As you know Gold Strike Casino in Jean, NV (on the 15 Freeway at Jean) has been sold by MGM to Terrible's.

I was at the Gold Strike over the weekend and the casino is nearly empty with the exception of about two dozen NEW slot machines. All gaming tables have been removed, and all of the "real coins" slot machines are gone.

The plan is to bring in new slots.

I claimed whatever comps I had remaining in my old Gold Strike account. I've been playing there for years and accumulated cash back and comps for the Shell gas stations nearby. I claimed the cash some months ago, and on this visit I claimed the $42 in gas comps that remained.

If you have a Gold Strike players card account you are advised to claim what comps remain asap because it is not known when the Gold Strike benefits will end.

It was a fun casino to stop into for a "practice run" before getting into Vegas. I loved their $3 craps table for a low-cost "warm up session." And they had a $5 8/5 Bonus Video Poker progressive. While I never hit a royal there I won some money there and my son hit quad aces once and a $1 progressive royal for about $4300 a few years ago.

I loved their craps table-- it was perfect for trying dice influencing because there was a flat table surface with no padding and the dice would "clank" when they hit.

This casino actually allowed me to demonstrate a slide on their table when the news broke about the Wynn dice sliding case. I was talking to them about how I was quoted in the Review Journal about it. They wanted to see a slide and I showed them. When I stopped in I looked for a familiar face to inquire about that table -- if it might be for sale. But there were only new faces there.

There is now a Denny's at the casino and I saw a sign about a new steak house opening for limited hours but in all the years of my "drop in visits" I never ate there.