Ten of the eleven downtown Las Vegas casinos reopened on June 4. The information below is based on what I found when I visited the casinos shortly after opening time. For California, Downtown Grand, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget and The D, that was after midnight. For Binion’s, El Cortez, Four Queens and Plaza, it was during the afternoon.
See also: Las Vegas Strip reopening gambling guide
Downtown Las Vegas 3:2 blackjack minimum bets and rules
Nine of the ten downtown Las Vegas casinos offered 3:2 blackjack games. Binion’s was the exception. It does not have a real 3:2 blackjack table in normal times. The list below shows the minimum bet at each casino. The game is a six or eight-deck shoe with double down before and after splitting unless otherwise noted. All downtown Las Vegas blackjack tables hit soft 17.
$5
- Plaza
$10
- California (double deck, no double down after splitting)
- Downtown Grand (plus surrender and re-split aces)
- El Cortez (single deck no double down after split, double deck and six-deck with double down after split)
- Golden Gate
- Golden Nugget (plus surrender)
- Four Queens (double deck, no double down after split)
- Fremont (double deck, no double down after splitting)
$15
- The D
Downtown Las Vegas craps minimum bets and odds
Nine of the ten downtown Las Vegas casinos that opened offer craps. Plaza will bring it back in a few weeks.
$5
- Binion’s (5x)
- El Cortez (10x)
- Golden Nugget (3-4-5x)
- Four Queens (5x)
$10
- California (2x)
- Downtown Grand (10x)
- Fremont (2x)
- Golden Gate (10x)
- The D (10x)
Downtown Las Vegas roulette minimum bet
All the downtown Las Vegas casinos opened roulette tables on the first day. All are double zero, except Plaza, which opened its single zero table on June 12. None of the triple zero tables were open.
$5
- Binion’s
- El Cortez
- Four Queens
- Plaza
$10
- California
- Downtown Grand
- Fremont
- Golden Gate
- Plaza (single zero)
- The D
$15
- Golden Nugget
Other table games
There are few table games outside blackjack, craps and roulette in downtown Las Vegas. Golden Gate removed all the tables outside of those three games. The D removed all except for those games and baccarat. Plaza will not open any of these tables during the first phase.
Three Card Poker
Binion’s, Fremont and Four Queens had open tables with a $5 minimum. It is $10 at El Cortez.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
El Cortez had the only Ultimate Texas Hold’em table open downtown. It had a $10 minimum bet.
Texas Hold’em Bonus
California and Fremont had one Texas Hold’em Bonus table open. The minimum was $10.
High Card Flush
Golden Nugget was the only downtown casino with High Card Flush. The minimum bet is $10.
Pai Gow Poker
Binion’s and Four Queens offer $10 Pai Gow Poker.
Let it Ride
Binion’s and Four Queens had $5 Let it Ride open.
Downtown Las Vegas reopening gambling guide by casino
Ten downtown Las Vegas casinos reopened. Most kept the same table games as before. The exceptions are Golden Gate and The D. All card tables on the main casino floor that were not blackjack were converted into that game. Ultimate Texas, Let it Ride and Three Card Poker tables are gone from those casinos. Plaza will not open these types of games until the next phase.
Video poker pay tables appeared to be the same. The only difference is that some of the machines are turned off to create proper spacing.
Binion’s
Binion’s is offering an exceptional summer slots and video poker offer. Players earn $10 in slot play for every 100 points earned. This is $10 for every $800 in coin-in for video poker. At 2,000 points, you receive a $40 comp bonus. At 4,000 points, there is a $100 comp boost. You get to keep all the comps and points earned at the normal rate while participating in this promotion. It ends on the last day of each month and restarts the following month through August.
The table games were identical to before the closure. There are no real 3:2 blackjack games in the house. These are the tables I found open at Binion’s:
$5 Binion’s table games
- 00 roulette
- 6:5 blackjack
- Craps (5x odds)
- Let it Ride
- Big Wheel
- Three Card Poker
$10 Binion’s table games
- Pai Gow Poker
Best Binion’s video poker games: Loose Deuces (99.2%) and Bonus Poker (99.17%)
California
There was nothing different about the table games or video poker at California. This is what was open during my visit:
$5 California table games
- 00 roulette
$10 California table games
- Double deck blackjack (no double down after split)
- Craps (2x odds)
- Texas Hold’em Bonus
Best California video poker games: Double Bonus (100.17%, most are on coin games) and Not-so-ugly Deuces Wild (99.73%)
Downtown Grand
The casino floor at Downtown Grand is the same as before except for a $1 3:2 blackjack game that was spread to celebrate the reopening. The back pit with the carnival games was closed. The following table games were open during my visit:
$10 Downtown Grand table games
- Blackjack (shoe with double down before and after splitting, surrender and re-split aces)
- Craps (10x odds)
- 00 roulette
Best Downtown Grand video poker games: Bonus Poker (99.17%) and Double Bonus (99.11%)
El Cortez
About half the El Cortez table games use plexiglass. Most tables were open. These are the games I found live at the time of my visit. Note that all blackjack pays 3:2 at El Cortez.
