My friend and I like to have a flutter from time to time and we're considering going to the Holland Casino in Amsterdam during our next trip. If any of the users of this site have been there I was wondering whether they'd care to answer a few questions I have...

1) Dress code? I searched on here and found some posts stating it was a rather upmarket affair with a tie and jacket required to enter. Some recent posts say that they've relaxed their clothing rule now. I'd like to ask whether this is still the case? What type of clothing is acceptable?

2) Smoking? Is it okay for one to smoke in the casino (obviously not weed)?

3) Food? How is the quality of food? We'd probably want to make a night of it and get our evening meal from there so is the food good? What's the value like?

4) Entry requirements? I'm assuming one needs to provide ID to enter? Are there any other specifics with relation to entry such as a fee?

5) Minimum bets? I like to gamble small amounts when I'm staying for a long period so I wouldn't particularly like any minimum bets of 10 euros or something? I'm a roulette player mostly. Barring any huge screw ups would 50-70 euros be sufficient for a nights gamblng?

6) Anything else I might need to know?

Thanks in advance for your help!

1) Dress code? I searched on here and found some posts stating it was a rather upmarket affair with a tie and jacket required to enter. Some recent posts say that they've relaxed their clothing rule now. I'd like to ask whether this is still the case? What type of clothing is acceptable?

Jacket and tie is not required. Casual is fine. I wouldn't wear jeans.

2) Smoking? Is it okay for one to smoke in the casino (obviously not weed)?

They have both smoking and non-smoking gaming tables.

3) Food? How is the quality of food? We'd probably want to make a night of it and get our evening meal from there so is the food good? What's the value like?

Never had it. Prices are comparable to other 3 course dinners in the area.

4) Entry requirements? I'm assuming one needs to provide ID to enter? Are there any other specifics with relation to entry such as a fee?

It costs 7.50 to get in. A passport or other photo ID is required.

5) Minimum bets? I like to gamble small amounts when I'm staying for a long period so I wouldn't particularly like any minimum bets of 10 euros or something? I'm a roulette player mostly. Barring any huge screw ups would 50-70 euros be sufficient for a nights gamblng?

They have 5, 10 and 20 euro gaming tables. I've lost 50 in a half hour, and won 150 in the same period. If you're lucky 50-70 will last you a couple of hours. If not, it'll be an early night.

I can add to BoneJockey's comments, as I used to frequent the Poker Tables at this Casino:

First the Dress Code: I've been playing here for at least 10 years and have never seen Jacket and Tie required. The rule is "smart-casual." This means you CAN wear Jeans, but not tatty ones with holes in them. The main dress code stumbling block is the shoes: Do not wear sneakers or trainers, but smart shoes and you'll get in no matter what...

ID: You need to show a passport or EE ID card to get in. Once you've been there a few times, they usually waive the entry fee/ID requirement by issuing you a free entry card that get's swiped upon entry and shows your relevant identification details w/photo on a computer screen.

Food: There is a very good restaurnat adjacent to the bar. They serve everything from well made sandwiches/salads to appetiser/snacks to gourmet meals like steaks, rack of lamb, fish, etc. The kitchen of this restaurant stays open till at least 1AM! However, once you enter the casino, you are free to leave and re-enter at no extra charge as many times as you want. Fancy a bowl of weed? Just pop out for a few minutes and find a bench in Vondel Park accross the street from casino entrance...This means you can also pop out for a great meal at one of the many restaurants that abound in the Leidsplein area. (I often go for a great Indian tandoori meal at about 22.00-22.30; there are several respectable Indian places within a 5-minute walk of the casino...)

ST

Do they have video poker yet? I've yet to find it in Europe and it's the only game I really like playing.

Yes, I believe I saw several machines that offered a European version of Video Poker. Not quite the Vegas-style versions, but for a die-hard in Amsterdam, perhaps it would suffice... I should add: I really never played the machines here, as I was strictly focused on the live Hold'em games upstairs...I've also seen a video poker game in a bar called "Taunus Ecke" on Taunustrasse in the heart of the RLD in Frankfrut, Germany, of all places...it's a shitty real miniturised version of the vegas games, you know with the jumbo index cards against that blue background. I think it takes 1E and 2E coins...Just shows they have broken through to Europe, here and there...

ST

This is good news. Now, I wonder if they deal from a fair deck like in the US or if they are just glorified slot machines? Anyway, I'll check'em out next time I'm over there.

thanks, Neurosynth

PAY TO GET IN A CASINO!?
That is the funniest thing I have ever heard about gambling.
Save your money and take a trip to Las Vegas- they'll gladly take your money for free with no fees whatsoever...

"PAY TO GET IN A CASINO!?
That is the funniest thing I have ever heard about gambling.
Save your money and take a trip to Las Vegas- they'll gladly take your money for free with no fees whatsoever"

Drew,

With all due respect: Your comment is precisely the kind of ignorant comment many insular people who have never left the USA would make. I'm guessing here, but you must be American?

Not everybody likes or is able to visit Las Vegas. Not everybody on the planet thinks the American way is the only way or the best way! (They even changed the line in Superman!)

