- Best Slot Machine Harrah's Atlantic City Casinos
- Slot Play Atlantic City
- Newest Slots In Atlantic City
Harrah’s Atlantic City is one of the premier destinations in AC. Behind Borgata and Revel (now closed), Harrah’s is generally considered the most modern property in the city. There have been many additions to the location over the years, plus several renovations. There are many interesting and differentiating characteristics of Harrah’s that help to separate it from the other casinos and hotels in Atlantic City.
The Palace Court at Caesars Atlantic City offers more than 130 slot machines and Video Poker games, available in $0.01, $0.02, $0.05, $0.25, $0.50, $1, $2, $5, $10, $25, $100 denominations. Ocean Casino Resort offers you a wide variety of slot machines, from reel-spinning and video reel to video poker machines. Enjoy our 1,937 state-of-the-art slot machines at any level of play. Come by our casino floor to play these and all your favorite games in Atlantic City! We do NOT currently have any offers for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. However, if you have NOT played at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City for 2 years or more and typically play at the levels outlined below, the URComped team will try our best to help you get COMPED by connecting you directly with an on property host.
Casino at Harrah’s Atlantic City
The gaming area in Harrah’s AC is exceptionally large. It spans from the Jitney/Golden Nugget side entrance and expands the width of the floor to the beginning of the walkways towards the new hotel towers (Bayview and Waterfront). Unlike many casinos that have a rough “rectangle” and boxed in style, Harrah’s gaming area winds around varied walkways, shops, and the hotel check in area.
The poker room is tucked away, adjacent to the horse betting section. If you are looking to bet on the ponies, Harrah’s may not be your absolutely optimal location. The off track betting section is effectively part of the poker room, is not closed off, and is relatively small.
If you are playing poker, Harrah’s has a room that is likely to meet your needs. With the exception of the WSOP Circuit events, however, you are unlikely to find consistent games running above low stakes. Usually there will be a few low stake limit games and a handful of low stake no limit Texas Hold’em games running at any given time. A bit larger games do run, but you will need to catch them at peak times, namely evenings and particularly on weekends.
Harrah’s table game and slots selection is about as diverse as you will find anywhere. There is a separate high limit slots and high limit table game area. The high limit table game area offers a more dynamic selection of games than you will typically find in most Atlantic City casinos. While many other AC casinos do have high limit areas, they are usually only one or two blackjack tables and potentially one roulette wheel. Beyond this, you will often times need to travel to Borgata to find a greater selection of high limit games to choose from.
The main gaming floor comprises the bulk of the action in Harrah’s. Though the sections have been re-arranged many times over the years, you will not have a tough time finding any popular table game or slot machine. There is a dedicated video poker section, slots abound throughout the entire floor, and table games take on many different variations.
One of the more popular sections for table game play is outside the main bar near the taxi and valet main entrance. This area is particularly loud and active in the evening hours, even on weeknights. A DJ is frequently playing at the bar, which in turn attracts players to the tables in the vicinity of the bar. The catch 22 to playing at the tables that surround the loud and active bar is that you will frequently be sitting with quite inebriated people. If you are in the same position, this is not a big deal, but it may be a consideration if you prefer a more quiet, controlled environment.
Hotel at Harrah’s Atlantic City
The hotel in Harrah’s is separated into two different primary sections, the newer tower and the older tower. The older tower includes the Marina and Harbour towers. These rooms have been upgraded, but they are still clearly older. They are smaller, do carry “unique” smells, and are generally lower overall quality than you might be looking for. Of course, these rooms are also available at lesser rates than you will usually pay for rooms in the newer tower.
The Marina and Harbour towers are located adjacent to the poker room and high limit slots area. There are not many substantial differences between these two particular types of rooms, so the general suggestion would be to choose the one that is lower priced if you are selecting between these rooms specifically.
On the other end of the property you will find the new tower which features the Bayview and Waterfront rooms. These are much nicer rooms with higher quality amenities, more room, and newer furnishings. As you might expect, the caveat to these features is that you should expect to be paying more. If the difference in price between these rooms and a Marina or Harbour Tower room is minimal, it would be practical to choose a Bayview or Waterfront room.
Dining at Harrah’s Atlantic City
Dining at Harrah’s Atlantic City would be best described as above average, but not out of this world. There are a few different restaurants that have unusual hours, and it would be recommended to plan ahead before committing to visiting any restaurant on the chance that they are not open.
McCormick and Schmick’s is branded as a seafood restaurant, but is quite comparable to The Steakhouse in Harrah’s as well. These are the two most costly options at the resort. From here, Dos Caminos is a popular choice that is not terribly expensive. This restaurant features Mexican food and a bar.
Lower end dining options abound in Atlantic City. Aside from Bill’s Burgers, The Buffet is always a popular choice. The quality of the buffet is not terribly far off from what you would expect to find at Las Vegas resorts, and the cost is about the same (roughly $35 per person, depending on time of day and specials). There is also a food court across from the iThe Pool which is a good option for quick, reasonably priced lunches and dinners.
