Housed in the sculptural former French pavilion of Expo 67 on Ile Notre-Dame, the Casino de Montreal is one of the largest gaming floors on the continent; it keeps no hotel of its own, so we treat the city itself — five minutes over the bridge — as the lodging.
This is the most theatrical floor in the guide by some distance — five levels of tables, slots, a poker room and a high-limit salon wrapped in the swooping glass of a 1967 world's-fair pavilion. The building alone is worth the crossing.
The game is serious too: deep table limits, a genuine poker scene and a crowd that ranges from tuxedoed locals to curious tourists. The size can overwhelm on a Saturday, so aim for a weeknight and let the architecture breathe.
There are none, and honesty demands we say so plainly — the casino has no hotel attached, which is the single reason it doesn't rank higher in a book about casino-hotels. What it has instead is Montreal, a taxi or a metro-and-bridge away.
Base yourself in Old Montreal or downtown and the trade is a good one: boutique hotels, far better breakfasts and a whole city to wake up in. Just plan the logistics of getting back across the water after a late session before you sit down.
The casino's own dining is stronger than most, topped by a well-regarded fine-dining room with island views, and the riverside park on Ile Notre-Dame is a fine place to clear your head between hands. But the real feast is off the island.
Old Montreal's restaurants, the jazz clubs and the Plateau are the extras here, and they're extraordinary. Treat the casino as one act in a Montreal weekend rather than the venue for the whole night and you'll get the most from it.
Because you're supplying your own bed, the value depends entirely on where you stay, and Montreal offers rooms at every price — which can make the whole trip cheaper than a self-contained resort or dearer, as you choose.
The floor itself is free to walk and thrilling to look at, and the city around it is one of the best in the country. For a floor-first player who loves a real city, the missing hotel is a feature, not a flaw.
The one entry with no bed of its own, and worth breaking our own rule for — the floor is that good, and Montreal is the grandest 'hotel' any casino could ask for.