In Europe, casinos are a much more up-market affair than Vegas. There are actually certain advantages to having an entrance fee at the casino door as well as making the guests show proper ID and adhere to a dress code. I often get very frustrated playing in American casinos because lots of down-market jerks infiltrate the places and detract from the proper "gambling" environment I and many others seek. The behaviour of many Vegas gamblers is appalling!

I strongly recommend that you perhaps first visit the Holland Casino and see it for yourself before you condemn it...

As for your comment: "That is the funniest thing I have ever heard about gambling..." Many experts would argue that playing live Texas Hold em is not exactly gambling -- that is if you play it properly. It's nice to know that those who gain access to your table have been checked for a proper ID and have enough money to dress properly...This assumes they can also behave properly.

Lastly, in Vegas everytime you win a pot, you are supposed to tip or "toke" the dealer. You end up loosing at least $1 or so every time you win. In Europe this is much less a factor: one does not tip so much or so often. Thus, to sit down and play with say 400E to start, what is the damage really to pay 5 or 7E entrance fee? Besides, if you are a frequent visitor they give you a card for free entrance.

Go there with an open mind: Maybe you will like it.

ST

Dear ST,

Yes, I am American- good guess. :)
I am far from having "never left the states"; I have traveled worldwide extensively and lived and gambled in many countries. I am currently a guest in NL, living in the beautiful Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam.

Your reference to EU casinos (specifically in reference to the Holland Casino) being an "up-market affair" is rather humorous to me. I have been a guest and a player at the Holland Casino twice, and to call it "up-market" makes me wonder if you have had many casino experiences. With an annual profit of 114 million Euros net for 2005, it puts itself on par with a small Reno casino or even large bingo hall. "With all due respect", I have experienced more "up-market" gambling in a California Indian Reservation casino such as http://www.cachecreek.com/
"From its humble beginnings as a bingo hall in 1985, Cache Creek now encompasses 74,720-square feet of casino space featuring 2,600 slot machines and 111 table games.
The 415,000-square foot property also includes a 200-room luxury hotel and health spa, eight restaurants, Club 88 entertainment venue, a 20,000-square foot event center, outdoor swimming pool, casino gift shop and tribal-operated Mini Mart, Gas Station and Fire Station."
(And THIS was built by a band of disenfranchised and forgotten Native Americans!)

As far as tipping the dealers: you have some misconceptions about tipping, this is not surprising. Tipping is never forced or even required- it is up to the indivual. Here is an article that relates to casino tipping in general: http://www.casino.com/blackjack/article.asp?id=334

On the other hand, when the Holland Casino starts to bring me free drinks at the table, comps me dinners and hotel rooms, I will gladly pay 7 euros entry to go be a "Big Playa" with my 500 bucks.
Very best regards,

Drew

I will travel to Vegas one day but given the fact that you're lucky to get a flight from my location to Vegas for less than £500 and then there's the cost of accomodation, living (food, drink etc.) and the actual gambling and other entertainment I see no major financial benefit in saving my money and going to Vegas. Heck, on those days when I fancy having a gamble there's plenty of casino's in my area that I can go to. I'd like to go to the Holland Casino simply because I find fun in gambling and holidays are about having as much fun as possible! :o) 5-7 euros isn't much to pay - heck, it's less than the knock-off sunglasses I bought during my last visit that I left in a girl's bedroom three hours later!

When I eventually go to Vegas, it will be as much to see the nearby sights and attractions as it will be for the gaming. I'd probably combine any such trip with a visit to Los Angeles. Maybe even a tri-city trip involving a few days each in San Diego, LA and LV.


And thanks to everybody who responded to my initial queries. Much appreciated.

Hey ST,

Not sure if you knew this or not, but there is a "Spielbank" in Bad Homburg. A pretty nice one also. Not like what you will find in Wiesbaden or Baden Baden, but still quite nice. They even have Hold 'em (€200 Buy in). Probably not enough to get you away from Oase though.

Cheers,

Dedalus, lucky on the river

Oh, Yes, I am aware of the Bad Homburg Spielbank, the so-called "Mutter von Monte Carlo!" It is a small place, but like the Spielbank Weisbaden, Baden Baden, Speilbank Hamburg and Berlin, an extremely up-market affair, where you need a tie and jacket to get in! I love it, but the Holdem action at Bad Homburg is usually limited to just one table and often full. I like Weisbaden alot, especially Monday nights which is Tournament night. But you are right: It's tough to drag yourself out of Oase once you get entrenched in that sex-rife environment. Even pocket AAs, is not more desirable than sitting at the Oase bar and watching pairs of Damen coming and going....

ST

Personally I think the whole bit with European casinos having dress codes and being "up scale" and snobby is dishonest and classist. It's a thin veneer to mask what is really a socially acceptable con game. Yes it's recreation, but it's recreation based on the thrill of greed. I mean who would participate in a casino where you were just awarded points and the goal was just the thrill of winning in the abstract?

Las Vegas is more honest and democratic. You pay your money and you take your chances. Everyone can be king for a day...and maybe longer if you get lucky.