Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, at the intersection of East Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road, made several player-friendly changes while adding many perks for locals. The moves improved several gaming offerings, while giving locals specials on drinks, food, hotel rooms, and more.
$5 3:2 blackjack 24/7
Virgin joined the growing number of Las Vegas casinos with $5 blackjack. While this game is common in that neighborhood, Virgin offers two features that nearby casinos mostly do not. This game is dealt out of a shoe, not a continuous shuffling machine. Virgin also permits players to re-split all pairs, including aces, up to four hands.
The $5 game runs 24/7. We also saw $10, $15, and $50 3:2 tables during our visit. Virgin deals 3:2 Free Bet Blackjack, a rare payout for that game in Las Vegas. Most Las Vegas casinos pay 6:5 on Free Bet Blackjack, even in the locals market. Virgin does not have any 6:5 blackjack tables.
Craps odds improved
Virgin increased its maximum craps odds from 3-4-5 times to 10 times. That is the highest among casinos that deal craps daily. Main Street Station offers 20 times odds on craps. However, its pit only opens on weekends.
Crapless craps also went up to 10 times odds. That ties for the highest crapless craps odds in the Las Vegas market. Dice games are typically $10 or $15.
New 100% video poker bank
Virgin installed a bank of four video poker machines with a 100% game and other 99% and higher options. The best game is 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.06%). The other options are 16/10 Deuces Wild (99.73%), 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%), 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.17%), and 9/7 Double Bonus (99.11%). The denominations are $0.25, $0.50, and $1. The machines are next to the sportsbook on the pit side.
These machines require $10 in coin-in for a slot point. The typical video poker return is $3 per point. The machines are excluded from point multipliers. A few machines in the video poker room have $1 9/7 Double Bonus, which pays normal points and participates in point multipliers.
I chose 9/6 Jacks or Better. Kristina played Deuces Wild. I was dealt this right as we were about to call it a night:
New locals perks
Virgin’s Cherry Rewards has a new “Locals Get More” promotion. Nearly all employees were wearing shirts promoting it.
Virgin considers anyone with a Nevada ID a local. Here are the specific perks.
Free scratch-off
Locals go to the casino cage to join the program. Players without a Cherry Rewards card receive $10 in free slot play. Kristina did not have an existing Cherry Rewards players card, so she got the $10. I had a card with a previous operator, so I did not qualify.
All local players receive a scratch-off ticket. Kristina scratched off $5. I got $10. This promotion ends on July 19, 2026.
Buy one, get one free drinks
We headed to the bar next. While the website says locals get buy one get one free wells, beer, and house wine, we ordered a specialty drink and a call and got the BOGO.
Point multipliers
Local players receive point multipliers at all but the bottom tier. It takes 700 points to make the first qualifying tier, which is $700 in slot action or $2100 in video poker coin-in on most machines, and $7000 at full-pay games and electronic tables. The locals tier multipliers are:
- Insider: 2x
- Exclusive: 3x
- VIP: 4x
- All-Access: 5x
Locals food deals
Several food discounts are available to local Cherry Rewards players. This includes a $6.99 pizza slice and a fountain drink at Pizza Forte, 25% off at Lucia, Kassi, and Kitchen Express, a $9.99 Breakfast Buffet at Kitchen Monday through Friday, and a $65 three-course prix fixe menu at One Steakhouse.
Hotel and pool
Local Cherry Rewards members receive 35% off hotel rates with no resort fee. Pool cabanas are $75 Sunday through Thursday. The spa offers a 10% discount. All the details are here.
This is another sign that Las Vegas casinos are getting more competitive
One of the biggest complaints about Las Vegas has been that gambling has gotten worse and more expensive. While it was always competitive, Virgin is the latest casino to address this. Vegas Advantage recently wrote about how fierce the competition is in this corridor. Every casino in its neighborhood now deals $5 3:2 blackjack. Virgin is the only one in the area with a 100% video poker game. Only one other nearby casino has up to 10 times craps odds.
