Since we started coming to Vegas about 10 years ago, we have probably played with some frequency at about 40 casinos. We're now down to about 10. In most cases -- all until quite recently -- the decision to stop patronizing a casino was ours. In the past few months, several casinos have cut off the offers that made it worthwhile for one or both of us to play there.
Over the years we have heard stories about video poker players being "no mailed" (mail offers stopped coming) and even being outright barred from playing. We learned that the players cards of those who patronized South Point only on double point days sometimes stopped working, that those who won "too much" at Ellis Island were asked not to come in any more, and that Station Casinos (slogan: "We Love Winners") had barred Bob Dancer from playing there.
But for years, we were the ones who got to decide, exclusively, where we would play video poker. We played where we thought we could make money, which meant places with good games, good players club benefits and good promotions. When any of those things changed significantly to our detriment, we were gone.
In the past 10 years, the main thing that changed was the games. Probably 90 percent or more of the changes were for the worse. There were many reasons for this. As good video poker books and software became available, more players were able to cut into the take the casinos expected from good games because a good part of that take resulted from player mistakes. Video poker, once considered just another form of slot machine, began to be seen more like blackjack, a game that players could beat. One way casinos could protect themselves was to take out high-payback games.
The recession worsened this trend, as did the additional self-inflicted financial troubles of some of the big gaming companies. In many cases players bore at least some of the burden in the form of pay-table downgrades and stingier comp policies,
In most cases we tried to work with the new realities. I think one of the biggest mistakes a player can make is to overreact to change. Even if can't do exactly what you had been doing at a particular casino, there may be other opportunities to make money there, especially if you're still getting mail offers.
But sometimes the changes are just too severe. We kept playing at several casinos as they removed one game after another, but you have to draw the line when there is nothing left that's worth playing.
The sad thing is that the public is so ignorant that these casinos have not been forced to relent and bring back better games, if not the best games they ever had.
The following is a list of some of the casinos we have stopped playing at, or are in the process of phasing out our play; the games we used to play there; and in some cases other reasons for our decision:
1. Club Fortune, Henderson, Nev. -- this neighborhood casino once had positive games, including 25 cent full pay deuces wild and $1 loose deuce deuces wild.
2. Hooters -- $1 full pay double bonus deuces wild and "not so ugly" deuces gave way to 9/6 jacks or better as the best game. We left after that came out and management decided 9/7 double bonus was too strong a game to allow point multipliers on.
3. The Stratosphere -- I think I burned out the $1 loose deuces when I hit the deuces three times in one weekend. They disappeared soon after; so did I.
4. Eastside Cannery -- $1 NSU deuces are long gone, leaving 8/5 bonus poker the best game for dollars and up. Points earned are not competitive with other casinos on the Boulder Highway, and promotions and mailers aren't making up the difference.
5. Peppermill's Rainbow -- this locals casino in downtown Henderson once had 50 cent full pay deuces. Without a players club, there's no reason to go there unless a progressive is high enough to be a positive play.
6. Jackpot Joanie's -- this chain of small casino-bars lost us as customers when it downgraded NSU deuces to "pseudo" NSU, changing the payback from 99.7 percent to 98.9.
7. Dotty's -- another group of casino-bars cut its point multipliers on video poker.
8. Arizona Charlie's Decatur -- there are good games, but you earn so few points playing them that a good mailer is needed to make playing there worthwhile. The mailers started out strong but faded with time.
9. The Palms -- My spouse still plays there a little, but all the changes since George Maloof was deposed have taken most of the value out of playing there. You can still make a little money, but not enough in my opinion to make playing there worthwhile.
10. The Orleans -- Video poker has been tight since we first played there, but for a while we got mailers with free play and giant point multipliers. When those stopped, we stopped playing there.
11. The Westgate -- When this near-Strip property was the Las Vegas Hilton, it was one of the best places to play, with the best tournaments in town, positive and near-positive $1 video poker, and great promotions. Through ownership changes, most of the benefits and the best video poker games for more than 25 cents disappeared. This was probably our biggest loss.
Showing posts with label Ellis Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ellis Island. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Sunday, December 28, 2014
A quiet time in Vegas -- update
A few days ago I wrote about the last couple of weeks in December being a relatively quiet time. This years, in my experience, that was definitely true between the end of the National Finals Rodeo and Christmas. But during the past couple of days, traffic on the roads and activity in the casinos seems to have picked up considerably.
