Reasonable table minimums.  Cordial dealers.  Clean air.  I don’t ask for much out of a gaming experience.  You’ll notice that I didn’t even include winning.  Winning helps, but if those three conditions are met, I’m pretty much assured of having a good time regardless of how my bankroll fares.

I went over to the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines for the first time this weekend, and I was impressed.  My three prerequisites were all there, in abundance, along with some pleasant surprises.

By the way, if you’ve never been to a casino right after it opens, take this opportunity.  The place will never look cleaner or brighter, and there’s something about the smell of a brand new casino.   Also, the slot machines and gaming tables are right off the assembly line.  The chips have the sharp edges that only factory fresh chips have.  And the staff is well-scrubbed and eager to please. 

When you get to Rivers, use the self-park because it comes with a helpful feature that I wish all parking garages were equipped with.  Above each parking space is a light which glows orange if there’s a car in the space, green if the space is open.  You don’t have to drive down every aisle, looking for an open space.  When you’re at the end of an aisle, look at the overhead lights.  If they’re all orange, go the next aisle.  Spot a green light and you’ll know there’s an empty spot.

Since Rivers is a brand new casino, everyone who visits has to sign up as a new players’ club member.  I can envision quite the logjam during peak times, but they were ready for the crowd at the time I went.  They had over a dozen extra computer terminals set up, and the process went smoothly and fairly quickly.

The gaming area is spacious and easy to navigate.  I’ve actually gotten lost a couple times at other casinos in the area.  You won’t have to worry about that here.  In terms of layout and décor, Rivers reminded me of the newest of the smaller casinos in Las Vegas, the M Casino (at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard), in particular. 

Of course, some good luck always enhances the experience.  I was in the black when I left, thanks mainly to an initially weak blackjack hand, a pair of 3s, which turned into a win of five units, thanks to winning the two splits and the two double-downs which followed on that hand.

I’ve been to every casino in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, and I’d have to put Rivers in the area’s top three.  It’s worth checking out.