Room service at Harrah’s is not particularly worth noting. The pricing leaves something to be desired, the hours are not conducive to all night ordering, and delivery times tend to be quite long. Of course, room service is going to be more hit and miss than other standard dining options at Harrah’s.
Nightclubs at Harrah’s Atlantic City
The Pool After Dark is arguably the most well-known facet of Harrah’s Atlantic City, depending on the age of the person that you ask. This nightclub is known for its frequent celebrity appearances and its unique pool side dynamic. While only a few people will actually end up in the water, the pool in the middle of the club atmosphere certainly sets this local apart from its Atlantic City competitors. The nearest comparison would be to XS in Las Vegas, but it would be a stretch to say that The Pool After Dark is quite as luxurious as a Wynn property’s nightclub.
The cost for a table at The Pool After Dark is fairly reasonable. Depending on the night, you should be able to reserve a table along with a few bottles for roughly $500-$1,000. Of course, this rate depends on the type of bottles that you select, the placement of your table, and how popular the particular night you are attending is expected to be.
The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. If you are staying at Harrah’s you may be able to obtain free entry, depending on the day of the week, but this may include stipulations such as entry only before 11pm.
Bars at Harrah’s Atlantic City
There are several bars scattered throughout Harrah’s. The most active bar, by a good bit, is the X Bar. This can be found near the taxi drop off entrance. If you are wandering around the gaming floor on any given evening, you will not miss this bar as it is almost always very active. The drinks are somewhat expensive. They are not extremely over priced, but most would consider them on the high end for Atlantic City bars.
Beyond X Bar, you will find a bar next to Bill’s Burgers, nearer to the Jitney/shuttle entrance. This is a much quieter bar that is generally attended by an older crowd than you will find at the X Bar. If given a choice between the two, the X Bar is a definitively better option.
Location
Harrah’s AC is one of three casinos in the city that is located off the boardwalk, in addition to Golden Nugget (formerly Trump Marina) and Borgata. If you are staying at Harrah’s, you may not leave the property at all. If you are traveling back and forth from the boardwalk, you should expect to spend $13 per trip via taxi. This is the maximum amount that can be charged between any two destinations within the city.
In order to visit the boardwalk or beach, you will need to travel. Neither of these areas can be (easily) reached by walking. Borgata is next to Harrah’s but is a longer walk than it appears and it is usually best to take a taxi or Jitney, especially at night.
Features of Harrah’s Atlantic City
The Pool After Dark would be considered the most unique element of Harrah’s Atlantic City. Outside of this, the casino and hotel does not carry any particularly noteworthy characteristics. In terms of bang for your buck, odds are that you will likely be satisfied with your stay.
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Atlantic City video poker games are competing with the beach and the
boardwalk for your attention.
The result is that some of the best video poker variations in the country can
be found at casinos in Atlantic City. In fact, we recommend skipping the slots
in Atlantic City entirely, because the payback percentage is so much better on
VP games.
Atlantic City blackjack is nothing to write home about, either. Since all the
casinos there have relatively unfavorable rules, video poker trumps blackjack.
You’ll find full pay Jacks or Better (with the 9/6 pay table we discussed on
the Jacks or Better video poker page on our site) at most of the properties in
town. The payback percentage on these games, if you play with perfect strategy,
is 99.54%. This leaves the house with a razor thin edge of just 0.46%.
One thing you won’t find in Atlantic City are video poker games where the
player has an edge-i.e., games with a payback percentage of 100% or more. Let’s
face it. The casinos in Atlantic City aren’t exactly thriving businesses lately,
anyway. Overly generous video poker games would only make their financial
situation worse.
But if you stick with the right games, use your players club card, and learn
the right strategy for how to play each hand, you can play a game with a close
to 0% house edge. We like to think of that as free entertainment.
Below we list the top video poker casinos in Atlantic City along with which
games qualify them for the list:
1 – Borgata
The Jacks or Better games
at Borgata are good. They offer the full pay (9/6)
pay table. You can find these for as little as a quarter, but remember to bet 5
coins per hand. Borgata caters to high rollers, too, so you can also find JoB in
denominations of $10, $25, and $50-which means betting $50, $125, or $250 per
hand, respectively.
But that’s not the best video poker payback percentage in the casino,
although at 99.54%, it comes close. The Super Double Bonus Games offer a 99.69%
payback percentage, which is 0.15% better. Forget about high roller action on
these games, though, as they’re only available for $1, $0.50, or $0.25.
Bonus Poker is the only other good choice at the Borgata. (We define “good”
as offering a 99% or higher payback percentage when played with perfect
strategy.) These are only available for $1 or more. The highest denomination
Bonus Poker game reported there was the $50 denomination game.
If your standards are a little lower, you can play games with a 98%+ payback
percentage. These include Double Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus.
2 – Harrahs Atlantic City
The best video poker game at
Harrahs Atlantic City is full pay Jacks or
Better, which is easy to find and available in denominations from 25 cents to
$10 and several points in between. They have enough of these machines that
you’ll rarely find them all full.
