Jokers Wild is a small locals casino on Boulder Highway at its intersection with Warm Springs in Henderson. It is owned by Boyd Gaming. Other than the sportsbook being branded with Boyd, a player would not know the property’s ownership.
Jokers Wild does not use the Boyd Rewards players club. It uses the Prime Rewards card. It is the only casino in that program. Update: Since this article was written, Jokers Wild joined Boyd Rewards.
Eldorado in downtown Henderson once used this card. Boyd Gaming sold that property to the owners of Railroad Pass in 2020. It became Pass Casino.
Henderson planned community includes Jokers Wild’s gaming license
An article published by the Las Vegas Fox affiliate discussed a master developer’s hope of including a new locals casino resort on land that is now under construction. The planned community is called Cadence. It is northeast of Boulder Highway at Water Street, just south and east of Jokers Wild.
State law does not permit another locals casino to be built that close to Jokers Wild. The original plan was to close Jokers Wild and move its license to the new development. It appears now that Boyd Gaming prefers to develop the new casino on the Jokers Wild parcel, according to the Las Vegas Fox story.
The article goes out of its way to not mention Boyd Gaming by name. It also notes that the same unnamed company owns a shuttered unnamed Boulder Highway casino. That property is Eastside Cannery.
Jokers Wild has not been the same since the pandemic
Jokers Wild once had a loyal following of low roller table game players. It offered $1 craps with 10 times odds during the week. It would go up to $2 on weekends. This craps table was nearly always busy.
There were two blackjack games at Jokers Wild. Both paid 3:2. The $3 six-deck game allowed double down before but not after splitting. The double deck blackjack game was $5 and offered double down before and after splitting. Both games hit soft 17.
Double zero roulette had a $1 minimum bet. A $2 Three Card Poker table disappeared from Jokers Wild in 2019.
Today, there are electronic table games where the pit once was. The sportsbook has been reduced to kiosk betting.
The rest of the casino floor is now slots and video poker. The 10/7 Double Bonus games disappeared a few years ago. The $1199 royal on 9/6 Double Double Bonus machines were removed late last year.
According to VPFree2, the best video poker game available is 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17%). That is not competitive in a locals market with Skyline, Rainbow Club and Emerald Island nearby.
It was always a disappointment that Jokers Wild did not have any playable Joker Poker video poker games. They could have at least spread the 18/7/5 version that returns around the same as 8/5 Bonus Poker.
Redeveloping Jokers Wild seems like a positive
The couple of times I have checked out Jokers Wild since the pandemic, it had no energy. It has become a large slot parlor. A new development on the property that could bring some life back would be a significant improvement. There is a lack of major casino properties in the area. This would serve that demand.
Fiesta Henderson appears to be permanently closed. Eastside Cannery is probably in the same category. Players looking for table games in the area must settle for small properties like Club Fortune, Pass and Skyline.
The closest major gaming properties are Sunset Station and Sam’s Town. Boyd Gaming owns Sam’s Town.
