The Casino at The Empire

London born visiting from the US with a friend for their first visit to England. Went out for a night on the town.
We were greeted by a host who gave us complimentary drinks and checked on us throughout the evening ensuring a pleasant visit.
This is a very small casino by American standards. Someone quiet. Dealers are friendly and jovial. Good ambiance in the casino.
The bartenders were helpful and quick to serve. Towards the end of the night we were approaches by a particular hostess walking the floor, this woman needs customer service training — No smiles, harsh and very brusk. She took the business card my friend was given by the first host and when we asked for it back she said she would and never brought it back after over an hour. Very rude woman.
I dined in the upstairs café/​bar area and had the steak and ale served with peas and chips. Delicious! I couldn’t eat it all. I even ate the peas and I’m not a peas person.
I’ll visit again if only for the steak and ale pie!

This is a rough casino and would not plan on coming here if you want to leave with money
Even if you win they will physically beat it out of you
Cops in the area are corrupt and work for casino.
The overall look and feel of this casino is okay by London standards, but the staff seems and feels to be run by organized crime. I was in the casino on a sat night. Me and my mate we’re playing blackjack. I was winning and so was my mate who was also a little intoxicated. The pit bosses were getting mad that we were winning so seemed to be looking for a reason to throw us off our game. They brought over security to yell at my friend for smacking the table to hard. They then had 7. Yes 7 security guards and a pit boss stand behind us while we kept playing. We were laughing and having fun because we were winning. Then came the last draw for them. My friend hit a huge blackjack and smacked the table not thinking.
Then all 7 security guards grabbed him and began to carry him off his feet out of the casino. As they approached the doors
They started punching him
I pulled out my phone and started to record the incident. Security didn’t like this and 5 security guards attacked me. The knocked all my chips out of my hands and stole my phone to delete the video. They then threw me outside and began to pummel me. Smashing my face on the ground and trying to break my arm off my body from behind my back. It was extremely painful.
They told me to stop resisting but trust me I was not resisting at all. They were just holding me so they could erase the video.
Finally the police came. I thought I was saved. They let me up
The police said it was my lucky night. If I leave now then won’t arrest me. I said I did nothing wrong. I want my chips and to file a report. The officer told me the only way a record of this was going to be made was after he arrested me. I tried to plead my case but to no avail and then the officer took out his handcuffs to arrest me. I walked away in pain and feeling defeated.
Today (2 days later I am in extreme pain and know I have serious damage to my arm and shoulder. I have made a police report to another station and we will see if justice will be served.

I’ve never been to a casino with such disgusting men’s toilets. It also took 30 minutes for the dude at the sports bar to realize we wanted to order. Also, read the terms at the bottom of the menu — there are some interesting things in the text (99p charity donation added on top wow LOL)

This was the nicest casino in London, and I think the only owned by Ceasar’s in Las Vegas. They offer Blackjack, Punto Banco (similar to mini Baccarat), Roulette live, Roulette gaming machines, a Poker Room and a few ordinary slot machines. They made an outstanding Pimm’s cocktail at the bar. They have a bag check and will not allow backpacks to enter the casino. The staff was very accommodating. Clean space.

I can’t say much about the casino itself, since I only came here to watch American football in the sports bar.
They won’t let men enter while wearing a hat – FYI.
Busy facility – lots of people, presumably mostly tourists. The employees seemed genuinely friendly and eager to help.

I didn’t come here for the casino but for the bar upstairs, which is small but rather good. It’s a good place to go to if you want to get away from the crowded and noisy bars in Leicester Square.
They also do Chinese food until the early hours.

My friend had vouchers from work to come here and I got SUPER excited and wore quite a risqué short AND backless dress with high heels.
Which, it turns out, had me seriously overdressed as almost everyone else in here was wearing anoraks.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed a delightful Long Island Iced Tea at the bar and made the following faux pas on the floor:
(1) Putting drink on gaming table (a tiny side table was hastily produced)
(2) Taking photos
(3) Not knowing how to gamble
Mass consternation also when I won something but my token had disappeared — replayed video footage revealed it had gotten caught on an old lady’s anorak sleeve. See — this wouldn’t happen if everyone was in backless dresses — I DO know what I am doing after all!
Overall, it was great fun. Really nice staff across the board who were very welcoming and patient with us numpties. Also, we didn’t realise and ate beforehand, but the food here is super cheap!

