Tunica, Mississippi, or more properly the surrounding area of Tunica County, presents a rather unlikely setting for a major gambling center. Yet the impressive concentration of casinos makes Tunica the biggest casino town west of Atlantic City and east of Las Vegas. The lights of the hotels, though somewhat more spread out than the Vegas Strip, provide a somewhat similar visual impression from afar. But unlike Vegas or even AC, there's no urbanization around the casinos -- just a few fast food-equipped gas stations, motels, apartment farms, and rental storage facilities. The actual Mississippi Delta town of Tunica lies some 10 miles to the south. For the most part driving to the casinos feels like a long drive out in the middle of nowhere.
That said, with one exception that doesn't figure in most players' plans anyway, the Tunica casinos are fairly close together and easily navigable. Starting from the north, these are the main casinos:
- Grand Tunica
- Bally's (no poker)
- Casino Center:
- Gold Strike
- Horseshoe
- Sheraton (no poker)
- Fitzgerald's (no poker)
- Casino Strip:
- Hollywood
- Sam's Town
- Resorts (no poker)
Then some 30 miles to the south:
- Isle of Capri Lula
Access[]
Tunica is fairly easy to reach from much of the South and parts of the Midwest. Generally speaking, from the north (St. Louis) or east (Nashville, Birmngham) you'll want to head vaguely toward Memphis. From Memphis, you can take the slower but shorter US-61 directly into Tunica, or opt for the faster but more distant I-55 to I-69. The newly-designated segment of I-69, a road which presently ends in Mississippi and picks back up again hundreds of miles away in Indianapolis, appears to be a monument to the beneficial effects of casino taxes. If nothing else, it appears Mississippi is investing in infrastructure to attract more casino traffic.
Comps[]
Comps in Tunica are generally very generous in comparison with Eastern US sites. The Horseshoe gives out buffets like party favors, and one of the only strict time-clock systems at Sam's Town still credits you with $2.50 an hour.
Availability of games[]
In general no limit hold'em hasn't threatened to marginalize limit in Tunica as in some other places. There are certainly several $1-2 and $2-5 NL games, but every room has at least equal numbers of LHE games. The Horseshoe seems to offer a substantially wider range in limit.
Discussion threads[]
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