Never been to Lake Charles, just wondering if one casino stands out among the big ones as the best of the best. All we're looking for is a good variety of table games, staffed well enough that we don't have to wait a long time to find an open table, in a clean environment.

Also has anyone been to the Gordon Ramsay steak place? Is it worth spending a lot of money at?

LDL and the Nug are next to each other and there is a shuttle between them. Flip a coin, they are pretty similar. Don't waste your time at any other casino in LC. Vic and Anthony know how to cook a fine steak. Have fun and tell us which one you like better.

What MBL said. If you're under the age of 60, those are the 2 most prominent options. Really just personal preference on look, amenities, and restaurants.

As much as I can't stand Fertita, he does a good job on his casinos.

I like GN better but I usually play at both when I go. I've not stayed at LBL before. I do like the food at LBL a tad bit better. Everything at GN is Landry's owned.

Are those two noticeably nicer than Horseshoe?

Horseshoe is the old Mile of Debris. Haven't gone since the rebrand a couple years ago and don't plan to.

The Ember Steakhouse at LB is REALLY good.

The new Horseshoe (where Isle of Capri used to sit) is nice, but pretty small and isolated from the other casino area (the rooms are actually nicer, or at least "fresher", than the LDL rooms from the one time I stayed). Someone mentioned the shuttle between the Nugget and LDL...as of several months ago the shuttle was no longer running (unless something has changed since). That said, not a bad walk along the boardwalk between the two (those less appealing during the heat of the summer).

Went to Golden Nugget in January over MLK weekend. Really enjoyed watching all the NFL playoff games and playing Poker. Restaurants were decent.

Planning to go back in January 2025 for NFL Divisional Playoffs. Would love any advice on how to pay less for the rooms.

Thanks y'all. We're going to stay at Horseshoe because I have a tiny bit of status with Caesars, but we're open to going anywhere to gamble. We'll probably go check out all 3 just for fun.

I stayed at Horseshoe over a year ago - Valet was closed in the front by check in so we drove around to parking garage. When you enter the casino from garage they will not let you walk through casino with luggage so we had to drive back around drop off bags, drive back to garage, park and then walk through casino to get to dropped off luggage and entrance to hotel rooms. Other than that it was enjoyable to gamble - it was quieter than GN after a concert, food was decent and I've read there are a few more restaurants that have opened. I look forward to hearing how your stay is.

Go to the Chart House. Get the prime rib.

L'Auberge is my go to. Never have any luck at GN. Dragos is good as is the Ember restaurant.

Does anyone know if you have to reserve a seat at the DraftKings Sportsbook at Golden Nugget? Going this weekend to watch football and wasn't sure if I could just roll up and take a seat or if reservations are required.

csnole said:

---

I stayed at Horseshoe over a year ago - Valet was closed in the front by check in so we drove around to parking garage. When you enter the casino from garage they will not let you walk through casino with luggage so we had to drive back around drop off bags, drive back to garage, park and then walk through casino to get to dropped off luggage and entrance to hotel rooms. Other than that it was enjoyable to gamble - it was quieter than GN after a concert, food was decent and I've read there are a few more restaurants that have opened. I look forward to hearing how your stay is.

---

I stayed at the Horseshoe at the beginning of August.
Wish I would have read this post prior to check-in.
Luckily for me, my bag had wheels but it was a long walk from the parking garage to check-in.
Also, I arrived after 11pm on a Sunday night and basically everything was closed unless you wanted to play slots.

Captain Winky said:

---

Does anyone know if you have to reserve a seat at the DraftKings Sportsbook at Golden Nugget? Going this weekend to watch football and wasn't sure if I could just roll up and take a seat or if reservations are required.

---

When we were there in January 2024, we had no trouble getting a table but, it's very timing dependent.
We happened to arrive when a couple tables were clearing out. If you're going with a large group, obviously you'll want a reservation. 1-2 people, shouldn't be a problem. They also had seats at the bar.

One problem I did experience was placing bets at the machines.

I've never seen this before but there were probably about 16 betting machines (I think it was 4 rows of 4) and there were dudes camped out in front of the machines totally hogging them while they were on the phone placing bets for people they were talking to on the phone.

So if you're in line to place your bets and you see an opening, you better jump on it because other folks will walk up and possibly stay at one terminal placing bets for a long time.

Luckily for me, one of the terminals finally got free so I could lose $20 betting on the Dallas Cowboys to win a playoff game. Next time... I won't be so foolish.

Awesome, thanks for the info. It will just be two of us so I will take our chances and find a spot. Are you not able to make bets through the DraftKings app? When I was in Vegas I just placed all my bets on the MGM and Caesars apps. I guess the downside would be less drink tickets by going though the app?

I can't say.
I've never done any app based gambling.

When I lived in California it wasn't allowed (Lots of conflict with different Indian Tribes being on opposite sides of the argument) and since I've moved to Texas, I haven't figured out all the nuances related to what's on offer in Texas/Louisiana.

I'm 90% sure you can if I remember correctly when I was there last fall.

Yes you can use the app. I live in Lake Charles and only use my apps.

I've never been there, but The Ember Steakhouse is supposed to be a good place

Just booked at L'Auberge for MLK weekend in January.

Couldn't get into the Golden Nugget. I'll let y'all know how it goes in another 4 months.

We went over yesterday morning and stayed at one of the hotel chains right by LB and GN because their rates were high and I had an expiring IHG free night. I rented a pool cabana at Golden Nugget so my wife and 4-year old had something to do. The pool was nice and they had a good time and we didn't feel weird bringing a kid because there were plenty of others running around.

Sportsbook: Golden Nugget was far and away the best of the three casinos. It was the biggest with the most screens and had the best layout. It was easy to find a couple of seats and there are BJ tables right in the middle. I had the BetMGM app with money still in it from when I visited Vegas earlier this year, so I just used that to place bets.

Casino: I thought Laberge had the best casino of the three. Lots of blackjack tables and they had bubble craps. My games are BJ and craps and LB seemed to have the most tables. I love throwing some dice, but every once in a while I want to keep to myself and play bubble craps even though it only offers 2X odds. I also had a heater in BJ and ended up walking up $1800 at the end of the night. I only lost $300 during the day so I made enough to pay for the trip and add to my bankroll for Vegas in November.

Gordon Ramsey Steak at Horseshoe: this was the only restaurant we ate at and we had a great meal. I am not sure what other offerings there are at other casinos, but this was so nice it felt out of place in Lake Charles.

I've never visited any casino there, but I heard some positive reviews of GN, and I want to visit it one day. I play online, and the casinos are not worse, so there is no need to go somewhere to play. However, I think the main benefit of online casinos is that they offer different bonuses for players. One of my favourite games is Book of Dead, and when I was looking for a new casino to try, I chose Kwiff Casino because it offered the best bonus for that game. I found that info on this page https://gamblizard.com/casinos/kwiff-casino-bonus/kwiff-200-free-spins/ which told me how to get a bonus. If you don't have a chance to get into an actual casino, then it's for sure a good idea to try playing online. I've already shared which game I like, but there are more, and each will find something interesting to play.