Boyd Gaming has lost their mind.

I just came back from a trip to Vegas. Everyone knows that Blackjack went to hell up on the Strip.

Now, both downtown Boyd properties, Four Queens and Binions, have 6:5 blackjack! Each on of them share an intersection with the established 800 pound gorilla, the Golden Nugget. I would never play there to begin with since I stay at the GN, so how do they figure that will work?

Even the new kid on the block, Circa, is offering better rules with the dealer standing on a soft 17.

I guess they figure that there are enough people that don’t know any better or are hoping to be a trend setter with a certain part of the degenerate crowd.

Four Queens and Binions are not Boyd. Not sure if you meant that or not with the comma. I believe Golden Nugget now has 0 3:2 games outside of high limit.

Quote: Lovecomps

I just came back from a trip to Vegas. Everyone knows that Blackjack went to hell up on the Strip.

Now, both downtown Boyd properties, Four Queens and Binions, have 6:5 blackjack! Each on of them share an intersection with the established 800 pound gorilla, the Golden Nugget. I would never play there to begin with since I stay at the GN, so how do they figure that will work?

Even the new kid on the block, Circa, is offering better rules with the dealer standing on a soft 17.

I guess they figure that there are enough people that don’t know any better or are hoping to be a trend setter with a certain part of the degenerate crowd.

Have you noticed any other table games cranking up their house edge? Is it weird that downtown Las Vegas would have worse action than the strip? I like to gamble but I'm actually here because I'd like to design a casino game. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.

I don't know how much of this has anything to do with covid. Binions has been 6:5 for quite a while. 4 Queens and GN both were moving that way (towards 6:5) before Covid. The Fremont (Boyd) was 3-2 before covid but that had a NDAS rule that bumped up the house edge enough that I avoided it. So if they have now gone 6:5, that would be an additional step in the WRONG direction.

However Boyd in general has been going in the wrong direction for several years now. I lost playable blackjack at Sam's Town and Orleans about 2 years ago. Video poker pay tables tighter. Mailer offers less and less. They even made their mailer offers good at only one property as opposed to all properties. They just seem to be doing everything they can to be less player friendly.

I was there yesterday. GN only had 3:2 everywhere , as did Circa and everyone else except for those two properties.

Craps still only pays 2X on the 2/12 fields bets and has 00 wheels everywhere that that I went on Fremont Street.

Quote: Lovecomps

I was there yesterday. GN only had 3:2 everywhere

Are you sure about that? That would be a change from last time I looked, which is probably several weeks ago, maybe a month, as I am not playing blackjack right now, so not scouting that often.

Quote: kewlj

Are you sure about that? That would be a change from last time I looked, which is probably several weeks ago, maybe a month, as I am not playing blackjack right now, so not scouting that often.

Positive. I wouldn’t have played if it had been any other way, and it was yesterday, Feb, 6th.

My only theory is that it’s Super Bowl weekend. GN never offered less than $10 craps or BJ and Circa never went lower than $15 dollars on any game. At night there were no $15 games of any kind at Circa at all.

Those two properties did offer $5 BJ so maybe that they thought they could get away with 6/5 on Super Bowl weekend.

Quote: Lovecomps

Positive. I wouldn’t have played if it had been any other way, and it was yesterday, Feb, 6th.

Well, that would be welcome news. Thanx for the info.

I did not see any legit 3:2 BJ at 4 Queens when I was there in October. The only "3:2" game had a mandatory $1 side bet, which I assume is a garbage bet, so not worth playing the game. I didn't play at Binion's at all and can't speak to that.

I did see a mix of 6:5 and 3:2 at Cal and Fremont. Sometimes for the same minimum and sometimes $5 6:5 and $10 3:2.

I live in Reno but I honestly haven’t played BJ in almost 2 years. But I am in the casinos almost on a daily basis and I am always paying attention to what the minimum bets are in the pits and whether it’s 3:2 or 6:5 BJ. $10 minimum bets on most table games including 3:2 BJ found in most casinos I enter. Even $5 in the smaller casinos like Western Village. Reno is still like the old Vegas.

Quote: TinMan

I did not see any legit 3:2 BJ at 4 Queens when I was there in October. The only "3:2" game had a mandatory $1 side bet, which I assume is a garbage bet, so not worth playing the game. I didn't play at Binion's at all and can't speak to that.

I did see a mix of 6:5 and 3:2 at Cal and Fremont. Sometimes for the same minimum and sometimes $5 6:5 and $10 3:2.

I don't even play BJ anymore when all the strip and DTown casinos changed to 6/5 Alot of off strip places followed suit..Just Sad.. I'm hoping people boycott BJ until it goes back to 3/2 everywhere..WISHFULL THINKING!!

Quote: TinMan

I did not see any legit 3:2 BJ at 4 Queens when I was there in October. The only "3:2" game had a mandatory $1 side bet, which I assume is a garbage bet, so not worth playing the game. I didn't play at Binion's at all and can't speak to that.

I did see a mix of 6:5 and 3:2 at Cal and Fremont. Sometimes for the same minimum and sometimes $5 6:5 and $10 3:2.

As of mid Feb 4Q had 2 3:2 tables with $15 minimum on weekdays and $25 on weekends.

I'll check again next week and if I remember I'll update this thread.

Have to go in person for true results not banter online.