Northern Exposure: One Long Weekend, Three States, 13 Casinos

I guess I should start by introducing myself.

My name is Mitch, and I run the X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages under the handle “Casino Collective.” Each month I travel to a different area of the country and visit all the casinos I can. I take photos, play table games, and document my travels in real time on my social media pages.

This month, I decided to go somewhere new. I dusted off my winter coat and flew up to Minnesota to check out the gaming market there, as well as most of the casinos on Wisconsin’s northern border. I visited 13 casinos and surveyed every table game at each of these properties.

Sounds like fun, right? Well, it was — these trips are my favorite thing to do, but they can also be awfully grueling. Sometimes my route planning is a little optimistic and I may forget to leave myself time to eat or sleep. This trip happened to be a prime example of that.

First stop: Grand Casino Mille Lacs

I landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport around 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, and reached my first casino around 10:45 p.m.

After spending much of my life as a casino traveler living in Oklahoma, tribal casinos are right in my wheelhouse. Grand Casino Mille Lacs, located in Onamia, Minnesota, was just that: a dark, classic Indian casino packed with rows of slots throughout capped by a table games pit in the center, just within the main entrance.

Grand Casino was also home to my first game of the trip — a losing blackjack session until the two people I was playing with left and all of a sudden I made my initial buy-in back plus $10. I’ll take it! With it almost midnight already, I wasn’t going to stick around for a long time, so I cashed out my small profit and left.

It was also here that I was introduced to a four-deck blackjack game, which I had only seen before at Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Arizona, but I would come to find out it’s popular in Minnesota and often replaces single-deck or two-deck games found in other states.

On a Thursday night at Grand Casino Mille Lacs, table limits include $5 6:5 blackjack (dealt from a continuous shuffler) and Ultimate Texas Hold’em (UTH), $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $25 four-deck 3:2 blackjack. There were also $5 Face Up Pai Gow Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, I Luv Suits, and 3-Shot Poker, and $25 baccarat tables that had closed prior to my arrival.

Second stop: Grand Casino Hinckley

An hour’s drive east landed me at the first hotel where I’d be staying over, Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. This is one of the bigger, flagship properties owned by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and had a unique awning lit up by white lights.

I was expecting a dark casino interior similar to the Grand Casino in Mille Lacs and was surprised when I walked in and the casino floor was lit up nicely and looked modern. Smoking was prohibited on most of the casino floor, which I found refreshing.

I was exhausted by this point from six hours of travel, so I walked a quick loop around the casino floor and checked into my hotel room — which was spacious and clean. I paid $120 for a night here, which was worth the price in my opinion.

I didn’t gamble at this stop, but Thursday night limits at Grand Casino Hinckley were $5 3:2 blackjack (from a continuous shuffler), Three Card Poker, and UTH, $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $25 four-deck 3:2 blackjack. There were also $5 Crazy 4 Poker, I Luv Suits, and 3-Shot Poker, and $15 baccarat games unavailable that night.

Third stop: Northern Lights Casino

My 7:30 a.m. alarm came awfully early Friday, but with 12 hours of drive time ahead of me, I had to get moving.

An hour-and-a-half north of Mille Lacs is Northern Lights Casino. This casino features the tribal aesthetic I was fond of from living in Oklahoma.

It was also here I learned an interesting regulation Minnesota casinos have. The first player of the day at each table game has to verify all the cards are there and accounted for. They were laid face-up on the table, and I had to audibly say yes, it looks good in order for them to be shuffled and deemed OK to play. I played about a shoe and a half of blackjack and made out with another small win!

The table game limits were the lowest I would see this trip, although my dealer said they were lower because it was slow season, and usually the $5 blackjack table was $10. I had fun playing here and really enjoyed talking with the dealers and plan on spending more time here next time I’m in the area. Friday morning table limits at Northern Lights Casino were $3 UTH and Crazy 4 Poker, and $5 six-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Fourth stop: Black Bear Casino Resort

I showed up two hours later at Black Bear Casino Resort, just south of Duluth, Minnesota. To say I was shocked by this place is an understatement. Instead of the usual smaller casino on sovereign land I had been to before, this one was a huge, modern casino resort just off the highway.

I sat down once again to play blackjack, and unfortunately this game delivered my first loss of the trip. I busted out quick.

Overall, Black Bear was a nice casino with decent looking dining options and a clean, spacious casino floor. I had to hit the ATM here since I didn’t bring much cash with me to begin with on the trip, and I was thrilled to see a casino ATM with only a $2 fee. Not too shabby!

My stay at Black Bear was brief on account of me losing a little quicker than anticipated, but Friday midday table limits were $5 six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack, and $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack. There were also $5 UTH & Mississippi Stud tables that hadn’t opened yet that day.

Fifth stop: Lake of the Torches Resort Casino

Three hours was the longest single leg of drive time for me, and at the end of that drive was Lake of the Torches Resort Casino. This casino, located in Lac du Flambeau, was the first of three Wisconsin casinos I would see that day — and the site of a victory for me at the tables!

