Great Lakes Review Series

Based on March 2012 (for some casinos) and previous visits throughout the state

Soaring Eagle

Pros- Low Limits
Variety of Games
Above average Buffet
Great, Clean, 4 Diamond Hotel
“Win Cards” Available
Freeplay on Birthday & Anniversary
Excellent Package Deals Available

Cons- Can get packed with college kids from Central Michigan U.
Rumors of removing cards from blackjack decks
Line for buffet can be extremely long

Must Sees- Good venue to see a concert or comedian.

I ike the Soaring Eagle. I like it a lot. But as other reviews also claim, they have really tightened up on their slots over the last 3-4 years. I've gone with $300 dollars before and ended up coming home in an hour and a half. That's just sick. But on the upside, I go with friends and always have a ton of fun. I have enough from Club Players to always comp a room whenever I want to. The buffet food there isn't 5 star, but it is good. The steak house there serves excellent food. The rooms are more than decent, and the staff is always nice. The thing they need to work on other than loosening their slots a little... just a little will make the difference. People notice. The other thing is that there is never a waiter or waitress on the floor to get a drink. At times I have noted NO servers on the floor at all. None. I spend the night often since Fire Keepers doesn't have their hotel built and I have taken the time to go through the entire place in search off a server. None were to be had many times. But hey! Make a friend and offer to get one for your neighbor if you walk up to the bar to get one for yourself.

By far the best of the Michigan Casinos, and my wife and I have visited them all.

The slots are up-do-date and pay-off reasonably well. The casino is clean and the machines are not crowded too closely together as in many of the others. If you can't find slots you like here you shouldn't be playing slots at all. The table games are great and the employees well trained and courteous.

The hotel is first class, we have stayed there often and have yet to have a bad experience. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Although the price might seem high it is best to take a package and you receive premiums that more than make up. You're going to spend the money anyway, go this way.

The food at the buffet is over-priced and not very good. Go to the Water-Lily or Steakhouse and you will do better.

Soaring Eagle is a modern casino hotel with all the amenities. The rooms are well appointed and clean. There are a variety of restaurants, an indoor pool, an outdoor hot tub (they have adult only hours which is nice). Check out some of the combo promotions such that bundle food, gas, and hotel stay - they offer an excellent value

I'm not sure why all the bad reviews on this place. I'm not a slot player, my wife is though and she has had decent luck in our 3 or 4 trips to this casino.

The gaming- The table games are pretty good at this place. During the week I have found $5 minimums, but they can quickly rise to $10 or more when the weekend comes and all the college kids from Central Michigan are in there playing. They have a nice assortment of Blackjack, Craps, and the other table games with not so great odds :)

The food- The steakhouse here is excellent. I had a steak and it was honestly one of the best steaks I've had in a while. They also have a great little Italian place that serves breakfast in the morning and Italian dishes for dinner. The buffet is so-so, it's definitely not top of the line, but not the worst either.

The hotel- Very clean, 4 diamond AAA rated. What more can I say? I've stayed here 3 times and enjoyed top of the line service each and every time. They offer many gaming/dining/hotel packages, so if you'll be going here be sure to check their website for current package info.

The area- It's a college town, but a peaceful town as well. If you want to dine away from the casino, be sure to check out The Italian Oven. It has great Italian dishes and has quickly become of my favorite places to eat when in Mount Pleasant.

We always enjoyed our trips to soaring eagle,we never won alot, but it was fun and once in awhile we would walk out ahead.
We could have drink specials and play for hours,we earned decent comps. they have tightened the slots, no decent comps, and
the employees are rude. Last time we were there, we had one drink each and our money was gone. No fun anymore.
Loosen up,we just want to be entertained and have fun for AWHILE. Teach your employees to at least smile.

i love going to the soaring eagle..it is a beautiful place to stay and 2 women can there and feel safe....the video poker machines are very good..won over 6000.00 there in 2 days..... love the hotel, it is wonderful...will go back as soon as possible.

My wife and I visited three times in past 30 days. We spent all of our time playing video poker at the bar. We were very successful the 1st and 2nd trips taking home several hundred dollars. However, the casino took some of it back on our 3rd trip. I was very happy to find 9/6 JOB outside of Vegas. I can't believe people play anything less.We enjoyed the drink specials while playing. We will be back soon!

