vpFREE2 Forums

Mono Wind Casino - Trip Report

#1

Not long ago I didn't even know there was another casino in the Fresno area. I saw it mentioned on the internet, it's called Mono Wind Casino, and it is just past Auberry, California. I had never been to Auberry before today. There is a good chance I will never visit Auberry again.

Mono Wind Casino is the smallest Indian casino I have ever seen. It's a tough drive up a fair incline, I would recommend one go in the daylight if you have never been there before. That is, if I were to recommend visiting there at all. I do not. I don't want to bad-mouth them for being small, sometimes small is good. But if you are looking for playable video poker, this small is bad. They have a lot of video poker machines mixed in with your typical slots, mostly IGT machines. They all appear to be set with the same pay tables. All are in increments of 25-cents to $1. They have, <drum roll, please>, 7-5 JoB, 6-5 Bonus Poker, 9-6-4 Double Bonus, and the same awful schedules for several other games that all fall within the 96% return range. To me that is an insult. AN INSULT! I did not even bother to join the slot club. It might be the best slot club in all the universe as far as I know, but why bother? It was just awful. To me this is very near-sighted of whoever is running the show there. With those schedules they might as well just put a gun to your head and take your money. No players stand a chance.

And so, with that, I stayed about 20 minutes. I had seen enough. Oh sure, there might be a "mistake" on one of the machines, but I did not check every machine in the joint. I did check MOST of them, though. They sucked!

So I looked for a restroom before I left for the long drive down the hill. The Bellagio it ain't. The men's room had a hook lock on the door, and one toilet, no urinals. It was like a gas station restroom. An old gas station. Never again! I had to satisfy my curiosity once I heard of the place, so now I know. It's a waste of space.

Sorry Mono Wind, I am sorry to be so negative. Maybe you'll learn someday to give your players a decent game. But what you offer as of now, you ought to be ashamed. What a rip off!

-BB

#2

Yes I will agree..I went once on a trip to Table Mountain...just because i figured WTH...LOL. This has to be the biggest joke of a casino I've ever saw. Absolutely nothing playable. They have a "pit" however it's closed most of the time (and it's the only place I've ever saw a Pai Gow table NOT have the fortune bonus sidebet)
I'd even put it lower than Chicken Ranch...

#3

Thanks, Tim, and I know what you meant in your post but just to clarify to other readers in case they misunderstand, Table Mountain is very nice. It's a first rate casino in my opinion.

Anyway, Mono Wind needs to have an attitude adjustment. I know what they're thinking. They're thinking they want to grind up every player who enters their doors. They are thinking that more means more, but really less means more. They don't understand that they would get more business by giving players a fair shake for their gambling dollar. They need advice from the ghost of Benny Binion. And besides, even for the locals, why not go to the other two major casinos that are within reasonable driving range? One really has to be clueless to sit there and play 6-5 Bonus Poker.

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--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "TIMSPEED" <corvetteracing87@...> wrote:

Yes I will agree..I went once on a trip to Table Mountain...just because i figured WTH...LOL. This has to be the biggest joke of a casino I've ever saw. Absolutely nothing playable. They have a "pit" however it's closed most of the time (and it's the only place I've ever saw a Pai Gow table NOT have the fortune bonus sidebet)
I'd even put it lower than Chicken Ranch...

#4

How many people did you see playing vP there?
My aunt LOVES to go there...however she ONLY plays slots. My uncle ONLY plays the 5c Cleopatra machine there (yes the ONE machine there)
I will admit, the free Dr. Pepper was nice, LOL.
Funny story...the one time I went, I hit $860 playing video keno...you'd think I won $1M, considering it took them like a damn HOUR to pay it off.
I haven't been to Table Mountain in a LONG time, but last time I was there it was expanded...
I go to Chuckchansi regularly for their Wednesday Seafood/Steak buffet though.

···

And besides, even for the locals, why not go to the other two major casinos that are within reasonable driving range? One really has to be clueless to sit there and play 6-5 Bonus Poker.

