All comments and corrections are welcome.
Wizard had actually mentioned that Fitzgerald's was one of the only (if not the only) places for Pai Gow Mania and Deuces Wild Hold 'Em Fold 'Em. That's still the case, apparently, both games are still there. If you come down the escalator from Vintage Vegas, Hold 'Em Fold 'Em is the first table game on the right, and the Pai Gow Mania is either a few down from that in the same row, or a few down, but in the next row.
Quote: beachbumbabsQuestion for Mission; do they really have Pai Gow Mania there, as in you verified the table yourself, or is that list off the website?
I'm pretty sure they still have it. Deuces Wild Hold 'Em Fold 'Em too.
I've stayed there before.
Sorry Mission was disapointed in his room.
When I stayed there, I was thrilled with my room and view.
Different rooms, different experiences.
My only complaint is a line can form for the few elavators.
Also its still too loud downstairs.
Mission, your review of the D is delightful, divine, dandy (can't think of any more adjectives beginning with D).
Very nicely ... done.
About the hotel room preferences not being guaranteed, I assumed such policy was common, but it's probably a casino thing because most of my hotel stays are at casino resorts.
I failed to locate the full pay Joker Poker upstairs. I think the only possible machine I missed was the one with 10-cent NSUD. It was occupied by a derelict. Actually he may have been a vagrant, I'm not sure.
Quote: Ibeatyouraces*note to self* DO NOT EVER STAY AT THE D!
I doubt if all of their rooms are as poor, from a standpoint of cleanliness, as mine.
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to give it a great review. They have the best gamble for low-level machine players...and it's not close...a great player's club, good food, Vintage Vegas is super cool. I honestly love everything about that place except the room cleanliness and them charging local calls and wireless on a comped room.
It's truly a fantastic place, and I would love nothing more than for someone to stay there and report a good experience on room cleanliness. I WANT this to be a fluke.
Four Queens has the best coupons/promos, though...
Quote: terapinedSpot on review.
I've stayed there before.
Sorry Mission was disapointed in his room.
When I stayed there, I was thrilled with my room and view.
Different rooms, different experiences.
My only complaint is a line can form for the few elavators.
Also its still too loud downstairs.
Thank you for the compliment!
The fourth floor is either the lowest or second lowest hotel level, depending on what's on the third floor, so that my view would suck was pretty much a given. I really wasn't too worried about the view, room cleanliness was the biggest thing.
I never had a line for elevators, but they could still be slow.
The first floor is SO LOUD, but only during Dancing Dealers time. It's a question of balancing your senses, if you're going to have your sense of sight satisfied, your sense of hearing has to suffer for it a little bit.
Quote: WizardI'm pretty sure they still have it. Deuces Wild Hold 'Em Fold 'Em too.
Wizard,
Could you pretty please with sugar on top verify they have that exact game when you're there taking pictures? I will stay downtown and play it next time if it's there, stay on the strip if it's not, so I'd really like to know. Thanks in advance!
Quote: gpac1377
Mission, your review of the D is delightful, divine, dandy (can't think of any more adjectives beginning with D).
Very nicely ... done.
I failed to locate the full pay Joker Poker upstairs. I think the only possible machine I missed was the one with 10-cent NSUD. It was occupied by a derelict. Actually he may have been a vagrant, I'm not sure.
Thank you very much!
The Joker Poker is on the multi-game machine, if you're facing away from live Keno, it's on the far right.
Quote: Mission146
Four Queens has the best coupons/promos, though...
I always stay at the 4 Q. Central location, good
layout of the table games, nice rooms, good
restaurants, easy access to get your car from
valet. I said before, I hate the D. I hated it when
it wasn't The D. The tables are crammed into a
small area and you feel like you're on top of each
other. The smoke is bad, and now the music is
wayyyyy too loud. It's loud even walking by the
outside.
Did you mention how loud it was in your review? I
didn't see it. Doesn't surprise my the room was a
sty, I feel that way about the whole casino.
