New York, New York

Blackjack

In the high limit room, NYNY has liberal six deck rules (dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, double on any two cards, surrender, re-split aces) with a house edge of 0.285%. The double deck game in the high limit room is also quite good, with a house edge of 0.202%. The following is a full list of their blackjack games:

High Limit:

• Six decks, Dealer stands on soft 17, Double after split allowed, Surrender allowed, Re-splitting aces allowed
• Two decks, Dealer stands on soft 17, Double after split allowed

Low Limit:

• Six decks, Dealer hits on soft 17, Double after split allowed, Surrender allowed
• Two decks, Dealer hits on soft 17, Double after split allowed
• One deck, dealer hits on soft 17, blackjack pays 6 to 5

A few games in the low limit area were $5 minimum during the morning and went up to $10 and $15 minimums towards evening.

In the low limit area drink service was quick and consistent, about every 20 minutes. The drinks were watered down, in small glasses with a lot of ice. In the high limit area a central bar (between the slots and blackjack) means quick service and top shelf drinks. In two minutes I had a delicious Bailey’s with a splash of Jameson in a large glass.

Roulette

Roulette was the standard double zero, for a house edge of 5.26%. There was no single zero roulette available as a table game. There were several single zero roulette slot machines scattered throughout the floor. It was the first time I had seen these machines and I thought there had to be a gimmick (for example, blackjack slots pay 1-to-1 for a blackjack). They are the real deal and have a 2.70% house edge. No one was playing them. Go figure!

Craps

Craps allowed the Vegas standard 3-4-5X odds for a combined house edge between the pass and odds of 0.37% and 0.27% between the don’t and laying odds. Hop bets paid 15-to-1 and 30-to-1.

Video Poker

The pay tables for video poker at NYNY are inconsistent geographically but consistently weak in the main casino. The good video poker machines are in the high limit area, $5 minimum. There are also weak video poker pay tables in the high limit area, so pay attention.

Here are some pay tables from the sampling I did of their video poker. The percentages in the parenthesis are expected returns based on perfect play.

Jacks or Better

800/50/25/9/6/4/3/2/1 (High Limit room only) (99.54%)
800/50/25/8/5/4/3/2/1 (97.30%)
800/50/25/7/5/4/3/2/1 (96.15%)

Bonus Poker

800/50/80/40/25/8/5/4/3/2/1 (99.17%)
800/50/80/40/25/7/5/4/3/2/1 (98.01%)

Deuces Wild

800/200/20/12/9/4/4/3/2/1 (97.06%) (High Limit)
800/200/25/15/10/4/3/2/2/1 (99.42%)
800/200/25/15/9/4/4/3/2/1 (98.91%)
800/200/25/16/13/4/3/2/2/1 (96.77%)

Double Bonus

800/50/160/80/50/9/6/5/3/1/1 (Main area and High Limit) (97.81%)
800/50/160/80/50/9/6/4/3/1/1 (96.38%)
800/50/160/80/50/8/5/4/3/1/1 (94.19%)

Double Double Bonus

800/50/400/160/160/80/50/9/6/4/3/1/1 (High Limit) (98.98%)
800/50/400/160/160/80/50/9/5/4/3/1/1 (97.87%)
800/50/400/160/160/80/50/7/5/4/3/1/1 (95.71%)

Pick ‘Em Poker

2000/239.8/120/18/15/10/4/3/2 (96.69%)

For current video poker pay tables at the NYNY, the Wizard recommends vpFree2.com

The expiration on slot machine tickets is the state minimum of 30 days.

Sports Book

The NYNY sports book is quite small, consisting of 24 chairs, 12 cushioned seats and 8 betting windows. Race and sports tickets expire in 120 days. It is next to “New York New York Stadium Snacks.” A little further away is the large restaurant/bar complex known as the ESPN Zone that serves mainly bar food.

Poker

There is no poker room at NYNY.

Player’s Club

I arrived early in the day and got a Player’s Club card. Their lines were McDonald’s style. I checked back a couple of times and noticed that people sometimes spontaneously ordered themselves into Wendy’s style lines, but NYNY took no effort to create this.

I asked for a coupon book or some other benefit for being a first time member of the Player’s Club. It was a bust. There were no match play or free play coupons. There were no discounts at the restaurants or discount coupons for shopping. There were no deals at the shows, the spa, or anything else.

At slots, the player earns one point per $1.50 played. At video poker, one point is earned per $4.50 played. It takes 1000 points to get a food comp of some sort, or 100 points = $1 cash back.

Finally, I was told that if I played table games at an average wager of $25 for 4 hours then I would get (at least) a food comp.