A very nice casino in central London. Several tables which include Punto Banco and blackjack. Many, many slots. A nice ambiance and security guards ensure no riff-​raff enter here.

I guess I’m spoiled from living just 3.5 hours drive away from Vegas.
Came here with some friends who wanted to gamble a bit on our vacation. I guess, if you’re just looking to gamble, this place serves its purpose; however, being that it’s splat in the middle of a tourist area, you would think that they would do something to liven up the place a bit and make it a bit fancier. Hey, if the Indian casinos in So Cal like Morongo and Pechanga can spice their casinos up some, then so can this place. This place reminds me more of those dingy small Asian casinos out here in So Cal like Bicycle Club.

Fascinating. I have actually been to make poker rooms and casinos in my time, including over a dozen trips each to Las Vegas and Atlantic City (long story).
All told, Empire is the most solid casino I’ve seen so accessible from the center of a great city — conveniently close to Chinatown, a Barclays Cycle Hire, and some HSBC ATM machines (never use the casino ATMs).
First off, all the other casinos near Leicester Square are actually Poker Clubs, and either it’s some weird regulation or just a weird custom, but many of them required a membership fee (10 pounds for a lifetime membership was the quote I got). Empire prominently advertises no membership required, so I took a look inside and was impressed with the décor and gaming quality.
There are at least two stories of gaming slot machine areas, a poker room, a few restaurants, a nightclub, and many bars. All the table games are on the bottom floor though and the place was pretty full for a Sunday night.
For blackjack players, be very careful. There are two sets of tables, all seem to be 8-​deck shoes, but one set has the dealer drawing on soft 17 and the other set has dealer standing on all 17s. You want to play on the stand all 17 table, all the literature agrees that it’s much better for the player when the dealer must stand on A-​6 or A-3−3.
Another thing that is very different from American blackjack, the dealer doesn’t deal the hole card until after all the players have finished. The biggest difference there is the dealer won’t check ahead of time whether or not the dealer has a blackjack, which makes doubling down and splitting a much worse proposition when dealer shows a ten /​ace.
Also, the other patrons are among the worst blackjack players I’ve seen in some time. Almost everyone plays the «Perfect Pair» or «Top 3» sidebet, which is an awful bet (house edge nearly 10%). They also violate basic strategy all the time and unlike in Vegas, the dealers don’t bother offering hints. Also, maybe this is a London thing, but other players will bet on your hand (usually old Asian women in my case, I guess I look trustworthy). I don’t know what happens if I have to double down or split if they also have to put in, but fortunately that wasn’t an issue.
There is no surrender, doubling after split is allowed, aces can not be resplit.
I stopped in the poker room but there were only about 5 tables running short-​handed. After a few minutes I couldn’t figure out how to put my name on the list, plus I was in the mood for non-​casino fish & chips so I left (there didn’t seem to be anyone looking to help me).

