{"id":8081,"date":"2023-06-01T13:25:48","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T20:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/?p=8081"},"modified":"2023-08-05T16:43:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T23:43:23","slug":"downtown-las-vegas-trip-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/downtown-las-vegas-trip-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown Las Vegas Trip Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kristina and I enjoy walking around downtown Las Vegas<\/a>. We usually do it once every month or two. The loop takes about 90 minutes. It is a little over three miles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, we visited all 12 casinos in the area. Here are some of the changes that we found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Vegas<\/a>
Early access to Vegas Advantage’s Table Game Survey<\/strong> with monthly updates as we revisit casinos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Vegas Advantage is supported through memberships, sponsors, and advertisements.<\/em> If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Golden Gate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We started at Golden Gate<\/a>. It was around lunchtime. There were only a few tables open. Roulette and 3\/2 blackjack were $10. Craps was $15. There was almost no action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big change at Golden Gate is that the sportsbook is permanently closed and walled off. Slots are in the area now. There are kiosks available for betting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circa<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like most downtown casinos, Circa<\/a> was slow. All open table games had a $10 minimum bet, except craps, which was $15. Baccarat and pai gow were closed. We ate at Victory Burger with some of our $75 in monthly food comps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binion\u2019s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our next stop was Binion\u2019s<\/a>. It was the first time in several visits that craps was $10. It was $15 during our other most recent visits. All table games were $10. I think the days of $5 Let it Ride<\/a> at Binion\u2019s are over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden Nugget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Golden Nugget<\/a> now requires a $2 side bet at all blackjack games on the floor. This includes Lucky Cat in the front pit and standard 6\/5 in the other pits. The $5 Lucky Cat game has an estimated 8.95% house edge at the minimum bet. The $10 6\/5 one is about 5.5%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden Nugget still deals every type of poker pit game for $5. Craps was $10. You could play 000 roulette for $5 and 00 for $10 during our visit. In this scenario, at the minimum bet, you are better off playing 000 over 00. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four Queens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There were only a few tables open at Four Queens<\/a>. All had a $10 minimum bet. Many blackjack, craps, and pai gow poker tables were closed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fremont<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is major construction at Fremont<\/a>. The area around the main bar, including the banks of video poker machines, was walled off. A few tables were missing from the pit due to this construction, though I think they were all blackjack tables. Fremont still has Texas Hold\u2019em Bonus, which is the last table of its kind in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craps and 3:2 blackjack were $15. Roulette and 6\/5 blackjack were $10. No other tables were open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I discovered that the downtown Boyd Gaming casinos offer better video poker games on the Aristocrat machines than the Game King ones. Look for 8\/5 Bonus Poker at $1 and higher denominations. You will also find some 98% and better games. These are the bar top machines with the Buffalo slot game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The D<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The D<\/a> looked the same as always. The table game options were $10 00 roulette and 3\/2 blackjack. Craps was $15. Free Bet Blackjack with a 3\/2 payout was $25. The high limit room was open with a $50 and $100 game, but it had no players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Cortez<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The only major change at El Cortez<\/a> was the loss of about half its coin video poker games. These are now only found in the back room. The room next to Subway is now all newer machines with tickets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roulette was $5. All other table games, including 3\/2 single deck, double deck, and six-deck blackjack, as well as baccarat, craps, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold\u2019em, were $10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We found video baccarat on the stadium for $3. This is new. The stadium also has big 6, 3\/2 blackjack, and 00 roulette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downtown Grand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The big change at Downtown Grand<\/a> is that all stadium games are out. There was a big setup in the front that was replaced with hybrid games in the pit. Those are now gone, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is still $1 even money blackjack. Open tables included  $5 3\/2 blackjack, craps, double zero roulette, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold\u2019em. The $5 blackjack table had a sign about Step it Up Blackjack. At first, I thought this was a variant. It is just a side bet that applies to the dealer’s final hand. It is not required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Cal<\/a> was exactly the same, except that the last two 10\/7 coin Double Bonus machines are gone. There are about 30 coin video poker machines left. Most are 9\/6 Jacks or Better. The open tables were $10 00 roulette, $15 3\/2 blackjack and craps, and $25 Face Up Pai Gow Poker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Main Street Station<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since it was Wednesday, none of the Main Street Station<\/a> tables were open. These are only available for two shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is closed all week. The casino was mostly empty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plaza<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our journey ended at Plaza<\/a>, where I played full-pay Joker Poker for the afternoon. Plaza has a new game called 235 Stud, though I am not sure how to play it. The table was not open. Most Liberal 21 was $5. The six-deck games were $10, as were 00 roulette and craps. Single zero roulette was $15. Double-deck blackjack was $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We visited downtown Las Vegas in April 2023. Here are the conditions we found for Fremont Street blackjack, craps, roulette, and other table games. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"yes","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[73,91,28],"tags":[30],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":[],"modified_by":"John Mehaffey","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1440%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9QI6N-26l","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1079,"url":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/downtown-las-vegas-reopening-gambling-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":8081,"position":0},"title":"Downtown Las Vegas Reopening Gambling Guide","author":"John Mehaffey","date":"June 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ten of the eleven downtown Las Vegas casinos reopened on June 4. The information below is based on what I found when I visited the casinos shortly after opening time. For California, Downtown Grand, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget and The D, that was after midnight. For Binion\u2019s, El Cortez,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Las Vegas"","block_context":{"text":"Las Vegas","link":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/category\/las-vegas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/fse6.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6474,"url":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/downtown-las-vegas-trip-report-march-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":8081,"position":1},"title":"Downtown Las Vegas Trip Report March 2023","author":"John Mehaffey","date":"March 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We visited downtown Las Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience on March 7, 2023. We walked through all 12 casinos. This is what we saw.","rel":"","context":"In "Fremont Street Experience"","block_context":{"text":"Fremont Street Experience","link":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/category\/fremont-street-experience\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fremont Street Experience","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vuebarfse.jpg?fit=1104%2C828&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vuebarfse.jpg?fit=1104%2C828&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vuebarfse.jpg?fit=1104%2C828&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vuebarfse.jpg?fit=1104%2C828&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vegasadvantage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/vuebarfse.jpg?fit=1104%2C828&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1052,"url":"https:\/\/vegasadvantage.com\/las-vegas-grand-reopening-night-trip-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":8081,"position":2},"title":"Las Vegas Grand Reopening Night Trip Report","author":"John Mehaffey","date":"June 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am a Las Vegas local that lives in Summerlin. 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