Cashier

The main cashier area is confusing. There was no roped area and the way the area was designed it was very difficult to see how it could work any way other than McDonald’s. If two adjacent windows were open then people might spontaneously form a Wendy’s style line. When I was there, two windows were open, but at some distance apart. I chose the wrong line and waited about 10 minutes. I wanted to change $5000 cash into ten $500 chips. The cashier refused, saying she didn’t have $500 chips. She sent me to the high limit window and they took care of me right away. A good lesson learned: I used the high limit cashier for every transaction after that.

Non-Smoking Areas

There are no non-smoking gaming areas in NYNY. As a non-smoker, all I can say is “that’s bad.”

Table Game Comps

My first session, I played for two hours at a six deck shoe game in the main casino, flat betting $75 per hand. When the new shift came on at 3:00 PM, I asked what time they had me starting and what they had as my average bet. They told me I had started at 1:40 PM (correct) and that I was spreading $25 to $75 (incorrect). They were low-balling my wagers, which is a great way to not give as many comps. I asked them to fix the ticket, and then asked if I could get a meal for my play. I was told by a reassuring boss to bill the meal to my room and “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.” I get worried when someone tells me not to worry.

NYNY used the old fashion rating slip method of entering player data into their system. Most modern casinos use a terminal at each table and swipe the player’s card. Rating slips are a throwback and are easily open to comp abuse. I asked for the time it takes for play to be entered into the system and was told that depending on the crowds, table game play appears in the player’s account about 1-2 hours after play.

For my second (evening) session, I flat bet $100 per hand for just over an hour and then asked the pit about comps. I was told it was based on my average bet and the length of time played, but they would get me a host. In a few minutes my host came. I said that I was staying there and wanted to know what it took to get my room comped. She said “4-5 hours of play with an average bet of $100 to $150, but it depends on whether you won or lost.” I asked what she could do for me (about 4 hours total play at an average bet of about $80), and she said to bill my expenses to my room, that I shouldn’t worry, and that she would call the desk and “take care of me.” I assumed my room would be comped.

I finished the evening playing 30 minutes in the High Limit room at the $100 minimum table. The high limit room is one of the most important features of any casino. The placement and décor must be just right. At NYNY it is stylish, away from the crowds, easy to find, with a bar/lounge separating the high limit slots from the table games (blackjack only). I checked in on four occasions and never saw more than two players at the blackjack tables.

In getting comps, it is important to get play on two separate “days” in the system. At NYNY, the “comp day” turns over at 3:00 AM, so play a session both before and after 3:00 AM to maximize your return. Most casinos don’t give this information out, but if you ask politely, sometimes you get this gem. I played one slow shoe early the morning a few hours before I checked out.

Overall, I played at least 4 ½ hours at an average bet of $80 (my estimate). If the casino is using 1.0% as their theoretical edge (typically casinos use even a higher amount, 1.2% to 1.4%), and assuming I played 60 hands per hour (an underestimate), NYNY won at least a "theoretical" (4.5)×($80)×(60)×(.01) = $216.00.

When I checked out of the hotel, my bill showed a $29 comp to the room charge, and my meal ($23) was comped, for $52 in total comps. The total cost to me was $57.99. I asked that they double check; I was under the impression my room would be comped. The clerk called marketing and confirmed with my host that my play was worth $52, or 24.1% of my theo.

In my opinion, NYNY was at best incompetent and at worst deceptive with my comps. They underrated my play, told me they would “take care of me,” encouraged me to spend more by putting expenses on my room, and didn’t live up to the comp promise made by the Player’s Club and my host. If my experience is in any way typical, then don’t expect much.

Starbucks

Small Coffee: $3.50. Doughnut: $1.25. (opens at 7:00 AM)

Greenberg’s

They had a wide variety of lunch foods at low prices. If you want to get soup, salad, or a drink, don’t wait in line, there is a separate line for these items. A large “Chef’s Salad” cost $5.99. The roller coaster runs right over head, so you may hear some screaming. (next to Starbucks)

Chin Chin

Overpriced and average tasting Chinese food. Entrees $15 to $30.

ESPN Zone

Classic Burger ($10.99), BBQ Chicken ($20.99), Angus NY Strip ($25.99), and the Ultimate Tailgate ($39.99) which feeds 2-3 people.

Gallagher’s (steaks)

Dry Aged NY Sirloin ($39.00), Porter House ($42.00), King Crab Cocktail ($16.00).

H Fornaio (Italian)

Entrée prices ranging from $15.99 to $35.99.