#5

Thanks for the report on the Mono Wind. I was going to make a trip up the hill someday as it is only about 15 miles from Table Mountain. I think I will just skip it... however- their web site says "The winning happens here" LOL

Table Mountain has some very playable games, but I am not sure I would call it a first class casino. The clientele seems to have a higher than normal ratio of smokers, and my lungs can only take so much.

While we are on the subject, I was wondering if anyone has checked out the Tachi casino out in Lemore? I was there years ago when they called themselves the Palace casino. Talk about a long drive. As I remember there was not much to play, but I had a great Mexican food lunch. They did not have a hotel when I was there.

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "bobbartop" <bobbartop@...> wrote:

Not long ago I didn't even know there was another casino in the Fresno area. I saw it mentioned on the internet, it's called Mono Wind Casino, and it is just past Auberry, California. I had never been to Auberry before today. There is a good chance I will never visit Auberry again.

Mono Wind Casino is the smallest Indian casino I have ever seen. It's a tough drive up a fair incline, I would recommend one go in the daylight if you have never been there before. That is, if I were to recommend visiting there at all. I do not. I don't want to bad-mouth them for being small, sometimes small is good. But if you are looking for playable video poker, this small is bad. They have a lot of video poker machines mixed in with your typical slots, mostly IGT machines. They all appear to be set with the same pay tables. All are in increments of 25-cents to $1. They have, <drum roll, please>, 7-5 JoB, 6-5 Bonus Poker, 9-6-4 Double Bonus, and the same awful schedules for several other games that all fall within the 96% return range. To me that is an insult. AN INSULT! I did not even bother to join the slot club. It might be the best slot club in all the universe as far as I know, but why bother? It was just awful. To me this is very near-sighted of whoever is running the show there. With those schedules they might as well just put a gun to your head and take your money. No players stand a chance.

And so, with that, I stayed about 20 minutes. I had seen enough. Oh sure, there might be a "mistake" on one of the machines, but I did not check every machine in the joint. I did check MOST of them, though. They sucked!

So I looked for a restroom before I left for the long drive down the hill. The Bellagio it ain't. The men's room had a hook lock on the door, and one toilet, no urinals. It was like a gas station restroom. An old gas station. Never again! I had to satisfy my curiosity once I heard of the place, so now I know. It's a waste of space.

Sorry Mono Wind, I am sorry to be so negative. Maybe you'll learn someday to give your players a decent game. But what you offer as of now, you ought to be ashamed. What a rip off!

-BB

#6

I was there a couple months ago (In May)
Let me say..HELL NO is there any decent vP.
There is ONE multi-game that has 9/5 JoB Spin Poker on it, and it might not even be there anymore...

···

While we are on the subject, I was wondering if anyone has checked out the Tachi casino out in Lemoore? I was there years ago when they called themselves the Palace casino. Talk about a long drive. As I remember there was not much to play, but I had a great Mexican food lunch. They did not have a hotel when I was there.

#7

I can give you a good report on Tachi. First of all, ALL of their video poker has auto-hold. I have never seen a casino like that before. About a year ago they had six old Game Kings in the "tunnel", that were playable. They also had auto-hold that was not accurate. For instance, it kept one pair instead of two-pair on the Deuces Wild game, which had a 1-2-3-4-4 structure. But anyway, those machines are gone.

The standard menu here is 8-5 JoB, 7-5 BP, 9-6-5 DB, etc. They do have 9-5 JoB at the bar. The bar is very crowded during drinking hours. About a month ago they had perhaps eight brand new Bally Game Makers that had 9-5 JoB and 9-6 DDB. These machines did NOT have auto-hold. Alas, these machines were swapped out for eight brand new Bally SLOTS just a few weeks ago. Odd, I don't know why they did that, the Game Makers were popular. It was probably a Bally decision.

