Saying goodbye

There are many reasons to play at one casino rather than another, but the bottom line for me is games I want to play -- games that give me a fair chance to come out ahead. For video poker, these include not just 100 percent payback games but games such as 16/10 "not so ugly deuces" with 99.73 percent payback that can be combined with players' club benefits to yield a positive return. Progressives can make games with otherwise unacceptable pay tables a good play.

In recent weeks and months, several casinos have downgraded their video poker inventory, making it diffuclt for me to continue playing there. A case in point is one of the few Strip casinos that has made a genuine effort to go after the locals' business -- the Sahara.

This aging Strip property has been doing many things right. It has a generous players' club program that awards comp points, cash back and free play. The mailers I've gotten for my video poker play have offered generous amounts of free play. It offers point multipliers, gifts to local players and invitations to special events.

The Sahara deserves compliments for its $1 blackjack. Many casinos that offer low-limit blackjack have only one table of it; the Sahara always has at least one full pit open. Players get paid only even money for blackjacks and don't get rated for comps unless they bet $5 per hand (in which cases blackjacks play 6-to-5). But it's the only place I know of in Vegas where you can play blackjack for $1, and at that bet level the average loss from the reduced payout for blackjack is about $1.50 an hour. (Normally any game that pay less than 3-to-2 for blackjacks is to be avoided like the plague; in this case the disadvantage to the player is mitigated by the small amount of the bets.)

For slot and video poker players the Sahara has a "Locals Lane" with video poker that used to be better than that in the main casino. Not too long ago the best game there was 10/7 double bonus (100.17 percent payback) for 50 cents; most recently it was 16/10 "not so ugly" deuces (99.73 percent payback), in denominations up to $1. I was happy to play this game there given the Sahara's slot club benefits.

A few weeks ago, I found that the deuces pay tables had been changed to 15/9/4 "pseudo not so ugly," aka "Illinois deuces," which pays back 98.91 percent. The best double bonus is now 9/7, which pays back 99.11 percent, and it isn't even in Locals Lane. Absent incentives such as a big progressive jackpot or point multiplier, there is no reason to play games with these pay tables. The Las Vegas Hilton, right across the street, offers better games, including 16/10 deuces and 9/6 jacks or better (99.54 percent payback).

Nothing's forever in the casino business, and it's possible the folks at the Sahara will realize they've gone too far. But until they bring back the better pay tables or something else worthwile, I'll be using up my free play and than spending my time at other casinos.