VP remains poor. Best games are 8/5 JoB at $0.25, $0.50 and 9/5 JoB at $1

Casino Niagara is now managed by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.

VP is poor. Read the signs for comp rate. There is not carry-over of "partial" points between sessions. Example: On the best VP available, if you stop playing after $119 coin-in, you get only a single point.

Not really much to play here: At $0.25, best is 97.81% DB 9/6 and at $0.05 , 97.30% JoB 8/5. Also some poor DW and BP

Slot club update: $30 coin in for 1 point with 100 points = $10. So instead of .50% cash back it is now .30% cash back video poker.

*** MIA - *** (5) 50c Game Maker 99.9% PKM slant-tops on lower level overlooking waterfall area. (5) 50c Game Maker 99.9% PKM on main floor near the escalator. (5) $1 Game Maker 99.9% PKM on main floor near the escalator. (8) 50c Game Maker 99.9% PKM on main floor past the table games.

*** MIA - *** (6) $1 PKM Game Makers in old casino on main floor near the Baccarat room.

Most if not all IGT Game Kings are now TITO, most if not all allow up to 25 quarters to be bet, but do pay 800 per coin bet for the Royal Flush or other top paying hand. This is now a fairly good opportunity for the person that wants to play 1 quarter per hand.

Below is an update on Casino Niagara which now has some better VP games than currently listed: 1 - 5c 50 play 8/5 Jacks or Better VP machine near Players Advantage Club Desk (97.3%) 1 - 5c 10 play 7/5 Bonus Poker (98.0%) VP machine near Players Advantage Club Desk and several other 10 play machines scattered in banks on 3rd floor. Machines also have 8/5 Jacks or Better (97.3%) , Super Aces Bonus Poker (97.8%), and Super Double Bonus Poker (97.8%) There are many other new games with more decent returns that have been added to the floor which I did not record on my last visit Friday but will provide them to you following my next trip on Monday. The other items listed are still correct. Although these machines may seem pale in comparison to the variety in Vegas or AC, most of us here are used to almost exclusively 94% VP machines which is all their was in the past before the 2 other competing casinos were built and welcome the new 97-98% VP machines. This added with the much more generous .5% cashback for VP now and good bounceback cash and it is as close to 100% as it will probably get. Hopfully the better games will spark interest in people to play them so they will get rid of the rest of the unplayed junk on the floor!

Changes at Casino Niagara: (1) Cashback rate almost quadruples. (2) Millionaires bar with high-stakes baccarat is closed. (3) Large holdem poker room added to lower level. (4) New sports betting parlour opened on lower level. (5) Lower level - previously 100% non-smoking now 100% smoking. (6) Upper level - previously 100% smoking - now 80% smoking. This month's mailer indicated a significant change in direction at the (old) Casino Niagara. As background, be aware thay're no longer the only game in town. In the last two years 2 new casinos have opened - the new Fallsview Casino on the Canadian side, and Seneca Niagara on the US side. Apparently the competition has been killing them. The fact that Seneca Niagara allows smoking almost everywhere may have something to do with it. The boothlings at the player's club had traditionally been very secretive about cashback and comp rates. I estimated the old cashback rate was around 0.12% - hardly worth the trip. So, it's big news when they (a) raise the rate - it's now 0.50%, and (b) publish the rate for the world to see: From the January club newletter: "Beginning Jan 2, 2006 every time you play the slots or video poker using your card ... every $20 played = 1 point ... Redeem your points - 100 points = $10" They've revamped the casino layout as follows: it still has 3 levels (it's built into the side of a hill). - lowest (street) level - formerly had a small number of machines (50 - 75) now has zero gaming - Just the Hard Rock Cafe. - lower level (previously the non-smoking casino). Baccarat room closed. Millionaires Bar closed. - about 40% of the slots were removed to make room for a humongous poker room - large open bar area installed at the base of the escalator - Video poker machines buit into bartops (LOUSY paytables) - new sports betting parlour with lots of big screen tv's - smoking now allowed everwhere on this floor. - upper level (previously 100% smoking) - moved the Player's club booth to the entrance rotunda - closed the old Niagara Bar, and built a cashier's wicket n that area - built a new high-limit slot area at the corner of the "L" - relocated the pit areas - it looks like they've added more tables - reworked the old "Marliyn's lounge" to be swankier - put a small non-smoking area in at the short end of the "L". I find it interesting that the (2 year) new Premier of Ontario, who is accelerating the timetable for banning smoking from all commercial businesses in the province, has blatantly reversed this policy when it threatens his government's pocketbook. What's good for the goose is apparently not good for the Gander in Ontario. VIDEO POKER INVENTORY - contary to a previous report, they have NOT removed all of the fullpay Pickem Poker. The (5) 50-cent Gamemakers remain. They are on the lower level overlooking the escalator/waterfall area. They were relocated (from your 2 o'clock to your 5 o'clock as you're going down the escalator). There are 3 banks of slantops here - 5 machines, 3, and about 8. Two of the 3 banks are short-pay. The bank of 5 is fullpay. The rest of the VP is still unplayable.

All the $0.50 pick'em are now the 'rip off' kind.

The two $ Pick-em Game Makers that were on the third floor are MIA. The five .50 slant tops on the second floor, are still there, but have been moved to near the cashiers windows.

I just got back from Casino Niagara ( note this is the old casino not the new Falls View Casino). The data base is correct in stating that there is full pay 50 cent ( canadian) pick'em. There are 5 gamemakers with full pay pick'em on the second level ( non- smoking floor) near the escalator. On the 3rd floor there are 40 to 50 fifty cent and 1$ pick'em with less than full pay. They're well hidden, but (2) of the $1 machines are fullpay.

There is no longer quarter pick'em at Casino Niagara. Casino Niagara removed a whole floor of games including the last 25 cent pick'em.

The lone 25 cent full pay pick'em machine on the first level is out of action. The whole first level is being renovated and all machines on the level were out of order. Who knows if it will return. The .50 cent and $1 pick'em machines are still in the Casino.