The Mirage Reviewed – An Englishman In Las Vegas

As we boarded our 11-hour flight from London, all I was thinking was Vegas and the fucking Mirage “! After all, according to Matt Damon in Rounders, “the poker room at the Mirage in Vegas, is the center of the poker universe”.

But, it’s not, because The Mirage no longer has a poker room, which is a real shame, because, besides getting the hotel room for free through BA Avios, that line had a huge impact on where we chose to stay during our trip to Vegas.  We stayed at the Mirage during Super Bowl Sunday on the 11th Feb 2024, and here’s what we think of it…

Richard’s Review

Casino

The Mirage’s casino is in the centre of the hotel, so it’s to dip in and out of the table games. I don’t know how to play Craps because I’m English so we started off losing $100 as soon as we walked in at the $25 min Roulette tables.  In the UK there is only one green zero, but in the Mirage, there are three (in the Venetian there are only two). So of course the spin landed on 00.  Second spin we lost again.

But the croupier was charming and happy to chat, it’s a bit annoying the minimum bet size is $25 a spin. I much prefer lower stakes and I’m sure the house would get more out of me in the long run that way.

On the way back from breakfast at The Pantry at 7:30 in the morning, we played a few hands of Blackjack. Stakes were a little lower (because of the time of day) at $10 a had. It took me and the wife 15 minutes to lose $60 with two or three wins, but we were never up.

The Blackjack table felt was a bit worn, but the croupier was friendly and explained the rules to my wife who claimed not to know how to play, but she does.

The next morning after a full American Breakfast and Pancakes at The Pantry again we had an epic win at the $10 roulette table. $10 each and on the second spin lucky number 17 came in and we left the table $105 better off. Cashed in the chips for some spending money on our day trip to the Red Rock Canyon.

It also paid for the onsite Avis day rental car ($65). It’s hard to walk away with a win, but when you magically turn $20 into $122, instead of flushing it down the croupier’s slider, it’s a joyous feeling. Even sweeter, when Avis didn’t have the car we’d reserved so gave us a GMC Canyon pickup truck instead. Yee haa!

Poker

The Mirage does not have a poker room anymore, which is a disaster, because movies, play a huge part of my life and the things I want to do so I was gutted, when checking in, the clerk told me they no longer have a poker room. To be honest, though I think he was more interested in watching the last 10 minutes of the Super Bowl over our shoulders on the Lobby Bar big screens. The local team the Kansas City Chiefs, trailed at the time but went on to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the final 5 seconds, it was an amazing finish. Plus because it was the local team the town was in good spirits that night.

So we went to play at The Wynn to play. It was excellent, with chatty dealers, and a quick seat at a $3/$5 no-limit table ($100 to $300 by in). Again, the missus claimed not to know how to play, but won a killer hand where she took me (and two other players) out despite my pockets rockets, with four fives to scoop over $100!

Rooms

Good enough, we upgraded to a tower room, but unfortunately were in 25116, which overlooks the Trump hotel instead of the pool and strip. Which was a shame, but the view of the snow-topped mountains made up for it. Big bed, large bathroom, expensive mini bar, a window that opened (!), lots of closets, and a safe in the bedside drawer. Overall, the rooms are fine, a bit dated, and in the words of my wife, “I was expecting a bit more luxury”.

Massive points are lost for not having a kettle or coffee machine though, as it means you have to get dressed and go downstairs to wake up. Which involves spending loads of money and having a cheeky game of blackjack. I’m sure that’s not deliberate…

Food

Pretty much what I was expecting from an American hotel. The filet at the Heritage Steakhouse looked perfectly cooked, with mac and cheese. The guy sitting next to us was absolutely smashed, but his knife slid through it like warm butter (if it wasn’t that tender I don’t think he would have had the dexterity for it. We didn’t eat there, because it was now 6am back home and we just fancied some fast food.

So we skulled our 7% Atomic Duck pale ale and headed across the road for a White Castle. We tried Denny’s but it was sticky, and there weren’t any hot dogs being served in the truly surreal indoor Venice canals at The Venetian. I wish I’d eaten at the Heritage that night, but I just couldn’t have stomached a full steak. I had really happy memories of the sliders from White Castle from when I lived in New York. But, the White Castle on the Strip is attached to a Best Western hotel (which are terrible at the best of times) and was full of what I can only describe as crackheads at 10pm and vile putrid burgers.

For breakfast, I obviously had the artery-busting Chicken and Waffles at The Pantry, but I should have had the French Toast, because at least that had fruit. Loads of coffee, plus our server offered us a free takeaway coffee on the way out, for a quick stroll, down The Strip for some fresh air. Great, prompt service, and billed to the room. The Mirage doesn’t have an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, which was shame.

The next evening, we were both knackered and shattered after going to The Sphere, which at first made me physically angry. Because:

1. Having to walk down the back streets to get there (tip: use the Venetian bridge),
2. How ludicrously expensive it was ($350 for two),
3. Then finally on arrival being told that the show didn’t start for an hour and we had to wait in the lobby, which was just an excuse to sell you nachos and $7 water bottles.

But actually, the show, despite being a bit preachy, was am exceptional unmissable cinematic experience, that is up there with when I saw Avatar in 3D at the Waterloo IMAX.

So we just popped down to the casino floor for a quick steak at the Heritage. Unfortunately, it was one of those meals that just didn’t go very well. The missus had some fantastic slim fried crab cakes, but my steak was under cooked (I like it medium (philistine I know), and even after sending it back it was still raw in the middle, and the Pinot Noir was vinegary.

The Cab Sav was better, and the service even more so, the delightfully Vegas waitress (big hair and all) really looked after us and didn’t charge us for the $70 filet, meaning we ate all in for around $100. So the food was a bit naff, but the staff were excellent. Which is really what can make or break a meal on the edge.

Price

Of all the hotels on the Strip, The Mirage is a cheaper option, as it’s one of the older more dated hotels. But, I am not going to complain because we got it free with AVIOS. Although we still had to put down a $500 room deposit. Food and drink is expensive as you would expect.

Side note, I say we got it free, but this is the first time I’ve ever managed to use my BA AMEX AVIOS, after paying AMEX APR for 15 years. So even though this trip was “technically” free, if you take 15 years worth of credit card interest into account, it’s probably one of the most expensive holidays I’ve ever been on.

If you want something do that doesn’t cost the earth in Vegas, get a rental and head to the Red Rock Canyon. It is truly breathtaking. Our pickup was $65, and entre to the national park is only $20. There is a 13-mile one-way loop, and one of the rangers told us the Calico Tanks trail (2.1 miles/2 hours) was the best. And it was epic, like walking through an original Star Trek planetary mission. You scale the canyon and get great views of Vegas from the top. Make sure you take some food/water as there is no cafe at the visitor center.

Atmosphere

As was arrived on Superbowl Sunday, it was quite as a mouse when we arrived, as everyone was either watching or at the game at the Allegiant Stadium, but as night fell, there was a great atmosphere at the tables and in the bars. Loads to do with most people really jolly.

With the exception of the massive group who were disputing their bill after their drinks package has been moved over from The Bellagio. But security were great. You could see different layers, high viz wearing coolers, then some bigger boys with guns loitering in the background in case it kicked off. Quite amusing, and it wouldn’t be a trip to a casino without at least one person making a scene.

If I was to say, the smell of industrial strength Fabreze and the yellow tinge of tar on the ceilings, give it a disco just after the smoking ban was introduced feel, I think that may be a bit harsh.