Downtown Las Vegas is known for its value gambling. When compared to the Las Vegas Strip, video poker odds are almost always better downtown, especially at lower limits.
There are 11 downtown Las Vegas casinos. Each is ranked below in terms of its video poker quality.
Al bar tops are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. These video poker games are still included in this list for when they are available again.
Plaza
Plaza wins the award for best video poker in downtown Las Vegas. It has the two best video poker games found around Fremont Street. Both theoretically return over 100 percent with five coins and perfect play. It also has quality pay tables throughout its casino floor and at the bar.
The best game is full pay Joker Poker in quarter and half-dollar. There is also quarter, half-dollar and dollar 10/7 Double Bonus and full pay Double Bonus Plus. None of these games pay points or allow free play redemption. The rest of the games mentioned below do.
Both bars have a wide selection of quarter, half-dollar and dollar full pay games. This includes 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe, 9/6 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Bonus Poker and 9/7 Double Bonus. There are about 25 other Game King video poker machines on the casino floor with these games that add a $2 denomination.
Four Queens
Four Queens takes second place for downtown Las Vegas video poker. It offers 10/7 Double Bonus for quarter and dollar. These take twice as much coin-in for a point than normal on these machines. Players earn one point for every $16 played as opposed to the normal $8.
The best bar top video poker in all of Las Vegas is at Four Queens. This is 10/6 Double Bonus with a slight short pay on a straight flush to get it just under 100%. This game is offered in half-dollar and dollar. There is quarter 9/7 Double Bonus and 9/6 Double Double Bonus with a progressive. The casino floor is home to 9/6 Jacks or Better and 8/5 Bonus Poker. Combining these games with a generous players club makes Four Queens better than most locals casinos for video poker loyalty.
Main Street Station
Main Street Station has yet to reopen as of the time of publication. It will eventually, so it is included in the list. Little has changed there in terms of video poker quality so it is assumed it will remain the same when it reopens.
The best video poker game at Main Street Station is 10/7 Double Bonus. It is spread in quarter, half-dollar and dollar denominations. There is also quarter full pay Triple Deuces Wild and No-so-ugly Deuces Wild. Full pay Jacks or Better is spread at the bar and on several machines on the floor at quarter, half-dollar and dollar. The same can be said of 9/7 Double Bonus. There is 8/5 Bonus Poker throughout the casino.
California
California is home to quarter, half-dollar and dollar 10/7 Double Bonus. Nickel, dime, quarter and half-dollar Not-so-ugly Deuces Wild is available, as well as quarter, half-dollar and dollar full pay Super Double Bonus, Triple Double Bonus, Jacks or Better and Bonus Poker. Jacks or Better is available in coin games for quarter and dollar.
Fremont
You will not find any 100 percent games at Fremont like at the other two Boyd Gaming properties in downtown Las Vegas. However, the action is still well above average.
Fremont is home to the typical Las Vegas Boyd Gaming ‘up to 99.8%’ video poker machines. These offer Triple Bonus Plus, Not-so-ugly Deuces Wild, Super Double Double Bonus, Bonus Poker Deluxe, Double Deuces Wild, Bonus Deuces Wild and others with paybacks above 99 percent. These are available in quarter, half-dollar and dollar.
El Cortez
El Cortez pulled its last 100 percent games in July. The best pay tables are all on coin games. This includes full pay Double Deuces Wild, Triple Bonus, Bonus Deuces Wild, Not-so-ugly Joker Poker, Loose Deuces and full pay Bonus Poker. All these games return over 99 percent. The denominations are mostly quarter and dollar with a few half-dollar games.
Binion’s
The video poker at Binion’s tops out at 99.17 percent. That is on Bonus Poker. There is also 9/7 Double Bonus and 9/6 Double Double Bonus. The denominations are quarter, half-dollar and dollar.
Downtown Grand
Downtown Grand once had the best video poker in downtown Las Vegas. These days, it is like what you will find above at Binion’s. The best game is 8/5 Bonus Poker with 9/7 Double Bonus and 9/6 Double Double Bonus. The denominations are quarter, half-dollar, dollar and two-dollar.
Golden Gate
The best video poker game at Golden Gate is 8/5 Bonus Poker. It offers quarters with a progressive, as well as half-dollar and dollar. There is also 9/6 Double Double Bonus in the dollar denomination. From there, it drops to 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe, which returns 98.49 percent.
The D
The best video poker game at The D is 8/5 Bonus Poker. It is available in quarter, half-dollar, dollar and two-dollar denominations. The quarter games have progressives. From there, the next best game is 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe.
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget takes last place for downtown Las Vegas video poker quality. There are no video poker games above 99 percent in the house. The best single line game is 8/6 Jacks or Better, which returns 98.39 percent. It requires playing at least the $5 denomination. It is also spread in 100 play for quarter and half-dollar. There is 9/5 Jacks or Better on three and five plays. The best $1 single line game is 7/5 Bonus Poker, which returns right at 98 percent.
Some of this information was learned from VPFree2. This is a database of the best video poker games at each casino.