They have some progressives for dollars, across the aisle from the bar. The pay tables are poor, and they get very little play. Typically you can walk by and see EVERY machine being played for Keno!

They also have a bank of dollar machines that have PNSU and a version of Pick'em that is less than full pay.

They currently have two Ultimate X games in the corner, ALL set at dismal pay schedules. Also, they have four Multi Strikes, five-play, and guess what, they too have dismal schedules.

So, in summary, it's a nice casino, with a new hotel, a good restaurant, BUT THEIR VIDEO POKER SUCKS!!!

In regards to the auto-hold, I think this will explain their motive. It is a farming area in the Central Valley. This is not a sophisticated audience. So, I think they just want to treat video poker like a slot machine. The unsophisticated players can come in and just press the buttons, without thinking. And, of course, they can do so and lose their money. Maybe not quite as fast as they would on the slots, but fast nonetheless. I personally think the casino is making a mistake with the auto-hold. But I am nobody.

I give the casino a good rating for its entertainment value. Nice hotel too. Someday, maybe they will change their mind and add some better games to their floor. But like I said, as it stands now, the menu is dismal and essentially unplayable. I wish they would add some decent progressives, with NO auto-hold.

-BB

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "TIMSPEED" <corvetteracing87@...> wrote:

I was there a couple months ago (In May)
Let me say..HELL NO is there any decent vP.
There is ONE multi-game that has 9/5 JoB Spin Poker on it, and it might not even be there anymore...

> While we are on the subject, I was wondering if anyone has checked out the Tachi casino out in Lemoore? I was there years ago when they called themselves the Palace casino. Talk about a long drive. As I remember there was not much to play, but I had a great Mexican food lunch. They did not have a hotel when I was there.

#8

The Palace/Tachi in Lemoore is not NEARLY as "far" as EAGLE MOUNTAIN CASINO.
Lemoore is an easy straight shot (almost a freeway) 30 minutes West of route 99
and the casino is 2 whole blocks from the hwy. I been there several times, but
not recently since they built the hotel, so I won't comment on the VP.

So instead I decided to do a recon on Eagle Mountain. It's 17 grueling winding
miles into the mountains from Portersville, which is itself 15 miles from Hwy
99. One way in and one way out. Not much street lighting either. Not for the
fait of heart and certainly not at night.

There are some Game Kings in the "back area" that accommodate a multitude of VP
games. My wife hit FOUR DEUCES right away. I played for about an hour 1/2
before I also hit FOUR DEUCES, so all-in-all, not bad. There are other games
available and the pay tables differ from 25c to 50c so pay attention. There are
8 full pay DD in the no smoking area against the wall. They also accommodate
Deuces Wild. The buffet is inexpensive (under $8) but it closed early on me
(Mon Tue at 5pm) so I can't comment on the food quality. Other nights open till
7pm. They have a food court if you miss the buffet. Very reasonable prices.

···

________________________________
From: TIMSPEED <corvetteracing87@yahoo.com>
To: vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 10, 2010 12:42:48 PM
Subject: [vpFREE_California] Re: Mono Wind Casino - Trip Report

I was there a couple months ago (In May)
Let me say..HELL NO is there any decent vP.
There is ONE multi-game that has 9/5 JoB Spin Poker on it, and it might not even
be there anymore...

While we are on the subject, I was wondering if anyone has checked out the
Tachi casino out in Lemoore? I was there years ago when they called themselves
the Palace casino. Talk about a long drive. As I remember there was not much to
play, but I had a great Mexican food lunch. They did not have a hotel when I was
there.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#9

Haha, wow, I'm suprised anyone brought up Eagle Mountain...I haven't been there in a LOOOONG time, but like you said, it's a grueling 17 miles to get there (once you cross over into the 'Res, it's open country)
Seems like I remember there being a COUPLE playable games, but they were CONTINUALLY in use the entire time I was there...

#10

Don't forget to count the speed bumps and if you get behind a slow car or bus, forget about it. The casino is in a cul-de-sac and is hard to get to. You are better off at Table Mountain or Chuckansi.

