Bally’s spreads a 14-table poker room. It is located beyond the table game pit on the casino level.
Nearly all Las Vegas casinos of any significance spread three Card Poker. The minimum bets range from $2 at Joker’s Wild to $15 at Aria. Players will need double the Ante bet to play, meaning that the true minimum bet is double the posted amount. Real Money Online Casino. With the best casino games on the web, out of this world online casino bonuses, a stellar VIP program and so much more, Las Vegas USA Casino is the ultimate online gaming experience.
The poker room at Bally’s Las Vegas is not a destination one. However, it provides a good experience for casual players looking for a fun night of poker.
Regulars are attracted by its promotions, which includes a weekly freeroll into a $7,500 guaranteed tournament.
Let’s take a look at everything it has to offer, starting with its best and worst features.
Best and Worst Features of Bally’s Poker Room
The best part of the Bally’s poker room is the quality of games, especially late at night. They are typically full of recreational players. These games are always fun. The same can be said of the tournaments that are always full of loose action.
Players that do not have Platinum status in Caesars Entertainment’s Total Rewards program must pay to park. There is not a casino nearby that offers free parking. The tournament rake is too high. The levels go by too quickly.
The main game at Bally’s is 1/2 no-limit Texas Hold’em. Weekends and other peak times may create enough interest for a 2/3 no-limit Hold’em game.
Bally’s once had a 3/6 fixed-limit Hold’em game. That table is a rarity these days, as most of the low-limit fixed-limit action on the Las Vegas Strip moved to Flamingo. However, it pops up more often when the casino has freerolls based on hours played in fixed-limit cash games.
Bally’s rakes 10% up to $5 per hand. There is also a jackpot drop that funds promotions.
Bally’s pays cash game players clocked in with a Total Rewards card $1 per hour in comps. This may be used at all Caesars Entertainment properties.
Players that give 75 hours of cash game action in a year receive Platinum status. This gives free parking to players at any Caesars Entertainment property.
Bally’s spreads six daily poker tournaments. These tend to be small tournaments, especially early in the day. The structures are on the turbo side. That is typical for a poker room like Bally’s that appeals to recreational players.
There is a $50+$25 tournament daily at 9 am, noon, 3 pm, 5 pm, and 11 pm. This tournament starts with 7,500 chips at the 100/100 level. Limits go up every 20 minutes. The prize pool always has a guarantee of $800 with $500 for first place.
There is a $100+$30 tournament nightly at 8 pm. This event has a starting stack of 15,000 chips. The first level is 100/100. Blinds go up every 20 minutes. The guaranteed prize pool is $2,000 with $1,000 for first place. Saturday has a special $7,500 prize pool with at least $2,000 for first place.
Players that give four hours of cash game action receive a free buffet pass at Paris Las Vegas.
Those who sit at a cash game table for 10 hours during a two-week period receive entry into a $17,000 biweekly freeroll.
The top 80 players in the freeroll are paid. The top prize is $1,650 in cash, and the top ten players also receive $200 credits for the World Series of Poker. Players may exchange these credits for $150 in cash.
Bally’s is using a $10,000 biweekly freeroll to create 3/6 fixed-limit Hold’em action. Players that give ten hours of action receive entry to it. The tournament ends when 40 players are left. Each receives $250. If fewer than 40 players qualify, each receives $250 without having to play.
There are two promotions for cash game players that are funded with a jackpot drop. The high hand bonus pays $50 for four of a kind, $100 for a straight flush, and $500 for a royal flush. The player must use both cards, and there must be $20 in the pot. However, a showdown is not required to win the high hand promotion.
Bally’s offers $25 splash pots every hour during off-peak times during some promotional periods. This promotion runs from 3:15 am to 11:15 am daily.
Bally’s has a massive sportsbook on the lower level. It offers Caesars Entertainment odds. Deposits and withdrawals are processed there for the company’s sports betting app. That lower level also has a lounge and food court.
Paris Las Vegas has the Eiffel Tower. Locals receive half price for entry. This gives one of the best views of the Bellagio Fountain show. You can also see this from the Strip just outside of Bally’s.
The LINQ hosts the High Roller. This is one of the highest observation wheels in the world. Locals also receive half price to this. There is a zip line at the LINQ Promenade.
If you are looking to gamble on something other than poker, Bally’s offers some decent table games. It is the only casino in Las Vegas with Double Attack Blackjack. This is a blackjack variant that permits players to double their bet after seeing the dealer’s hole card. This and other blackjack games with a good return are available for $10 at Bally’s.
Bally’s spreads a high-limit blackjack game for $50. This game stands on all 17s. Double down before and after splitting is allowed. Players may surrender.
The action at Bally’s may not be enough for you.
If that is the case, Bellagio is directly across the street. It is a short walk across the pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Blvd.
Bellagio offers no-limit games with blinds starting at 1/3 and up to 10/20 just about 24 hours a day. Peak hours will see bigger games. Bellagio also has high-limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo games, as well as a large daily tournament.
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Aria is also near Bally’s. It has many no-limit tables from 1/3 up to 5/10. It also spreads pot-limit Omaha and mixed games.
Other poker rooms within walking distance include Planet Hollywood, Flamingo, Caesars Palace, and Harrah’s. These poker rooms spread similar games as Bally’s, including 1/2 no-limit Hold’em and several daily tournaments. Flamingo also has a decent number of fixed-limit Hold’em games.