It’s the jazziest casino in town (well at least as far as us average blokes can get into) but Las Vegas it’s not. I mean what do you expect? It’s in the centre of London not a sprawling desert inhabited by lizards and the remains of mafia gangsters who went astray.
As an avid gambler, I’ve visited several of the casinos in London and the Empire is by far my favourite. The bright colors, flashing lights, and of course the smell of money, celebration, and a bit of desperation in the air. It’s about as close to Vegas as you’ll get in this city and worth a trip out if you fancy a turn at the cards or a spin of the roulette wheel.
So a bit more detail about the place:
First, good things to know.
1. Dress decently. While there isn’t a set dress code, the bouncers at the door have been known to turn you away if you’re in sandals or just looking shabby. Your money may be good, but they don’t want you.
2. Don’t be moderately drunk. I’ve made it in sober and I’ve made it in absolutely hammered. The only time I’ve been turned away was when I was drunk and sober enough to know it. I suppose that’s the stage where you are likely to cause the most trouble…
3. Bar stays open until 5am. Convenient as tubes start running againg about about 5.45 am so you have some time to finish your drink, put friends in a cab if need be, and hop on the tube after a wild night out.
4. No free drinks. Unlike the Vegas waitresses, these ones require payment for the beer they brought you. You can still pay in chips and definitely tip in chips though!
5. No craps tables — I think the Grosvenor on Edgeware is the only one I’ve seen these at… much sadness
The games:
1. Roulette — Undoubtedly the most popular game in the joint. There are three levels of betting available (£0.50, £2, £5 — this is the minimum bet). The £0.50 tables are electronic and the joy of being able to play with a £20 is (imho) cancelled out by the lack of real chips to touch and toss on the table. The £2 tables are the best in terms of a balance between atmosphere and price, but I would advise putting up a stake of about £100 otherwise you will be gone in a few spins if you don’t strike it lucky. The £5 tables are too rich for my blood but good if you have money to burn.
2. Blackjack — After the movie 21, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know how to play this game. Table minimums range from £5−10 during the day M-​Th and £10−15 on weekends and weeknights. Be careful you know which table you are playing on as some have additional bets which are «perfect-​pair» or «3-​card poker» which are optional bets but can pay off big… if you know what you are betting on.
3. Baccarat/​Banco — This is the James Bond of gambling games (seriously…half the movies he plays this). I don’t pretend to understand how it’s different from flipping a coin but it’s got style and is the favourite of the middle aged asian woman crowd (I kid you not… go and see for yourself) who have hundred of pounds to bet on a hand… my kinda gals…
4. There are the usual minor games and slots… not going to bother talking about those
The Poker Room:
This is the biggest active poker room in London. The Grosvenor near Edgeware has an area but it’s a bit old and there are poker halls scattered around too. But this is always hopping and they have tournaments 2 – 3 times a day. They’ve also started hosting the European WSOP so they’ve got additional pride points for that.
Overall, it’s a good place to go, it has what you need (mostly), and you can get your fix. But if you are looking for the glamour and hype of Vegas… well…go to Vegas!

Probably the closest thing London has to Vegas. which isn’t saying too much still though, but Vegas is not something easy to mimic! As an avid Vegas goer, I’ve made a lot of comparisons when I went.
Atmosphere: pretty different, less about freshly turned 21 year old college students having fun for an extended weekend, way more about addicted 40 year olds gambling away paychecks. definitely less glamorous and no where near the posh feeling of bellagio or wynn. maybe let’s say a cramped version of excalibur. hardly any room to maneuver on the floor and all the tables were pretty packed.
Gambling: blackjack is pretty similar, mostly played with a shoe (haven’t seen a single deck game i think). big difference in the rule from vegas is that the dealer does NOT check for blackjack in the beginning (there’s no little mirror on the table that the dealer uses to check if they have an Ace or 10). this is unfavorable to the player since it means they’ll play and possibly put more money on the table when the dealer had a blackjack all along! Minimum £10/​hands is what i saw when i went Saturday night.
Also, very disappointing (but expected), no cocktail waitresses going around bringing you free drinks.
Make sure to bring your ID, bouncers are very strict on that!
still had a pretty good time when i went, but if you’ve been to Vegas, don’t expect anything near the casinos vegas has to offer :)

Fun place, friendly and hot bartenders, very busy and happening spot. There was kind of a line for coat check. The security will not let you in without checking in your coat but tight security actually is a good thing. I didn’t mind that. Drinks were reasonably priced. You don’t have to go there to gamble because the bars are actually a lot of fun and sure beats the pub scene in my opinion. If you do get the itch, there’s not a lot of choices like in Vegas or Atlantic City like here in the U.S., most tables are typically Blackjack or Roulette here. 10 pounds is the minimum. That goes fast in Blackjack hehe But anyway, this is a fun spot, good music, good looking and hip crowd and I’ll definitely be heading back here again!