Visitreno

[remano]

We visited Rail City this weekend for the first time since they started their expansion. This locals casino on the west edge of Sparks (owned by the Sands Regency company) is undergoing a major expansion and remodeling. The outside walls and roof have been extended into the former parking lot by about 30 feet, but they haven't started any of the interior finishing work yet. From the parking lot you walk through the construction area to the doors of the casino building.

So far there are not many changes inside the casino. The bar and restaurant appear the same and there is still just the one table games pit, with something like 6 tables total. They still offer one of the best blackjack games in town (even on Sat. night they had $3 minimums, double on any first two cards). The bigggest change is that they took out a craps table and replaced it with a poker game. Saturday night they were dealing $3-$6 Hold 'Em, which wasn't too busy but another player told me that on Friday they had a waiting list of 14 players at one time.

I did OK. The other players for the most part seemed to be novices who just wanted to see cards, they didn't care if they won or lost. All in all it was a very friendly game. When a couple players were speaking Spanish at the table and the dealer said that only English was allowed, other players chimed in that they didn't object because they trusted that the language difference would not be used to their disadvantage. That was a good decision. Both of the Spanish speakers were lousy poker players and lost everything in just a short while.

The Sands Regency has been acquired the Terrible Herbst's and they are going full steam ahead. While the casino and gaming rules seemed the same, the Terrible's logo was everywhere, from the dealers' vests to the carpet and welcome mat. Because of its location and clientele this is not a casino that most tourists would want to spend their vacation time on, but if you do want to get out and try something a little different this could be a welcome stop on your way to Western Village.