Casinos (19)

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It's official: gastronomy is overtaking gambling as Vegas' highest grossing attraction. Most of us want a sure bet these days and our palates rather than the comp card increasingly drive the buying decisions. Thanks to celebrity chefdom and farm-to-table ethos, our awareness of fresh ingredients and demand for exquisite dishes prepared by culinary artists has risen meteorically.

Venetian-Palazzo, a raging culinary flashpoint on the Vegas strip boasts the highest number of James Beard chefs togeth

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Manila has been boosting up its tourism lately by erecting several casinos that could rival the world-class gaming facilities in Las Vegas and Macau. Last year, two casinos opened in Manila’s Entertainment City: Solaire in March and the City of Dreams (CoD) in early December 2014. 

CoD was first conceived in Macau. It is composed of several buildings in the famed Cotai Strip, which includes two casinos, several restaurants, and a shopping area. CoD Macau has three hotels that are operated separ

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Las Vegas Winter Food and Wine Festival

lacucinatableYou should be planning ahead...marking time off and reserving your room for a 4-day Vegas getaway December 5-8, preferably at the Venetian-Palazzo because this is where indulgence lives. Here fabulous can't-miss culinary events await that will make returning to the “real world” extremely difficult. Consider this your road map:

Day 1 – Thurs. Dec. 5th - Be sure to arrive in Vegas with plenty of time to make La Cucina Italiana Food & Wine Festival's kick off event, Dinner with Wolfgang at the Palaz

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Hi, my name is Cara. My husband Ray and I have been in the casino business for most of our working careers. We have decided to show you the view from behind the table. We will pass on a few tips, so that superstition doesn’t ruin you game. Please let us know if they help you win the next time you visit a casino!

 

If you were a blackjack table visited by thousands of punters a year, you would hear the same five things repeated every day. Guess what, all five of them are misconceptions, mixed up w

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Biloxi, Mississippi and the Beau Rivage

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It was a bittersweet moment to book my recent trip to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. As a long time travel industry employee who had not been to this area in years I was thrilled to not only have an opportunity to assess the recent damage from Hurricane Isaac in September 2012 but also to experience a new destination. The reason for my choice of destination was my son’s first deployment with the army to Afghanistan and his impending departure. So, off to Biloxi I go… I booked my trip wi

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Laughlin, Nevada: Is a Casino Charter Worth It?

 

I love to travel alone and as a single senior female, I find it an adventure. Occasionally, I will embark on a different kind of excursion. I just returned from a casino charter to Laughlin, Nevada which was a little out of my comfort zone. I’ve come to realize that the “single” tag is very deliberate; surely, a divorce at 53 is evidence of that. Single affords me complete control – no discussion as to when or where to eat, sleep, swim, sunbathe, tour or explore. I figured that travelling alone

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Mohegan Sun here in Connecticut’s Mystic Country held its first annual BBQ Fest, and I was honored to be invited and check out the festivities, running Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3. I picked a Saturday visit, which turned out to be the rainiest! Originally scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m., gates didn’t open until 3 p.m. when miraculously, the clouds stopped dripping and actual shafts of sunlight were able to occasionally poke through. Within minutes, lines were snaking from 6 venerable

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The Mohegan Sun WineFest Survival Guide

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I arrived early at the Mohegan Sun WineFest, right at the front door leading to the Grand Tasting Room before the first glass was even touched. I was on a mission. This year, with event program in hand, I committed myself to roughing out a game plan for the day ahead. With approximately 50 tasting tables & pavilions each with multiple vintages to pick from, 10 chef demonstrations on the main stage, additional special events like the Elite Grand Cru Tastingalong with food booths, various liquor &

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The Seneca Niagara Casino offer great entertainment, gaming, award-winning restaurants, and, of course, exciting gaming. Coming to the Seneca Niagara Events Center for several “Classic Christmas” performances are legendary singers Frankie Avalon and Susan Anton.  Avalon, a 1960s teen idol and current star in the production The Golden Boys, has become a virtual “regular” at Seneca Cas

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I am not ashamed to admit it I like to eat. and I prefer to eat really great food. My nickname when I worked on cruise ships was the food scout, and my book Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships is filled with vivid descriptions of the wonderful meals I have eaten across the globe. So when I heard that there was an all you can eat lobster buffet at Valley View casino - a small casino set in the mountains north of San Diego I knew that I had to go there. I know some people don'

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9008648689?profile=originalLast week while I was on vacation in Florida, my sister treated my husband and me to a Brian Wilson Concert. Although Mr.Wilson shows his age, he still had the same voice I remember so well from my Beach Boys albums. He belted out his greatest hits for over two hours. It was a great concert and the venue, well where else could it be but at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood. Yes there is another Hollywood.