On Friday, we visited Ellis Island, a casino near the Strip. To my amazement, we were told by a security guard stationed at the garage that only four empty spaces remained in the entire structure. The casino wasn't packed, but the restaurants were very busy.
The spouse and tried to figure out what all the cars were doing in the garage. We guessed that most of them belonged to guests at the Super 8 motel adjacent to the casino. We figured that between Christmas and New Year's was probably a good time for a lot of college students and other young people with time off to come to Vegas for a few days, having fulfilled their family holiday obligations.
Also, a lot of businesses close down or slow down during the last week of the year, so a lot of other people have time off as well.
So I will modify my statement that the last two weeks of the year are a quiet time in Vegas. I would still recommend the week and half between the end of the rodeo and Christmas as a time when Vegas is uncrowded and cheap, but not so much the week between Christmas and New Year/s.
On Friday, we visited Ellis Island, a casino near the Strip. To my amazement, we were told by a security guard stationed at the garage that only four empty spaces remained in the entire structure. The casino wasn't packed, but the restaurants were very busy.
The spouse and tried to figure out what all the cars were doing in the garage. We guessed that most of them belonged to guests at the Super 8 motel adjacent to the casino. We figured that between Christmas and New Year's was probably a good time for a lot of college students and other young people with time off to come to Vegas for a few days, having fulfilled their family holiday obligations.
Also, a lot of businesses close down or slow down during the last week of the year, so a lot of other people have time off as well.
So I will modify my statement that the last two weeks of the year are a quiet time in Vegas. I would still recommend the week and half between the end of the rodeo and Christmas as a time when Vegas is uncrowded and cheap, but not so much the week between Christmas and New Year/s.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Barely off the Strip
This post is directed to serious blackjack and/or video poker players who are coming to Las Vegas and staying on or near the Strip, but looking for better games than the Strip casinos offer.
When it comes to blackjack, there are good games on the Strip, but the double-deck games are often available only at minimums of $25 and higher. There is little good video poker on the Strip, defined as games with 99.5 percent payback or better. Some Strip casinos do offer 9/6 jacks or better, but rarely at less than $5, unless you're willing to forgo comps (New York New York offers 9/6 Jacks at $1 and $2, but those machines don't accept a players club card).
This may come as a surprise, but Hooters offers some of the best video poker near the Strip. The good video poker is all on two banks of machines in front of the cage. Games include jacks or better (99.54 percent payback), "not so ugly" deuces wild (99.73 percent) and, on one machine only, double bonus deuces wild (99.81 percent). Slot club points for video poker accrue at a rate of one for every $3 coin in, but each dollar of free play costs only 100 points.
Hooters also offers $10-minimum double deck blackjack with typical locals casino rules and a 0.40 house edge. This game is not open all the time and is never on more than one table. Penetration varies by dealer.
This casino is a very short walk from the Strip at Tropicana, just east of the Tropicana hotel. It is easily accessible by the Monorail, which stops just across Tropicana Avenue at the MGM Grand.
Moving north, a longtime favorite of Strip casino workers and other locals is Ellis Island, a few minutes’ walk east of the Strip on Koval Lane just south of Flamingo Road. This casino, which got its name from founder Gary Ellis, features shoe and double deck blackjack games at $5 and video poker including “not so ugly” deuces at 25 cents and 9/6 jacks or better at up to $2. The casino building also houses a microbrewery, karaoke bar, restaurant, barbecue and Metro Pizza outlet. The casino and karaoke bars serve very generous drinks at moderate prices. Expect a wait at the restaurant (open 24 hours every day) and barbeque (open 4-10 p.m. every day). The restaurant is famous for its off-the-menu steak special, a 10-oz. filet-cut sirloin for $7.99, including an Ellis Island beer.
Farther east at Flamingo and Paradise Road, a fair walk or short bus or taxi ride from the Strip, is Terrible’s (named after founder “Terrible” Herbst, so-called by his competitors in the gas station business for undercutting their prices). The only video poker that meets the 99.5 percent criterion here is 9/6 jacks or better, at up to 50 cents, near the cashier. Double-deck blackjack is consistently offered at $10, based on my experience.
