Chicago Sun-Times: How local casinos rate with readers

Stuffing the ballot box may be a grand old Chicago tradition-but not in my column. When I announced my first Best of Chicago Gaming poll and printed a ballot in this space July 7, I expected there would be attempts to, ahem, influence the results. I caught blatant tries by three operations to stuff the ballot box, all by snail mail. I'm not going to say who or how, but look, folks, I'm not stupid, and I was less than thrilled with the extra work the stuffing attempts created. I tossed out hundreds of tainted ballots. I made a game out of it after a while. My wife would show me an unopened, suspect envelope, and I'd tell her what the ballot inside said. I never missed. One reader thanked me for giving the players a voice, and that's what I intend to do. Many of you sent letters and comments with your ballots. We'll look at some of those next Friday. Meanwhile, here's how you voted for the Best of Chicago Gaming. BEST BLACKJACK-Empress Joliet: The vote was overwhelming for Empress Joliet, which has six-deck blackjack in which the dealer stands on all 17s, players may double down after splits and may resplit Aces. The runner-up was Trump, which does not allow resplitting Aces, but which does offer late surrender and always has $5 tables. BEST CRAPS-Empress Joliet: Craps players seem to love the 100x odds at the Empresses. Empress Joliet was a runaway winner, with Empress Hammond second. BEST ROULETTE-Hollywood: Readers gave no explanation, but the margin was wide. Majestic Star, with the lowest table minimums in the area, was second. BEST BACCARAT-Harrah's East Chicago: Few readers voted in this category, but half of those who did voted for Harrah's. BEST CARIBBEAN STUD-Trump: The $2.50 minimum antes, also available at Majestic Star, probably swung this vote. BEST TABLE POKER-Harrah's East Chicago: With 15 tables, this is the busiest poker room in the area. The smaller room at Empress Joliet also drew support. BEST OVERALL TABLE GAMES-Empress Joliet: The winner in the two most popular table games, blackjack and craps, was also a runaway winner here. BEST REEL SLOTS-Harrah's Joliet: Harrah's East Chicago also ranked high, as did Empress Joliet. BEST VIDEO SLOTS-Empress Joliet: Up-to-date nickel video slots on the top floors of the Empress boats proved popular with voters. BEST OVERALL SLOTS-Harrah's East Chicago: No. 2 in both reel slots and video slots, Harrah's East Chicago ran away with the overall slots voting. BEST VIDEO POKER-Empress Joliet: The $1 10-7 Double Bonus Poker with a progressive jackpot remains the best video poker game in the area. BEST DEALERS-Harrah's East Chicago: Runner-up was Trump. BEST SERVICE-Harrah's East Chicago: A number of readers commented on improving service at runner-up Empress Joliet. BEST COMPS-Empress Hammond: Triple Points Tuesday and Double Points Wednesday carried the vote. Empress Joliet was second. BEST PLAYERS CLUB-Empress Joliet: Several voters mentioned a combination of being able to cash in their own points together with bonus cash. BEST BUFFET-Grand Victoria: The Elgin boat is the longtime leader, but readers said Empress Hammond is catching up. BEST STEAK HOUSE-Fairbanks at Hollywood: Several readers recommended the Sunday brunch. Both Empresses drew support. BEST FOOD SERVICE-Empress Joliet: The Alexandria steak house is a contender, Cafe Casablanca might be the best sit-down lunch option at area casinos, and there's a separate buffet. BEST HOTEL-Harrah's Joliet: Harrah's raised the bar for area casinos when its hotel opened last year. BEST SELF-PARKING- Harrah's East Chicago: It's the easiest garage to get around, with an elevator that lets you off right at the pavilion. BEST VALET PARKING-Harrah's Joliet: Readers said their cars were returned fastest here. BEST OVERALL CASINO-Empress Joliet: It came down to the casino voted best in table games vs. the one voted best in slots. Empress edged Harrah's East Chicago by a narrow margin, with Hollywood third. MAJESTIC SIGNING: I'll be in Gary on Sunday for a book signing hosted by Majestic Star. My Video Poker Answer Book, Slot Machine Answer Book and Casino Answer Book are being introduced into the gift shop at Gary's Buffington Harbor Pavilion, and I'll be signing from 4 to 7 p.m. Hope to see you there. Sunday in Real Life: meeting readers. E-mail John Grochowski at BetKol@aol.com