- A free inside look at Hollywood Casino salary trends based on 960 salaries wages for 400 jobs at Hollywood Casino. Salaries posted anonymously by Hollywood Casino employees.
- They only pay 6 to 5 on a blackjack, in other words $18 on a $15 bet blackjack. If they had 3 to 2 tables ( like every other casino ), would be a little more tolerable. Perfect pairs on blackjack only pay $75, which is paid $150 at MGM Detroit.
Hollywood Casino Toledo hosted a media day Monday to give a first look inside the building. The grand opening is set for May 29. First look inside Hollywood Casino Toledo wtol.com.
The casino opened Monday, October 8th. I stopped in for a quick look.Blackjack- Eight decks, DOA, DAS, H17, no late surrender. I'm going to assume split 4x and no RSA. Nearly all tables were $25 min. Saw two $15 tables. No CSM's, no 6/5 games. Many slow, inexperienced dealers. Crappy game, but did observe some opportunities for advantage play.
Craps- $15 min. 2x odds. Seriously, 2x odds! They should be ashamed!
Non-smoking (awesome!), Beers around $4 not including tip (cannot comp alcohol). Very nice facility, but located in the ghetto. They should have built the casino in downtown Columbus.
PA blackjack rules, (mandated by law: 3:2, S17, late surrender)
no need to play anywhere else.
Correct, no surrender or RSA at Columbus. Have to remember though, MOST bj players think surrender is a bad rule for them
Absolutely. I asked the dealer if surrender was available, and was told no. Another player made the comment 'that's good because surrender is a sucker bet.'
Very nice facility, but located in the ghetto. .
Yet another reason to avoid OH.
The casino opened Monday, October 8th. I stopped in for a quick look.
Blackjack- Eight decks, DOA, DAS, H17, no late surrender. I'm going to assume split 4x and no RSA. Nearly all tables were $25 min. Saw two $15 tables. No CSM's, no 6/5 games. Many slow, inexperienced dealers. Crappy game, but did observe some opportunities for advantage play.
Craps- $15 min. 2x odds. Seriously, 2x odds! They should be ashamed!
Non-smoking (awesome!), Beers around $4 not including tip (cannot comp alcohol). Very nice facility, but located in the ghetto. They should have built the casino in downtown Columbus.
I'm heading out there to check it out (I used to live there but moved for work recently). I imagine it looks like EVERY OTHER HOLLYWOOD, so I'll be more surprised if it doesn't.
2x odds??? My low opinion of Penn just somewhat sunk lower... I guess they don't want to jeopardize Hollywood Lawrenceburg.
Yet, they still have packed casinos...
-B
Hollywood Toledo Casino
It looks pretty much like every other new or renovated Hollywood, though the middle bar is called O.H. (with respect to the O-H-I-O chant OSU fans are crazy about). Layouts and payouts are near identical to Toledo (except for the 2x odds, which still floors me. I mean, even VEGAS CET properties offer 3x-4x-5x odds). Most standard carnival poker games are offered, nearly all at $15 minimums, though I did see a few $10 Four Card tables.
The poker room looks huge, and I saw a bunch of people I recognized from Gemini Players Club. It's only a matter of time before either 1) Hollywood goes after the individual clubs or 2) The weight of the competition bears down on the clubs. When it's all said and done, I'd be surprised if 2-3 clubs survive.
I did see 7-5 Bonus Poker on a $1 progressive. I didn't have much of a chance to check out anything else. One thing I did notice though is that aren't a lot of the big community gaming slots that are popular now, i.e. Clue, Deal or No Deal, Leprechaun's Gold. The layout reminds me of Toledo, though it feels like Toledo has more space. One of the pit supervisors I recognized from Toledo felt that Columbus felt bigger to her.
I agree the dealers are mostly new, but they did get some people who transferred, so it's spotty. Procedures (like at Horseshoe) are kind of whatever the dealer wants to do.
Supposedly, the cards for Lawrenceburg, Toledo, Columbus, Grantville PA and Charles Town, WV are now all linked. I opted for that, got Producer status. Then when I asked about comps, they said I had none. They said it may take 24 hours to update though, so I'm not upset yet... well, more than I ever am when I go to a Hollywood property.
I've been to both, and I think MGM Grand's casino is way bigger than Hollywood Columbus. Can anyone confirm the 171,000 square footage for MGM Grand? I suspect it's much bigger than that.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/28/casino-indictments.html
I have no idea why anyone would feel the need to cheat at Hollywood Columbus???
The dealers are so incompetent, anyone with a pair of eyes (actually one eye is enough),
and a brain can be an advantage player at this place.
I were a straight BJ player, no counting, I would choose there over Detroit just to avoid the smoke. (Rules are the same for low-limits.)
I've resplit Aces into four hands before in Detroit. No such luck at Hollywood Toledo.
Now if only they'd have better BJ rules...
When they first opened I got a mispay in my favor every time I went. That was about three or four times. I'm sure they are much sharper now. Nice place. If I were a straight BJ player, no counting, I would choose there over Detroit just to avoid the smoke. (Rules are the same for low-limits.)
