Buffalo Bill’s, one of three Primm casinos, removed all live table games in late September.
Primm Valley Resort and Whiskey Pete’s are the other two Primm casinos. Primm Valley Resort stopped dealing live table games in December 2022 after Buffalo Bill’s reopened. Whiskey Pete’s removed its tables during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic closure and never brought them back.
Primm Valey Resort and Whiskey Pete’s offer slots and video poker. Neither casino has electronic table games. Affinity Gaming operates all three Primm casinos.
Live table games replaced by hybrid versions
Buffalo Bill’s table game felts and chips were replaced with hybrid Interblock machines. These use real cards, dice, and wheels. Dealers are required to operate the games. However, bets and player actions are made on touchscreens.
Cash and slot tickets are inserted into the bill acceptor for credits. Cashouts are paid by slot tickets.
The game options are 6/5 Easy Blackjack, 3-4-5 times Roll to Win Craps, and Dual Wheel Roulette with two zeros. The minimum bet for all games is $5. Three electronic table games remain near the pit.
Easy Blackjack uses a continuous shuffling machine with a card reader. The player’s touchscreen shows the hit card before it is exposed on the table. Pairs may only be split once. With its 6/5 payout, the house advantage is 2.03% using perfect strategy.
Buffalo Bill’s previously had live Three Card Poker. That game is no longer available in Primm in any form.
Multiple sources confirmed that the Primm Valley Resort casino robbery of $625,000 in cash and $27,000 in table game chips was a factor in this decision. Replacing live tables with hybrid ones removes the liability of keeping chips in casino cages. It also helps protect games from cheating.
Silver Sevens recently replaced live tables with hybrid ones
Silver Sevens, also operated by Affinity Gaming, permanently closed its live table game pit on September 30. These games were replaced by the same Interblock hybrid ones as Buffalo Bill’s.
Dealer tips suffer on hybrid and stadium games
The invention of live dealer stadiums and hybrid table games brought a new tipping situation. Most live table game players know to tip dealers. Chips give players a different mentality about money than slot tickets.
While there is a place to tip and make bets for dealers on the touchscreen, many have noted that tokes are substantially worse on these hybrid games. The lack of chips and lower minimum bets play a part.
Silver Sevens and Buffalo Bill’s are the only casinos in the Las Vegas area that only have hybrid tables. Stadium and hybrid dealers share in the live table tips at all other casinos with these games.
Buffalo Bill’s bar video poker improved
Buffalo Bill’s bar video poker is greatly improved. Newer machines offer $1 9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker, 9/5 Jacks or Better, 9/6/5 Double Bonus Poker, 17/7/5 Joker Poker, 8/5 Shockwave, 13/4/3/3 Bonus Deuces Wild, and 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe. These games all return 98 to 99 percent. The best quarter and half-dollar game is 9/6/5 Double Bonus Poker. All other games have lower paytables and these denominations.
These games are available on newer Game Kings. The bar video poker at Primm Valley and Whiskey Pete’s is still unplayable.
Other Primm observations
Primm is a struggling rural casino market. Mostly built in the 1990s, its purpose was to draw Californians to stay there instead of Las Vegas. Buffalo Bill’s amusement park, which included the Desperado roller coaster, log flume, drop tower, kiddie rides, and arcades, made Primm better suited for family vacations than Las Vegas. California tribal casinos and fewer Primm amenities contributed to the decline in visitation over the years.
In 2015, the drop tower was dismantled and later moved to an Iowa amusement park. By 2018, the remaining rides were only open intermittently. By 2019, the amusement park closed and never reopened.
Two sources on the Buffalo Bill’s property noted the log flume had some recent repair and testing activity. One noted it was the first time water had been run through the ride since the pandemic closure. A recent YouTube video shows this testing:
The Frog Hopper has remained in the amusement park area since its closure. The other kiddie rides disappeared. The arcade is open.
Desperado fans will be sad to know there are no current plans to reopen it as a roller coaster. It may have a future using a different concept, according to sources.
Vegas Advantage heard many other operational rumors during this visit. We are actively investigating them.
Primm mall
The entrance to the mall from Primm Valley Resort was open again. During our July visit, the only tenant, a thrift store, was temporarily closed. It has since reopened. The mall is still in good shape for a mostly abandoned space. Here is a video Vegas Advantage shot on October 12, 2024, while doing a lap around the property:
A turnaround at Primm Valley Resort might help the mall recover. However, it currently has few players, no live or electronic table games, and its hotel and restaurants are closed.
