Visitreno

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

Bama will be back in town after missing last year for the NCAA Basketball Tourney. I will be there for the first round arriving March 16 and leaving March 19th.

Anyone going down to bet on the games?

Dave · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 212

Hey Ben,
Yeah we are back this year and looking forward to it.
Still not sure where we are going to stay but will come down on the 16 and head back on the 20th. Can't wait!
Do you guys know where you are staying yet?
Hope you all is well!
Smile

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

We are staying at Harrahs. Southwest had the best deals. Little cheaper to stayt at Sands but liked being close to Cal Neva for basketball. Cheapest deal was Grand Sierra with 2 free nights but to far away. Circus Circus cheaper as well but I like to be by Cal Neva, El Dorado, Silver Legacy for basketball.
Have you made it down last few years? We missed last year.

mustangmike · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 76

We're also arriving on Wed. night and staying through Sat. Haven't booked a room yet, proabably will also stay at Harrah's. We like the "east" tower because the elevators are only a short walk to the sports book.
Harrahs current rates are $60 for Wed and Thurs, and $95 for Friday. If someone finds a better deal, please let me know.

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

We bought a package deal through Southwest air. 3 of us sharing one room and we paid 280 per person with good flight times.
We arrive Wed around 1230 and leave Saturday night at 7:30. Saved a bundle leaving Sat night and gives me a day to rest before going back to work! We got the East tower for the same reason.

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

Anyone else coming down for March Madness. Where do you watch the games Mustang Mike and Dave? I watch a lot at Cal Neva but move around. We come in Wed march 16 and are leaving late Sat night.

mustangmike · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 76

A few years back, we got tired of the continual decline of Cal Neva, and moved to over to Harrah's, and really liked it. The stadium style chairs and horse betting desks are more comfortable, the odds boards are easier to see, and its not as crowded. I only wish they would turn the volume up on the TVs. It makes no sense to me to have the games on with no sound. Also they are more of stingy with the drink tickets (one for every $20 bet), but we just keep a stocked ice chest in the room, and make the short run up when we need one.

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

Thanks that is a great idea and we are staying at Harras. But no sound! That sucks.

stan_allen · Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 1129

Don't abandon the Cal-Neva! They need you guys!

March Madness is probably the only day of the year in which their sportsbook is profitable - you have an obligation to keep up the tradition!

Where will us seedy low-roller blackjack players go if they bite the dust? No one else in the downtown has $3 minimums!

Well, it's all in the cards - you've gotta go where the fun level is highest, I suppose...

Bama · Joined: 20 Dec 2005 Posts: 89

I will start/be at the Cal Neva. Tha atmoshphere is fun to me. I to love their blackjack.

mustangmike · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 76

I too like Cal Neva, but it just seems like each time a go there, one or two perks I used to go there for, are now gone. The $1.50 dog n Heinekin has become $3.50 dog n small "cheap" draft. The 99 cent ham n eggs special is now $4. The single zero roulette is gone. Now, instead of two drink tickets for a $10 bet, you have to beg for one. And I have never recieved one comp from their slot club.

Their hotel rooms are a joke, old, tattered, and not even connected to the casino, but they still want $100 for a weekend night

I don't understand it. They haven't put a dime into any type of facility upgrade, and just keep taking away what I liked about it. I just felt I no longer was receiving value for my gaming $.

BC Dave · Site Admin Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 1599

For so many years time seemed to stand still at the Cal Neva. My first visit there was in 1985 and I first went there with my wife Janice in 1998. During that whole era the 99 cent breakfast and the $4.95 prime rib endured. In fact it was easy to get a fun book with a couple of free drinks and a two for one dinner. Maybe it wasn't the classiest place in town but the prime rib was good and the included salad bar was alright! So we'd walk out of the ole Top Deck restaurant with a check for right around $5. There was an unadvertised special of a $1.99 steak served after midnight. I had that a couple of times.

I guess they couldn't do it forever but those food specials did get the customers (and gamblers) in.

Stan, like you, I will always have a soft spot for the Cal Neva. It's sad to see business down there. It's not a place that should be quiet. I miss the clanging of the dollar coins that always used to echo through the place.

Janice and I stopped in there in November and won about forty bucks. We shared an order of fries at the little counter at the bottom of the escalator in the front building. It was monstrous and delicous. Some of that old Cal Neva generosity prevails.

I've had better than average luck with Video Poker at the Cal Neva too. Got my first Royal Flush there on a five nickel machine. It was a progressive and paid about $290.

stan_allen · Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 1129

It's true that there are fewer perks there, and those ultra-cheap snack 'n drink combos are a pleasant memory of days gone by.

There are some basic truths, such as the imperative to avoid staying at the hotel, but the quirky, old-school feel still provides a pleasant reference to prior days of glory, and at this point in the sad history of the downtown, they're the only "affordable" blackjack in town - although even they have introduced the dreaded "Super" blackjack 6:5 nonsense. But those weren't the only $3 tables - at least, last time I was there - and I hope they remain in place for those of us who like real Blackjack, but can't muster the type of bankroll needed to stay on the table for more than five minutes.

Even with the decline, I'm still rooting for 'em.

Zydeco · Joined: 03 Sep 2008 Posts: 302

Cal Neva is still on my agenda every trip. Yep, I'm rootin' for the old gal too!

NealDeal · Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Posts: 24

22 more days!! We just got our rooms booked at the Cal Neva. 3 nights comped! My buddies and I will be leaving Oregon at around 4:30-5:00am on Thursday so we can get there for the first game. This will be our 5th year in a row, I am so pumped! Get Rick'd Comeback Tour 2011