Video Poker Video Poker Bars - your favorite?

In addition to high limit room crawl day, we're planning a video poker bar crawl day. The criteria for picking a place to play is not the pay table, but more cocktail service, atmosphere and comfort. That is pretty much our criteria for all things Vegas.

In past trips we haven't played much VP at a bar so your input is valuable to us. We play a good bit of VP during each trip, so we aren't novices at the game. Have both learned decent strategy with Bob Dancer.

So a place with friendly, attentive bartenders, comfortable bar stools, sports on the tv and music that doesn't sound like a dance club would be our kind of place. We'll be staying on the strip (Cosmo and Encore), but will entertain downtown locations as well.

Thanks y'all.

 

I like the Central Bar at NYNY. Lots of activity and the service is good. Book and Stage at Cosmo is supposed to be great, although I haven't tried there. Yet.

If you want to add Fremont St to the mix, Vue bar at The D is great, as is the Boar's Head Bar at Main Street Station. Hope you have a blast!

 

For a crawl, head downtown. Main Street, Cal, Golden Gate, Fremont and Four Queens (make sure to try the upstairs bar) all fit your agenda. And you won't wear yourself out walking.

They all have sports on the TVs, but sometimes w/o audio unless there is a game going on.

I'm a MSS fan but they just have basic cable in the bars. Four Queens has MLB, NFL and NHL networks, at least at the Chicago Brewing Co. bar they do. That's the one upstairs I referenced.

Tipping may not increase the comfort of the chairs, but it usually makes the bartenders more friendly!!

 

Close to where you are staying is the sports VP bar at the back corner of Aria's floor. Nothing flashy but will always be a favorite since I scored a Royal (on Quarters) there last trip.

Agree that downtown rules for VP bars - and MSS was a place I could stay at all day. Bartenders and other clients were delightful.

Vue Bar at D is recommended but I have heard from people that the Long Bar downstairs has some bizarre payout tables - not fiddling with the normal two indicators (9/6, 8/5, etc.) but with other pay lines. Have not confirmed this but be careful.

JZB

 

The Bond bar in the Cosmo during the day. At night it turns into a mini club which may or may not be your thing. Comfortable chairs, top shelf drinks, attractive bartenders (no sports on TV though). Got to be playing at $1 level to get a comped drink but the cocktails are $15 each otherwise.

Here's a Nutty Professor



Book and Stage in the Cosmo fits your description almost perfectly. Friendly bartenders, sports on TV, comfortable bar seating, same top shelf drinks as Bond. Our bartender didn't sweat the VP minimum like the Bond bar did and the drinks were basically the same. Book and Stage has a laid back pub'ish vibe. Nice place to chill.

The Boars Head Bar at Main Street Station (downtown location) has some of the best bar drink service anywhere. Look for the bar just outside the buffet and that will be it. As long as you are playing any level of VP they will keep the drinks flowing especially if you are tipping. They have some of the best VP paytables at any bar downtown which is a bonus in my book. If you happen to go and you like craft beers be sure to try out the Black Chip Porter. It is made onsite and it is freaking good!

 

I will second Book and Stage, it's one of my favorite places. Bartenders are very friendly and funny too. Bond bar is fun too if you can get in. Last week I was there and the place was overflowing out into the main walkways, it was so packed.

 

It doesn't get as much mention here, but I also really like the Queue Bar at Cosmo, we've had some really great bartenders, they will comp for quarters as long as you are playing max bet per hand, and the drinks are great.

Another favorite for me, although it may not meet your criteria, is Sully's Bar at Bally's. Our group was not all playing at the same time (although we each played at some point) but were tipping well, and they were comping drinks for all of us the whole time. They also kept giving little bottles of water every other round or so along with our drinks without us having to ask. Great guys.

You probably already know this, but Wynn/Encore don't comp drinks at any VP Bar.

 

Luxe Bar

I'm a big fan of the Luxe Bar at, SURPRISE, the Hard Rock!!! Great, crystal clear flat-screens just a few feet away... high-quality, new machines (not the ones with sticky buttons)... outstanding, fun bartenders... and killer music!

Pay tables are standard crappy bar-top VP settings, as are most places these days and I'm still searching for my first Royal, so I don't want to portray a cash bonanza awaits you, but it's a VERY fun and comfortable spot!

 

When you say $1 level does that mean minimum $1/hand or $1 with max bet? Would that mean $5/hand?

 

Last time i was there i was going from 1$ to .25 and inbetween and no one ever told me i had to play 1$.. THey just wanted max bet and at least 20$ in the machine

 

Another vote for the Vue bar at The D. Top shelf comped all day long!

Long Bar downstairs was cool too. The machines were the newest and shiniest I've ever played on

 

Stagger out of the Palms and into Money Plays.

 

Thanks! I know you're supposed to ask the bartender first but it's nice to know what to expect ahead of time. Definitely planning a stop at one or both of the Cosmo bars mentioned as well as the Vue bar downtown.

 

Two places come to mind for me, Extra Bar at PH and Fireside Lounge. Larry at Extra is a great bartender and keeps the drinks coming. On the north end of the strip, the Fireside is a great place to take a break and have some good, stiff drinks while playing VP with good paytables. The bartenders are very friendly and have some great stories to tell. The people watching there can be quite entertaining, too.

 

I recall being surprised at the very good pay tables that they had at the machines just right inside the front door of the restaurant. I went in to look in the lounge, but didn't check the machines out. Do they have good pay tables there too?

 

Yes, we played at the bar in the lounge. I was surprised they comped our drinks while we played, I thought only casinos did that.

 

Ultimately it depends on the bartender. But we have been told on a number of occasions that $1 per play is the minimum. At the Bond bar you can play VBJ. The lowest amount you can play is $1 per hand so if the bartender sees you playing VBJ then they won't say a word because they know you are playing $1 a hand. The VP at the Bond bar can go as low as .25 - for that reason they will glance and see if you are playing at least $1 per hand (total). So what I do is slow play the heck out of VBJ and that usually lasts me a long time.

Let's put it this way, I can throw a $20 into the bartop slots and run up about $75 worth of comped drinks before that original $20 disappears. Once I sat at the Bond bar for three hours and I cashed out dead even and the only money I was paying out was for tips.

Again, some bartenders sweat the minimum and some don't. I imagine that they care a lot less if you are tipping and it's a slow day.

 

If you go west of the strip try one of The Orleans 4 bars. They don't really care how much your wager is and they will comp you drinks as long as you keep playing.

 

Mmmm. Love me some Fat Tire on draft while playing the bars at Olreans (Gold Coast as well), however nothing beats the 9/6 Jacks and Black Chip Porters with great service at the Boar's Head at MSS.