, it’s one every serious gambler should learn.
Second Place:
Craps
Third Place: Let It Ride
Best
Slot Machine
With
all the hoopla surrounding the new multiline video slots, it is
interesting—and perhaps instructive for manufacturers—that
our readers continue to choose traditional reel-spinners as their
favorite slot machines. This year, the winner is the popular bonus-game
version of last year’s winner in this category. More than
any other game, players love IGT’s and Anchor Gaming’s
Wheel of Fortune, with the reel-spinning Double Diamond
as the base game. The “Wheel Watchers” have made the
slot, which features Anchor’s spinning wheel to award bonuses
when a reel triggering symbol lands, one of the most popular gaming
machines in casino history. Double Diamond, the first slot to
feature wild symbols that multiply jackpots, was already one of
the most popular games, a fact that continues today.
Second
Place: Red, White & Blue, IGT
Third Place: Triple Diamond, IGT
|
Best
Video Poker Game
 The
original is still the favorite. Despite all the variations, 9/6
Jacks or Better is once again the most popular video poker game
among Casino Player readers. The choice is a logical one. This 99.54
percent game is found in more jurisdictions than any other full
pay game. It’s been around since Day One of video poker and
is one of the easiest video poker games to master. With some time
and practice, playing computer-perfect is not an unattainable goal. |
Best
New Slot Machine
Williams/WMS
Gaming’s fantastic Monopoly series of slots gets our readers’
nod for “Best New Slot Machine” this year. The first four
versions of the game, which have multiple bonus events based on the
legendary real estate board game, were wildly popular with players.
Williams responded by keeping the brand alive, releasing the new “Chairman
of the Board” version of the game, which recreates the “prize
choosing” feature that made “Jackpot Party” such a smash.
All along, the manufacturer has remained dedicated to re-creating the
experiences of the actual board game. For instance, one of the versions
allows players to gamble extra money by purchasing houses and hotels
at the start of the bonus round in order to boost the value of the properties—a
central feature of the traditional game. If its present popularity is
any indication, this series of slot games is certain to be around for
a long time.
Second Place:
Betty Boop, Bally Gaming
Third place: Jackpot Party, Williams/WMS Gaming
Best
New Video Poker Game
Triple Play
is fun! And Five Play and Ten Play, even more so! (The jury is still
out on Fifty Play.) With these games, Ernie Moody of Action Gaming caught
lightning in a bottle. They’ve swept the country and are popular
everywhere. But be forewarned: The games on these machines come in a
lot of versions. Slot managers can put in 95 percent games or 100 percent
games, or anything in between, so you need to examine the pay schedule
very closely to find out what you’re playing. To date, 10/7 Double
Bonus is the only game ever on Triple Play to return over 100 percent,
an important point, considering you’re playing 15 credits at max
coin.
Best
Slot Tournaments
Las
Vegas
Harrah’s
repeats its Las Vegas tournament crown this year. Customers love the
ample prize money offered at the property’s invitational tournament
events, but what they love even more is the creativity, preparation
and service that are part of each contest. Clever themes are played
out by costumed employees, and meals are prepared specially for tournament
contestants. Win or lose, everyone seems to have a great time.
Second Place:
Westward Ho
Third Place: Caesars Palace
Atlantic
City
When players
consider where to go in Atlantic City for slot tournaments, one name
has cropped up consistently for the past few years—the Taj Mahal.
The Taj wins again, for the same reason it has always been considered
the best: accessibility. There are free $2,000 slot tournaments twice
a week for any and all slot club members. The Taj has even removed the
requirement that members play $5 on a slot to qualify. Now, all you
have to do is show up. Richer, themed contests are offered on an invitation-only
basis to members who run a lot of money through the machines, but it
is the availability of two tourneys a week to all who come that keeps
the Taj on top.
Second Place:
Caesars
Third Place: Harrah’s
Tunica
Once again,
the top spot in Tunica goes to Sam’s Town, where an extensive
calendar of themed invitational contests are combined with regular buy-in
events, such as the ever popular Monday night buy-in tournament. Something
of a Tunica tradition, every Monday, players need only fork out $20
for a shot at $750.
Second Place:
Hollywood
Third Place: Gold Strike
Gulf
Coast
Imperial
Palace is the first winner in the new Gulf Coast category for “Best
Slot Tournaments.” Like the Taj in Atlantic City, the key to success
here is accessibility. In addition to regular buy-in events and invitational
tournaments through its slot club, the I.P. offers guests two free daily
slot tournaments—one in the morning and one just after lunch.
Second Place:
President
Third Place: Isle of Capri
Native
American
Foxwoods
casino in Connecticut wins among Native American casinos. The Mashantucket
Pequot tribe’s popular casino offers invitational tournaments for
all play levels represented in the database of the casino’s Wampum
slot club. The cash packages for Foxwoods’ tournaments are generous
for any jurisdiction. For low-end players, there are daily tournaments
running one week per month, with prize packages of $5,000 to $10,000
per day. Mid-level and premium players are treated to a two-day slot
tournament every other month, with prize packages in the $50,000 range
for mid-level and $100,000 for the high end. These two-day tournaments
are themed from start to finish, and contestants are fed dinner and
breakfast, with champagne and hors d’oeuvres at the awards event.
Best
Table Tournaments
Las
Vegas
All Harrah’s
casinos know the value of tournaments. And Harrah’s Las Vegas apparently
does it right. Themed invitational events attract players looking for
excitement, value, and that special “Harrah’s” touch.
A great casino by any standards.
Second Place:
Lady Luck (tournaments recently suspended)
Third Place: Binion’s Horseshoe
Atlantic
City
The U.S. Poker
Championship is held each December at the Taj Mahal, giving East
Coast players a taste of world-class poker competition. Smaller tournaments
in Atlantic City’s premier poker room are held throughout the year,
routinely challenging the finest players in the area to hold ‘em
or fold ‘em.
Second Place:
Harrah’s
Third Place: Resorts
Native
American
Home of the
World Poker Finals and New England Poker Classic, Foxwoods’
huge poker room makes it the perfect place to get into a heated poker
tournament. And we’re talking serious money here. Prizes can reach
as high as a quarter of a million dollars.
Best
Of Gaming 2000 Games Side Continued...
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