Double Double Aces and Faces, with its 99.46% payback percentage, is also
readily available in the same denominations. We recommend sticking with Jacks or
Better unless you’re just dying for variety, though. Double Double Aces and
Faces requires a different strategy, and even if you’ve mastered that strategy,
Jacks or Better offers slightly better odds.
But Harrahs has several more good VP variations: Bonus Poker (99.17%), Bonus
Aces and Faces (99.26%), Double Bonus Poker (99.11%), Double Double Bonus
(98.98%), and Jokers Wild (99.29%). These are all available in multiple
denominations from 25 cents up to $5.
3 – Bally’s Atlantic City
If you’re looking for full pay (9/6) Jacks or Better, which should be your
bread and butter anyway-especially if you’re a beginner-Bally’s has a couple
dozen games to choose from in multiple denominations. Look for the GameKing
machines in the smoking section.
You can find the game for a quarter or 50 cents, but most of the full pay
machines are the higher denomination machines–$1, $2, or $5. This means
wagering $5 per hand at most of their games, as you need to play for 5 coins per
hand.
Double Double Bonus Aces and Faces (aka “the video poker game with the long
name”) offers a payback percentage of 99.46%, which is almost as good as full
pay Jacks or Better. You’re more likely to be familiar with the correct strategy
for 9/6 JoB, though, so you’re probably better off sticking with that more basic
game unless you’re just looking for variety.
Bonus Aces and Faces, Bonus Poker, and Joker Wild are also reasonably good VP
games to try at Bally’s. They do offer pay tables which make a 99%+ payback
percentage possible, but always keep in mind that you need to know the right
strategy for the game. If you don’t, you’re going to give up as much as 2% or
more just by making the wrong decisions.
We’re big fans of the Bonus Poker games at Bally’s, by the way, as they offer
a payback percentage of 99.17%. And the strategy for those games is relatively
easy compared to the other variations on the list.
4 – Caesars Atlantic City
One of the best payback percentages available in the entire city is available
on the Double Joker Wild games at Caesars. The expected return on this game, if
you play correctly, is 99.91%. It’s only available in a 25 cent version.
Double Double Bonus is popular in Atlantic City, and the version at Caesars
has a payback percentage of 98.98%, which is probably close enough to 99% for
most people. You’ll find a limited selection of these games near the center of
the casino.
Best Slot Machine Harrah's Atlantic City Casinos
You can also find full pay Jacks or Better here, in multiple denominations
starting at a quarter and going up to $5.
5 – Tropicana Atlantic City
Joker Wild with a 99.59% payback percentage is available at Tropicana
Atlantic City, but it’s only available for 25 cents. It’s only slightly better
than the 2-that’s right, there are only 2-full pay Jacks or Better games at the
Trop. The Jacks or Better games are in the high limit area and are available for
between $1 and $10.
Those are the only good games there, although they also offer Double Double
Bonus with a payback percentage of 98.98%. If you’re stuck for an idea for what
to play besides those, you could try their Deuces Wild variation, but it’s a $5
game with a payback percentage of only 98.91%.
6 – Trump Taj Mahal
The best game at the Trump Taj Mahal is Jacks or Better for $1 or $2. As with
most of the casinos on this list, they offer the game with the 9/6 pay table and
the 99.54% payback percentage.
They also offer Bonus Poker with a 99.17% payback percentage for $1, $2, or
$5.
Those are the only 2 good games, but Double Double Bonus with a 98.98%
payback percentage comes close to good, too. If you’re a low roller at the Taj
Mahal, this is the only realistic option, because it’s the only VP variation
with a decent pay table available for a quarter.
7 – Golden Nugget Atlantic City
One of the least impressive video poker casinos in Atlantic City is the
Golden Nugget. They offer full pay Jacks or Better, but there aren’t many of
these machines available. The ones that are available are hard to find in the
back of the casino. You can play for multiple denominations, from 25 cents to
$5.
Double Bonus games with a 99.11% payback percentage are also available at the
Golden Nugget. They’re available from 25 cents to $5, too.
You can also find Bonus Poker games with a payback percentage of 99.17%.
These are available in $1 and $5 denominations only.
8 – Resorts Atlantic City
Slot Play Atlantic City
Resorts Atlantic
City offers the least attractive selection of video poker
games in the city. The only game worth playing here is Bonus Poker with a 99.17%
payback percentage. It’s available for 25 cents, 50 cents, or a dollar. None of
the other games here are worth playing.
Newest Slots In Atlantic City
Conclusion
Atlantic City is a solid video poker destination. There’s something worth
playing at all the casinos there.
The Borgata and Harrahs are the top 2 choices on our list, and Resorts and
Golden Nugget are dead last.
Regardless of the casino, video poker is probably your best option,
math-wise, anywhere in the city.
The best advice we can offer you, though, is to seek out the best pay tables.
The casino managers mix the VP variations, so they might be right next to each
other and have dramatically different payback percentages.