One of the first and greatest casinos in town, the Flamingo made gambling on the Strip what it is today. Bugsy Siegel’s vision to bring folks from Reno and downtown the new and improved Las Vegas Strip turned out to be a pretty good idea. However, in 1946 Bugsy could’ve never predicted the number of tables that would be necessary to accommodate crowds of today’s standards. So although rich in tradition, the casino inside the Flamingo is relatively small and certainly crowded. Popular table games like blackjack, Pai Gow, roulette, baccarat, and craps are the favorites at the Flamingo. Slot machines range from a nickel up to $100. All players in the casino have the opportunity to belong to the Harrah’s players club which allows comps at all of the Harrah’s properties. Most gamblers in Vegas stick to their favorites when it comes to Harrah’s versus MGM-Mirage players clubs. When it comes to comps at the Flamingo, it seems that they are pretty generous. Players betting $25 hands or better will most likely receive free food and shows, while players betting $100 or better will receive free or discounted room rates. Most games have $10 minimums which is standard for the nicer Strip hotels.

The Flamingo has a great sports book. It’s intimate, but that really what makes it nice. It’s also refreshing to find a sports book that focuses more on the races. The reason for this might be because Bugsy Siegel himself loved the races. In fact, going to the races was one of his favorite things to do. It has even been rumored that the hotel is named after the flamingos that used to hang out around his favorite racetrack in Florida. He thought the flamingos brought good luck and many said this is how the hotel got its name. The race and sports book is small with around 30 TVs, 17 of which are dedicated to racing. There are 40 seats and couches for sports fans and 36 seats for race fans. There are also 13 windows for racing and 2 for sports betting. There is also a snack bar nearby for dedicated bettors who don’t want to travel far.

The poker room is large but only partially secluded from the casino which can make it a little hard to concentrate if you’re not a professional. The room consists of eleven tables offering 7-card Stud, Hold-em, and no limit Hold-em. The room can get crowded but chances are you will be able to find a seat at almost any time of day. Drinks are free while playing and you earn a dollar in other comps per hour of play. The players at this hotel are mostly amateurs so don’t expect to find any real intense games. There’s mostly just tourists playing for fun.