Quote: beachbumbabsCould you pretty please with sugar on top verify they have that exact game when you're there taking pictures?
You got it.
Quote: Mission146The Joker Poker is on the multi-game machine, if you're facing away from live Keno, it's on the far right.
I assume you're referring to the bank of 10 machines, partially shown below:
I checked all 10 machines, and the schedule for nickels was 95.5%:
At the quarter level, the Joker Poker was 17/7 with 4700 royal (98.4%).
But if it's only one machine somewhere else with full-pay, then maybe I missed it.
Quote: IbeatyouracesA guy got a dealt natural royal on joker poker spin poker for $9000 today. First dealt natural royal I've seen in a long time. We had a couple of 940/18/7 pay tables but I think they are all 17/7 with the newer models in.
At least he wasn't doing what I was doing, because the app also offered Spin Poker too...
I got a Royal today on the 8th round of 5-play after downloading an app so I can play STP for play money on my phone, and on round 397, dealt quads with 5X...$%#%&$&$&#$&$^@#!!!!
Quote: tringlomaneI think mission may have played a 95.5% game without knowing it. Bob will love this...lol I am very familiar with this paytable. It is standard on many nickel STP/Ultimate X games. :(
F*** me running, you're right!!!
I remembered the paytable as best as I could and went up to the room and checked it on WoO, I thought I had it right, but I remembered the paytable wrong. I wanted to pull out my phone and go to WoO right there, but I remembered about electronic devices being illegal now.
Okay, the Joker Poker thing has to come out of my Review, but it's still my favorite game!
Does anyone know where I can find a good Joker Poker paytable?
Quote: EvenBobI always stay at the 4 Q. Central location, good
layout of the table games, nice rooms, good
restaurants, easy access to get your car from
valet. I said before, I hate the D. I hated it when
it wasn't The D. The tables are crammed into a
small area and you feel like you're on top of each
other. The smoke is bad, and now the music is
wayyyyy too loud. It's loud even walking by the
outside.
Did you mention how loud it was in your review? I
didn't see it. Doesn't surprise my the room was a
sty, I feel that way about the whole casino.
I agree with everything about the Four Queens, except I didn't like Magnolia's and I don't know anything about their rooms.
The tables are a bit cramped, I think Four Queens smells smokier than The D, so I disagree with you on that.
The music is very loud on the first floor, but I'm pretty sure that is intentional, Vintage Vegas is pretty quiet. I've heard complaints about the Fremont Street Experience stage and noise from that, but all of that stuff ends at midnight and I wasn't bothered by any noise, anyway, could hardly hear it from the room.
Personally, I think the casinos and public areas are very nice at The D, definitely better than Four Queens. The public bathrooms at The D are definitely preferable to Four Queens, the former has an attendant in there more often than not.
Quote: IbeatyouracesStand up and back away from the machine for a second or two.
Thanks!
GPAC1377
What does $0.05 Deuces pay in that bank, please?
Quote: Mission146GPAC1377
What does $0.05 Deuces pay in that bank, please?
Sorry, don't remember, but it's not good. Probably below 98%.
Quote: Mission146Does anyone know where I can find a good Joker Poker paytable?
A couple of the Stations have FPJW, but they also offer the slightly superior FPDW.
Las Vegas Club apparently still has FPJW for quarters, but I'm not sure the machines have card readers.
And LVH is listed as having 99.9% 2-pair Joker.
Silver Legacy has 101.0% quarter FPJW with 4700 royal, and the machines are modern with ticket-in ticket-out. I know you like "downtown," except Silver Legacy is downtown Reno.
Dead week should get an explanation if it actually is the lingo used. It stuck in my mind and after a little while it occurred it was possibly related to Christmas and less people there.
Noticed remodeling misspelled and a possible misuse of who for whom. Will try looking it over again because I skipped through some because it was longer than my current attention span at the moment.
Quote: onenickelmiracleJust from looking at the one picture, those chairs on the slot floor look very comfortable and newish. If so, I would include a compliment for them.
