The short version
- Locals casinos and Downtown usually have better pay tables than the big Strip resorts
- Better tables are more common at $1 and up than at quarters
- Bar-top machines are usually short pay, though play there can earn free drinks
- Machines change. Check the glass every time, even on a machine you played last trip
Downtown
The Fremont Street area has a long tradition of better gambling value than the Strip. Smaller casinos compete for players who know what to look for.
It's still a mix. Some Downtown machines are as short as anything on the Strip.
Locals casinos
Casinos built for people who live in Las Vegas, off the Strip and in the suburbs, compete hard for regulars. Groups like Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming run many of them.
Regulars read pay tables, so these casinos are where full-pay tables have historically been easiest to find. They also tend to run the strongest players-club promotions.
The Strip
The big resorts sell rooms, shows and the experience. Video poker is rarely their priority, and quarter machines there are often short pay.
Better tables do turn up, usually at higher denominations or in high-limit rooms. Read before you sit.
Check a machine in ten seconds
- Find the game name on the glass
- Read the full house and flush rows in the one-coin column
- Compare with the full-pay guide
- If it's short, walk. There's almost always a better machine in the building
Join the players club first
Every casino here has a free players club. Sign up before your first hand, and put the card in every time you play.
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