I am only giving it a 2 stars because it looks nice and it feels "Crowded" when I go. Some of you may not like the crowds but I like knowing there's many people at a place I like enjoying themselves.
The reasons why I don't go above a 2 stars are as follows, from main reason to lower reason.
1. Does not have a Poker room. That's a big turn off. I love poker, I'm sure many others do too, why the hell not have a poker room at the Casino to bring in more foot traffic through your door!?! I would be in there every week!
2. Table games are always expensive.
3. Staff here does not seem to be happy the times I've gone. Makes me feel like I shouldn't be there.
This is why I go to Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, IN. Only 15minutes farther but well worth it.
Rivers Casino is a great destination to gamble during daylight hours. At night the minimum table is $25.00 and takes the fun from being a good experience. The food is good, pit bosses are fun, and most dealers smile and have fun but some they should pay to stay at home because they lack the personality and people skills to make gambling at the Rivers a fun experience.
We went on Sunday and at at the buffet. It was very good. It was clean. I ate mostly from the Italian side. The deep dish artichoke pizza was good and the veggie pizza was good. A lady behind the salad buffet asked if I was good and asked if she could help me with anything. They had some wedge salads that looked delish but they had chopped bacon on them so I asked her if she could make me one without bacon and in minute she had one ready. That was very nice! We went out to play and Ana was our blackjack dealer. She was very nice. She was talkative and dealt the cards perfectly. Not too fast and not too slow. There's a few dealers that need to take some lessons from her.
First time here. NEVER AGAIN!! Signed up for a players card and it wouldn't work! I played 60 dollars and never won one dollar at the slot machine. Have the card back and lady didn't even ask why?? Poor customer service! Denise needs to be trained! Will go back to Grand Victoria where you can win.
It was the first time I'd ever been to Rivers or any casino and it was a great experience! Every aspect of the decor, lighting, game machines, and layout was perfect! Maria, the blackjack dealer was brilliant and made us feel as if we were her personal guests at the casino. The staff was all top notch! After this experience, I had a hard time leaving and can certainly see how Rivers could become a habit for anyone. Check it out!
Never win big! I know gambling is random winning, but I don't understand never hitting when playing slots. No more than a $100.00 at most, even after feeding the machines hundreds of dollars. This takes the fun out gambling. NO CHANGE OR HOPE OF WINNING!!
Canopy Buffet has really fresh, constantly changing delicious food. Everything if prepared in small batches to ensure freshness. Casino was fun. Tons of slot machines and card tables.
A typical casino. Friendly dealer's, I don't play slots. I spend hours on the table's. I wasn't offered comp, even for a inexpensive lunch. In hindsight I should have asked for comp, I think that I would have received it. I ate at an open restaurant, called Filip, not positive about the name. For a cheeseburger, fries, and a medium coke, the bill was over $18.00. Way to much for a glorified McDonald's. Next time I will get comped, or find a different casino. Parking was great, I self parked. Later in the evening, the place was very crowded. It was a Friday night, so I don't know if it's like that every evening. Overall a decent experience.
Cheapskate tip:
We go at 3:50pm, paid for the lunch price of $19.95 and at 4pm dinner food starts (dinner price $39.95) we get the dinner meals and save $20 per person! Monday is Prime Rib night, so we get to have all you can eat prime rib for $19.95.
Love the Sushi, BBQ brisket, mango & coconut gelato and the many, many different kinds of desserts.
Went here about a month ago and my experience the second time was just as good as the first. I did not win any money this time around but hey, you win some you lose some.
But we did stop in at Hugo's Frog Bar and the food is delicious ( so are their drinks). The staff at Rivers is friendly so it makes it an enjoyable experience. I am a lover of coffee so you know that I am automatically a huge fan of the coffee bar inside of the casino. Mostly because it is open late and they serve delicious coffee. I go the red velvet frappe I believe it was and it oh my goodness it was so good.
Another great thing about this casino is the large amount of parking they have at this casino. They parking lots and in addition they also have a large parking garage which is connected by a tunnel to the casino.
Cannot wait till my next adventure leads me to Rivers
The key to winning at blackjack here is to hit and run. My bother lives 5 minutes away and on the way to the 294 I will pass it and go to Rivers. If you go for fun then great, you will lose money but that's entertainment for your fun. If you go into high limit and are up $1000 after a shoe or two, leave. Don't play the chump side bets and learn the way to proper play for every hand you're dealt. Run from a table where people are drunk and playing like fools. Stay away from everything else but baccarat. In the end you WILL win, to me it's FUN to walk out after 7 minutes up $1000. Don't try and break the bank, don't get trashed and try and not get into a deep hole. Sometimes you have to walk away down $1000 but it takes will power to not want to win it back the next day. Stay away from slots, they are horrible and forget about comps and spiffs. Their business is to take your money, make it your business to take theirs.
One of the best places to loose your hard earned money you don't deserve to be listed among those making bi-weekly earnings, and be cheated going to the floor and have your play monitored by crooked minded employees(not all of them though) to make sure you don't win. If you win or keep winning in blackjack/baccarat(the games that I mostly play) ,they make sure they will change the supervisors/dealers who will burn cards and change the odds against you in minutes. If you are someone who play for hours, you will be their best catch aka big fish aka whale.They will hunt for you, tame you by giving you vouchers, monthly gifts and freebies and suck that last blood out of you! Seriously on the long run, once they know, nothing much left on you, they will throw you apart. beware!! You don't want to Be that someone who will lose everything going to this casino. Beware of these wicked minded people and get out , live a lot of your life!! I did that and within 6 months , I am back to normal. Will never and ever go this casino yet again.
Even though I must admit, I am not really a gambler, I do enjoy visiting Rivers. It is conveniently located, they have all the usual casino games (slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker), as well as some fine eateries all around. The Hangover game is a blast! They even have a nightclub setup. [Which I never entered nor would I; partially because of my intense hatred of clubbing in general, partially because they always charge cover. I am already inside the casino so why should I pay money just to enter past a velvet rope when I can still hear the club music just the same from the line?] They have a nice café and gift shop area. Great for when you need a break from gambling and drinking overpriced booze. (Okay, anywhere you go alcoholic drinks will be way overpriced and casinos are where people expect to blow money anyways.) Obviously it helps to go with a group, but you actually can enjoy this place alone!
The best place to work! Great HR team, great leadership from all departments! Full of opportunities to everyone. They benefit package is more than great! Thank you Rivers for having me for almost 3 years!
I expect more from a Chicago area casino. I do like Rivers but, it is somewhat small compared to other casinos I have been to (Vegas & Detroit).
Nonetheless, it has all the standard casino games that anyone would be interested in playing at a casino. The cashier line is a bit weird as it is a fairly small area and it is a bit slow to cash out unless you are a premium casino member or something.
If you are in Chicago and want to gamble a bit this is a good place to go/ only place to go. If not, you’re not really missing out on anything.