 

 

This casino was massive, glitzy, and heaving with people. The Hard Rock holds a special pl

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After a very long day of driving through some of the worst roads we've ever seen (I-86), we arrived at Monticello Casino and Raceway just before nightfall. We took a few minutes to gather ourselves and then made our way into the casino.

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Hungry and very tired we made our way around the casino (looking for a lucky machine) and to the food court for a hot meal. The casino workers were very unfriendly (but we are in New York so that should be expected right?).

We ordered some potato pancakes with sour
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Minus 5 Ice Bar: Chillin' in Las Vegas

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I know there are hardcore Vegas partiers out there who would snicker at the concept of an ice bar. I can hear them now: “It's a gimmick, why freeze when imbibing instead of kicking back at the poolside cabana?” or “I'm not going to pay a $25 cover for the privilege of sitting on a block of ice to toss back a vodka shot!” Before entering the Minus 5 Ice Bar at the Monte Carlo Hotel, I was even harboring some doubts....last winter was extra rough where I'm from in New England. Even now I'm nursing
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My Favorite Tastings at Sun Wine Fest 2011

9008591462?profile=originalThis past weekend’s Sun Wine Fest at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Casino was a bonanza of top chefs demonstrating their skills on stage to packed audiences, a surprising variety of beer & liquor tastings, and of course a vast treasure trove of wine sampling. My strategy for this 2-day event was to spend Saturday roaming at will without an itinerary. I wanted to give myself the “kid-in-the-candy shop” experience first and then get more focused on specific brands on Sunday. This turned out to be smar
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Goa, Paradise on Earth

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People who live a hectic life find themselves taking a break and enjoying every bit of their tours to Goa, India. Fun and entertainment quotients are high in Goa and its cool and festive like environment makes it a refreshing holidaying destination. Learn how entertainment becomes an inseparable part of a Goa package tour.

Partying at Beaches
Goa Beaches are quite different from those found in other parts of the country. The
difference lies in the way people love to party at Goa beaches. Arjuna Be

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Experience McMinnville, voted one of top 10 small wine country destinations in the U.S. This spot  offers inexpensive vacation rentals (www.bakerstreetinn.com), bed and breakfasts and luxury spa inns within minutes of over 200 wineries, plus gourmet restaurants, equestrian winery tours and the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Come see what you have been missing!
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Sun WineFest 2011

9008583057?profile=originalThe 8th Annual Sun WineFest returns to Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino January 28 -30th. This is hands down the largest food and beverage extravaganza in New England and it’s right in my backyard! The hub of activity centers around the Grand Tasting Event held on both Sat. & Sun. (Jan. 29 -30) 12-5 p.m.. Here attendees get to sample more than 1,000 fine wines and specialty beers paired with signature dish tasting portions from some of the region’s finest restaurants. Along with trade exhibits i

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8 Top Musts of Macau

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Formerly a colony of Portugal until it was handed back to China in 1999, this city spread against a backdrop of green hills over several islands, with a population of just over 705,000, is a Chinese special administrative on the Pearl River, just 60 kilometres from Hong Kong (making it an easy day trip, by the way). One of world’s more densely populated areas, Macau is best known and is known as Asia´s biggest gambling mecca. Besides the casinos which dominate the skyline (top), it´s is also k

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10 Reasons I Still Work In A Casino

 

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When I was younger and working at Caesar’s Tahoe, players would sit down at my game and invariably the following question would come up. “What’s a nice girl like you doing working in a joint like this?” I would always look around me where there were rows of dealers just like me, fresh faced recent college grads trying to postpone adulthood as long as we could and Lake Tahoe (America’s all-year playground) is a great place to do it.  Over the years at one time or another most of us have left

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