The casino was crowded on this Friday, and most of the action was found at the slots, which were packed incredibly tightly on the relatively small casino floor. Another interesting feature of Lake of the Torches was that all chips at the table games (except the $1 denomination) were oversized like baccarat chips, which I had never seen before.

I played for about an hour of losing blackjack until all of a sudden it was winning blackjack, after some timely double-downs and splits. The lodge-style hotel here seemed nice enough, and the property had a cozy feeling overall. I would like to spend more time here in the future!

The table limits that night were $5 Three Card Poker and Let It Ride, and $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Sixth stop: Sevenwinds Casino

I’m sure the drive between Lake of the Torches and Sevenwinds Casino was pretty, but during nighttime when I was making the trek, I could barely see anything except what was directly in front of me.

Every table game of the Hayward, Wisconsin casino was open Friday night, however most of the action on the casino floor came from the lounge adjacent to the gaming space where a costume contest and Halloween party were in full swing.

I was surprised to see a couple of things here: dealers dressed in costumes while dealing, and patrons wearing Halloween masks. Everyone seemed like they were having fun, so I wasn’t complaining.

Sevenwinds was also the home of the first craps and roulette games I saw this trip, with those games being prohibited in Minnesota.

I left with $10 more than what I arrived with, so call it a successful visit! Halloween Friday night table limits here were $5 UTH, 5x Craps, and Double-Zero Roulette, and $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack & six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack.

Seventh stop: St. Croix Casino at Turtle Lake

I pulled up to my last stop of the day, St. Croix Casino at Turtle Lake, around midnight. This is the largest of three St. Croix casinos throughout Wisconsin — and it had the roughest exterior I have ever seen on a casino. It looked like a manufacturing building, not a casino. The only discerning mark that let me know it was a casino at all was a small monument sign along the street.

The inside, however, a different story. It was decorated like a ski lodge with murals, animals, and other miscellaneous items on the walls.

I found my favorite game to play: pitched two-deck blackjack. I had to play! To make matters even better, I played a winning game from buy-in to cash out. There were times I felt like I couldn’t lose!

Although my first impression of St. Croix wasn’t the greatest, the games offered inside and the fun I had more than made up for it. I will make it a point to spend more time here next time I’m in the area.

Friday night/Saturday morning table limits here included $5 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack, 5x craps, Double-Zero Roulette, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, and Face Up Pai Gow Poker, and $10 two-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Eighth stop: Running Aces

I woke up early Saturday morning to drive into the Minneapolis metro area and see my first of two cardrooms: Running Aces.

Running Aces was half table games, half poker room, with a horse racing track behind the casino and hotel. I came in hunting for an orange chip, which was easier here than in most places since it was only worth $300 rather than $500 or $1,000 because cardroom regulations are that the max bet here can only be $300.

I’m happy to say I was successful in my quest to get one of these orange chips after two hours of blackjack play. I had fun playing here. The people at my table were all fantastic to play with and everyone would win or lose together it seemed, which made the game that much more exciting. The moment I won enough to color up a $300 chip, I did and left for the next casino.

About a quarter of the tables in the cardroom side were open since it was still pretty early in the day, but most types of games were available, including $5 six-deck 6:5 blackjack, six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack, Double-Down Madness, UTH, Face-Up Pai Gow Poker, Mississippi Stud, and Baccarat, $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $25 four-deck 3:2 blackjack. There were also $5 Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, and Crazy 4 Poker games not open yet that day.

Ninth stop: Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

I was happy to eat my first non-fast-food meal since landing in Minnesota, which came at the Asian restaurant at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Better yet, my meal ended up being essentially free after I decided to sit down to play blackjack and kill a few hours before the Minnesota Wild hockey game that evening.

I sat down at a $10 table, which was upped to $15, then $20, over the course of my game, although I was grandfathered in at $10 (but I played $15 exclusively). Mystic Lake was also the first casino I’ve played at to use $10 chips at the tables, which made a $20 minimum seem easier to bet. I played a decently long game here along with a few baseball players from a local Division II college that coincidentally I had played against back when I played college baseball, so we talked about baseball the whole time.

After another small, grinded-out win, I colored up and went to check in to my hotel room here so I could drop off my bags before heading to downtown St. Paul for the Wild game that night. My room was a forever walk away from the casino, but the room itself was nice and surprisingly inexpensive.

Saturday afternoon table limits at Mystic Lake included $5 eight-deck 3:2 blackjack and Mississippi Stud, $10 I Luv Suits, Three Card Poker, and UTH, $20 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, $25 four-deck 3:2 blackjack and baccarat, and $50 two-deck 3:2 blackjack. I also saw Run’em Twice & 4-Card Poker tables not open and without posted limits.

