On Thursday June 3, I decided to walk the Las Vegas Strip as far north as I could. Kristina dropped me off at Mandalay Bay around 9am. The tram running between there and Excalibur was closed, so this was a great starting point to prevent needing to walk that route twice.
I found limits that were mostly lower when compared to the Las Vegas blackjack and table-game surveys we published during the pandemic restriction era. Some Caesars casinos now offer $5 poker pit games that require additional raises, including Ultimate Texas Hold’em, High Card Flush, and Three Card Poker. Many craps and roulette tables were $10 during my walking tour of the Las Vegas Strip.
These limits are likely the lowest available on the Strip as the walk was on a weekday morning and afternoon. This is when we gather the information for comparison purposes. Minimum bets are often higher during busier hours.
Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay was nearly deserted at this early hour. It looked more like last summer than this one. That was the theme this early weekday, but would change as the day progressed.
There were only five table games open in the pits. A regular craps table was open for $15. There was a $10 Three Card Poker table open, as well as $15 6:5 blackjack and double-zero roulette. The $25 3:2 blackjack tables are still there in the back blackjack pit, but they were not open.
I headed to high limit. It was closed, but I wanted to see what games were dealt there. I did not see the double-deck blackjack discard racks. This leads me to believe the great $100 stand-on-soft-17 double-deck blackjack game is gone at Mandalay Bay.
I noticed that the poker room was set up. It was still closed, but this is probably a good sign that it will return this summer.
Luxor
Walking from Mandalay Bay to Luxor and eventually to Excalibur was a breeze. Virtually nothing was open and the hallways were nearly empty.
There were only four tables open at Luxor. Those were craps, 000 roulette and two 6:5 blackjack tables. All had a $10 minimum bet.
Excalibur
Excalibur was identical to Luxor. It had $10 craps, 000 roulette and 6:5 blackjack open. Its poker room is marked as a slot tournament area. It is empty.
Tropicana
It is close to 10am now, but there is still little activity on the Strip. That is a good thing, because all of the escalators around Tropicana were broken.
Tropicana had the same table games open as the three MGM properties that I visited. There was $10 craps, 00 roulette and 6:5 blackjack.
MGM Grand
The first thing that I noticed at MGM Grand was that the pit closest to the poker room seemed gone. I was not doing table counts that day, so it is possible that happened previously.
MGM Grand was the first casino on the walking tour that had 3:2 blackjack open. It started at $25. Craps and roulette, both 00 and 000, were $25. Three Card Poker was $15. No other game types were open.
New York-New York
New York-New York was so slow that it did not even have a craps table open. The only two table game options were $10 6:5 blackjack and 000 roulette.
I made two discoveries while at New York-New York. One is that the usual $25 3:2 game that opens later in the day than I was there now has re-split aces and surrender like most other 3:2 MGM games.
The old Bally’s Gamemaker machines with quarter Let it Ride are gone. They were by the hotel front desk. I could not find a slot attendant to ask, but another player reported they also could not find these machines. These were the last in Las Vegas.
On our road trip, I found these machines at Greektown in Detroit and Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. You can read more about our road trip to 58 casinos in that part of the country here.
Park MGM
Park MGM was a little busier than most of the other casinos that I visited this morning. It is about 11am by now. It had $10 6:5 blackjack, 000 roulette and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Crapless craps was $15. The regular craps tables were closed. Face Up Pai Gow Poker had a $25 minimum bet.
Aria
Aria was opening tables as I arrived. It had $25 baccarat and Face Up Pai Gow Poker. Craps was $15. Aria now has crapless craps. It was open, but reserved. 000 roulette and a couple of poker house games had a $15 minimum. 00 roulette and 6:5 blackjack were $25. It took $100 to get a 3:2 game this morning, though I was told that there would be ones on the main floor later in the day.
Bellagio
The limits at Bellagio were what I expected to find. The 000 roulette, 6:5 blackjack and video-poker games were $15. Face Up Pai Gow Poker, baccarat 3:2 blackjack and craps were $25. All the normal Bellagio blackjack rules are still in place.
All craps tables at Bellagio are the standard game. It is the last MGM casino without crapless craps.
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan was the only casino on my walk that still had plexiglass at tables. About one third of these had the partitions. All craps tables have them between the dealers and players. The house poker games, 6:5 blackjack and 000 roulette were $15. Craps, Pai Gow Poker and 3:2 blackjack were $25. This was comparable to what I found under the pandemic restrictions.
Planet Hollywood
There was some good news at Planet Hollywood. The $25 eight-deck 3:2 blackjack game returned. The double-deck game is also back on the floor at $50. Doubling down after splitting is not permitted in the double-deck.
Planet Hollywood now has Roll to Win Craps. This is a digital table with real dice. It was $5. The standard house-banked poker games and 00 roulette were $10. Live craps and baccarat were $15. Face Up Gai Gow Poker was $25.
Paris
Paris was the first place that I saw $5 live table games. That was the minimum for I Luv Suits (basically High Card Flush) and Three Card Poker. Roll to Win craps was also $5. Live craps was $15. 00 roulette and 6:5 blackjack were $10. There was $25 Asia Poker, baccarat, Face up Pai Gow Poker, and 3:2 blackjack.
The minimum bet in Paris’s high-limit area went back up to $100. This may be related to the return of the high-limit tables at Bally’s.
