Plaza turns 50 years old on July 2, 2021. It has easily become my favorite casino in Las Vegas. It goes beyond Plaza offering full pay Joker Poker. It began about 17 years ago.
It started with a private poker tournament
My first visit to Plaza was in 2004. A group of online poker playing friends put together a private tournament at the Plaza poker room. It was in the general area of the players center these days.
We had fun in our private tournament. I decided to return to play the midnight tournament. I made that a habit during my Las Vegas vacations.
I usually only played poker at Plaza. I preferred the video poker at Las Vegas Club, which was owned by the same company. This would become a great feature down the road.
Plaza’s remodel started its resurgence
Plaza closed in the late 2000’s for a full remodel. It reopened in late 2010. We were invited to stay in one of the new rooms on the hotel’s first night back based on my Las Vegas Club play. Plaza scored the fixtures from the abandoned Fontainebleau project on the Strip, which may or may not become The Drew one day.
There were few people there. The casino was only partially reopened. The rooms were very nice. Unfortunately, my pictures from the soft reopening appear to be lost forever.
Oscar’s opened in the former Firefly space. There was a secret Italian restaurant at the Plaza relaunch called Simpatico. If you are at the host stand at Oscar’s, there is a door that opens into the old dining area behind you.
Over the years, I built up insane amounts of comps playing video poker at Las Vegas Club. I was able to convert these comps into many dinners at Oscar’s and Simpatico. That was a nice, unexpected perk of the new Plaza.
As the years went by, Las Vegas Club fell into disrepair. It was sold to the future owners of Circa in 2015.
Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel doing his Marty McFly impression.
I met Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel the night Las Vegas Club closed. Over the years, we have talked about the industry and my experiences in his casino many times. It is great that he is so accessible to players. I think it is part of the draw and branding of the Plaza. It operates like an old school locals casino.
Jossel is quite the marketer. My favorite of his ideas was on October 21, 2015. Plaza was Biff Tannen’s Pleasure Palace in Back to the Future II. The area under the Plaza dome became themed after that for a night. I wrote a blog post about that day here.
Getting to know Plaza’s casino
Some of the older coin games that I played at Las Vegas Club moved to Plaza. Many of the slot employees worked at both properties so it was not that big of a change.
Plaza was just another casino with my favorite game when I first started playing there regularly in 2015. That feeling has changed a lot since.
I consider Plaza to be comparable to a locals casino downtown. The staff has little turnover. They get to know the regulars. They all seem quite happy to work there. Customer service is a priority.
One of my favorite Plaza podcasts was when Mary Meyers was a guest. I consider her to be the best casino employee that I have ever encountered, and there are many great ones out there, including at the Plaza. They all help make Plaza feel like a small locals casino to me.
As the years went by, the coin games started to break. Replacement parts were hard to find. In October 2019, it was time for the machines to go.
Plaza gave me my favorite coin game
Plaza held contests for the dozen or so coin games that survived out of the 35 brought over from Las Vegas Club. I got to pick one without having to win any contest based on my loyalty over the years. I chose the quarter full pay Joker Poker machine that I had been playing for about 15 years. It still works. It helped keep me sane during the pandemic closure.
Plaza brought back Joker Poker with ticket in/ticket out after the coin games were given away. I did not believe it at the time, but I think the coin part added to the fun. I burned out on it and started playing more Bonus Poker Deluxe. Kristina joins me to play Deuces Wild.
It has turned into a date night that often ends in a bingo session. Kristina has been on a heater in the bingo room. It has been amusing.
I mostly play video poker at Plaza but change it up sometimes
I sometimes venture into playing games other than video poker. The old Las Vegas Club coin reels were next to the coin Joker Poker for years. I would occasionally play these Catch the Heat machines. The first video is the top jackpot on the old coin game. The second is the newer version that is available to play today.
I may play pit games after a big win
My largest video poker win was at Plaza.
A royal flush often means a trip to the pit. I will play craps from the don’t pass if I am alone at the table. I do not usually play if there is any action. I prefer the don’t pass, but I do not like to bet it against other players. Ultimate Texas Hold’em is the other table I play there.
These games usually beat me, but it is a fun change of pace from video poker. It rewards Plaza with my action for giving me good games to play. That may be an old school way of thinking, but I think that is a good way to describe Plaza.
Plaza table game selection
The table game pit offers a good value. The six-deck blackjack games usually start at $10. There is a $25 double deck table. The games have standard double down rules and hit soft 17. These games pay 3:2 on a blackjack.
There is also a blackjack variant owned by Plaza called World’s Most Liberal 21. It is usually $10. Its rules are similar to Super Fun 21.
Craps, double zero roulette and the typical selection of poker table games like Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Let it Ride, Face Up Pai Gow and I Luv Suits often have a $10 minimum bet.
Plaza has the only single zero roulette in downtown Las Vegas. It usually has a $10 minimum bet. I have seen it at $15 during busier times. This is typically a $100 game on the Strip. It is part of Plaza branding to be known for offering a fair gambling value.
Craps odds are 10 times. The field pays triple on 12.
Plaza video poker
Plaza has the best video poker in downtown Las Vegas and comes in second place for the entire market. It has two games that return over 100% with five coins wagered and perfect play.
There are three full pay quarter Joker Poker machines near the security podium. There are two machines with 10/7 Double Bonus Poker in quarter, half-dollar and dollar denominations near the rear of the casino. These Double Bonus machines are in different banks and also have full pay Double Bonus Plus. None of these games pay slot points.
There are dozens of 99% machines at the bar and throughout the casino floor. These games pay points. The best game on them is 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe. Other good games include 9/6 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Bonus Poker, 9/7 Double Bonus, Deuces & Joker and 9/6 Double Double Bonus.
Plaza slots
I do not follow the slot side of things. However, Plaza has an entire section by the cage dedicated to Wheel of Fortune games. There is also a BC Slots branded area behind the keno podium. As noted earlier, there are some Las Vegas Club throwback slots near the cage. There are hundreds of other slots throughout the casino floor.
Plaza hotel rooms
We have stayed in many Plaza rooms over the years. I save up our comps for a couple of big nights out a year. Here are some trip reports:
Two-room suite with connected Cabana room
Another Cabana room trip report
