We had friends in town from Washington this weekend. We decided to go to the Bourbon Street Sports Bar in Centennial Hills. It is one of several in the Las Vegas market. It is a concept operated by Dotty’s.
Dotty’s are simple slot parlors. Bourbon Street is an attempt to be more of a tavern for those that prefer not to gamble. The design works well. Bourbon Street locations are clean and have modern televisions and games.
We had great service at the Centennial Hills location. Bottle beer starts around $3. Imports are $4. Mixed drinks are in the $5 to $8 range. Those are not happy hour prices. That is what they are all the time. This makes it one of the best for drink prices in Las Vegas.
But all the arcade games were out of service
One reason I wanted to go to Bourbon Street is that it is like a mini Dave & Busters. There are a few dozen games. Unfortunately, these were all out of service. I was told it was due to the pandemic, which seemed odd. The pandemic didn’t make their video poker machines a problem.
Many of the machines were left on. This meant that I could hear the attract sounds the game uses to try and get people to play. Hearing Galaga over and over made me want to play it badly.
The pool tables were open. We got free tokens for it with every round. That was a reasonable tradeoff. I got the idea that the arcade will reopen soon. When it does, I will be there.
Sports lounge at Bourbon Street
The sports lounge was large and comfortable. Since the place was empty, we had it all to ourselves. There is a large projection TV and several smaller ones below it.
The sports odds feed seems to have disconnected around the kickoff of the NFC Championship Game in January. It kept putting odds and trends for that game, as well as NBA and NHL ones that were played at the same time.
Gambling at Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street locations have the same selection as Dotty’s. There is a mix of Game King and U1 machines. Some are embedded in the bar.
The Game King machines are like the ones you will find on bar tops all over Las Vegas. These have keno, video poker and slots. The pay tables are not great, but not the worst either.
U1 machines are unique
The U1 machines are found at all Dotty’s and related taverns like Bourbon Street, La Villita and Red Dragon. Dotty’s also has these machines at its Hoover Dam Lodge and Laughlin River Lodge casinos. I have also seen these machines at El Cortez, Emerald Island and Rampart.
Dotty’s seems to own the machines. I have not been able to verify that, but it is the general consensus in the industry.
These machines are unique. Several features are offered that you can’t find on other devices.
Video poker players can choose two ways to play. There is an auto hold function and one where the player decides what to hold. The auto hold function has a pay table that is about 1% less than the one where the player controls the cards.
There are several unique video poker games. For example, Triple Treys video poker has a joker. If the player makes three or more 3’s, there is a three-hand bonus round where payouts are triple and there are three jokers. If the player makes trip 3’s again, three more hands are added to the bonus round. This is one of several U1 video poker games with a bonus round.
Bullet Fever is another. Players receive bonus rounds based on the number of aces dealt.
Another video poker feature of U1 games is that it is easy to see what you discarded. All you must do is click on the place where the card was. The discard will pop up behind it.
U1 keno games
There are more than a dozen keno options. These range from single cards, some with bonus features, up to 20-card keno. The payout percentage increases as the bet goes up. There is a payout listed on the screen of every game. It goes up with every nickel or quarter wagered. The highest is usually 99% in keno. Video poker games can go a little above that.
There are also some slot machines on U1s. These are titles not found anywhere else. Like the other games, the payout percentage is listed, and it increases with the bet.
There are four roulette games and a sic bo one. These are electronic table games that play like an online casino. The player can go as slowly or quickly as they want. The minimum bet is low.
Unique player options
The player admin has several features not found on traditional machines. If you gamble with your significant other, you can toggle the machine to go back and forth between you both. The buttons and screen orientate based on which side the player is on. You can track the amount wagered, how long you have played, and your wins and losses.
There is also a machine hold feature. The players can put a PIN in the game and take a break. The machine will clear when the PIN is entered again. This way nobody can take your game while you are away. Nobody needs to watch it.
Dotty’s may not be for everyone. Those places can be smoky. The music is often on the slow and 70’s/80’s side. Bourbon Street seems to be aimed at players that prefer something different. Once the arcade reopens, I think it is a great choice for those players.