On the other side of the Strip, a long walk or short bus or taxi ride away, are the Palms and Gold Coast, directly across the street from each other. The Palms has one of the best and biggest selections of good video poker in Las Vegas, including a 25-cent full pay deuces wild (100.76 percent) progressive and a $1 full-pay double bonus (100.17 percent) progressive with progressives on the straight flush and quads as well as the royal flush. “Not so ugly” deuces and 9/6 jacks or better are available at pretty much all denominations, including on Triple Play/Five Play machines. Slot club points are worth a generous 0.25 percent.
The Palms also offers a range of blackjack games, including the variation Blackjack Switch. In the past double deck has been offered at $10, but I haven’t seen that for a while. Expect a minimum for double deck of $15 or even $25. Card counters would do better elsewhere; double deck penetration is set at 50 percent with a notch.
The Palms is a big, high-end property with lots of dining and entertainment options. On weekends it is filled with young club goers; during the week it draws an older crowd heavy with locals there for the good video poker and promotions.
The Gold Coast, across the street, has lots of $5 blackjack at all times with good Vegas rules (but consistently lousy penetration) and lots of good video poker, including 9/6 jacks, “not so ugly” deuces and double bonus deuces, at denominations of up to $2. A favorite of Chinese Americans, the Gold Coast has two Chinese restaurants among its dining options. Another nearby casino, the Orleans, is also part of the Coast group owned by Boyd Gaming. A free shuttle connects two and goes to the Strip at Flamingo as well.
Bracketing Las Vegas’ Chinatown area to the north, at Sahara Avenue at Interstate 15, is Palace Station, which offers blackjack with excellent rules and, usually, good penetration at as little as $5 for shoes and $10 for double deck. The selection of positive video poker games (found on machines labeled “Optimum Play” is less than at most other Station properties. To my recollection, no such games are offered at more than 50 cents, but like all things casino-related, that could change at any time.
Finally, the property most like a major Strip resort, but with much better games, is the Las Vegas Hilton, on Paradise Road east of the Strip and south of Sahara Avenue. The Hilton is a major property famous for its entertainment offerings and with excellent restaurants and full major-resort amenities.
The only downside concerning video poker at the Hilton is that all the good games are in the sports book area, which can be crowded, loud and smoky. The upside is the games themselves, including “not so ugly” deuces, loose deuce deuces wild (100.15 percent) and 9/6 jacks. All are offered at 25 cents and $1; the jacks are also offered at $5.
Blackjack at the Hilton is also excellent, with surrender offered not only on shoe games but also on double deck. Shoe games are sometimes offered at $5, usually at $10; double deck is offered at $25. Penetration for both is set by a notch, with about a deck and a third cut off for the six-deck game and about a third of the pack cut off the double-deck game.
The Hilton is a short walk from the Sahara or Riviera, and is accessible by the Monorail, which stops right at the hotel.
When it comes to blackjack, there are good games on the Strip, but the double-deck games are often available only at minimums of $25 and higher. There is little good video poker on the Strip, defined as games with 99.5 percent payback or better. Some Strip casinos do offer 9/6 jacks or better, but rarely at less than $5, unless you're willing to forgo comps (New York New York offers 9/6 Jacks at $1 and $2, but those machines don't accept a players club card).
This may come as a surprise, but Hooters offers some of the best video poker near the Strip. The good video poker is all on two banks of machines in front of the cage. Games include jacks or better (99.54 percent payback), "not so ugly" deuces wild (99.73 percent) and, on one machine only, double bonus deuces wild (99.81 percent). Slot club points for video poker accrue at a rate of one for every $3 coin in, but each dollar of free play costs only 100 points.
Hooters also offers $10-minimum double deck blackjack with typical locals casino rules and a 0.40 house edge. This game is not open all the time and is never on more than one table. Penetration varies by dealer.
This casino is a very short walk from the Strip at Tropicana, just east of the Tropicana hotel. It is easily accessible by the Monorail, which stops just across Tropicana Avenue at the MGM Grand.
Moving north, a longtime favorite of Strip casino workers and other locals is Ellis Island, a few minutes’ walk east of the Strip on Koval Lane just south of Flamingo Road. This casino, which got its name from founder Gary Ellis, features shoe and double deck blackjack games at $5 and video poker including “not so ugly” deuces at 25 cents and 9/6 jacks or better at up to $2. The casino building also houses a microbrewery, karaoke bar, restaurant, barbecue and Metro Pizza outlet. The casino and karaoke bars serve very generous drinks at moderate prices. Expect a wait at the restaurant (open 24 hours every day) and barbeque (open 4-10 p.m. every day). The restaurant is famous for its off-the-menu steak special, a 10-oz. filet-cut sirloin for $7.99, including an Ellis Island beer.
