vicksburg, ms

Central Mississippi Area

All Mississippi casinos other than those located in Tunica or on the Gulf Coast are included in our Central Mississippi surveys, presented on this page.

Vicksburg, Mississippi is located along the Mississippi River, on Interstate 20 between Jackson, Mississippi and Monroe Louisiana, near the confluence of the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers. The town is rich with Civil War history, and the history is evident throughout. Vicksburg has four riverboat casinos located along the Mississippi.

On the eastern side of the state, in Choctaw, Mississippi (near the town of Philadelphia) is found the Pearl River Resort, the only Indian casino in Mississippi -- and, the only one which sits on dry land. The resort consists of two casinos, the Golden Moon Casino and the Silver Star Casino. The facility easily ranks among the biggest and most extensive in Mississippi.

Finally, our Central Mississippi includes the city of Greenville, just across the Mississippi river from Southeast Arkansas.

We will be surveying video poker in Natchez, Mississippi soon. These results will be listed on this page when available.

Ameristar is easily the nicest casino in Vicksburg. You'll find a good buffet, a great snack bar, and the "Bottleneck Blues" bar, which plays host to some really fine blues bands. If you're in Vicksburg it is definitely worth checking out.

The video poker is marginal. While we much prefer the Rainbow for video poker in Vicksburg, you can find good games at Ameristar -- but the selection is limited. The $5 games in the High-Limit area offer 9/6 JB, 8/5 Bonus, 9/7/5 DB, and 9/6/4 DDB. The video poker area is devoid of good games with the exception of a few Triple Play machines on one side, which have 8/5 Bonus, 9/7/5 DB, and 9/6/4 DDB in 3/5 play and 25c/50c varieties. Other than these games, you'll be limited to 9/6/4 DDB which is found throughout the casino at all the bars and at various other places. For the music, Ameristar is the place to be -- but if you're looking for video poker, we recommend the Rainbow.

Game	Return	Approximate Location
9/6 JB ($5)	99.54%	HIGH-LIMIT AREA
8/5 BONUS ($5)	99.17%	HIGH-LIMIT AREA
9/7/5 DB ($5)	99.10%	HIGH-LIMIT AREA
9/6/4 DDB ($5)	98.98%	HIGH-LIMIT AREA
9/6/4 DDB (25c/50c/$1)	98.98%	BARS (ALL)
9/6/4 DDB ($1)	98.98%	OUTSIDE BOTTLENECK BLUES BAR
9/6/4 DDB ($1)	99.98%	DOWNSTAIRS VP AREA
8/5 BONUS 3/5-PLAY (25c/50c)	99.17%	DOWNSTAIRS VP AREA
9/7/5 DB 3/5-PLAY (25c/50c)	99.10%	DOWNSTAIRS VP AREA
9/6/4 DDB 3/5-PLAY (25c/50c)	98.98%	DOWNSTAIRS VP AREA

Map/Directions
1310 Mulberry Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180
Phone (601) 636-3423
Website Link: http://www.horizonvicksburg.com/
Cash Back: 0.33%
Number of Video Poker Machines: Approximately 51
Casino Size: 36,000 square feet

This casino was formerly owned by Harrahs. Were it not for a single carousel of 9/6 JB Progressives ($1), we would suggest skipping it altogether. But should you find this progressive at $4,880 or higher, it is a 100% game and with 0.33% cash back in addition, it may be worth some attention. Aside from these machines, there is nothing remarkable about this casino. First-time card holders get $60 in free slot play (after playing through $30) which makes it worth a visit for some players.

The Isle of Capri has the worst video poker in Vicksburg, having zero "good" games. We recommend not playing there under any circumstances. The bar has a 25c 7/5 JB progressive, but unless you stumble on it with a progressive above $2,500, keep driving -- there are much better games to be found in Vicksburg.

Map/Directions
242 S. Walnut Street (next door to Lighthouse Point)
Greenville, MS 38701
Phone: 662-379-1111
Website Link: None
Cash Back: Unknown
Number of Video Poker Machines: Approximately 35
Casino Size: 28,500 square feet.

This casino and its neighbor, Lighthouse Point, are easily the worst in Mississippi. Dirty, run-down, and in a state of general disrepair, you really don't want to stop here. If, somehow, you are forced to play here, you will find a few 9/7/5 DB (25c) games at the downstairs bar -- if they work.