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, Ben There and done that <pizzaman_2for1@...> wrote:

So instead I decided to do a recon on Eagle Mountain. It's 17 grueling winding miles into the mountains from Portersville, which is itself 15 miles from Hwy 99. One way in and one way out. Not much street lighting either. Not for the fait of heart and certainly not at night.

#11

It's more than 15 minutes from Table Mountain. I didn't time it but I'll say it was more than 30-40 minutes from Mono Winds to Millerton road to Table Mountain.

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "hamstockman" <ab6pq@...> wrote:

Thanks for the report on the Mono Wind. I was going to make a trip up the hill someday as it is only about 15 miles from Table Mountain. I think I will just skip it... however- their web site says "The winning happens here" LOL

#12

Lots of casinos have autoholds and the autohold is just a recommendation. For example, when you are a dealt quad on 9/6 JOB, the autohold recommends keeping the quad as opposed to all 5 cards. If you read the help section on IGT games, it has a disclaimer on autoholds.

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "bobbartop" <bobbartop@...> wrote:

I can give you a good report on Tachi. First of all, ALL of their video poker has auto-hold. I have never seen a casino like that before. About a year ago they had six old Game Kings in the "tunnel", that were playable. They also had auto-hold that was not accurate. For instance, it kept one pair instead of two-pair on the Deuces Wild game, which had a 1-2-3-4-4 structure. But anyway, those machines are gone.

#13

I believe that holding ONE PAIR on DEUCES WILD is the correct play.

The objective at that point is to TRIP up and save your bet and your chances are
3x better when only holding one pair.

···

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "bobbartop" <bobbartop@...> wrote:

I can give you a good report on Tachi. First of all, ALL of their video poker
has auto-hold. I have never seen a casino like that before. About a year ago
they had six old Game Kings in the "tunnel", that were playable. They also had
auto-hold that was not accurate. For instance, it kept one pair instead of
two-pair on the Deuces Wild game.

________________________________
From: chungsterama <chungsty@yahoo.com>
To: vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 17, 2010 5:52:05 AM
Subject: [vpFREE_California] Re: Mono Wind Casino - Trip Report

--- In vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com, "bobbartop" <bobbartop@...> wrote:

I can give you a good report on Tachi. First of all, ALL of their video poker
has auto-hold. I have never seen a casino like that before. About a year ago
they had six old Game Kings in the "tunnel", that were playable. They also had
auto-hold that was not accurate. For instance, it kept one pair instead of
two-pair on the Deuces Wild game, which had a 1-2-3-4-4 structure. But anyway,
those machines are gone.

Lots of casinos have autoholds and the autohold is just a recommendation. For
example, when you are a dealt quad on 9/6 JOB, the autohold recommends keeping
the quad as opposed to all 5 cards. If you read the help section on IGT games,
it has a disclaimer on autoholds.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#14

So, why is that wrong to hold 4 cards in a dealt quad in JOB, as opposed to
holding 5? That might matter if there were a "kicker" card, like in
Double-Double Bonus, but holding 4 or 5 cards in JOB is exactly the same.

But you're right about not relying on autoholds. I was recently playing Double
Bonus with autohold, and it always wants to hold Ace-10. Also the way it handles
holding 3 unsuited high cards, or unsuited Jack with suited King-10, does not
match the strategy I learned using Video Poker for Winners (and I believe that
one).

      Roberto-Tenore

···

________________________________
From: chungsterama <chungsty@yahoo.com>
To: vpFREE_California@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 17, 2010 5:52:05 AM
Subject: [vpFREE_California] Re: Mono Wind Casino - Trip Report

Lots of casinos have autoholds and the autohold is just a recommendation. For
example, when you are a dealt quad on 9/6 JOB, the autohold recommends keeping
the quad as opposed to all 5 cards. If you read the help section on IGT games,
it has a disclaimer on autoholds.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]