Experience On Time In Las Vegas Casino
To avoid writing a book, I’ll do this short-form. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, just what pops to mind. I’m not including houses that have rebranded or renovated since I last played, as that’s not fair on them. Where I’ve grouped casinos that’s because I’d describe them the same way, not that they’re commercially related nor even located near each other. At the tables, I generally play Blackjack or Pai Gow Poker. BJ is the standard, so I won’t remark on it unless there’s something to say.
I want to emphasise that these are purely my personal opinions, based on direct experience, rather than objective fact. It’s always possible I’ve visited good places on bad days, or vice-versa, although most here are repeat visits.
STRIP
Circus Circus: low minimum stakes, but a run-down, frankly rather tawdry casino. Slots can be loose. Dealers rather bored. They’re getting minimum wage in a low-tipping property, so I’m not surprised. Not my bag;
Venetian / Palazzo / Bellagio / Wynn / Encore: all very classy and pleasant areas; brightly-lit, attractive floors. Tables tend to be high minimum stakes (good luck finding $10 BJ). Dealers polite, professional but not exciting to play with/against. Slots fairly tight;
Treasure Island (TI): unexciting house in general, but friendly dealers and no-commission Pai Gow Poker, which is a big win for me;
Mirage *: likeable, bright house, dealers OK, slots tight;
Casino Royale *: laughable name, given how low-rent the floor is. I’ve played slots here, but not table games. Slots can be loose-ish, but the casino is a bit depressing. Offers $5 Single Deck BJ, Blackjack Switch and Free Bet BJ, so some interesting variants—but watch out for payouts on 21s (6/5 sometimes) and so on…all tricks to improve the house edge;
Harrah’s * / The Linq: really fun, lively houses; likewise dealers. I’ve had a lot of fun playing Pai Gow Poker here, particularly at Harrah’s. Slots can be surprisingly loose away from the tables;
Bally’s *: a while since I last played here. At that time it felt a bit like it was ten years behind the times, but that may have improved since;
Aria: only played slots here, but they didn’t seem too tight. Bright, pleasant gaming floor. Might get some table time next trip;
MGM Grand: massive space. Haven’t played tables here, but slots weren’t too tight;
Tropicana: I like the revamp. Nice, bright, airy floor. Again, only played slots. Cocktail waitresses plentiful and attentive: I never ran out of Margarita. I guess $2 tips help. :) Rock music on the PA—I like;
Excalibur: definitely a bit passé inside (and god-awful outside), but dealers are friendly and engaging, slots quite loose and generally an enjoyable experience gaming;
Luxor *: the floor was utterly lacking in atmosphere, which was a surprise: I’d expected better. Dealers…totally unengaged. No banter with the players. They were just there to do a job. Well, I wasn’t, which is why I ended up playing at the Excalibur and Trop that week instead even though I had a Luxor suite. Maybe it’s improved in the past couple of years, but revisits up to that point hadn’t improved my opinion. Sorry, Luxor.
OFF-STRIP
Tuscany *: dark, low ceilings and a bit of an oppressive feel. I like staying here, and love Marilyn’s Café (less so Caffé Botega and its not-crisp pastries), but I find the gaming floor kinda oppressive, so I play elsewhere;
Hard Rock: I liked the floor, and the music. Only played the slots here. They didn’t seem that loose, though;
Westgate *: do you like timeshare and apartment salespeople? If so, this is the place for you! If not…it’s a pale shadow of the LV Hilton days. Still, the tables are friendly enough and there are plenty of interesting slots, which aren’t too tight. Honourable mention to the sports book, the biggest in the world, and its Superbowl Sundays during the season.
IN MEMORIAM
Sahara (the original) *: lovely, friendly place Cocktail waitresses remembered me and continued conversations from a year previous. Sadly, gutted to rebrand as SLS Las Vegas, and subsequently rebranded back to Sahara…but it’s not going to be the Sahara of old. Just in name only. I don’t hold out many hopes;
Riviera *: used to run a $5 Pai Gow Poker table (admittedly with commission). Other than that, the floor was rather devoid of life and love, sadly neglected. Now a pile of rubble owned by the Convention Center. It may become a scenic car park;
Hooters: ran a commission-free Pai Gow Poker table, with fun, entertaining dealers. (No, not topless; nor were the cocktail waitresses.) In 2019, rebranded as OYO. I have no idea—yet—whether they will run Pai Gow Poker. Hooters’ table wasn’t reliably open. However, according to the new site’s casino page, OYO will offer $1 Blackjack. I’ll believe it when I see it! (Best guess is: at 3:45am…but I’ll be glad to be proven wrong.)
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