Yesterday my fellow blogger David McKee wrote about cuts the casinos were making to try to adjust to a worsening economy. Not surprising I had been compiling notes about this myself.

For example, I noticed Green Valley Ranch buffet has started charging extra for crab legs - 1/2 lb $3, 1 lb $5. I heard via Internet forums of other cuts there, like downsizing the wine glasses for slot players and switching from Red Bull to SoBe. We aren’t big seafood eaters and mostly drink water so these are changes that don’t bother us, but could be fairly important to others.

However, this next cut has caused a roar of protests on the Internet forums. Harrah’s has closed the Seven Star Lounge at Caesars and has cut the food selection at all their Diamond Lounges in Vegas. Many have commented that this is the last straw since Harrah’s was taken private and so many downgrades have taken place. They will vote with their feet and take their play elsewhere.

Some casino cuts have affected their employees more than their customers, with numerous layoffs. However, sometimes this cutting of employees will impact the quality of customer service. And Wynn cutting down their dealers income by making them share their tip pool with pit bosses is bound to affect the morale of the employees which in turn can also lead to an unpleasant atmosphere for players.

But the general opinion of whether the faltering economy is all bad for Vegas is mixed. If you have lost your job or your house, of course it is bad news. But for players like us, retirees who don’t need a job and their home is paid for, the few cuts we feel in the casinos are overwhelmingly forgotten because of the good things they are doing to get more warm bodies in their casino.

There is talk about decreased comps and some of that is happening. However, hotel prices are coming down all over the place, even at the top resorts. We recently received an e-mail room offer from the Palms for $49, including free admission to the Ghost Bar or Rain, 20% off spa services, and $25 in free slot play. True it was for a few specific dates, but it is an example of how players who search diligently can find all sorts of bargains, not just on rooms but on food and shows.

Promotions is another area where a scrambling player can find real gold these days. Brad and I are finding more good plays than our tired old bodies can do.

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Taking up where I left off a couple of days ago (you can continue to follow along with the “Best of Las Vegas” online list), I will talk about my favorite category, Hotels, since that includes casino subjects on which I have definite opinions. I get a lot of e-mails asking me to recommend my favorite Vegas hotel. I can never give one short answer because I don’t know if they are wanting to know about the shows, or the room amenities, or even the casino. Bellagio and Caesars Palace were picked as the best Strip Hotels, but I would probably choose the Venetian or its newly opened conjoined sister, the Palazzo, if we were merely considering where we most enjoy a comped room. 

What casino hotel we are in on any one day depends on many factors: what we are hungry for and/or where we have food comps; whether we have been invited to a tournament or drawing; or if there is a bonus-point promotion. We sometimes go to the Wynn casino, but not because it has a neat outdoor sign that was the Readers’ Pick. We do visit and play at Station Casinos and Ellis Island and part of the reason is for the same reason they were both picked for Best Players Club. We do agree with the Readers’ Pick of the Palms for Best Video Poker although you will find us playing the game at many other casinos on other days because we are looking for the best overall play, and that includes the return of the game and all the benefits we can pile on.   I have been known to say that I would go to hell to play if there were $5 full-pay Deuces Wild and a slot club that gave 1% cashback. 

I can’t comment on most of the hotel-restaurant picks because our tastes run to simple rather than gourmet. Brad loves the down-home cooking of the Gold Coast buffet and it is close to our home. We also like the buffets at Harrah’s, The Rio, Red Rock, and Green Valley Ranch. We always have some Chinese take-out from the Palms food court in our freezer, so we won’t waste the many monthly food coupons we earn. Our favorite Strip casual dining choice is at the Grand Lux, now at the Palazzo as well as in the Venetian. We love the Wynn deli. And you might find us eating at Tuscany, Ellis Island, Hard Rock, or anywhere else where we have comps! 

As far as our choices in the next section, Entertainment, you would probably see us at Brenden Theaters at the Palms the most often. We love to go to the movies and we can go there free anytime using our slot club points. Second choice for us would be South Point theaters on Seniors Day when tickets are only $3. We take all our visitors to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum – we can get comped tickets and it’s a wonderful place to take group pictures. And under the next section, Locations, we agree that the Strip is still the most astounding place in the world to people-watch. 

The last two sections are my favorite. Under People, I highly agree that John L. Smith is the best Local Print Journalist, but Norm is a worthy runner-up. I never miss reading the columns of either. I am glad to see Rita Rudner come in as Favorite Female Las Vegan, a comedian who doesn’t have to dig in the dirt for her material. And the very last category, the Best of the Worst, makes for hilarious reading and most of the time I must give a hearty “amen” to the selections: Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, the “one-two bimbo combo” for Worst Celebrity Tourist and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles for Worst Customer Service. Glen Lerner was tapped for Most Annoying Local TV Commercial – and I had decided early on that if my blood tests came back positive for Hepatitis C I would choose any lawyer except this “Heavy Hitter” to go to bat for me. 

But I will have to end this discussion with a big “boo” for one “Best of Las Vegas” write-up. I think maybe someone got a little too caught up in their own writing cleverness when they gave their reason for the R-J’s pick of Rave for Best Movie Theater: “Seeing as how most movie theaters are in casinos in this town, it can be a bit of a drag when you're taking the youngsters to see 'Spy Kids 6: Zombie Holocaust' and you have to pass acres of drunks, gamblers, drunk gamblers, and chain-smoking octogenarians glued to the video poker machines like wrinkly Velcro. And so what makes Rave Motion Pictures at Town Square so welcoming is the fact that it's far away from any slot machines or cocktail waitresses bursting from their barely-there outfits like geysers of flesh." 

This was personal! I don’t smoke and I don’t drink and I don’t have many wrinkles – at least not many that show when I am dressed, which I try to be when I go to a casino.

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