You can send it to me. Randy and I have been trying to update it but as i’m sure your aware, there have been an obscene amount of new casinos opening over the last few years. You can email me at Midnight@goldentouchcraps.com. Thank you.

Midnight

Midnight,
Will do. Thanks.
Have you seen the info Berto sent in some time recently? If not I can point you to it.

Scooter

I have not. Please do. Thank you

I also PM’d Randman back when he asked for info.

Here is the post from Berto on the tables around the Chicago area. You can use this to update the craps table info.

by Berto » 04 Jul 2015 09:15

Image — Berto’s Wordy Chicago Megapost –Image
Indiana All Indiana casinos allow smoking. There are still always box persons in Chicagoland in 2016.
Horseshoe has 9 tables, but two 12-footers are reserved for Diamond/Seven Stars status. The Diamond table will stay at $10 when the rest of the casino jumps to $15 on Saturday nights and lately continues at that level all day Sunday. So 6 12-footers, all in a cluster, and three big 14-footers in a flotilla with the roulette wheels. This is my "home" casino, best all-around game in the area. It’s smoky, but it’s big and the crews are skilled and dedicated. The crowd is the funnest and the most entertaining to watch, the casino has the best amenities (nice lounges, ok buffet, good bar at the back by the poker room). Worth a visit, about 35 minutes drive from Chicago loop. Car rental is probably cost-effective (toll pass might be included). Expect $10 in tolls, and I argue the Chicago Skyway is worth it. If you want to be driven, cheapest option is probably a $26 UberX. Easiest is a $60-70 taxi each way, but there are free shuttles all around the city. It will be harder to get back than it is to get there, but calling a taxi is always an option (Uber can be spotty there). No hotel is why I emphasize this: be aware that you have to move if you get your load on.

Ameristar/Majestic Star are about 10-15 minutes further away from Chicago than the Horseshoe.

Ameristar in Indiana has 6 tables, two twelve foot and four 14-footers. 2 are Crapless, 3 have the Sharpshooter and "feature bet" (All Small/All Tall@34x/Make ’em All@175x) and one 12-footer in back is just straight craps, no bells or whistles. Bouncy and not open all the time, alas. Fun staff, very professional, and the best dealer in Chicagoland works here (third generation, incredible knowledge, the box people all look to him). The hotel has recently been renovated and is sort of nice; this is a good place to stay. 20x odds, 4 and 10 pay vig only when you win, $5 tables but some will go to $10 on busy nights.
Notes: Second best in the area for amenities: weak buffet (it’s small), good late night grease joint, lots of nice places to sit and take a breather, new sports bar (unknown value). Really convenient back stairway to the hotel — you don’t think this matters but it’s super nice. Great valets. Good, transparent room comps.

Majestic Star has 16-footers and one small table that I haven’t seen yet (different area than the atrium). 1 Crapless table and two regular Craps with the Fire bet. It also has a terrible air freshener masking heaven knows what odor, but which irritates my sinuses. Both tables are rickety and will move slightly if anyone leans on them. You have never seen more middle betting; a stick change will mean 3 minutes between shots; first while the poor sap, enduring endless volleys of white chips, inventories the field and then when s/he first has to do all the arithmetic when it pays the first time… There’s an escalator that’s been out of service for a few months. 20? 100? times odds, one of the two. $5 min. Who cares, I don’t recommend playing here.
Notes: if you’ve ever wanted to see a really big ship that needs a coat of paint really badly, try the Majestic Star parking lot. Heavenly odor of frying chicken wings as you walk in from the MC Escher-esque parking lot. If you want to impress someone with your credit line, this casino will give you a truly stupid amount of credit. Majestic star does win Best Music, with Motown, steppers’ sets and seriously solid R&B.

