We made a “Happy Birthday” trip up to the casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado on July 11, 2009. One of us was celebrating a birthday on 7-11. The Riviera Casino sent the birthday reveler a comp for two (free) buffets. So we brought along a 2-4-1 buffet coupon, which we already had, bringing the total to: four dinner buffets for the price of one. (Back to the buffet in a minute.)
Since we hit the casinos around three o’clock in the afternoon we had more than enough time to do a little gaming. The birthday person was good to go since this person was given a nice amount of cash as a birthday gift.
We first stopped in at The Ameristar Casino , checked out the buffet (two in our party had not seen Ameristar’s buffet,) which is something to see: The round, rustic buffet room, beaming with energy, has high, vaulted ceilings finished with high-quality wood paneling/beams. Top craftsmanship is evident. The buffet is loaded with food choices, Las Vegas style.
The Centennial Buffet at the Ameristar Casino:
BRUNCH : Sunday 10am – 3pm ($16.99) Champagne Brunch
LUNCH: Monday – Saturday 11am – 3pm ($11.99) Lunch Buffet
DINNER:
Sunday – Thursday 4pm – 9pm ($17.99) Dinner Buffet
Friday & Saturday 4pm – 10pm ($18.99) Dinner Buffet
After checking out the buffet, we fooled around at the slot banks near the buffet. After a while I was expounding on my top criteria for picking a slot/video machine: (1) pick a machine that is in view of a captured audience, like the diners at a buffet/restaurant or people standing in line at a buffet/restaurant. The theory being that “loose” machines are placed in these areas to create excitement, and to evoke a winning vibe. If you ran a casino, would you want customers staring at dead space? Also, sit at machines near money cages, gift shops, slot clubs etc. Stay away from machines that are in out-of-the-way corners of the floor or by restrooms. Someone going to the restroom has something other than gaming on their mind.
*Just as I was explaining my theory (standing by a bank of machines near the buffet) a gentleman hit a loaded video poker hand: a $1 (5X) Royal Flush for $4,040 and change. Visit these pages for more gaming tips.
Back to the Riv’s buffet. The large, high-ceilinged room is “blue” with huge, somewhat awkward chandeliers. We were shown a cozy, secluded table in a corner and went immediately to the salad bar, which is decent/average (they might want to identify the salad dressings, since no one knew what was what. ) There were tiny markings on the ladles, but the ladles were all mixed up. Anyway we feasted on shrimp, Snow Crab legs, roast beef, pastas, salads, fruits, veggies and desserts. Other items at the buffet were chicken/fixins, Asian dishes, soups, breads and more.
Although the food is tasty and well prepared, the Riv’s buffet is limited (by Las Vegas standards.)
The Riviera Buffet’s Hours and Pricing:
Breakfast: Monday – Friday / 8am – 11am ($5.99)
Lunch: Monday – Friday / 11am – 4pm ($9.99)
Dinner: Sunday – Thursday / 4pm – 10pm; Friday – Saturday / 4pm – 11pm ($12.99)
Brunch: Saturday – Sunday / 9am – 4pm ($12.99)
After our buffet feast (as we left the buffet, theire was a fairly long line waiting to get in – in fact it was the longest line I’ve ever seen at the Riv,) we played a little (at the casino.) The casino floor was lively and busy. I was playing Multi-Strike for pennies and hit the top line (loaded) for about $40.00. Not a bad hit for an under a dollar bet. I was disapointed to find that **Hexbreaker was removed from the casino floor. Thanks anyway Riviera for the birthday gift…
Next, we walked across the street to the The Isle of Capri Hotel Casino.
The consensus of opinion was that The Isle of Capri was a definate Fav. Probably because three of us were getting (many) free beers/drinks at the bar, I (self-designated) was the designated driver. Also, the same three got nice comps for signing up for Slot Cards. They will get (in the mail) a voucher for a free room + a slip for $10.00 cash. All they had to do was play $10.00. The birthday guest got two dessert comps – he already had a card.
I didn’t really check out the buffet at The Isle of Capri, but here’s their info:
Calypso’s Buffet at The Isle of Capri
Breakfast • $7.99 Daily • 7:00am – 10:00am
Saturday & Sunday Brunch • $14.99 Sunday • 10:30am – 3:00pm
Lunch • $10.99 Monday – Friday • 11:00am – 3:00pm
Dinner Seafood Buffet with Snow Crab Legs
$12.99 Monday – Thursday • 3:30pm – 6:00pm
$15.99 Monday – Thursday • 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Signature Buffet – July, Barbeques of the World
$18.99 Friday – Saturday • 3:30pm – 11:00pm
$18.99 Sunday • 4:00pm – 9:30pm
*The LasVegasBuffetClub is not saying that you will hit a jackpot if you follow these suggestions, only that the chances of succeeding may be increased with this methodology.
**Hexbreaker was also removed from The Isle of Capri.
Visit the Colorado Casino’s pages of the LasVegasBuffetClub
Visit the main pages of the LasVegasBuffetClub