Las Vegas casinos were permitted to reopen on June 4 after the pandemic closure. Seven casinos in the Las Vegas Valley remain closed, as well as two others in Clark County near Las Vegas. This blog post covers which Las Vegas casinos remain closed, as well as my favorite things about each property.
Main Street Station
Main Street Station is the closed Las Vegas property that I miss the most. I think it will be the first on this list to reopen. That should happen when tourism from Hawaii gets closer to normal levels.
The video poker at Main Street Station was above average and is likely to stay that way. The pay tables are improved upon by a scratch-off ticket that a player wins when making a natural four of a kind. The prize is usually $5 or less, but there are some big tickets entered into the drawing every year. The 9/6 Jacks or Better game at the bar is one of the best bartop games in Las Vegas.
There was a unique selection of coin games at Main Street Station that will likely return. Titles included Treasure Chest Poker and Aces No Faces.
Table game players got a good deal. There was low limit 3:2 double deck blackjack, though double down after splitting was not permitted. Craps offered 20 times odds, the highest in downtown Las Vegas.
Palms
Palms is the other major Las Vegas property that remains shuttered. It is one of four Station Casinos properties that are closed.
What I miss most about Palms is not related to its gambling. Palms struck me as a combination of Red Rock and Palace Station after its remodel. There was little that differentiated its games from other Station casinos. It was still trying to find its new identity.
However, its classic Cantor sportsbook was among the best in the locals market. It was only steps away from the best casino food court. It offered Chronic Tacos, an excellent option. Earl of Sandwich was right next to it. The movie theater had some great early week specials. There were some great shows at its Pearl Theater.
Fiestas
Both Fiestas are closed. One is on Rancho at East Lake Mead in North Las Vegas. The other is at Lake Mead Parkway and US 95 in Henderson.
I miss full pay Joker Poker at Fiesta Henderson the most. However, that game vanished a couple of months before the pandemic closure. Both Fiestas offered the same video poker as most Station Casinos. However, the Fiesta properties had a different mailer than the larger ones owned by Station Casinos. You could get double mailers for the same games.
The separate mailers applied to table games, too. That made for a great deal since $5 3:2 double deck blackjack and $3 10 times craps were among the offerings in the Fiesta pits.
The drive thru sportsbook window was a nice touch. Mobile betting made that feature mostly obsolete, but it was still fun.
Texas Station
Texas Station had several perks when compared to other Station Casinos properties. Exotic video poker games like Ultimate X and Big Split were available for pennies with decent pay tables. There was an oyster bar that was open for lunch with some good lunch specials. Those deals are now at the Santa Fe Station oyster bar, which is now open for lunch.
The $5 3:2 double deck blackjack and Pai Gow Poker were great deals. The same could be said about its $3 craps with 10 times odds. Texas Station was the only Station Casinos property that paid triple on 12 on the field.
Eastside Cannery
Eastside Cannery is on Boulder Highway. It was acquired by Boyd Gaming a few years back. Eastside Cannery struggled to attract action in its casino. The economic slowdown in Las Vegas made the property redundant with Sam’s Town owned by the same company.
It offered typical Boyd Gaming locals market games. However, it also had electronic table games that often paid full points. It was the only Boyd Gaming double deck blackjack game that allowed aces to be re-split.
Eldorado
Eldorado will reopen with a new owner. Boyd Gaming sold the property to the owners of Railroad Pass in late 2020. The new name for Eldorado appears to be The Pass as a nod to that property.
My favorite things about Eldorado were the old school sportsbook and keno lounge by the front door and the coin 10/7 Double Bonus machines. These were the last coin games found in downtown Henderson. Players in the areas looking for those games must head over to Skyline Casino on Boulder Highway.
Another perk of Eldorado is that it used a separate players card from most other Boyd Gaming casinos. This allowed players to pick up additional mailers. The players club used at Eldorado is available at Jokers Wild, which is still owned by Boyd Gaming. Jokers Wild became a slots-only casino after the pandemic closures. All its table games were removed from the floor. These were replaced with electronic table games.
Terrible’s Casino in Jean
The Goldstrike in Jean was acquired by Terrible’s from MGM Resorts in 2015. The casino is about halfway between the California state line and Las Vegas on I-15. The only attraction on the property was a set of old movie cars. I saw what seemed to be at least part of this display inside the new Chevron station on the other side of the highway in recent months.
What I miss is being able to drop by a nearly empty rural casino with a few decent games to escape Las Vegas. It is a short drive, but a world away. There were coin full pay Deuces Wild on the property until it was sold. There were still a few full pay Jacks or Better machines I would play up until the property was shuttered.
The Terrible’s Casino website was deleted from the internet. The Facebook page was abandoned. That probably does not bode well for the property’s future.
Buffalo Bill’s in Primm
Buffalo Bill’s in Primm is the only one of the three Primm casinos that remains entirely closed. What I miss most about it is the amusement park. The amusement park closed a few years back. This left little in the way of non-gaming attractions at Buffalo Bill’s. It also had the best video poker out of the three Primm casinos.
Online reviews of the hotel describing the property as being in disrepair, and the abandonment of the amusement park, lead me to believe that Buffalo Bill’s future is very much in doubt without a substantial investment. Its location may not justify that in the coming years.
