2023 Inaugural Vegas Best Advantage Awards – Gambling in Las Vegas

South Point wins the Vegas Best Advantage Overall Award. It has 99 percent and better video poker throughout the casino, including at all the bars. There is $5 3/2 six-deck blackjack 24 hours a day. South Point at least ties for the lowest minimum bets in the market for baccarat, pai gow poker, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Plaza wins the Vegas Best Advantage Downtown Las Vegas casino for several reasons. It has the best video poker game of any Las Vegas casino. It backs that up by having five other titles above 99%, of which four are on bar tops. Plaza is the second-best bar for video poker in Las Vegas. 

Every major Station Casinos property except Durango has at least one bank of 100% video poker machines with three games. The options are 10/7 Double Double Bonus (100.17%), 15/8 Loose Deuces (100.15%), and 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.06%). The “Up to 99.8%” machines offer 10 different titles. Station Casinos with 100% video poker and 99.8% machines are Boulder Station, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, and Sunset Station.

(Station Casinos was a sponsor of our casino record run.)

The best $1 video poker game we found on the Las Vegas Strip is at the Tropicana bar. It is $1 9/7 Double Bonus. Tropicana’s Trago Lounge has limited hours. Access is prohibited when the bar is closed.

Treasure Island still has $10 3/2 blackjack during slow hours. It goes up to $15 when it is busy. The game uses six decks and is dealt out of a shoe. Double down before and after splitting, as well as surrender and re-split aces up to four hands are available. For $15 or $25, there is 3/2 double-deck blackjack with double down before and after splitting. 

The best Las Vegas blackjack game by expected return is double-deck that stands on soft 17. It starts at $50 at Treasure Island. It is $100 at Mandalay Bay, Palms, and Park MGM. The minimum bet is $200 to $500 at Aria, Bellagio, and MGM Grand.

The days of 100 times craps odds are over. Cromwell stopped offering it in 2021. Today, 20 times is the highest. Sam’s Town offers this daily. Main Street Station also has 20 times odds. However, its pit is only open on weekends. 

Treasure Island offers the best stadium setup in Las Vegas in terms of player returns and lowest minimum bets. It uses live dealers. During the week, there is $1 blackjack that stands on soft 17 and has surrender and re-split aces. It goes up to $3 on weekends. There is also $3 double zero roulette. The other side of the stadium has $2 Three Card Poker and baccarat with limited hours.

Circa has the largest sportsbook in the world. It has three stories of screens and a massive odds wall. There is seating for all levels of guests, from free theater seats to VIP recliners and booths that require a minimum spend that depends on the day and event. 

There are two stories of video poker machines. One level offers 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17%) at the $0.50 and higher denominations. Drink tickets are earned on these machines.

Wynn has 23 different types of table games. It offers nearly every poker pit game available in Las Vegas. It is one of just two Las Vegas properties with Casino War. It is one of only three with a live big wheel. Wynn also has pai gow tiles, two types of pai gow poker, and Blackjack Switch. There are six types of blackjack games available, as well as three versions of roulette.

Red Rock has 19 different live table games. It has the largest selection of poker pit games in the locals market. The options include Crazy 4 Poker, European Roulette, I Luv Suits, Mississippi Stud and crapless craps. There are seven types of blackjack games dealt at Red Rock Resort.