I benefit from a mispay every shoe at Hollywood Columbus. The dealers are incompetent. Rules suck, but penetration is good.
Never made the trek to Hollywood Toledo; probably never will. I will stop if passing by, but that's it.
Tilt or anybody familiar. Is that 10% on first $50 and $1 bad beat ????
I normally reserve reports like these to my blog, but Hollywood Casino- Toledo (HCT) opened up last Monday to relatively less fanfare, since Horseshoe Cleveland was the first (and more prominent) and Scioto Downs covered the Central Ohio market pretty well. Scioto Downs is only slots and VP, so I'll get down there eventually, but I guess the crowds are still ridiculous. HCT is also close enough to the Michigan markets where gambling has been present for years.
On a whim, I decided to drive up last night and check it out. Toledo is about 2 hours from where I live, and the drive is surprisingly easy, despite it being highway most of the way. The casino is located RIGHT OFF I-75; I kid you not, it'snmaybe a 100 yards off the interstate. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Midwest casino that close before. My GPS doesn't recognize the place yet, so I was worried about getting there on the last leg of the route... just take exit 199 off I-75 and you truly can't miss it....
The parking garage is towards the back, and there are blocked roads that are a bit confusing at first going into the property. I think this is not a great idea, since it could lead to a backup on a main road, which in turn, could cause congestion on the interstate. At 11:30 pm on Thursday evening, this wasn't going to be an issue. There are two entrances, one from the parking garage and the other from valet towards the front.
If you haven't been to a Hollywood Casino, let me say the theme is nothing short of impressive, even by Vegas standards. There is a TON to look at, and walking around the casino will be a pleasure, with all the ads and colors and sights. If you come through the parking garage entrance, the huge wave screen will probably overwhelm you the first time you see it...
And that's part of the problem. Hollywood Casino uses a cookie-cutter model for all of its casinos, so if you've been in one of the updated ones (Lawrenceburg, the PA one, Joliet, and I assume KC), they are basically all the same. To me, I like walking around and discovering what makes a casino unique; here, I just look for which design elements they put where. I didn't see the big hanging balls (IF YOU'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT); otherwise, the wave screen, the gaudy red carpet, the large stone pillars... it's all there.
The layout reminds me a bit of a spread-out River City casino in St Louis. The middle has a bar area and a lounge that serves food called Scene (which is the first time I've seen that at a Hollywood). Both entrances will feature table games near there, though the valet entrance is an overflow pit. On both sides of the bar that separates the areas there are slot machines. The poker room is near the valet entrance. All VP is concentrated in an area near the poker room. Two Smoking areas (since Ohio is smoke-free) take you to an outside area that is still connected to the casino. The High Limit room is in the back corner, not too far from the combined cashier/player's club sign-ups. For now, they do have a separate sign up area, though it wasn't open when I got there before midnight. Food options are in the opposite back corner, all in a row, including the 24-hour grill (Take 2), Epic Buffet and Final Cut Steakhouse. Yep, it's a Hollywood Casino....
Table games offered include BJ*, Roulette (0,00), Craps (3-4-5x odds, Fire bet, forgot field, but assume it's double on 12), Mini-Baccarat on tall tables, Pai Gow Poker**, Ultimate Texas Hold Em***, Mississippi Stud, Let It Ride, Crazy 4, TCP w/ Progressive (40-30-6-3-1) and a Big 6 Wheel.
*BJ- I didn't play and forgot to ask specific rules... however, when I got there, the table wording looked like it was S17. Then I actually read it, and it says 'Dealer must draw to 16 and soft 17 and stand on hard 17s' I think this is VERY deceptive; it might be how they word it up in MI, so I can't get too mad. I know AC does the same type of wording too.
**PGP- This is what I played that evening. However, I MUST post their bonus payout, since I think it is officially the STRANGEST paytable I've ever seen for Fortune.
7-card SF NJ- 5000:1, Envy $2500
RF + RM- 1000:1, Envy $500
7-card SF w/J- 500:1, Envy $250
5 Aces- 300:1, Envy $150
Royal- 110:1, Envy $55
Straight Flush- 45:1, Envy $25
Quads- 25:1 Envy $6
The rest is all standard 5,4,3,2 no two pair bonus.
Even though the dealer was new, she agreed that a 110:1 payout and 45:1 payout didn't make any sense. The Envy bonuses are a bit more generous than I've seen especially for the more frequent. I didn't see a max aggregate, but there was one on Crazy 4 so there has to be one for PGP.
***UTH- I like this game, but they put the crappy 20-7-6-5-3 paytable on the trips. If MGM still offers the nicer paytable (30-9-7-4-3), head up an hour north and risk your life for it...
Table minimums were high, but not insane like at Horseshoe ($15 for most games, including PGP, which to me is low). Also do not get the $500 chips unless you want to be scrutinized. The pit supervisor said it takes about 20 minutes to verify that amount on the cameras, so just ask for $100 chips, and you'll be okay.
