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By SCOTT LONG
Published January 28, 2005
tbt* files
The lights of the Biloxi casinos look even brighter when you know you got a great deal getting there.
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Are these "casino vacations" to Biloxi I see advertised really a good deal?
Smart gamblers look for every edge once inside a casino. Here's an opportunity to gain an edge before you arrive. By packaging your airfare, hotel and more together, these trips are a groovy -- and affordable -- way to get in some Vegas-style gaming over a long weekend on Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
Grand Casinos and Beau Rivage offer these deals, using regularly scheduled flights on AirTran Airways from Tampa International. (Competition, though, has gotten scarcer since Southeast Airlines, which flew similar trips on their jets from St. Petersburg/Clearwater International, went belly up last year).
Included in the price is your nonstop airfare, hotel room, transfers to and from the Gulfport/Biloxi airport and one meal a day. Sometimes, extras such as spa passes or gaming coupons are thrown in, too.
To drive home how sweet of a deal these trips are, consider this: I was quoted a rate of $266.50 per person for a two-night trip March 11-13 to Grand Casino Gulfport. On AirTran's Web site, airfare is $266.40. That's right -- your hotel, transfers and meals cost you a dime.
Beau Rivage (1-800-261-9548), brought to us by Vegas hotel superstar Steve Wynn, is certainly the class of the Gulf Coast, but the Grand Casinos properties (toll-free 1-866-472-6399) are classy as well. Choose the Grand Casino Biloxi if you like to get around (two casinos are within walking distance, and tourist spots abound) or Grand Casino Gulfport if you like to swim (it has a jazzy pool area with a lazy river).
One important note: Don't jet off to Biloxi expecting the total Vegas experience. You'll find 12 casinos, all offering your favorite games, headliners and production shows, 24 hours a day. But you won't find nightlife like Vegas' ghostbar, VooDoo Lounge or rumjungle. If you're under 35, you can count on being one of the youngest gamblers on that jet.
Is poker the only casino game that has tournaments?
No way. Certainly, the TV craze has given poker tournaments the most attention, but just about every casino game -- blackjack, craps and even keno -- has a tournament form.
This month, the Ocean Jewel , which sails out of St. Petersburg, held daily slot machine tournaments, which are perhaps the most popular tournaments after poker. You pay a small fee, and then wail away on the slot button until time runs out. That's it -- no strategy needed. If you get one of the highest scores, you win.
But in Vegas, Biloxi and elsewhere, you can find tournaments that last a day or a weekend, complete with hotel rooms, food and drink included in the entry fee. The Las Vegas Advisor (www.lasvegasadvisor.com) has a good list of Vegas tournaments, but the best way to learn about them is to register for e-mail updates at the home page of your favorite casinos.
Have a gaming question you want answered? Just e-mail it to long@tampabay.com yes, this e-mail address is finally working!.
[Last modified January 27, 2005, 16:21:14]
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