ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

After well over a year of watching the building rise in my own backyard … today … I finally entered the Encore Hotel and Casino.

Actually, I reviewed Encore a couple of weeks ago, so this trip was simply a formality.

What did I find inside?

Pretty much what I expected. I don’t want to pass judgement on my own review, but the truth is … as the very first person on planet Earth to review the property, I was quite accurate.

If I had to sum up the Encore, I would say, “It’s a smaller version of the Wynn casino with red/pink Asian lantern lights hanging from the ceiling everywhere.”

It’s about a 3 minute walk through a corridor from the Wynn casino floor, to the Encore casino floor … not wholly unlike the Venetian and Palazzo.

To say that I was underwhelmed would be an accurate statement, but I’m a bit jaded after all of my time spent here, so perhaps that is not a fair comment. It is my opinion, though.

There was nothing there that I didn’t expect. Aside from the lamps and tract-housing type casino divisions, there was really nothing in there that stood out as being unique. They had a small atrium at the door, and a garden and pool outside, which was nice … but nothing at all earth shattering.

I checked out the bars one by one, and poked my head in all of the restaurants. Everything was nice, but nothing really reaches out and grabs you by the nads.

Encore really is an extension of the Wynn, and a smaller extension at the casino level.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that this is a bad thing.

The place is … “pretty”.

It’s damn near the “prettiest” casino I have seen anywhere. If Barbie were to gamble, she would gamble at the Encore.

If Reese Witherspoon from “Legally Blonde” wanted to play some roulette … she would head straight for Encore.

If someone was an Asiaphile … they would want to stay at Encore.

To be honest, the place is a little feminine … and Asian.

If the Encore has any theme, it is “Hello Kitty”.

As a matter of fact, this place should absolutely corner the Asian female market.

But there is a place for dudes. Taking a page from the Wynn playbook, most of the waitresses are smoking hot. Bonerdom can be achieved as most of the ladies are solid 7-10’s.

There were “Poker” signs in the Encore, so I got excited about seeing their poker room.

When I asked the greeter where the poker room was, she said, “Go down that hallway, walk for about 2 minutes, take a right” … then I stopped her here.

“Wait a minute, are you directing me to the Wynn poker room?” I asked.

“Yes” she said.

“So the Encore doesn’t have one?” I said.

“Well, the Wynn and Encore share a poker room because we consider them the same property” she said.

There you have it folks. Right from the horse’s mouth. You don’t have to believe ME. Even the employees consider Encore a mere extension of Wynn.

Not only that, but when I went to the cage to get fresh Encore chips … I was presented with brand new Wynn chips.

“The Encore and Wynn have the same chips, but these are brand new”, said the cashier.

The chips are exactly the same as the Wynn chips, but I thanked her and took the chips anyway. Hey, at least they are new.

I played some craps, blackjack, and video poker at the new Encore.

You know what?

It was just like playing craps, blackjack, and video poker at the Wynn. I won at craps, lost at blackjack, and after putting a hundred into a $1 VP machine, walked away thirty minutes later with a little over $90. We’ll call that a draw.

I know many people will beg to disagree, but I cannot stress enough that the Encore is the Wynn, and the Wynn is the Encore.

We can quibble about design features and layout all day, but the feel and vibe is the same.

And I am sure that this will also piss some people off, but it is the truth: I prefer the Wynn.

After doing my business in the Encore, I walked over to the Wynn, and was relieved to be there. I felt less cramped, and I liked the lack of red/pink Asian lantern lights in the Wynn. It felt bigger and less claustrophobic. If I had to choose one or the other, it would be Wynn.

Because of the size and high ceilings, I also prefer the Mandalay Bay to Encore. I also prefer Palazzo.

I am NOT saying that I don’t like Encore, or that I will not play there … because I definitely will … but Wynn is still my favorite of the two. Clocking in at 6′3” and 190lbs, I am a big guy. Encore felt a little cramped to me. The damn lamps made me feel a bit crowded. When I got back to the Wynn, I felt like I could breathe again. Perhaps Encore will grow on me when the initial crowds thin, but I like the elbow-room in the Wynn casino better, I like the Wynn poker room, and I like the Wynn buffet.

Along with the Bellagio, the Wynn has been the premiere luxury resort on The Strip. As a matter of fact, given the choice, I would always choose the Wynn over any hotel in Las Vegas if it purely came down to pure luxury and comfort.

I was present for the opening of Wynn Las Vegas, and was one of the very first members of the public through its doors.

Today, I could not help but feel a slight bit of Deja-Vu when I walked through the doors of Encore … but the Encore opening turned out to be less exciting than the Wynn opening. I kept looking for something in the Encore that I couldn’t find elsewhere … the “X” factor that really set it apart from all other places on The Strip.

There are far more similarities than there are differences. If you are feeling left out because you missed the opening of the hotel, don’t sweat it too much. If you’ve been to the Wynn, then for all intents and purposes, you have been to Encore.

Was the hysteria, hype, and build-up to the Encore warranted?

No.

Not at all.

I’m a little embarrassed by the way we have reacted to the event and have blown it out of proportion. If we keep hyping this one, we risk losing credibility.

I know that the reviews are going to be positive across the board, and they very well should be positive, but NOT gushing. Encore is a nice piece of work. As was The Wynn, and The Palazzo, and The Venetian, and The Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay … I could go on and on.

I can’t tell you what to think and what not to think, but I can just give you my own advice. Don’t believe too much of what you read with regards to the place being some kind of place above all others. We desperately need good publicity right now, and the Encore gives us the perfect opportunity to manufacture that hype … but I always shoot people straight without regards to marketing and promotion. I take a fair amount of shit for doing that, but sometimes people really do just want to know the real deal.

Should everyone hop on a plane and head to Las Vegas at once?

Well, yes. But not because of Encore.

The Encore is definitely worth seeing, but the new Mirage Volcano is far more exciting. If you can only see one … see the Volcano.

If you are able to head up to the Encore afterward, then by all means do so. It’s almost certainly worth seeing, staying, and playing.

As a second tower to The Wynn, The Encore probably should have opened a bit more quietly with a bit less fanfare.  Hype often does a disservice to a property. It almost always builds expectations to a higher point than can reasonably be met.

Encore is not a game-changer like The Mirage was 20 years ago, which kicked off Vegas 2.0, it’s not even close. If anything, it is the closing chapter of the current incarnation of Las Vegas. It’s the last “big casino” from the aging set of men that brought us the Mirage and ushered in the state of Las Vegas we see before us now.

All of this being said, I will be a frequent visitor to the Encore from this day forth, because I live within a few stones throw of the property. I like a nice casino as much as the next person. As I continue to play at the Encore and visit guests in the rooms over the next year, I will no doubt make many reports from there.

If you follow any of my columns, you will no doubt see and hear much more about the place in the future.

Steve Wynn absolutely does deserve kudos for managing his balance sheet, and opening a property in this economy. I like to make fun of his god-like following, and I’m not a huge fan of the seriousness in which he takes himself, but much respect is due for what he has been able to accomplish.

There is no doubt that when it comes to actually running profitable casinos, Steve Wynn is better than the rest. You don’t have to be a rabid fan to have mad respect for a man’s accomplishments, and Steve and his properties absolutely deserve respect.

It would just be a little more palatable if the local media and alternative press could give Steve his props without wiping his ass with their noses.

Anyway …

Now that the Encore is officially open, I am now cautiously looking forward to City Center, Fontainebleau, and the beta release of Vegas 3.0

After a couple of decades of “pretty” resorts, I’m ready for something truly unique.

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