Best of Slots 2002

Our 2nd annual rundown of the slot machine elite

Welcome to our second annual "Best of Slots" reader's survey, where the winners are chosen not by a panel of editors or gaming executives, but by you, the real-life, casino-hopping slot player. Several months ago, we mailed an extensive ballot to Strictly Slots readers, asking them to fill in their favorite games, hotels, restaurants and entertainment - all the things they go to a casino for. What we received back was a remarkably diverse list from players in all parts of the country, that if nothing else reveals that slot players are very definitive when it comes to choosing their favorites.

After computerizing the stacks of ballots that literally flooded our offices for weeks, we compiled the top five winners in each of the following regions: Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Reno/Tahoe, Tunica, the Gulf Coast (including New Orleans), riverboat casinos and Native American casinos. We also divided the slot categories into the three most obvious divisions: reel slots, video slots and video poker.

If all this sounds a bit familiar to you, it could be because you've read our annual "Best of Gaming" awards for the past eight years in Casino Player, our sister publication, where we conduct a similar annual reader's survey. But don't assume that the answers are too closely related, though there are some obvious consistencies. Strictly Slots readers have some very different opinions than Casino Player readers, as you'll see in the results that follow. As an example, whereas both sets of readers give Harrah's casinos top marks for service-related categories, Strictly Slots readers clearly favor the Isle of Capri in Biloxi over most casinos on the Gulf Coast.

This survey reveals some extremely important information to all of us - not just to slot players, but to the casino industry as a whole. Understanding what players want, and where they feel they're getting the biggest bang for their bucks, is something every casino executive needs to be aware of (particularly those in the slot department). The better casinos understand this and take action as their customers demand, the more customer loyalty they can expect.

As in last year's survey, the current list clearly shows that value, service and comfort are the touchstones for today's slot players. In the old days, casino operators assumed that players wanted glitz and glamour; and while that remains true to a certain degree, most people now associate that type of experience with "high rollers" or being "uncomfortable". Just as even the best restaurants have become considerably more casual, so too have the casinos. With gambling joints around every corner and gaming well on its way to becoming America's favorite pastime, players want to be relaxed and informal. They want the casino staff to be warm and friendly, not cold and distant. And, of course, they want some bargains and jackpots thrown in along the way. Why bother to get dressed up? Let's just take it easy for a while. That's what today's slot player has to say.

We slot players are an interesting bunch. We all have our peculiar superstitions, our unique beliefs, even the special way we hit the button when we're on a roll. But one thing we all have in common is that we know what we're up against. We're not so foolish to think we're going to come out a winner every time we enter a casino. That's why we take advantage of the system the casinos offer us. We get our comps and cashback, play on triple point days, collect our free gifts and enter all promotions. We stay close to our host, knowing they're our most important ally in getting rooms and show tickets. We measure out our budgets (responsibly, of course) and keep the casinos begging us to come back. And why shouldn't we? That's the game, and that's how it's played. We're not doing anything more than buying into a reciprocal system that the casinos themselves have created. After that, the rest comes down to personal preference.

So having said all that, let's get on with the survey, and see precisely what those preferences are.

Our Favorite Games
Our Favorite Casinos
Our Favorite Slot Clubs & Comps
Our Favorite Hotels, Entertainment & Restaurants

Best of Slots 2002 : Our Favorite Casinos

Best Casinos for Video Slots

Like Democrats and Republicans, reel slot and video slot players are lining up on opposite sides of the aisle - except these aisles are the ones that separate machines, not politicians. The world of video slots is fast and furious, with new machines continually replacing old ones. The tried and true ones, like Jackpot Party and Reel 'Em In, will always be around, but many of the others have questionable life spans. Gamblers are a fickle lot, and video players get bored quickly, ready to move on to the next greatest bonus round. Look to the casinos below to find the newest, hottest video slots - in addition to the old favorites.

Best Casino for Video Poker

Forget everything you know about reel, video and progressive slot players. Video poker players are simply different animals. True video poker players understand that the right machine, coupled with the highest payback, in conjunction with cashback, played with perfect strategy for that machine, can actually give them an edge over the casino. Those machines have become ever more rare, as video poker players have gotten smarter - and the casinos have gotten wiser. But good players still can expect one of the best gambles in the casino from video poker, as long as they understand the basic strategy of the game they're playing. Just walk into any Vegas locals casino, and you'll see what video poker is all about - at most of these casinos, they tend to outnumber both reel and video slots.