$5 El Cortez table games
- Craps (10x odds)
- 00 roulette
$10 El Cortez table games
- Single deck blackjack (no double down after split)
- Double deck blackjack
- Six-deck blackjack
- Baccarat
- Three Card Poker
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Best El Cortez video poker games: Double Bonus (100.17%) and Double Deuces Wild (99.62%)
Four Queens
Four Queens offered a wide variety of its table games. Most of the video poker machines are live. Players may move seats to sit with others in the group. The seats next to the group must remain unoccupied.
Four Queens is owned by the same company as Binion’s. It has the same offer that includes $10 for every 100 points earned, which requires $800 in coin-in. There is a $40 comp bonus at 2,000 points and $100 at 4,000 in a month. The promotion resets on the last day of each month and starts on the first day of the following through August.
Below is the list of table games I found open during my visit:
$5 Four Queens table games
- 6:5 and carnival blackjack games
- 00 roulette
- Craps (5x odds)
- Let it Ride
- Three Card Poker
$10 Four Queens table games
- 3:2 blackjack (double deck, no double down after split)
- Pai Gow Poker
Best Four Queens video poker games: Double Bonus (100.17%) and Double Double Bonus (99.96%)
Fremont
The big news out of Fremont is that all the coin games are gone. Otherwise, there was no difference in the casino beyond the standard spacing. The following games are what I found open:
$5 Fremont table games
- Three Card Poker
$10 Fremont table games
- 3:2 blackjack (double deck, no double down after split)
- 00 roulette
- Craps (2x odds)
- Texas Hold’em Bonus
Best Fremont video poker games: Triple Bonus Plus (99.8%) and Not-so-ugly Deuces Wild (99.73%)
Golden Gate
Golden Gate had some changes to the table game pit. The carnival games are all gone. The only tables left are blackjack, craps and roulette. This is what I found open:
$5 Golden Gate table games
- 3:2 blackjack
$10 Golden Gate table games
- 00 roulette
- Craps (10x odds)
- 3:2 Free Bet Blackjack
Best Golden Gate video poker games: Bonus Poker (99.17%) and Double Double Bonus (98.98%)
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget felt like a typical day beyond the spacing requirements. Most of the games were available during my visit. Pai Gow Poker was a notable exception. This is what was open:
$5 Golden Nugget table games
- 000 roulette
- Craps (3-4-5x odds)
- 6:5 blackjack
- Three Card Poker
$10 Golden Nugget table games
- High Card Flush
- 3:2 blackjack (shoe with surrender)
$15 Golden Nugget table games
- 00 roulette
$25 Golden Nugget table games
- 3:2 double deck blackjack (no double down after split)
$50 Golden Nugget table games
- Baccarat
$100 Golden Nugget table games
- 3:2 double deck blackjack (double down after split)
- 3:2 six-deck blackjack (double down before and after split, surrender and re-split aces)
Best Golden Nugget video poker games: Jacks or Better (98.45%) and Bonus Poker (98.01%)
Plaza
Plaza’s table game pit is now 24 hours. The only table games available right now are 0 roulette, 00 roulette and 3:2 blackjack. Both have a $5 or $10 minimum bet.
Best Plaza video poker games: Joker Poker (100.64%) and Double Bonus Poker (100.17%). All three joker machines are live. The only Double Bonus machine on is by Pop Up Pizza.
The D
The D was the busiest of all downtown casinos on opening night. The limits reflected that. Like Golden Gate, all card games that are not blackjack were removed and replaced by blackjack felts. Baccarat is available in high limit.
$10 The D table games
- Craps
- 00 roulette
$15 The D table games
- 3:2 blackjack
$50 The D table games
- 3:2 double deck blackjack
- Baccarat
Best The D video poker games: Bonus Poker (99.17%) and Bonus Poker Deluxe (98.49%)
Shout out to VPFree2 for helping me with a couple of the video poker games on the list.
