• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

  1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J.; 609-317-1000

  With Manhattan’s underground poker scene remaining invite-only (and illegal), the area’s best gambling takes place in Atlantic City’s biggest poker room at the Borgata, which has 85 tables. Naturally, it also has acres of craps, blackjack, even sic bo, an ancient Chinese dice game. Unlike some of its more run-down neighbors on the strip, the recently minted Borgata doesn’t require antidepressants upon arrival. In true Vegas style, there are plenty of tony outlets for your cash, such as a full-service spa and restaurants by Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, and Michael Mina (who also has a place in the Bellagio). The nightclub, mur.mur, offers nightly D.J.’s, and the Borgata plans to open the city’s first boutique hotel, the Water Club, in the spring.

From the 2007 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine