Outdoor Gambling in Vegas?

I know that encore has a few tables and I have seen pictures of a craps table out there. Is there anywhere else that has such ammenities? If anyone has information or has visited these tables I have a few questions:

1) Are they always open?
2) Can a non hotel guest easily gain access to the tables? - I have read that by law the tables are public and anyone can gamble at them but I didn't know if it would be a huge hassle.
3) What are the table limits usually like?

Many casinos offer table games outside near the pools. Two examples that come to mind are Wynn and the Golden Nugget.

1.) They generally close early.
2.) This probably depends on the property. At the Wynn, no. At the Golden Nugget, yes.
3.) The table minimums are usually a little higher. I once played outside at the Nugget for $10/hand, and it was a great atmosphere.

Outdoors? I know it barely ever rains in the desert, but what about wind?

If you're looking for an outdoor 'feel', in an inside game, Slots-O-Fun has a craps table that is right on the edge of the sidewalk. O'Sheas has a poker table next to the strip, advertised as "Strip Poker".

I haven't experienced it personally, but I have seen online that Mandalay Bay has a pit of table games on the Beach, which is their expansive pool area with tons of sand to complete the beach effect. If I remember correctly it was open to the public and not just guest of the Hotel (like the beach itself) I have no idea what the table limits are like.

Flamingo has a poolside pit with good drink service. Last time I was there it was $5 and $10 6-5 21, and a craps tub with $5 3-4-5X.

I've heard Trop has swim-up BJ. Also heard that Hard Rock and possibly Caesars do, but I'm not sure.

Golden Nugget has poolside blackjack. It has been discovered that if your dealer wears a bikini you can pay even money on blackjack and players won't complain.

The Hard Rock has very lovely ladies dealing blackjack by the pool. I've stayed at the Mandalay Bay lots of times and have never seen table games by their beach. There is a "beach casino," which overlooks the pools, including the topless one, but is still indoors.

This may be a stupid question, but swim up gambling: How do you keep the money dry? Is it all markers?

Quote: Croupier

This may be a stupid question, but swim up gambling: How do you keep the money dry? Is it all markers?

About 20 years ago I played at the swim up blackjack at the Tropicana. If memory serves me correctly, they had a little money dryer. The dealer would count out the money, wet or dry, on the table, and if it was wet she put it in the dryer.

That is a little stroke of genius, and is why I will never make any money as an inventor. I would never have thought of that.

Quote: Croupier

This may be a stupid question, but swim up gambling: How do you keep the money dry? Is it all markers?

The paper money is printed on, as well as the ink, is far more durable than typical paper and ink.

Most waterparks don't even bother with a dryer. They just flick any excess water off, then it goes in the drawer. It all goes into a big dryer after the park closes though...

You can even throw money in with the laundry and it's not a problem. The same can't be said for the business card you left in your shirt pocket. Sigh.



Of course, at a swim-up casino, you can plan ahead and have chips with you....

Is the blackjack the only game that is physically in the pool? I thought I have heard of swim-up craps, but I wasn't sure.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

The paper money is printed on, as well as the ink, is far more durable than typical paper and ink.

You should see the notes here after a quick wash. They look like cheap counterfeits.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Outdoors? I know it barely ever rains in the desert, but what about wind?

Oh, hell no. Last weekend the wind was insane. It was blowing 20-30 mph, with gusts into the 40s. And even though it was blowing north-south, all the stuff on the strip just swirls the wind around so you can't really get out of it. Maybe at Flamingo, where the pool area is shielded on three sides. Other than that, there's no way you could play in those conditions.

Quote: wildqat

Last weekend the wind was insane...

So what do they do? Close the outdoor tables? Maybe never open them. After all, who wants to be outdoors in that kind of stuff? But what about brief gusts? People ARE outdoos. They WOULD be playing.

Do they use clear plastic card holders, and use them all the time in case of a sudden gust?

Quote: DJTeddyBear

So what do they do? Close the outdoor tables? Maybe never open them. After all, who wants to be outdoors in that kind of stuff? But what about brief gusts? People ARE outdoos. They WOULD be playing.

Do they use clear plastic card holders, and use them all the time in case of a sudden gust?

Basd on my experience playing outside, if it's nasty they don't open, and if there's a sudden change in conditions, they close. If it's a wind gust that affects a game mid-hand (cards blow off the table), then it's just a misdeal like a dealer error, with the pit having the ultimate call. I've never seen that happen though. Usually there is some kind of warning that bad weather or conditions are approaching, so they'd just close the table. if it's not really nice outside, who wants to play outside anyway?

Quote: DJTeddyBear

So what do they do? Close the outdoor tables? Maybe never open them. After all, who wants to be outdoors in that kind of stuff? But what about brief gusts? People ARE outdoos. They WOULD be playing.

Do they use clear plastic card holders, and use them all the time in case of a sudden gust?

Honestly, I don't know. I would imagine that if the conditions are such that they could lose control of the game, they shut it down. A brief gust probably isn't a big deal if it's not particularly windy otherwise.

Heh, it seems that cclub79 took care of it while I was hacking away. :^) I guess my initial common-sense guess was right, though.

Now that I think about it, the local poker league that I've taken part in has outdoor games. At least one is regular and year round, except when it rains. Some days it's windy, and you have to take extra care when dealing so you don't flip the cards. Generally, though, it's not that big a problem. Casinos are probably more cautious because there's actual money involved, and a misdeal creates a bigger problem than "Whoops, sorry."

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Of course, at a swim-up casino, you can plan ahead and have chips with you....

True, but most chips are clay-based composites, which are not impervious to water. If you get them too wet for too long, you'll ruin them. They won't dissolve or anything, but they might warp, the colors might leach (especially around the pool with all that chlorine), the inlay might detach, all sorts of bad nastiness. An occasional splash is OK, but extended periods underwater aren't. (This is all based on information I've seen regarding cleaning clay chips; one of the rules is "Don't soak them" and lists the above as possible consequences of soaking them.)

Obviously, it can't be that big a problem if the poolside gaming properties haven't switched to ceramics, but I would imagine that the turnover rate of pool chips is somewhat higher than indoor chips.

I guess regarding chips and money, there is a cheap remedy that the casinos might - gasp - give away: Baggies.