Tourists often have a hard time finding good returns on video poker when visiting Las Vegas. This is mainly because most of the games on the Las Vegas Strip have a house edge of at least 2%. On top of that, the games at McCarran Airport are far worse than any of the games you’ll find at many Vegas casinos. Serious video poker players will want to stay away from the Strip all together when visiting Las Vegas, or at least take a short taxi ride to find the better games with a higher RTP.
While that is the case, there are still many options available to casino advantage players; you just have to know where to look. Below we’ll go into further detail on how you can find the best casinos to play video poker when visiting Las Vegas.
#1 The D: Best Video Poker Game in Las Vegas
The single best video poker machine in Las Vegas is located at one of my personal favorites; The D. The casino at The D is located downtown on the Fremont Street Experience, which you’ll recognize by the infamous red “D” logo. The game we are talking about is called Loose Deuces Wild and it returns 101.6% on five coins (with perfect play).
There is just one single machine with this game on it at The D, and it’s located on the second floor. All machines found on this level operate on coins. The denomination for this Loose Deuces Wild machine is a measly $.05. If that machine is taken, there is also a 10/7/5 Double Bonus game available in quarters just a few steps away.
Honorable Mention: Video Poker at The M Resort & Casino
We recently decided to add in The M Resort & Casino as an honorable mention. As of 2018, The M has one of the best overall video poker offerings for players among casinos in the Las Vegas area. When considering the 99% payback games available at machines around the resort, including at the bars, The M casino in Henderson is a great choice for video poker players.
There are many 99% machines available in the high limit room as well, with denominations as low as $1. This casino is about 20 minutes off the strip, but is one of the newest properties in Henderson and has one of the most modern layouts among Las Vegas Casinos.
Other Great Video Poker Games in Downtown Las Vegas
The D is not the only place on Fremont Street to find good video poker games that return over 100%. While the Vegas Strip’s positive payback video poker machines are few and far between, Fremont Street has a lot to offer in this regard. Below we have outlined the casinos with positive payback on video poker.
#2 El Cortez Video Poker
The El Cortez offers several $0.25 full pay Deuces Wild machines which have a 100.76% payback. Aside from this, they also spread 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker in several locations on the casino floor. With this abundance of great options, it is one of the best casinos to visit for playing video poker.
#3 Las Vegas Club Video Poker (Now Closed)
The casino at Las Vegas Club in downtown Las Vegas spreads full pay Joker Poker which has a 100.64% return. All of these games operate on coins and return over 100%, which is much better than those located on the strip. This casino has since been sold, closed and a new property will take its place. For posterity and reference, we have left this in our guide.
#4 Boyd Gaming Video Poker
Two of the three Boyd Gaming properties in downtown Las Vegas offer video poker machines that return over 100%. In downtown Las Vegas, California and Main Street Station have 10/7/5 Double Bonus. These casinos also have a variety of full pay games that return 99.5% or better. Main Street Station has full pay Jacks or Better at the bar as well.
#5 Plaza Las Vegas Video Poker
It is also worth noting that Plaza Las Vegas recently upgraded all of its video poker machines, many of which now return over 100%. Its best game is 10/7/5 Double Bonus, which returns 100.17%. It also has 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe and 9/6 Jacks or Better. Both of these games are located at the bar, which is an added plus.
Vegas Locals’ Casinos with the Best Video Poker
If you are looking to get away from Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip, there are many locals casinos that offer 100%+ return video poker machines. All major Station Casinos properties offer video poker games that return over 100%. Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, Green Valley Ranch, Boulder Station and Texas Station are among the casinos that offer these games. Not all machines at these properties have the great returns. The ones that do will be clearly advertised, so they are fairly easy to spot.
The best game on these video poker machines is full pay Deuces Wild. Other great options include 10/7/5 Double Bonus and 10/6 Double Double Bonus. Some of the machines also offer full pay Joker Poker. All games are available in quarters. The Double and Double Double Bonus games are also available in $.50 and $1 denominations.
Palms spreads full pay Deuces Wild, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus. Sam’s Town also offers these games. All are available in quarters.
Never Use Players Card in Full Pay Machines
When many Video poker players start out, they learn that they should always use a players card when giving video poker action. The games listed above are one of the only exceptions. The reason for this is that casinos will often assume players that play on these devices are experts who are giving up no edge on the game. This can stop all mailers from casinos which means no more free play or hotel offers. For this reason it will do you well to avoid using a players card on these types of machines; even if you have a players card at the casino.
How Can Casinos Make Money Off 100% Video Poker?
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Casinos still make money from video poker games that return more than 100%. That is because many players will not play all five coins required for the extra royal flush bonus. Most of the games available require a complicated basic strategy that differs from Jacks or Better. Many players do not put in the time to learn these strategies, and the casinos know this. The Deuces Wild games found on these machines should not be played like a normal game with a lower pay table, since it has a completely different strategy.
World Series Of Poker Las Vegas Casino
For these reasons, casinos still manage to make money from the games we mentioned in this article. Always make sure to play five coins every hand and learn the proper strategy so that you can play at an advantage on full pay machines. This will result in a theoretical 100%+ return on your play.
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