$5 Table Minimums - Not Forever

It seems like the "standard" minimum bet for table games like craps and blackjack has been $5 for a long time now. I visited my first casino back in the mid 1990's, and from what I recall the minimums were $5 at that time and it doesn't appear like they have really changed since then.

Of course some casinos may have slightly lower minimums, and I imagine some of the premium properties may not ever have any $5 tables, but from my perspective $5 is still the general standard. So it struck me as kind of strange that the minimum has stayed the same for around 20 years. Maybe even longer since I have no idea what they were before I started gambling.

Not that I'm complaining. I'm a low roller, and $5 today is obviously more palatable than $5 from 20 years ago!


So anyway, I'm wondering about a couple of things:


1. Do any folks here remember when the standard minimum changed to $5, and what was it before it changed?

2. Do you anticipate the standard minimum increasing to $10 any time in the foreseeable future?

I recall the minimum being $2 at many strip properties in what feels to me like not so many years ago. Caesars was always the exception. I think it went up to $5 in general with the advent of the Mirage in the early 90's. I wonder what the current average table minimum on the Strip is now? My guess would be $11, since many joints are at least $15 most of the time, while others are at least $10, (with an occassional dip to $5 from 3 am - 3:12 am on Tuesday mornings, hehe).

Fortunately, there will always be Downtown.

In 2009 I vividly recall the Fitz advertised a $3 minimum BJ table (No, I dind't see the rules). What i recall is that it was packed, with people waiting for a chance to seat down.

Last year $5 minimums were pretty much standard Downtown, but all too often even 4 Queens and Binions upped them to $10 in craps.

So, yes, the $5 minimum is on the way out. It simply cannot keep up with inflation. So should there be delfation, it may enjoy a stay of execution or a rebirth later on.

Oh, overall I think between $1 and $5 you can use any amount you want as a basic unit, but past $5 you want multiples of $5. So that's how the minimum stayed at $5 longer than it should have. After all, it could easily have risen to, say, $7 at any time. So now it will be $10, and it should hold there, barring really high inflation for a good long time.

Still, you can find $3 craps on the Strip at Casino Royale. I keep expecting that place to close. and it will, someday. The next boom on the Strip will sweep it up into the ash-heap of Vegas History.

We have a $2 table Mon - Thurs during the day and $5 all other times. I'm considering going to $3 and $6 next year. We have mostly locals and don't want to double the minimum on them, but as mentioned, these minumums have been around for decades and have never been adjusted with inflation.

ZCore13

I recall $2 BJ when I first went to Vegas in 1988. We were staying at Bally's but crossed the street to play $2 at Barbary Coast, I assumed it was $5 at Bally's at the time. I remember having to scour for $2 tables vs. the traditional $5 tables, much like you scour for $10 tables on the Strip now versus $15+ min tables at Strip properties now. They can be found, but in the AM and/or mid week.

Quote: Zcore13

We have a $2 table Mon - Thurs during the day and $5 all other times. I'm considering going to $3 and $6 next year. We have mostly locals and don't want to double the minimum on them, but as mentioned, these minumums have been around for decades and have never been adjusted with inflation.

ZCore13

Do you think the additional $1 on a $6 bet will get you enough revenue to offset the additional time needed to take and pay bets of different colors versus a single red chip?

That's a 33% and 20% increase in minimum bets. Of course not everyone plays minimum so in reality it's a far lesser impact on the bottom line, but enough to cover the extra few seconds in the payment process.

ZCore13

Quote: Zcore13

That's a 33% and 20% increase in minimum bets. Of course not everyone plays minimum so in reality it's a far lesser impact on the bottom line, but enough to cover the extra few seconds in the payment process.

ZCore13

You could use $3 chips to speed things up.

When I first went to casinos late 1990s I could rarely find less than $15. In AZ it was $10. Not until I visited Vegas 2007 I found $5 and $3. Here in PA there are $5s during the day. Makes sense to hook people during slow hours.

Quote: Ayecarumba

You could use $3 chips to speed things up.

True, but not worth the expense of buying all new $3 chips probably. I don't see much of a difference using three $1 chips or one $3 chip at the $3 minimum and at the $6 minimum it's still two chips, just two different ones, which is just a few seconds at most.

ZCore13

It's pretty amazing how long the $2 Win bet (and others) has been pretty standard in Horse Racing, without change.

There is life still I think. Plenty of people sit at a $5 table and bet more anyways, but they might not had the minimum been $10. Perhaps $7 tables might not sound so bad at one point as a compromise.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

There is life still I think. Plenty of people sit at a $5 table and bet more anyways, but they might not had the minimum been $10. Perhaps $7 tables might not sound so bad at one point as a compromise.

My main concern is with the Craps tables. A $7 base bet, and its multiples, would only be easy to pay in a few places. Dealers would be breaking change with just about every transaction. Multiply this by 8 players on a side and two or three payouts for each player, and seconds turn into minutes.

I would be interested to see how the $6 minimum bet works, I have never a table with a minimum between $5 and $10.

When I first started going to the strip craps was $2 minimum other than Caesars which was $5 in the daytime and on the tables near the sports book (no longer there) pretty much all the time. It was only double odds then so thing worked out fine because they let you go to $5 odds on the 6 & 8.

Downtown I remember playing at the Horsehoe (Binions) with 10 cent minimum and 100 times odds. None of us fleas could afford the 100 times odds even on the 10 cent bet though.

I have only been to AC the past few years and generally during peak times. I haven't seen many minimums below $10. I'll be staying at the HRH in Vegas for a week in July. Should I expect the same during the week there for craps? I don't care about BJ as I usually play at a green chip level, but I don't play craps with enough of a bankroll to play the way I'd like to with a $10 minimum. If not at the HR, any suggestions for nearby craps $5 or less?

Quote: gts4ever

If not at the HR, any suggestions for nearby craps $5 or less?

Terrible's.

(Game specific)

I always wished that the craps minimum was a table total (not counting odds) on any roll but the come out. I'll usually have $30 in action, sometimes start with over $60 in action, but I really don't like the variance bump from $5 to $10. I don't like how I "can't" play at a table where someone betting single odds on a $10 minimum, for that reason alone.