Dead week should get an explanation if it actually is the lingo used. It stuck in my mind and after a little while it occurred it was possibly related to Christmas and less people there.
Noticed remodeling misspelled and a possible misuse of who for whom. Will try looking it over again because I skipped through some because it was longer than my current attention span at the moment.
GPAC1377,
Thanks for the tips, I guess I'll just eat the EV and stick to nickels, I'm mainly playing for the drinks and to pass the time. Just having fun. You guys should just be proud of me for finding a VP game I like more than VK...lol. I'll obviously continue to play LDW when it is open, I am Optimal, if not then close, on DW anyway. I better be Optimal by now, I trained enough for it on WoO.
OneNickelMiracle,
I wish I noticed stuff like that, for me, it could be a straight-back metal chair and it wouldn't make a difference. I'm pretty comfortable in just about anything. Those chairs are nice-looking, though, and they keep the areas around the machines very clean. There's always someone around emptying ashtrays and throwing trash away.
Quote: Mission146I guess I'll just eat the EV and stick to nickels
At the D, the 10-cent NSUD is a pretty good play, although only available on one machine.
Four Queens has 9/6 Jacks for nickels, and I think they may have something like 9/5 Jacks for pennies on the 50/100-plays.
The California has NSUD for nickels or dimes, and the patrons are Hawaiian!!
Quote:POKER
I do not believe the D has poker, I never saw it and I don’t see anything about poker on their website or Bravo Poker Live.
D dumped poker when it rebranded from Fitz. The poker room was once located by the sports book on the second floor. It closed in Jan 2012 iirc. It was lucky to get one cash game during peak hours.
Quote: gpac1377At the D, the 10-cent NSUD is a pretty good play, although only available on one machine.
Four Queens has 9/6 Jacks for nickels, and I think they may have something like 9/5 Jacks for pennies on the 50/100-plays.
The California has NSUD for nickels or dimes, and the patrons are Hawaiian!!
Thanks, great tips!
Where is that machine at The D, specifically, please? I know I'll definitely look for that bank at Four Queens next time, I know almost Optimal Strategy for JoB, just not when Aces, Queens and Tens with another Flush penalty card get involved!
I never actually played at California Casino, I don't believe, so I need to do that next time, anyway.
Quote: Mission146Where is that machine at The D, specifically, please?
The 10-cent NSUD machine at the D is in front of the upstairs bar, in a 2x2 bank of slant tops. It's about halfway between the 10/7 Double Bonus bank and the 17/10 Loose Deuces machine. The vpfree2 listing shows a total of 13 machines with NSUD. I believe that's accurate, except vpfree2 partially omits the fact that all 13 machines pay coins rather than tickets.
But, since I know DW pretty well, I guess that's technically inexcusable. Ugh.
I pretty much hate any 1 for 2 pair game.
BTW I did see Deuces Wild the table game at Sam's Town. It's a great place for dealers to take a break and stare off into space :)
Also, are there any reasons why the bac table gets no action? Is it the loud music? You would think bac players would love 4% commission. Is it because I lost 10 hands in a row and now think the place is cursed?
Quote: djatcFor the record I hate jokers. So much strategy changes and modified paytables for ONE wild card. At least deuces gives you so much chances at a hand since there are 4.
I pretty much hate any 1 for 2 pair game.
I typically feel the same way, Joker is the only one I have liked.
Quote:BTW I did see Deuces Wild the table game at Sam's Town. It's a great place for dealers to take a break and stare off into space :)
The D has that, as well, I don't believe I ever saw anyone playing it there, either. The strategy is pretty simple, and is available on WoO, but the EV absolutely sucks. If it's the same paytable the Wizard analyzed, then the House Edge is 6.86%, which is worse than Double-Zero Roulette.
If someone really insisted on playing that game, then they should keep the Max pay of 25K in mind. If I understand the Rules correctly, you begin with an Ante wager and then you match it with a Play wager, which must be the same amount. After you have made the Play wager, you must make a Raise wager if you wish to continue, and that wager must be 2x your Ante bet.
