New Rivers Casino  a burst of energy

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3-12-2008 New headshot of John Grochowski. Photo by Dom Najolia, Chicago Sun-Times

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† Harrah’s Joliet was named best Illinois Casino and Horseshoe Hammond best Indiana casino in the annual Readers’ Choice poll in Midwest Gaming and Travel magazine. Winners were named in gaming, service and amenities categories in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. Visit midwestgamingandtravel.com.

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Updated: October 31, 2011 10:40AM

It doesn’t take long to get a feel for exactly where you are in the soon-to-open Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

Within minutes after getting my first look on July 1 on a walkthrough with vice president of marketing Albert Liu, vice president of slot operations Albert Geldres and vice president of table games operations Jose Lebron, I suggested it all had a very concentric feel. At the center is the Lotus Lounge, which is surrounded by the table games pits. The tables, in turn, are ringed by slots and video poker games, while on the outer rim are the amenities, including restaurants and the player rewards club booth.

“That’s right; it does have a concentric feel,” Liu said. “You have that energy flowing between slots and tables. At some casinos, the tables are stuck over here and the slots over there. We want it to all work together, that energy flowing through the whole.”

With a by-invitation grand opening on July 17 and public opening on July 18, Rivers soon will be the first all-new casino to open in Illinois since Grand Victoria in Elgin launched in October 1994. It brings to the market a roomy, upscale facility with great sight lines, modern gaming equipment and some of the highest maximum bets in the country.

A few notes after my guided tour:

† There will be 48 table games and roughly 1,050 electronic gaming devices, including slots and video poker. That’s more tables than we’re used to seeing in Illinois — Grand Victoria has 33 tables, Hollywood Casino Aurora has 27, and Harrah’s and Hollywood in Joliet have 24 each. Rivers will not have a poker room at the start.

It’s a balancing act when deciding how many tables and how many slots to offer. Illinois regulations restrict each casino to 1,200 gaming positions, with each slot machine being nine-tenths of a gaming position, while seven-seat tables such as blackjack and Three Card Poker are five positions, and a craps table 10 gaming positions.

† Blackjack players in the high-limit room will be allowed to bet $25,000 a hand, and some players will be allowed to make $50,000 bets. In baccarat, a high-rollers favorite, that maximum is $100,000. Craps will have a $20,000 max, with a maximum of $50,000 in free odds. Craps tables will offer 100x odds, a first in Illinois,

† The slot floor includes both old three-reel favorites and modern video slots from International Game Technology, WMS Gaming, Bally, Aristocrat and Konami. About 6 to 7 percent of electronic games will be video poker. The sight lines are so good you can spot a tall game like IGT’s Star Wars game, Droid Hunt, all the way across the casino.

It all adds up to a cohesive design, one that should be full of excitement both for regular players and out-of-towners in using the nearby convention and hotel facilities.

“The three of us [Liu, Geldres and Lebron] came over from Horseshoe together,” Liu said. We want to carry on that Jack Binionesque philosophy of taking care of the player.”

John Grochowski is a local free-lance writer. His “Casino Answer Man” tips air at 5:18 p.m. Tuesday-Friday on WLS-AM (890).