Overall I thought the casino floor was too closely packed with machines and tables. It was almost impossible to find a machine where you didn't keep getting bumped into by somebody. The machines were too tight, and it looked like nobody was winning. The table games were ok, but the smoke level around the tables made it impossible to play for an extended period. The service by the drink girls was excellent the nights I was there, and the prices and service at the bars was very good.

This Casino seems to have a mixed up personality. They are very reasonable in some areas (Table Limits, Drink Prices) but overpriced in others (Buffet, Hotel). All in all, the gaming here really isn't that bad. I never mess around with the slots, but full pay deuces video poker can be found (over at the slot palace) even at the .25c level. Table limits are very reasonable and ever since they've started their "Certified Hot" campaign the rules have shifted even more toward the player in Blackjack and especially Roulette (Single 0, Half Outside Bet Back on 0) at the $5 level. Drink service is very hit or miss, but for the price you really can not complain ($1.75 drafts, $3.25 Vodka Red-Bull's). Smoke is pretty heavy, especially at the tables but its fairly open so the ventilation isn't too bad. Comps are nearly non existent on the tables, but what do you expect to get playing $5 blackjack?

Used to be a fairly fun place to go for a few hours. You could go there, take a few bucks, and maybe even win a little bit....or at least play for a while and have some fun. Now you burn your money up in no time and leave feeling totally ripped off. They tightened the slots up to an intolerable level. There is no question about it. It's so noticeable that it's nonsensical. The slots barely hit. The power up slots are rigged to pay out little. You never see big winners anymore when your sitting there. Should be illegal what they've done. I guess that's what you get when the fox is in charge of the hen house. Who decided that the tribe regulating the tribe owned casino was a good idea? Can anyone say "conflict of interest". As far as I'm concerned they are thieves.
The food is overpriced and the buffet food is barely passable. The employees are generally rude. I don't care if they have someone pushing a cart full of money escorted by security coming through. You don't shove me out of the way. I am the customer. You go around me. The bathrooms are usually filthy. The Players Club line is usually long and slow. They need more help. Getting a drink from the bar is an exercise in time management. You could die of thirst waiting. I'll never go back there. I'll spend my hard earned money elsewhere...where I'm appreciated as a customer and where they actually play a fair game and even pay once in awhile. I'd advise others to do the same. You'll be richer for it.

Other then the non smoking area is somewhat small and some of the areas are cramped. Hard to get threw between rows. An I'm not a big person even the wait staff has a hard time moving around. This cramped area is up front and to the left as you enter the gaming area.

very nice hotel/pool/spa. steak house very good and reasonable at lunch. casino open and easy to negotiate, but slots are tight. they do have full pay jacks or better vp throughout and thats all i will play (other than craps).

I think Soaring Eagle is actually pretty decent in comparison to most casinos in Michigan. I like it a lot better then any of the places in Detroit. I almost always come out even if not ahead here. They have really good table minimums even on the weekends. The blackjack machine is $3 which is as good as it gets unless you are in Vegas. I have never stayed in the hotel and can't comment on that. I always stay at a hotel in the town. The comps are alright, but I hardly ever get free play. I usually just use it towards food in the cafe. The food at the cafe is fairly decent and isn't too expensive. I have never had the buffet. They have a lot of slots and the place feels open and never cramped.

Been going to Soaring Eagle since day 1. Used to be fun,exciting,great atmosphere. Now, it's terrible. Tight slots, rude waitresses and security officers. Used to be everyone was smiling,customers and staff. No one smiles these days.Fights there are more and more frequent. Used to at least be able to play for long periods of time, not any longer.They have moved the Handicapped parking spaces and designated them for the Tribal Elders, which I think is a slap in the face to the handicapped. Save your money and go somewhere else

I took $160 to play with on slots and was done in under an hour. The largest payout I received was $7.50. I always play just under the max on most slots. Does anyone else see a problem with this? I can take $80 to any other casino in the world and play for a couple hours easy and hit a few jackpots to keep me going. Loosen up your slots Soaring Eagle!! You have a nice casino with decent amenities.

