One of the newer and certainly more upscale casinos recently opened in Medellin is the Portofino Casino in Portofino Plaza on Av. Poblado, El Poblado, Medellin Colombia. Medellin has the second largest number of casinos in Colombia for any city where it has been legalized but these are not gigantic casinos like you would see in Vegas, Tahoe, Reno or Atlantic City. These are more like a few thousand square feet rather than a few million. Attached in the same complex is the very upscale Holiday In Express along with shops, restaurants and offices.
I am not a big gambler and don’t go to casinos with any regular frequency but yesterday, a visiting friend wanted to go play some roulette so I decided to join him. I had been inside Portofino once before just for a look around shortly after it opened. I was impressed with it’s layout, it’s decor, it’s professional staff and the range of gaming offered.
Many casinos in Medellin only offer slot machines. Some offer limited table games while Portofino offered a wide range of slots, several Black Jack tables, Roulette, Caribbean Poker and more. They also have several promotions offered this month (and usually every month there are several). This month, they are offering $20,000 pesos in playing money just to sit down at a table. You can double down against a dealers ace and if you loose, they do not take your double down bet. If you win, they pay both. Anytime you get a blackjack, they give you an entry ticket to win a free car and one is awarded every month. Drinks are free, light snacks are served at the tables and the dealers and pit bosses are very friendly (many speak English). The minimum bet at the table is $5,000 COP (about $2.50 USD). General Black Jack rules apply including your ability to surrender a crummy hand and get back 1/2 of your bet. You may play multiple hands on vacant seats.
Normally, when I go to a casino, I play $100USD. If I win $100, I quit. If I loose $100 I quit. I got close to winning but ultimately walked out a looser. Such is the life of gambling. I am probably even on winning/losing over the years and have never really made a big deal out of keeping track. For me, gambling is a form of entertainment that I do so infrequently as to make it merely something different to do for an afternoon or evening.
If you are visiting Medellin, we can highly recommend the Portofino. It is in an extremely safe and seure area of town, has a lot of security, will hail and escort you to a passing taxi, you can walk there from most Poblado Hotels, you will find a number of local ex-pats, tourists and Medellin visitors and as mentioned, many of the staff speak some English.
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January 10, 2010 at 10:31 pm |
I got into this issue while playing blackjack online. just when I was making it really well, the internet connection to the casino went down. Is it the casino responsibility? should I ask for a match?
January 31, 2010 at 8:04 pm |
First, I think you should look at the Terms of Service of the online gaming site you use. You will probably find a “hold Harmless” clause for network interruptions because they have no control over the network.
Second, you should contact the site Customer Service Department. If you are a frequent player and showing them a lot of action, they may very well match your loss to keep you as a customer.
Either way, Good Luck!