Map/Directions
242 S. Walnut Street (next door to Jubilee)
Greenville, MS 38701
Phone: 800-878-1777
Website Link: http://lighthouse-casino.com/
Cash Back: Unknown
Number of Video Poker Machines: Approximately 30
Casino Size: 22,000 square feet.

As mentioned above, Lighthouse Point is one of the worst casinos in Mississippi. There are few machines to begin with, and most are old, dirty, or broken. The is only one game, a 9/6/4 DDB ($1), that meets our "good game" criteria. There are some 8/5 JB progressives at the middle floor bar, but this casino should be skipped, as should its neighbor. Unfortunately, the closest playable games are found in Vicksburg which is a 95 mile drive from Greenville.

Map/Directions
Highway 16 West
Philadelphia, MS 39350
Phone: 866-447-3275
Website Link: http://www.pearlriverresort.com/
Cash Back: 0.20%
Number of Video Poker Machines: Unknown, but many.
Casino Size: 175,000 square feet (both casinos combined)

Pearl River Resort is Mississippi's only Indian casino, and as such is the only one located on dry land. The facility is striking in its appearance and size, and presents as a well-rounded resort facility. In addition to the two casinos, you'll find about a dozen restaurants and snack bars. The two casinos are connected by an elevated walkway over the highway. Within the facility is a sizable arcade and many, many shops. We really liked these casinos as a destination, and they would be a reasonably good place for a family with children to visit (nearby are a golf course and water park).

Unfortunately, we found only one video poker game meeting our "good games" criteria. There are many video poker games throughout the two casinos, although there is no "video poker area" as we usually see. You will find plenty of short-pay games like 6/5 Bonus, 7/5 JB, 9/6/4 DB, and 9/5/4 DDB; you'll also find a few 8/5 JB games. In addition, there were a large number of short pay progressives which could occasionally reach a jackpot level high enough to make the games playable. These would, however, be exceptionally rare occurrences.

While we enjoyed our visit to Pearl River, we were very disappointed with the lack of even a few good video poker games. It would be a great place to spend a weekend, but serious video poker players will not find games worthy of the stop.

Map/Directions
1380 Warrenton Road
Vicksburg, MS 39182
Phone: 800-503-3777
Website Link: http://www.rainbowcasino.com/
Cash Back: 0.42%
Number of Video Poker Machines:
Casino Size: 35,000 square feet

Rainbow Casino in Vicksburg continues to have the best video poker in central Mississippi. You'll find a good selection of games, including 25c 9/6 JB, plenty of 9/6/4 DDB, and a few other good games. Also, you may want to look for the older 9/6/4 DDB machines still in use, which have an extra payline for 4-7s paying $500, giving the game a 99.86% return (making it 100.28% with cash back).

A few years ago Rainbow's games were even better. However, the casino has been renovated and in the process many of the really good games were replaced. In particular, the 4-7s bonus payline was on many of the games, but has now been removed on most. Still, there are plenty of good games to be found here.

We recommend Rainbow Casino highly for video poker players. A good selection of good games and 0.42% cash back combine to make some of the better playing conditions in Mississippi.

Game	Return	Approximate Location
9/6 JB (25c/50c/$1)	99.54%	BAR
9/6/4 DDB (50c/$1)	98.98%	BAR
9/6 JB (25c/50c/$1)	99.54%	BAR AREA
9/6/4 DDB (25c/50c/$1)	98.98%	BAR AREA
9/6/4 DDB PROGRESSIVE ($1)	98.98%	VP AREA/BACK WALL
9/6/4 DDB (25c/50c/$1)	98.98%	THROUGHOUT VP AREA
9/6/4 DDB (25c) EXTRA PAYLINE 4-7s	99.86%	VP AREA/OLDER 25c MACHINES
9/6 JB (25c/50c/$1)	99.54%	VP AREA/WALL NEAR RESTROOMS
9/6/4 DDB (25c/50c/$1)	98.98%	VP AREA/WALL NEAR RESTROOMS
9/6 JB 3/5-PLAY (25c/50c)	99.54%	VP AREA/BANK OF 6 MACHINES
9/7/5 DB 3/5-PLAY	99.10%	VP AREA/BANK OF 6 MACHINES
9/6/4 DDB 3/5-PLAY	98.98%	VP AREA/BANK OF 6 MACHINES