The Monarch Casino Black Hawk was formerly known as the Riviera Black Hawk and the following review was written about the previous casino. The new Monarch Casino opened in April 2012 - I used to love gambling at the Riviera - they had great nickel VP - but about a year ago they made some major changes. They either took out the good nickel VP machines or drastically changed the pay tables; they also replaced many of their slots and now have primarily penny slots. Their buffet is only fair, although the crab legs on the dinner buffet are very good. The other eating option is a small deli on the lower level. I haven't eaten there recently but when I did it was o.k.