If these things are true, then with a Maximum possible payout of $25,000, you would never want your Ante to be more than $6.25 (Effectively, $6.00), otherwise, you are not getting the full value out of the remote possibility of a Natural Royal Flush. For example, if your Ante were the Max bet of $50, then you could have up to $200 in action, and you would effectively only get 125:1 on Four Deuces and 125:1 on a Royal Flush.
If the player were betting $50 (for a total of $200, if played all the way), then the EV of Four Deuces would be 500 * 0.000018 = .009 and the EV of a Natural Royal would be 0.000002 * 500 = .001, which combine for .01. Normally, these would be .014775 and .006156, respectively, and combining for .020931, so the difference in EV between betting $5.00-$6.25 and betting $50 is .020931 - .01 = .010931, thus, betting the Maximum bet of $50 effectively increases the HE to .010931 + .068623 = .079554 or 7.96% as opposed to the normal 6.86%, an increase of over 1%!!!
In terms of specific HE for a certain bet amount, one must first determine if the $25,000 applies to a specific result, if not, then that remains the same return for that result, if so, then one must determine, based on the amount bet, how much one is actually getting on a, "To One," basis and then multiply that by the probability of the event accordingly.
For example, if you are betting $40, then you could have $160 in total action for which Four Deuces would pay 160 * 200 = $32,000, according to the paytable. However, there is a $25,000 Maximum win, therefore, Four Deuces effectively pays 25000/160 = 156.25 to 1
In this case, the Return of Four Deuces is 0.000018 * 625 = .01125 as opposed to .14775, so you lose about 0.365% EV on that result.
In terms of House Edge, there are very few card games that are worse than this one, but the Optimal Strategy is easy to learn, if one goes to WoO, so as long as one only bets $5 or $6, then the ER won't be any worse than it needs to be.
If you don't care about the Natural Royal Flush, and only want to make sure you are getting full value out of Four Deuces, then do not bet more than $31 Ante. (31 * 4 * 200 = $24,800) Technically, again, it's $31.25, but I don't think you can bet a quarter.
Quote:Also, are there any reasons why the bac table gets no action? Is it the loud music? You would think bac players would love 4% commission. Is it because I lost 10 hands in a row and now think the place is cursed?
It could be the music, from what I understand about a typical Baccarat atmosphere. I would also think the $50 minimums would be off-putting to the majority of the clientele at The D, (and certainly to me) but I suppose Baccarat minimums are supposed to be off-putting to most people.
I don't know, "Party Pit," and, "Baccarat," are just two terms I'd never really thought went together. By the way, the Craps dealers are always in formal-wear, black and white, no party dealers on Craps that I saw...but in normal gaming circumstances, Craps is often the table closest to a party when the shooter is on a hot roll!!!
I smell a prop bet, I'm in on that action VS the NO.Quote: Mission146GPAC1377,
I'll obviously continue to play LDW when it is open, I am Optimal, if not then close, on DW anyway. I better be Optimal by now, I trained enough for it on WoO.
Dose anyone know of a program. where you can set up a group of pre-selected hands then have someone play them out?
It was a few years ago at the River Palms in Laughlin, probably the only time I've managed to hit a 4700-coin royal.
Note that I opted to display the balance in credits rather than dollars. That's the pro play.
Or is it the other way around?
If I had 200 credits for every Four-to-a-Natural Royal draw I missed while I was in Vegas (compared to the zero I made) I'd have more than 4,700 credits! I missed a ton of those, best result was a Wild Royal on Joker, I actually had two of those, but one came off just an Ace-King hold.
Thanks again for another trip write up Mission.
Quote: Mission146
It could be the music, from what I understand about a typical Baccarat atmosphere. I would also think the $50 minimums would be off-putting to the majority of the clientele at The D, (and certainly to me) but I suppose Baccarat minimums are supposed to be off-putting to most people.
