I made my first trip to one of Pennsylvania’s slots-only casinos last weekend. I made the hour-ish trek north of Harrisburg to visit Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.

The place had been open for a little more than a year, so my visit was long overdue. I hadn’t made it a priority, however, because the whole slots-only thing can only entertain me for so long. With a two-hour round-trip, I wanted to make sure I had the energy (and money) to gamble for more than two hours.

So I took $100 I received for Christmas and tried my luck on Sunday. I came out a little less than $30 lighter in the wallet (gambling only). I managed to keep my bankroll pretty solid by sticking mainly to penny slots. Here are a few impressions of the place:

I like the vibe of the whole joint. The place had a nice circular layout and didn’t have me too confused.

I didn’t like the lame attempt at movie theming. You really couldn’t tell that there was a theme.

I like the fact that they have some machines that you would find in Vegas, like the Goldfish machine. Gamblers are a savvy bunch, and the PA places need to look and feel as much like Vegas and Atlantic City as they can.

I didn’t like the fact that they need more of these and other varieties. Where are Star Trek and Rocky and Star Wars and Wizard of Oz and Top Gun? I know PA is new to the slots game, but the casino operators are  not new to the business and the state has one of the highest numbers of slots available in the country. They should have games I was able to play in Vegas seven months ago.

I like the self-serve soft drink stations. This really made it handy when you just needed a quick drink.

I didn’t like no free booze. I was not there to get plowed, but it’s part and parcel of the experience. I paid $4 for a Yuengling when I grabbed lunch. You should be able to get at least one courtesy drink with your players card or something like that.

I like gambling close-ish to home with the opportunity to play video poker, blackjack (albeit with too high minimums and a bastardized version via video technology) and roulette. I had a good enough time that I might go back sooner than I expected.

I didn’t like no table games. At least give me poker. Come on, Gov. Rendell. One judge in the state has already ruled that Texas Hold ‘Em is a game of skill so let our casinos show off the skills of residents. Just be nice enough to give us a free beer when we sit down at the table, OK?