And the winner is.....

Casino Player has published their 16th annual roundup of the "Best of" for casino/hotels around the world. I have listed the polling results for the Las Vegas Strip only. They have categories for downtown, Las Vegas locals, Atlantic City, and other casinos. Either someone for Caesar's Palace stuffed the ballot box or Caesar's is now back on top of the heap. I definitely disagree with some of the results in the poll. I don't know how the show LOVE can beat out Phantom of the Opera and Jersey Boys. I also don't think of the Shadow Bar as being the best bar and lounge on the strip.

Best Overall Hotel Casino
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Bellagio
3. Wynn
Best Hotel
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Bellagio
3. Wynn
Best Spa
1. Caesar's Palace, Qua Bath & Spa
2. Venetian, Canyon Ranch
3. Wynn, The Spa
Best Suites
1. Venetian
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Wynn
Best Rooms
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Venetian
3. Wynn
Best Pools
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Mandalay Bay
3. Flamingo
Best Golf Course
1. Wynn
2. Caesar's Palace, Cascata Golf
3. The Mirage, Shadow Creek
Best Casino
1. Bellagio
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Harrah's Las Vegas
Best Players Club
1. MGM Resorts International
2. Harrah's Las Vegas (now Ceasar's Entertainment I believe)
3. Treasure Island
Best Comps/Freeplay
1. MGM Resorts International
2. Harrah's Las Vegas
3. Caesar's Palace
Best Promotions
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. MGM Grand
3. Caesar's Palace
Best Dealers
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Bellagio
Best Race & Sports Book
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Las Vegas Hilton
3. The Mirage
Best Hosts
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Wynn
3. The Mirage
Best Poker Tournaments
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Bellagio
3. Harrah's Las Vegas
Best Slot Tournaments
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Venetian
Best Table Game Tournaments
1. Las Vegas Hilton
2. Harrah's Las Vegas
3. Caesar's Palace
Casino Where you Feel Luckiest
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Bellagio
3. MGM Grand
Best Reel Slots
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. MGM Grand
3. Caesar's Palace
Best Video Slots
1. MGM Grand
2. Harrah's Las Vegas
3. Ballys
Best Video Poker
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Bellagio
Best Blackjack
1. Bellagio
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Harrah's Las Vegas
Best Craps
1. Caesar's Palace
2. Bellagio
3. Harrah's Las Vegas
Best Roulette
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. Bally's
3. Paris, Las Vegas
Best Live Poker
1. Bellagio
2. Caesar's Palace
3. The Mirage
Favorite Table Game
1. Blackjack
2. Craps
3. Roulette
Favorite Reel Slot
1. Cash Spin, Bally Technologies
2. Hot Hot Super Jackpot, WMS
3. Double Diamond, IGT
Favorite Video Slot
1. Wizard of Oz, WMS Gaming
2. Star Wars, IGT
3. Blazing 7's, Bally Technologies
Favorite Progressive Slot
1. Wheel of Fortune, IGT
2. Megabucks, IGT
3. Hot Shot Progressive, Bally Technologies
Favorite Video Poker Game
1. Jacks or Better, IGT
2. Double Double Bonus Poker, IGT
3. Deuces Wild, IGT
Favorite Bonus Round
1. Wizard of Oz, WMS Gaming
2. Wheel of Fortune, IGT
3. Fireball, Bally Technologies
Best Steakhouse
1. Harrah's Las Vegas, The Range
2. Circus Circus, The Steakhouse
3. Bally's Las Vegas, Bally's Steakhouse
Best Buffet
1. Bellagio, The Buffet
2. Wynn, The Buffet
3. The Mirage, Cravings Buffet
Best Coffee Shop
1. Bellagio, Palio
2. Harrah's Las Vegas, Café' at Harrah's
3. Flamingo, Tropical Breeze
Best Seafood
1. Caesar's Palace, Beijing Noodle No. 9
2. Wynn, Bartollota
3. Bellagio, Michael Mina
Best Italian
1. Caesar's Palace, Rao's
2. Venetian, B&B Ristorante
3. Bellagio, Circo
Best Chinese
1. Caesar's Palace, Bejing Noodle No. 9
2. MGM Grand, Pearl
3. Harrah's Las Vegas, Ming's Table
Best Japanese/Sushi Bar
1. Caesar's Palace, Hyakumi
2. Bellagio, Jasmine
3. Mirage, Japonais
Best Overall Entertainment
1. Caesar's Palace
2. MGM Grand
3. The Mirage
Best Headliners
1. Caesar's Palace, Celine Dion
2. MGM Grand, David Copperfield
3. The Mirage, Terry Fator
Best Production Show
1. The Mirage, The Beatles LOVE
2. Venetian, Phantom of the Opera
3. Palazzo, The Jersey Boys
Best Concerts
1. MGM Grand
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Mandalay Bay
Best Comedy Club
1. Harrah's Las Vegas, The Improv
2. Tropicana, Comedy Stop at the Trop
Best Nightclub
1. Caesar's Palace, Pure
2. MGM Grand, Tabu
3. Wynn, Tryst
Best Bar/Lounge
1. Caesar's Palace, Shadow Bar
2. Harrah's Las Vegas, Carnival Court
3. Bellagio, Petrossian Bar

Maybe some of my favorites are in the other categories but some of these "winners" are in my bottom three consistently. Best Video poker? What a joke...

Apparently Caesars campaigned for votes, and it wasn't up to actual players. Search the Vegas boards and you won't find Caesars mentioned much in any "favorite" category, except maybe shows.

Best video poker. Harrah's followed by Caesar's. How funny is that?

Harrahs or CE probably buys the most ads for the mag! So, that leads to a very disappointing "best of list"

LOVE is awesome. You'd have to pay me to go see any show with "opera" in the title.

Does seem to be a lot of "Caesar's" (sic) in the top 3. But, I like Caesars.

Agree 100.76%

Best Video Poker
1. Harrah's Las Vegas
2. Caesar's Palace
3. Bellagio

LMAO

Best Blackjack with Ha$$ahs and Caesars --- only if you like 6:5

People must like it -- they have it by popular demand!



I'm sure that "best of" list leans heavily towards the folks footing the bill for the ads in the magazine. To put Caesars Palace in the top 3 of almost every category, and them and Harrah's as "Best Video Poker" is laughable. I give the list zero credibility.

Wait one minute!! Are you serious? If I make a blackjack, I'll be paid 6 to 5? Do you think that will last a few weeks, because it will take some time for me to take out a second mortgage.

I'm wondering if that list of the best stuff on the strip was compiled by the people at Joe's Best Buys. But I don't see a list of the best fortune tellers.

Best live poker: Mirage and Caesar's. Yeah, OK, can't argue with that. If I had to choose Mirage and Caesar's, I would definitely choose Mirage and Caesar's.

That's not only 6 to 5 but a "whopping 6 to 5". Wouldn't you have loved to been in the room for the discussion on that? Bally's is indirectly telling most Las Vegas visitors that they think of them as suckers.