I don't know, "Party Pit," and, "Baccarat," are just two terms I'd never really thought went together. By the way, the Craps dealers are always in formal-wear, black and white, no party dealers on Craps that I saw...but in normal gaming circumstances, Craps is often the table closest to a party when the shooter is on a hot roll!!!
It's $25 but not squeeze play. Their tables have some electronic board that displays the cards as they are dealt out so maybe they don't let you touch them because they are expensive.
No problem, thanks for the compliment!
Quote: djatcIt's $25 but not squeeze play. Their tables have some electronic board that displays the cards as they are dealt out so maybe they don't let you touch them because they are expensive.
It may be $25 at other times, but it was definitely $50 that Sunday night. I was walking around with my notebook writing down Table Minimums and Maximums, so I am absolutely 100% sure it was $50. However, Roulette and Craps (at that time) were both $10 for a two-hour period which is the only time in the whole trip I saw them higher than $5.00.
Nobody was playing Baccarat, but perhaps they just raise it when Craps and Roulette go up, automatically.
I should have looked other than Sunday night for the Baccarat minimum in the High Limit room, it just never occurred to me. Again, the High Limit Room is tucked away on the far wall in a slightly elevated area....so to be honest....I thought it was just more tables prior to Sunday and never really paid attention. Prior to Sunday, if you'd have asked me about Baccarat, I'd just say that I didn't notice whether Baccarat was there or not, but would tend to doubt it.
I intend to add the following addendums to my Review of The D:
On Top
Addendum: I had the opportunity to stay at The D again on 4/14/2014 and 4/15/2014 and would like to update this Review to reflect this stay.
During my stay over these two days (and my breakfast on 4/18/2014) the service was absolutely perfect. There was not one person in this casino who wasn't smiling, and you could tell that the entire service staff takes great pride in not only their jobs, but also takes great enjoyment in the property, and most importantly, the customers.
I arrived at The D on 4/14/2014 at approximately 9:30a.m. intending to leave my large suitcase with the desk until check-in time, with no delay or hesitation, the young lady at the front desk found me an available room corresponding to my room request and assigned it to me. The service continued to be amazing from there.
The cocktail waitresses on the Vintage Vegas floor (only place I played) were swift and charismatic...and you have got to love those high boots. On Tuesday night, there was an excellent bartender named Diego at the Vue bar who really brought the fun as I drank with an off-duty Party Pit dealer and her boyfriend with Diego practicing his flair moves all the while. Guest services was very kind in offering me a late check-out of up to 1:30p.m., even though I had called and requested it only five minutes prior to check-out time. The Live Keno staff were again extremely friendly, as was the gentleman at the William Hill sports book.
In terms of the food, The D Grill dished out a positively divine Spinach and Wild Mushroom omelet complete with hash browns, Rye toast and excellent coffee. The service at the D Grill was, again, beyond compare. I would advise that anyone go to the D Grill, whether you are staying Downtown or not, it is simply one of the best values in all of Vegas. The wait staff is very knowledgeable about the food they offer and will always give a helpful suggestion. You will be attended to and pampered as though you are in a $50/plate restaurant while the D Grill costs only a bit more than a Denny's.
In terms of room cleanliness, The D has either improved dramatically or my room in December (with egregious housekeeping oversights) was a fluke. The only areas one could complain about in this room were the dust behind the TV, light dust on the windowsill, and the fact that they STILL are not cleaning those HVAC filters. Not only does it help the air quality in the room, but an HVAC unit with a clean filter cools the room faster and saves on electric costs. In terms of time cost, you simply take a room garbage can, fill it with hot water, submerge the filter and wipe it with a cloth while underwater. After that, you dry it with a hand towel. It takes one minute, per room, every two weeks and makes a huge difference in the efficiency of the air conditioner.
Having now stayed at The Four Queens, Downtown Grand and Cannery, I'm starting to understand how this works. The D is simply meant to be a bargain hotel, as is Four Queens, but whatever the price difference, stay at The D. Trust me on this one. Downtown Grand, on the other hand, has rooms that are positively immaculate, but is it worth the price difference?