I won't even mention Video Poker, because you'd be better off playing slots. I check for two games, BP and JoB. The BEST JoB I saw was 8-5 and that was at the $2 level. At .25, you get 6-5. No thanks! Poker room rake is 10% to $6 which is too high, but that's where Detroit has been for years, so I get that, I guess... It was mostly 1-2 with 200 max being played.
They are currently doing a match card level promotion, so I'm already a Celebrity (2nd tier) with them. I got my card after I played, since the line was ridiculous when I got there. I took my card to the pit, where Gary the supervisor gave me full credit for my 2 hours of play...
Which leads me to the service, which was surprisingly good! I say surprisingly, since Hollywood's are becoming notorious for awful service. Our main PGP dealer Amy was great, though she forgot to thank me for tipping. Her relief was excellent, fast and did thank me. He was also very knowledgeable so if you're on here, good work! The last dealer before I left was very slow and not sure exactly what she was doing. This is to be expected in a new casino. I laughed when other players were barking that they couldn't bank; do you think some of these dealers could handle that on TOP of everything else?? I don't think so...
In comparison to Horseshoe Cleveland, Horseshoe has MUCH better games all around. The layout of Hollywood is 1000x better though, as it's much more spacious and not crammed into an old department store. The parking is obviously better and the smoking areas were much better planned. Food options are also not an issue at Hollywood. Service right now is a draw between the two properties, but rest assured, Penn will screw that up after a while, so I'll give the slight edge to Horseshoe.
OVERALL, despite my spite towards Penn National, I have to say they did a decent job in Toledo. Time will tell if Toledo can truly support a full-scale casino after they are up and running all over in Ohio. My guess is that it will be a no, and when Penn makes it their own, the service will go downhill fast. That could be enough to send the border people up to Detroit again. Maybe.
Hollywood Casino Toledo Facebook
I thought I'd give a partial update on some of the offerings at HWC Toledo.BJ: rules haven't changed but they have installed many CSM's. I will check if RSA is allowed or not. Not sure how many decks in the CSM, but I assume 6. Shoes are still 8D. High limit is S17 & 6D.
VP: at the 25¢ & 50¢ levels, all of the JoB type games (including BP, DB, DDB, SDDB etc.) are at the 8/5 level. TDB is 9/5. DW is the lousy 20 for 1 for the wild royal. But at the $1 & $2 level you get the 99.92% Triple Deuces (10/8) where Four Deuces pay 3000 credits. All other games are still at the 8/5 level, so no improvement there. High limit is actually the same or worse, so I would advise anyone to ignore it. On top of that, there are only a couple of machines in there. There is a MultiStrike in there but I think the pays are lousy as well. Overall, the best paying games are the 25¢-$2 8/5 SDDB(99.69%), $1-$2 TDW(99.92%) and 8/5 BP(99.17%). Most gimmick (UX, STP, SP, etc.) games typically have the same or lower pay tables.
There is no cash back. Points you see accruing on the machine are tier points. The display also shows accruing comp value for that session. Comps were slow to rack up here but have improved a bit (There's a Monday promo been going on the last few months where you get 5x comps).
UTH: they still have the crappy Trips bet so avoid that as well. Two tables.
TCP: 4/3/1 ante bonus. Six card bonus and $1 progressive as well but should be avoided anyway. Two tables.
LIR: still going strong here. One table.
Miss. Stud: two tables.
Craps: didn't check out any rule but will on next visit.
PGP: usually $25 minimum, but I have seen $15 on a very limited basis. I believe the side bet is the same. Will check on next visit.
Scene lounge has decent burgers and a good (to me) T-Bone steak. Avoid the paper thin pizza. While ok, you need to eat it with a knife and fork. Other than that, the menu is quite small. The food court has typical fare, burgers etc. My favorite is the steak hoagie. We haven't tried Final Cut Steakhouse yet as it would take years to rack up the appropriate amount of comps and I sure as hell am not paying cash for over priced food.
If there's anything I missed, I'll check on the next visit.
The dealer paid me $12.
I told the dealer I didn't realize it was a 6:5 table and immediately colored up.
He told me that the $10 tables are 6:5 and the $15+ tables are 3:2. Prior to that they had never had 6:5 tables.
Last time I was at Hollywood Toledo I sat down at a $10 BJ table and my first hand was a blackjack.
The dealer paid me $12.
I told the dealer I didn't realize it was a 6:5 table and immediately colored up.
He told me that the $10 tables are 6:5 and the $15 tables are 3:2. Prior to that they had never had 6:5 tables.
I did not see this anywhere. I saw many $10 blackjack get $15. Possible they tried it and it didn't last. Greektown did have some 6:5 at one time then scrapped it. I will definitely look and ask next time.
I did not see this anywhere. I saw many $10 blackjack get $15. Possible they tried it and it didn't last. Greektown did have some 6:5 at one time then scrapped it. I will definitely look and ask next time.
This was over a year ago. I haven't been back since (never really been a fan of that casino in the first place).
Hopefully it was a failed experiment.
Hopefully it was a failed experiment.
It probably was, just as it was at GT. Unfortunately, the suckers flock to it like flies on $h!t on the weekends at MGM. And with $100 bets too!!