Bally’s
The high-limit tables returned to Bally’s. However, the games all hit soft 17 now. These are the only 3:2 blackjack tables at Bally’s. High limit was not open so I do not know the minimum bet. It was $50 before the pandemic.
Most of the games in the poker pit were open. All had a $5 minimum bet. Craps and 00 roulette were $10. It took $15 to get 6:5 blackjack. Face Up Pai Gow Poker was $25.
Cromwell
Cromwell is not what it was before the pandemic. Gone are the 99%-and-better video poker machines, 100 times craps, and single-zero roulette. The 3:2 double-deck blackjack game that was $15 or $25 is now $100 in high limit. Nearly all of the blackjack on the floor is 6:5 now. Craps is the standard Strip 3-4-5 times odds.
It was $10 for 00 roulette. House-banked poker games were $5 and $10. Craps was $15.
Flamingo
It was afternoon by now. Flamingo had the $5 Let it Ride, Three Card Poker types of games, like several of the previous Caesars properties I visited that day. Craps and 00 roulette were $10. Crapless craps and Face Up Pai Gow were $15. It was $25 for the lone 3:2 blackjack table on the floor and baccarat.
The table games that were in the back of Flamingo by the sportsbook are all gone. It is all slots now. A few of these tables are now in the front of the casino where there were video table games.
O’Sheas
The tables at O’Sheas were closed. However, the bets that I saw on the signs were typical of what I found before and during the pandemic. It was $10 for Three Card Poker and roulette. Craps and 6:5 blackjack were $15.
Linq
All the tables in the back of Linq were closed. The only tables open were in the front. This included $10 Three Card Poker and $15 craps, 000 roulette and Face Up Pai Gow Poker.
Harrah’s
The Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Let it Ride and similar tables were $5 at Harrah’s. The Roll to Win craps game and 000 roulette had a $10 minimum. It was $15 for craps and crapless craps and 00 roulette. It took $25 for 3:2 blackjack, pai gow poker and tiles, and baccarat.
Casino Royale
The table games are still missing at Casino Royale. There are a couple of electronic tables near the front of the casino.
Caesars Palace
The lowest limits at Caesars Palace were in the house-banked poker pit. All these games, like Three Card Poker, were $15. Craps, 3:2 blackjack, and 00 roulette were $25. Face Up Pai Gow Poker and baccarat were $50.
Mirage
Mirage now offers 3:2 blackjack in its pit again. It was $25. It allows surrender and re-split aces. Baccarat and Face Up Pai Gow Poker were also $25. Pit poker games and 6:5 blackjack were $10. Craps, crapless craps, 00 and 000 roulette were $15.
Venetian and Palazzo
Kristina met me for lunch at Venetian. We hung out together for the remainder of the day.
Venetian and Palazzo had similar limits. It was $15 for 6:5 blackjack, craps, and a variety of poker pit games. 000 roulette was $20 at Venetian. There were no 00 tables open.
At Palazzo, only 00 roulette was open, also for $20. Face Up Pai Gow Poker was $25. Baccarat and 3:2 blackjack, both six-deck and double-deck, were $50.
Blazing Bullseye, owned by Sands, seemed like it was gone from the floor. We could not find it. Super Baccarat and Prosperity 3 Pictures, also owned by Sands, were still available.
Wynn and Encore
There was little difference between the limits at Wynn and Encore. 000 roulette was $15. Pit poker games were $15 and $25, except Ultimate Texas Hold’em had two $50 tables open at Wynn. Ultimate Texas Hold’em was $15 at Encore.
Craps and 00 roulette were $25. Pai gow, baccarat, and 3:2 blackjack were $50. The double deck games were $100.
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is still the great value that it always was. All table games were $15. This included craps, 00 roulette, Face Up Pai Gow Poker, 3:2 six-deck blackjack with surrender and re-split aces, and 3:2 double deck with double down after splitting. The 3:2 stadium blackjack is still $1 during the week and $3 on weekends.
It was mid-afternoon at this point. Kristina parked the car at Palazzo. We walked back to it from TI and drove to the last three stops of the day as it was over 100 degrees at this point.
Circus Circus
Circus Circus deals a generic lineup of table games, plus a unique one. It is home to the only double exposure/face up 21 game in Las Vegas. It was $10 during our visit. Craps, 000 roulette and 6:5 blackjack were $15.
The strategy for double exposure blackjack is much different than the traditional game. I recommend reading Wizard of Odd’s strategy guide for the game before playing.
Sahara
We were on the hunt for the old style of pai gow poker that requires a 5% commission on wins when we were done. Sahara has such a table, but it was not open. We were unable to find an open version of it anywhere on the Strip or downtown.
The only table games on the floor were craps, 00 roulette, and 6:5 blackjack. All were $10. Baccarat and 3:2 blackjack that stands on soft 17, allows surrender and re-split aces were $50 each.
The Strat
The standard variety of poker pit games and 000 roulette were $5 at The Strat. It was $10 for crapless craps and 6:5 blackjack. The $15 games were 3:2 blackjack with surrender and re-split aces, and 00 roulette. Double-deck blackjack and baccarat were $25.
The Strat is the place to play crapless craps. It has 10 times odds. All the other Las Vegas casinos with the game have it for 3-4-5 times odds. Caesars crapless craps tables will only let players bet double odds on 3/11 and single odds on 2/12.
