I went to DeJope in Madison this Wednesday and Thursday with my sister and we were thoroughly impressed again. I've been playing for a few months but my sister has been playing for over two years, and we both agreed this was some of the best customer service we had seen in any casino, Vegas or otherwise, let alone a Wisconsin casino. They seem like they keep making small changes to make the people who come back happier. Wouldn't it be a perfect world if they all did that.

Promotions are looking up. We got $5 for free on the card on Wednesday, and then $25 more for earning a few points. If you didn't want to play max bet you didn't have to, it just took you a little longer to earn. Finally a casino gets it. Thursday, we waited around and entered the drawing for HDTVs and $200. Most people only got one ticket in the drum, and it wasn't even close to full. Maybe a few hundred tickets in there, good odds for a dozen people to win. That was exciting.

It's kind of funny how there is a "light side" and a "dark side" in the casino, non-smoking and smoking. I personally like a darker atmosphere, and their lights in the smoking section are subtle and change colors and all sorts of cool stuff. I don't know how many people who read this have been to Potawotami in Milwaukee, but before you become acquainted with that casino, you have NO IDEA where to find a soft beverage. There's one soda and coffee stand in the whole place. You have to get up on your hind legs and try to steamroll an employee over to get a soda. There's gotta be at least 5 or 6 dispensers at Ho Chunk in Madison and it's only one floor compared to Potawotami's desert of desperation. There are a few places that are pretty far away from the sodas in the back of the casino, and at first this summer I didn't see many hosts out with drinks, but that too has changed. Those guys seem to bring the luck with them when they walk around with the free coffee cart.

That's another point: fresh games. You won't have the new line of Zeus slots at this casino because it is a Class 2 casino (although they keep one or two early Zeus slots in the smoking section still). On the flip side, this casino has a lot of different styles of games you wouldn't see just 45 minutes down the road at the Dells. Things you've never heard of or seen before. The 'scatter left to right' free spins Cadillac Jack games are everywhere in this casino, so I like playing those against other players. A few big $1,000,000+ progressive jackpot games are flashy and fun, but expensive.

Another aspect of DeJope is that it's still a little bit smaller than the Dells or Potawotami, so the customer service is heads and shoulders above the rest. I always wait in line in the Dells just to check my card. I'd be hard pressed to wait 2-3 minutes in line in Madison. Their staff up at the counter nowadays treat you like you're at a 4-star hotel. Quick, easy, and always helpful. They laugh at you at other places if you ask them to follow you and bring an attendant to your machine, or they are sitting down behind glass. Nope, not at DeJope. You might have to wait a minute, but it's worth it.

I guess the best way to put it is that DeJope got a makeover. I hope they get a hotel and work as much as they can with the community and players that support them.