This was my one and only trip here. I will never step foot in this place again unless they give me hundreds in free play to gamble with and even then it would still be a waste of my time because the result would be nothing. If you decide to go there and waste your money you will be more entertained to just put your money in a pile and set it on fire.

Tight,tight tight. Used to love the place but cant win at all. Don't mind losing, but let me play awhile. won't be going back - too greedy.

Have been going to many of the Michigan casinos including Soaring Eagle for a lot of years. In the recent three years, this casino has the worst payback in history!

Food quality in the buffet has gone downhill a lot and is way too expensive. Soaring Eagle has cut their staff to the point where service is very poor. Rug mites or other bugs are a problem except right after they spray chemicals.

It looks like Little River is our choice from now on. Sorry to see Soaring Eagle go down so low.

One of the worst casinos I have ever been to. Very tight machines. I have not won there and do not plan to go back.

No doubt, one of the poorest buffets in Michigan. The Steak & Chop House is, however, one of the best Steak houses in Michigan. Hotel is very nice.

The Casino has a good Comp program. The Table games are average at best. The Slots have the worst payback in the Industry. Don"t go there with illusions of winning, IT WON"T HAPPEN!

Slots playback/payback is lousy! I don't use the tables. Need many more servers on the floor.

For such a large casino, has a tiny players club booth, and can be a long wait.

Nice hotel and competent, friendly workers. Food is O.K., but drinks/food are expensive for a casino.

Poor climate and payout. Machines just take and do not give. RV parking but no hookups, will not return.

Stopped in on a Monday Night for the seafood buffet. A little pricey at $20 but it was excellent. Everything from Stone Crab Claws to Oysters Rockeller.



Enjoy the multi station blackjack machines. Main casino has $2 minimum on the machines. Across the street at the Bingo Palace, it's a $1 minimum.



RP

A little on the high priced end for my taste. Usually play poker (room was closed for a while but is now open). Has some 13 tables with 3-6 hold 'em being popular. Hard to find full pay video poker. There is some full pay pick 'em. They have the new virtual machines with a $2 minimum that have 3/2 blackjack and surrender which make them fun to play.

Until the fall of 2007 this WAS a great and fun place to play. This is no longer the case. Just LOSE,LOSE, LOSE.

Whether they changed the virtual reels or stepper stops I'm not sure. If they had only dropped a couple % we prolly wouldn't even have noticed, but they just got too GREEDY. You can see an actual mechanical difference on the second reel if the first reel has a good pay symbol.

Hotel is O.K., but not a 4 or 5 star. Getting a drink is nearly impossible at times. If you tip well the service improves, but not enough servers on the floor.

Food is iffy. Best is Sunday brunch at the Water Lily. With such a poor payback (on slots) it's no wonder their bussiness has tanked.

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I USED TO WIN THERE, I CAME OUT WITH $1214.00 WITH TWO PULLS ON A SLOT. NOW THEY HAVE TIGHTEND UP. TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT

Can only speak for the slots as that is all we play or should I say had played. We will no longer be going there as it is almost impossible to win lately. Don't know what they have done to their machines but was not good. Are also going to many penny machines as they pay even less.

Whoever runs this place has not figured out that most people don't care if they win a lot of money but do want to be able to play for awhile and be entertained while they are there. Doesn't happen.

My suggestion is to place a big barrel at the front entrance to the casino and let people just drop in thier donation to the tribe. Save a lot of energy and hard feelings. Don't see many smiles here on the faces of the players.

I can't speak to the slots or video poker as I have never played those games.



The roulette, craps, and blackjack tables are all pretty good.



Roulette - pretty standard, they use the double 0 wheel and the odds they give you on each betting line are standrd.



Craps - the stickmen know what they're doing and everytime I've played it's been a friendly crowd which makes it a lot of fun.



Blackjack - the $5 min tables are full of recreational players. If you really want to play where the others know what they're doing you need to go up to their $25 min bet tables. You won't find players splitting tens there.



Drink service - AWFUL. If you really need one just find the bar or be prepared to wait a long time.

I feel this casino is very tight and the employees are not friendly.

It is very obvious that they have tightened their machines considerably. Not a decent hit in two days to make our stay there fun. Also, they are now allowing their employees to play in the casino. That tells me that business has not been good. Stay away!!!!