10th stop: Treasure Island Resort & Casino

The Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks in lopsided fashion, and after leaving the hockey game I drove to Treasure Island Resort & Casino, about an hour south of St. Paul in Red Wing, Minnesota. Treasure Island was packed that night, between a big formal party happening there and the normal goings on of a Saturday night at the casino.

The table games were mostly full, but I was able to secure a seat at a $15 table with a TV behind the table in my vision so I could watch the last few innings of the World Series Game 7 thriller. It was the perfect set up!

I’m a sports guy and think it’s cool when casinos incorporate the local teams on their chips and table game layouts, which is what you could find at TI on most of the $25 chips. I played blackjack for an hour-and-a-half and earned a nice profit. It’s unusual to visit two casinos of the same name without them being sister properties, but now I have officially been to two unrelated Treasure Islands.

Saturday night table games here included $5 Mississippi Stud, $10 I Luv Suits, Three Card Poker, and UTH, $15 six-deck 3:2 blackjack and baccarat, $25 two-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $50 four-deck 3:2 blackjack. 

11th stop: Canterbury Park

I timed this trip to line up with Daylight Savings, so I got an extra hour to explore. It was the first 1 a.m. of the night when I arrived at Canterbury Park, the second cardroom I would see on this trip, located in Shakopee, Minnesota.

I also got to check another item off my Minnesota bucket list and play a four-deck blackjack game, and better yet, I won again! I couldn’t believe my luck; frankly, I needed a trip like this after my recent Las Vegas trip where I lost time after time.

Canterbury Park, like Running Aces, is a casino in front comprised of half table games and half poker room with a horse racing track and grandstand in the back. Unlike Running Aces, Canterbury Park does not offer any lodging options and is casino/racing only. I played for 45 minutes and profited about a third of my initial buy-in. I could get used to this!

Saturday night/Sunday morning table limits here included $5 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, I Luv Suits, DJ Wild, UTH, and Criss Cross Poker, $10 six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack & Double Down Madness, and $15 four-deck 3:2 blackjack, Face-Up Pai Gow Poker, and baccarat.

12th stop: Little Six Casino

Little Six Casino is an interesting, well, little casino about a stone’s throw from its much larger sister property Mystic Lake. Evidently, Little Six precedes Mystic Lake and operated as a bingo hall before becoming a casino once the state gaming compact was signed in 1990.

Little Six opened a new facility in 2007 to replace the old one and has been operating there since. When I heard this building opened in 2007, I was surprised. I would have guessed it had opened much more recently with it being as modern looking and kept up as nicely as it is.

Little Six appears to have its niche as a quieter venue for a more local crowd that offers mostly cheaper table games. It was while I was there that 1:00 a.m. showed up on the clock for the second time that night and, growing tired, I decided not to play.

On a weekend night at Little Six Casino, you can expect to see $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack and UTH, and $25 four-deck 3:2 blackjack. I was exhausted from a long day of adventure and lucky that my hotel room at Mystic Lake was so close. In fact, I spent more time walking from the hotel entrance to my room than I did driving from Little Six to Mystic Lake.

13th stop: Diamond Jo Worth Casino Hotel

Sunday was my last day in Minnesota, and I celebrated it by driving down to Iowa to see Diamond Jo Worth Casino Hotel, a Boyd Gaming property just across the border along I-35.

The 90-minute drive south was miserable, as I was driving into about a 30 mile-per-hour headwind. I was lucky my rental car was a smaller sedan because my truck back home would have been blown all over the road.

Diamond Jo Worth has its niche in the area’s gaming market by being the closest live craps, roulette, and sports betting to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and this fact was reflected in where all the casino’s action was. Although Diamond Jo Worth was operating several card games, I was only one of a handful of players on a Sunday morning.

I initially sat down at a six-deck game, but after playing two shoes and being up about $20, I realized I was sitting next to a two-deck game that also paid 3:2, so I colored up and switched tables to play the double-deck game. After another 45 minutes of playing, I colored up for one final victory of my trip. Sometimes the cards are just in your favor!

I liked Diamond Jo Worth despite a lot of the exterior being under construction. I thought it was a classic Boyd casino — it even smelled exactly like Gold Coast in Las Vegas on the casino floor!

Sunday afternoon table games at the last casino of this trip were $5 High Card Flush, Cajun Stud, and UTH, $10 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, six-deck 6:5 blackjack, Double-Zero Roulette, and 10x craps, and $15 two-deck 3:2 blackjack.

It’s always a treat to be able to visit an area I have never been to before and see new casinos. During the first day, I was a little concerned I had bitten off more than I could chew with questionably estimate drive times, time spent at casinos, and time (or lack thereof) spent sleeping. But I finished my trip satisfied with all I had accomplished.

All-in-all, I visited 13 casinos throughout three states, drove 23 hours total, played 12 blackjack sessions, and won 10 of them.

I’m impressed by Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s casinos. I especially liked the variance of small locals’ casinos and larger casino resorts, and it seemed like there was something for everyone — if you’re willing to sample 13 venues in short order to find the best fit for you.