The Majestic has my favorite moment of improving race relations: I was walking into the ‘Star to sign a form for credit. A pack of 9-10 beautiful young (black) women are having a bachelorette party, and on the way out. They look at my white-guy grin and I’m a little overwhelmed with their style & beauty: we’re all a little speechless. The maid of honor cocks an eyebrow and shakes her head. "Riff-raff", she says. Same tone as "there goes the neighborhood…" We all laugh.

Blue Chip Casino and Spa is in Michigan City, Indiana. It’s about 70 minutes’ drive from Chicago. It has four tables, all 14′. Two are mainly used during peak hours, but I have seen three of them open and the fourth one looks practically new and is used as a coat rack. Tables are typically $5 minimum, with 20X odds. Buying the 4/10 is paid up-front. They only have the All/Tall/Small feature bet, no Fire/Sharpshooter. The casino is an attractive space (smoking allowed) and the hotel is nice, but pricey for how far away it is. The casino has a bit of a laconic air to it. For example, it closes between 5-7 AM and I’ve come down there early in the morning to find the craps pit entirely empty, which I find depressing. The cashiers are often understaffed and a lot of the staff are not skilled, with certain notable exceptions. Definitely more of a rural air to it. It’s about as far as Joliet from Chicago, and is on the east side of Lake Michigan so there can be significantly heavier weather there. I really enjoyed myself during a snowstorm there, though — it’s very cozy inside when it’s blustery and cold outside.

Illinois No Illinois casinos allow smoking.
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines/Park Ridge has Rivers has 2 each 12′ and 14′. The 12′ go to $25 quickly. 100x odds. Buying the 4/10 costs vig on all bets, table minimums are 5, 10, 15 and 25 and will trend upward based on the time of day. This gets a lot of O’Hare International Airport traffic so they try to fleece you tourists quickly 😈 . Solid staff, but it gets crowded and expensive, and the rules chisel away at the game so it’s a little tense sometimes. Casino is still sorta new and fresh; the slots glisten, un-kicked. There’s a Fire bet. Here’s a good place to eat there, too. Park outdoors on the ground floor in the Rivers: take a right just as you enter the garage and drive out there. Quick walk across and you’re in and out when you need to catch your plane… Locals tend to avoid the Rivers. It’s crowded, the comps are non-existent and while the crews are competent, it’s not a hell of a lot of fun to play there.

Both Joliet hotels are kinda run down and not the greatest places to stay. Also, at an hour southwest of Chicago, not something you want to visit if you’re just stopping by. Harrahs can get fun on a Saturday night, occasionally, but it’s a morose place: my least favorite place to play.
Harrah’s Joliet has 3 14-foot tables. I don’t recall which: 20x or 100x odds. Buying the 4/10 costs vig on all bets, table minimums are 5, mostly, except one table is at least 10 but not open all the time. That one, at the back by the High Roller slots/Poker area, is nice. The casino is small and so will get busy and all tables will jump to 10. Fire bet.
Notes: nice things to say about Harrah’s: nonsmoking TotalRewards property with $5 tables, easiest credit if you’re getting started. Starbucks in the casino and a good steak place. Occasionally terrific local suburban bands. A well-stocked sundry store on the first floor of the hotel for absolutely anything you could want – bill it to your room!

Hollywood Casino Joliet has 2 14-foot tables. 20x Odds. Buying the 4/10 costs vig on all bets, table minimums are always 5. These tables are nice and it can be a jolly place with lots of sarcastic jokes. Hollywood is fun, but the crews are incompetent. Watch them like a hawk, they will screw up your bet.
Notes: big lot for trucks and RVs creates a sort of festive air. Very pretty drive in, beautiful landscaping. Small shuttle between detached hotel and casino for we who imbibe and would prefer to leave our unblemished wheels in the parking lot. Run-of-the-mill sports bar that will do in a pinch, occasional good bands (mid-40s to mid-50s women love it).
Fire bet? Oh yes, they allow the Fire bet, but they require a Pass/Don’t Pass line bet to play it.