Everything You Need to Know About
Rivers Casino
Where: 3000 South River Road, Des Plaines, IL, 60018
Hours: Open 9am-7am daily
Contact: 888-307-0777
Website: www.playrivers.com

On July 18, gamblers celebrated the grand opening of the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. With over $17 million in revenue after only two weeks, the casino has been a smash hit. During this period, the casino averaged $1,214,285 million a day (over $50,000 an hour) in revenue.

Gamblers’ reactions to the new casino have been largely positive, although as always, there are a few complaints (lack of a dedicated poker room, not enough small denomination tables or slots).

Rivers Casino is easily reached by car and public transportation.

Click here for driving directions.

[Display 1.1.1.1 Survey Monkey poll #1: What do you like about the Des Plaines Rivers Casino?]

GAMING OPTIONS

Rivers Casino has a 44,000 square foot state-of-the-art gaming floor including:

• 48 table games and 1,050 electronic gaming options, including slots and video poker.
• A VIP area includes a high roller gaming salon and an exclusive lounge (entrance by invitation only)
• Blackjack players in the high-limit room can bet $25,000 a hand, and some players will be allowed to make $50,000 bets. In baccarat, a high-rollers favorite, the maximum is $100,000. Craps will have a $20,000 max, with a maximum of $50,000 in free odds. Craps tables will offer 100x odds, a first in Illinois.
• Rivers Casino has tables with minimum wagers of $5-25 on games including roulette, Mississippi Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, blackjack, craps and mini-baccarat.
• Blackjack: On the main casino floor, all games are machine-shuffled, while those in the high-limit room are hand-shuffled. Machine-shuffled games mean you play more hands per hour. Another big difference is that on the main floor, blackjack dealers are required to hit soft 17 — 17s in which Aces are counted as 11, such as Ace-6 or Ace-2-4. In the high-limit room, dealers must stand on all 17s, a rule that trims the house edge. If you’re planning to play $25 a hand on up, you’re better off in the high-limit room.
• Craps: Players may back pass-line bets with additional “free odds” wagers of up to 100 times their original wager. There is no house edge on free odds, the house edge on a pass bet with 100x odds is only two-hundredths of a percent, making it a very attractive play for high rollers.
• Video poker: The best video poker games in the house are the versions of Double Double Bonus Poker (99.0 percent return with expert play) and Deuces Wild (98.9) on machines of 1$ denomination on up. Below dollar level, games have lower pay tables and are on multiple-hand games such as Triple Play Poker and Super Times Pay.
• Slot machines: For slot players, the 1,050 electronic games include penny and 2-cent machines, though you can’t play just a cent or two at a time. On one 2 cent Vegas Hits machine, players must wager on all of the game’s 20-paylines, making the minimum bet 40 cents.
• Most three-reel games are dollars on up, although there are a few quarter games, including Wheel of Fortune. Following industry trends, a large share of space is devoted to video slots, including penny Jewels of India, and the new 2-cent Dirty Dancing, for which all paylines require a 1$ minimum bet. Other game themes include Code Red, Wizard of Oz, Emperor Penguin, Pirate’s Loot and more.

ODDS FAVOR HIGH ROLLERS

Like most casinos, the more your wager, the better the odds—and the faster you can lose your money. As mentioned above, in the high-limit room, dealers stand on all 17s, while on the main floor they hit soft 17 — hands such as Ace-6 or Ace-2-4 in which the Ace is counted as 11. Hitting soft 17 adds two-tenths of a percent to the house edge.

Same edge applies to slots. Penny machines have lower payback percentages than nickels, which pay less than quarters, etc.

In June, penny slot returns at Chicago area casinos in Illinois ranged from 86.1 percent at Grand Victoria in Elgin to 87.3 percent at Hollywood Aurora. Dollar slot paybacks ranged from 92.1 percent at Hollywood Joliet to 94.9 at Harrah’s Joliet.

COMPETITION FOR GAMING DOLLAR

Below is a list of the 9 other Illinois casinos as of August, 2011. In addition to these casinos, gamblers in Illinois frequently visit Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Illinois.

REWARDS PROGRAM

Rivers Casino offers Rush Rewards Players Club Members a range of incentivess as part of their loyalty program. Players receive invitations to special events, discounts, priority lines and access, as well as other offers and incentives.

To sign up for Rush Rewards, visit: http://playrivers.com/casino/rush-rewards/.

Visit Rivers on facebook at:

www.facebook.com/winatrivers.com

DINING

Rivers offers a variety of dining options, from high end to low end.

COFFEE SPOT is a contemporary coffee shop featuring designer coffee drinks and freshly made sandwiches, pastries and desserts.

HUGO’S FROG BAR AND CHOP HOUSE Operated by Gibson’s restaurant, this high end spot features Gibson’s’ prime steaks and chops, fresh seafood and an extensive wine list.

MIANBAR Asian noodle shop featuring freshly prepared, authentic dim sum, noodles, and rice dishes.

Located right in the center of the casino floor, Lotus features live piano or jazz music and a view of the casino floor.

Flipt is a quick casual grill serving freshly made burgers, sandwiches, fries and shakes.

Canopy Buffet offers freshly prepared cuisine at nine different stations.

Click here for more information about restaurants near Rivers casino.

ENTERTAINMENT

Rivers offers live music several nights a week. Lotus is a sophisticated cocktail lounge at the center of the casino floor. Handcrafted cocktails are served by reknowned mixologists Drew Levinson and Bridget Albert.

Cube has a multi-level outdoor patio and easily transforms from a state-of-the-art sports bar to a live performance venue.

FAQs

• Under Illinois law, casino guests must be 21 or older
• The casino closes at 7 a.m. daily and reopens at 9 a.m.
• Photos are not allowed on the casino floor
• Pets are not allowed unless they are service animals
• There are no poker rooms
• Gaming lessons are not offered, but employees running table games can give instructions
• Winnings above $1,199 are taxable.

SMOKING

The Des Plaines casino provide two outdoor smoking patios with TVs, fans and heaters, comfortable seating, and green screens blocking traffic since Illinois law prohibits indoor smoking. Smoking is not allowed except inside ventilated smoking rooms next to the casino floor.

PARKING

An attached five-story parking garage accommodates more than 1,500 cars, with an additional 773 outdoor parking spaces. One exceptional thing about Rivers is the indoor parking garage. The open spots have green lights and the full spots have red lights.

Besides offering free valet service to hybrid and electronic vehicles, the casino will have two charging stations for fuel-alternative cars.