Most Innovative Slot Floor

It's one thing to fill a large room with slot machines. It's quite another to lay those machines out in interesting, creative ways, with small areas-within-areas that not only create intimacy, but allow players to find their favorite spots to play. All of the winners listed below have marvelously innovative slot layouts. Take the Tropicana in Atlantic City, for example. The total casino square footage is the largest in town, but the Trop has built so many small, themed areas - the Change Your Life Casino, Nickel Heaven, Fun House Slots, Red Hot Nickels, and so forth - that you can't help but find a comfortable little niche in which to spend the evening. In Las Vegas, New York-New York has done a wonderful job emulating the neighborhoods of the Big Apple. And Grand Casino Tunica, with its quadra-themed gaming casino, is absolutely packed with the newest machines, in an ever-changing environment. But perhaps no casino is as innovatively themed and designed as the extraordinarily beautiful Mohegan Sun, with its casinos dedicated to land and sky.

Best of Slots 2002 : Our Favorite Games

The modern casino floor is like that old axiom - the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here we are in 2002, looking at casinos with the greatest variety of slot and video machines ever, yet our votes still go to the old favorites. Like comfort food, we keep coming back to the tried-and-true classics, regardless of the flavor of the moment (and there are more flavors out there than even Baskin-Robbins could count).

Best New Reel Slot Machine

Congratulations to Bally Gaming for reviving this great old comic! The Blondie series, a member of Bally Gaming's Thrillions group of machines, is as packed full of bonuses as a Dagwood sandwich (along with third place winner Betty Boop). We're also happy to see IGT's Sinatra make such a fast entry into the top five, picking up a fast second place.

1. Blondie (Bally)
2. Sinatra (IGT)
3. Betty Boop (Bally)
4. Regis' Cash Club (IGT)
5. Tabasco (IGT)

Favorite Video Slot

A few years ago, this category belonged entirely to WMS Gaming, the forerunner of video slots in the domestic United States, after international video developer Aristocrat failed to enter the lucrative Nevada market. Aristocrat is having some success now in getting to know the American player, but it's still WMS, the casino division of the original Williams pinball company, that packs in the gamers. This year, with all the new machines vying for votes, we see Jackpot Party make a grab for the top spot (no poopers, please), with the ever-expanding Monopoly series taking second place (the newest games, Money Grab and Money Train, were mentioned most frequently by voters). Third place goes to WMS's double-screened follow up to the original Reel 'Em In, with IGT's video version of Wheel of Fortune coming fourth, and the slick, oil-rig game of Texas Tea rounding out fifth place.

1. Jackpot Party (WMS)
2. Monopoly (WMS)
3. Reel'EM In/Cast for Cash (WMS)
4. Wheel of Fortune (IGT)
5. Texas Tea (IGT)

Best New Video Poker Game

They're all the way up to Hundred Play video poker now, but people still prefer the traditional (and revolutionary, when it first hit the casino scene a few years ago)

1. Spin Poker (IGT)
2. Chase the Royal (IGT)
3. Austin Powers (IGT

Best of Slots 2002 : Our Favorite Slot Clubs & Comps

Best Room Comps

The key word here is "host". Call in advance, and don't rely on a room waiting for you at 2 a.m. on a Friday night when the hotel has filled up. Room comps don't go to small, once-a-year players. They go to consistent players who have decent play history. More and more, as the industry turns to its slot players, we see that blocks of rooms previously dedicated to table players are now being shifted to slot players - especially as more rooms come on-line in places like Atlantic City. Talk to your host, lock in your room reservation, and you'll be set for the night, with no worries or hassles.

Best Slot Club Staff

This category combines a mix of service (which is why Harrah's yet again shines in so many regions) with education. Why education? Because if a staff member can't (or won't) answer simple questions, from coin-in levels to cashback quantity, they clearly aren't concerned about the customer, or they've been told not to release information (which, to be fair, is sometimes a necessity at casinos that change their rules from month to month). We say that if someone staffing the booth can't answer all your questions (or find someone who can), it's time to move on to another casino. Remember, it's also your responsibility to be completely aware of how your club works. After all, it's your play, and it's your money.

Best of Slots 2002 : Our Favorite Hotels, Entertainment & Restaurants

Best Entertainment

The entertainment world has changed drastically in the gaming industry over the past decade. Whereas an "entertainment policy" was once defined by which headliners appeared, today's casinos build entertainment into their themes, the nightclubs, their lounges and, of course, their shows. But even the shows have changed. Sure, there's still some pretty popular magicians and "big names" out there, but the names are getting younger and hipper. Just look at the success the Hard Rock and MGM Grand have had in bringing in top rock and pop acts. Some casinos offer a multitude of shows to please several tastes - and, of course, bring tourists through their doors.

Best Steakhouse

Not to be confused with a gourmet room in a general sense, the steakhouse is often a casino's version of a gourmet dining experience, especially at smaller casinos, where size constraints limit the number of restaurants. As you'll see, many of the names above (in the gourmet category) are repeated below - but in most cases, it's because they offer much more than steak. In fact, it's a rare steakhouse these days that doesn't offer a pretty wide variety of entrees, including fish, chicken and even pasta. Clearly, these are the best of the bunch.