Kristina and I enjoy walking around downtown Las Vegas. We usually do it once every month or two. The loop takes about 90 minutes. It is a little over three miles.
On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, we visited all 12 casinos in the area. Here are some of the changes that we found.
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Golden Gate
We started at Golden Gate. It was around lunchtime. There were only a few tables open. Roulette and 3/2 blackjack were $10. Craps was $15. There was almost no action.
The big change at Golden Gate is that the sportsbook is permanently closed and walled off. Slots are in the area now. There are kiosks available for betting.
Circa
Like most downtown casinos, Circa was slow. All open table games had a $10 minimum bet, except craps, which was $15. Baccarat and pai gow were closed. We ate at Victory Burger with some of our $75 in monthly food comps.
Binion’s
Our next stop was Binion’s. It was the first time in several visits that craps was $10. It was $15 during our other most recent visits. All table games were $10. I think the days of $5 Let it Ride at Binion’s are over.
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget now requires a $2 side bet at all blackjack games on the floor. This includes Lucky Cat in the front pit and standard 6/5 in the other pits. The $5 Lucky Cat game has an estimated 8.95% house edge at the minimum bet. The $10 6/5 one is about 5.5%.
Golden Nugget still deals every type of poker pit game for $5. Craps was $10. You could play 000 roulette for $5 and 00 for $10 during our visit. In this scenario, at the minimum bet, you are better off playing 000 over 00.
Four Queens
There were only a few tables open at Four Queens. All had a $10 minimum bet. Many blackjack, craps, and pai gow poker tables were closed.
Fremont
There is major construction at Fremont. The area around the main bar, including the banks of video poker machines, was walled off. A few tables were missing from the pit due to this construction, though I think they were all blackjack tables. Fremont still has Texas Hold’em Bonus, which is the last table of its kind in Las Vegas.
Craps and 3:2 blackjack were $15. Roulette and 6/5 blackjack were $10. No other tables were open.
I discovered that the downtown Boyd Gaming casinos offer better video poker games on the Aristocrat machines than the Game King ones. Look for 8/5 Bonus Poker at $1 and higher denominations. You will also find some 98% and better games. These are the bar top machines with the Buffalo slot game.
The D
The D looked the same as always. The table game options were $10 00 roulette and 3/2 blackjack. Craps was $15. Free Bet Blackjack with a 3/2 payout was $25. The high limit room was open with a $50 and $100 game, but it had no players.
El Cortez
The only major change at El Cortez was the loss of about half its coin video poker games. These are now only found in the back room. The room next to Subway is now all newer machines with tickets.
The roulette was $5. All other table games, including 3/2 single deck, double deck, and six-deck blackjack, as well as baccarat, craps, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, were $10.
We found video baccarat on the stadium for $3. This is new. The stadium also has big 6, 3/2 blackjack, and 00 roulette.
Downtown Grand
The big change at Downtown Grand is that all stadium games are out. There was a big setup in the front that was replaced with hybrid games in the pit. Those are now gone, too.
There is still $1 even money blackjack. Open tables included $5 3/2 blackjack, craps, double zero roulette, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The $5 blackjack table had a sign about Step it Up Blackjack. At first, I thought this was a variant. It is just a side bet that applies to the dealer’s final hand. It is not required.
The Cal
The Cal was exactly the same, except that the last two 10/7 coin Double Bonus machines are gone. There are about 30 coin video poker machines left. Most are 9/6 Jacks or Better. The open tables were $10 00 roulette, $15 3/2 blackjack and craps, and $25 Face Up Pai Gow Poker.
Main Street Station
Since it was Wednesday, none of the Main Street Station tables were open. These are only available for two shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is closed all week. The casino was mostly empty.
Plaza
Our journey ended at Plaza, where I played full-pay Joker Poker for the afternoon. Plaza has a new game called 235 Stud, though I am not sure how to play it. The table was not open. Most Liberal 21 was $5. The six-deck games were $10, as were 00 roulette and craps. Single zero roulette was $15. Double-deck blackjack was $25.