I don't think so, because between the dancing dealers, the great (and economical) food options, the shows, Vintage Vegas, amazing service and Table Games that can't be found anywhere else on Earth (two, anyway) you cannot beat The D for value, no matter how hard you try.
I will stand behind my words in December because those were my impressions at the time, but I plan to re-score The D at the bottom of this Review:
On Bottom
1.) Guest Services scores 9/10. I had a few problems in my December stay, but I swear that everyone on that entire property makes even the lowest level gambler feel like a high-roller on my recent stay. You can tell that the service staff love their jobs and that property, as well they should.
2.) Accommodations & Amenities scores an 8/10, coming in early, staying late? The D absolutely does not care and will do everything they can for you. It's a true 24/7 operation and they are always ready to take care of their guests. I still feel local calls should be free, though. I also believe comped rooms should have free wireless Internet access.
3.) Room Cleanliness scores an 8.5/10 this time around. The room is very nice, the Martini Glass with D Dice pictures are just cool, the theme and color scheme of the room is ultra-modern, the TV's are great and there were no cleaning oversights that anyone without a background in hotels would really notice and/or care about. The HVAC filter thing is really more of a minor health thing, in my view. Air quality and all. I really hope they get those on some sort of cleaning schedule, probably would have scored 9.5/10, if so. I don't worry too much about light dust on the back of the TV or windowsill.
4.) Food & Beverage is getting bumped to a 9/10, the food selection is still not diverse, but the D Grill has been fabulous twice in a sample size of two. It is every bit the food quality and service that one would expect from a restaurant four times the price, and the aesthetics of it are just uber-cool. Service is excellent, and it has my nod as the best restaurant (for value) Downtown. Magnolia's is great, and I'll certainly eat there again, but it's not The D Grill.
5.) Entertainment still gets an 8/10, and my opinion on that is still unqualified.
6.) Gaming gets a 9/10 for the same reasons as before, nothing has changed with respect to gaming.
Overall, The D scores a 51.5/60 or 8.58, overall and is the highest scoring casino of any I have reviewed besting Downtown Grand and Cannery. I've also stayed at Four Queens, and while I did not review that property, I can assure the reader that the Four Queens score for room cleanliness alone would make it mathematically impossible for it to score better than The D.
Good rooms, great values, the BEST service and a tremendous time. The D's motto is, "Long on fun, short on ordinary," but that's only half right, there is nothing ordinary about the value, games and service you will enjoy at The D.
He is a very passionate guy who loves the industry and he would get a tremendous kick out of what you had experienced.
Let me know.
Quote: TomspurMission, if I promise to leave out all gaming related topics, may I share your review with the Director of Gaming operations at The D?
He is a very passionate guy who loves the industry and he would get a tremendous kick out of what you had experienced.
Let me know.
Sure, though I believe he may already be aware of my Review. If so, I certainly hope that he reads this addendum, as well as the original Review. I truly do find it to be the best casino Downtown, and it's not close. Binion's is a distant second and El Cortez a close third to Binion's, Four Queens rounds out the Top Four, even though the rooms at Four Queens are deplorable.
Quote: Mission146Sure, though I believe he may already be aware of my Review. If so, I certainly hope that he reads this addendum, as well as the original Review. I truly do find it to be the best casino Downtown, and it's not close. Binion's is a distant second and El Cortez a close third to Binion's, Four Queens rounds out the Top Four, even though the rooms at Four Queens are deplorable.
I'm sure he will find the dramatic improvement in certain areas pleasing. It sure does seem like the D is the place to B :)
(Copyright, Tomspur INC)
LOL
Quote: bobsimsCome on the rooms at 4 queens are fine. I think you are a bit of a neatness freak, no offense.
If disliking the remains of bile and vomit in my toilet makes me a neatness freak, then I am a neatness freak. There were other issues, as well, with varying degrees of egregiousness, but the caked and dried bodily discharges left in the toilet were by far the worst. Besides, I have corroboration, RudeBoiOi stayed with me that night.