Farther east at Flamingo and Paradise Road, a fair walk or short bus or taxi ride from the Strip, is Terrible’s (named after founder “Terrible” Herbst, so-called by his competitors in the gas station business for undercutting their prices). The only video poker that meets the 99.5 percent criterion here is 9/6 jacks or better, at up to 50 cents, near the cashier. Double-deck blackjack is consistently offered at $10, based on my experience.
On the other side of the Strip, a long walk or short bus or taxi ride away, are the Palms and Gold Coast, directly across the street from each other. The Palms has one of the best and biggest selections of good video poker in Las Vegas, including a 25-cent full pay deuces wild (100.76 percent) progressive and a $1 full-pay double bonus (100.17 percent) progressive with progressives on the straight flush and quads as well as the royal flush. “Not so ugly” deuces and 9/6 jacks or better are available at pretty much all denominations, including on Triple Play/Five Play machines. Slot club points are worth a generous 0.25 percent.
The Palms also offers a range of blackjack games, including the variation Blackjack Switch. In the past double deck has been offered at $10, but I haven’t seen that for a while. Expect a minimum for double deck of $15 or even $25. Card counters would do better elsewhere; double deck penetration is set at 50 percent with a notch.
The Palms is a big, high-end property with lots of dining and entertainment options. On weekends it is filled with young club goers; during the week it draws an older crowd heavy with locals there for the good video poker and promotions.
The Gold Coast, across the street, has lots of $5 blackjack at all times with good Vegas rules (but consistently lousy penetration) and lots of good video poker, including 9/6 jacks, “not so ugly” deuces and double bonus deuces, at denominations of up to $2. A favorite of Chinese Americans, the Gold Coast has two Chinese restaurants among its dining options. Another nearby casino, the Orleans, is also part of the Coast group owned by Boyd Gaming. A free shuttle connects two and goes to the Strip at Flamingo as well.
Bracketing Las Vegas’ Chinatown area to the north, at Sahara Avenue at Interstate 15, is Palace Station, which offers blackjack with excellent rules and, usually, good penetration at as little as $5 for shoes and $10 for double deck. The selection of positive video poker games (found on machines labeled “Optimum Play” is less than at most other Station properties. To my recollection, no such games are offered at more than 50 cents, but like all things casino-related, that could change at any time.
Finally, the property most like a major Strip resort, but with much better games, is the Las Vegas Hilton, on Paradise Road east of the Strip and south of Sahara Avenue. The Hilton is a major property famous for its entertainment offerings and with excellent restaurants and full major-resort amenities.
The only downside concerning video poker at the Hilton is that all the good games are in the sports book area, which can be crowded, loud and smoky. The upside is the games themselves, including “not so ugly” deuces, loose deuce deuces wild (100.15 percent) and 9/6 jacks. All are offered at 25 cents and $1; the jacks are also offered at $5.
Blackjack at the Hilton is also excellent, with surrender offered not only on shoe games but also on double deck. Shoe games are sometimes offered at $5, usually at $10; double deck is offered at $25. Penetration for both is set by a notch, with about a deck and a third cut off for the six-deck game and about a third of the pack cut off the double-deck game.
The Hilton is a short walk from the Sahara or Riviera, and is accessible by the Monorail, which stops right at the hotel.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Updates
It appears that since my recent post about the Westin Casuarina, the casino has dropped 16/10 "not so ugly" deuces. On a happier note, nearby Ellis Island has added full pay deuces to a group of machines against the wall of the restaurant. Labels on the machines indicate that point multipliers do not apply. These are the closest full pay deuces machines to the Strip.
Also, Peppermill's Rainbow in downtown Henderson no longer has 10-coin full pay deuces wild, leaving the Skyline on Boulder Highway the only place I know of with full pay deuces for, in effect, 50 cents. This casino has something else I haven't seen anywhere else -- wild sevens video poker, with the same pay table as full pay deuces wild. You'd have to use a different strategy for this game because in deuces games, "proximity to the deuce" is a factor in determining whether some cards are held.
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