Slots Off strip, no downtown, looking for a place with good slots.

I went downtown for the first time on my last trip and thought that the slots would pay well. I was wrong! Won NOTHING downtown, no bonuses, no win a little, nothing! So I'm wondering about the other casinos like Suncoast or Palace Station? I also know everyone's experience is different, I've won lots at places where others have won nothing. So I'm looking for the casinos with the best reputations for payouts. I think it will be a fun little field trip off the strip!

 

Last November I spent two nights at Sam's Town with my dad and did pretty well on the penny slots the last day. I mostly play video poker but they were having a promotion where certain slots on penny lane payed an extra bonus. I checked out with more money than I checked in with. We also went to have the buffet at Eastside Cannery which is right down the street and it seemed like I got a lot of play for my money leaving there a winner also.
Mark

 

Unfortunately unlike my home state of Missouri, electronic gaming machine returns for individual individual casinos are not made public.
This article suggests a the two geographic regions with the highest returns. Near off strip and boulder highway.
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2014/5/1/12101/56884/vegas-travel/Where+To+Find+Loose+Slots+In+Vegas

These are likely your best bet, but also keep in mind that video poker machines are included in these returns. The more video poker that is played at those casinos, the more likely the return is skewed since video poker can return near 100% often with near optimal play.

Also if you look at data from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, you'll see these two areas have a < 10% casino win (aka > 90% return) on penny slots in the past year (9.98% "balance of Clark county"; 9.83% "Boulder Strip Area"). This is a category that is not very tainted by video poker returns, so they may be a better indicator of "loose slots". The "best penny slots" in LV though actually go to North Las Vegas with only a 9.31% casino win. I haven't heard great things about North LV though. By comparison, casinos won 11.72% on penny slots on the Strip and 11.10% Downtown.

http://gaming.nv.gov/index.aspx?page=149

As for your actual results downtown last trip, it sounds like more bad luck than anything, and that can unfortunately happen anywhere.

 

Try Orleans. Only a mile or so from the Strip. There's a free shuttle you can catch at Ballys. There are tons of machines of all kinds there, if you get lucky, great!! but if not, that's o.k., because Orleans is a fun place to be.

 

This is exactly the information I was looking for! I'm also going to read both of those links. Thanks guys!

 

One or two people's results for one trip is not enough data to determine if the slots pay well in any location. Downtown slots pay much better than the strip and are competitive with off strip payouts. You could play the same amount of time next time on the strip and win, and it would mean nothing as far as which are the better machines/casinos. Slot returns are based on play in the long run, and the long run is filled with hours and hours of losses and wins. Of course no slots pay anywhere near 100%, so you will lose in the long run wherever you play. But judging the downtown slots from one trip downtown is like judging the average temperature of a city based on three days of weather.

 

Green Valley treated me pretty well last time I was there.

One thing you didn't state was where downtown you played, and what denominations you were playing.

Last trip I was there, Downtown was dry, SLS was worse, but I hit a jackpot at MGM Grand. Go figure . . . .

 

Here is some food for thought.
Based on the last month's Slots data here are some payback percentages for the $1 slots.
Boulder Strip..................96.1
Downtown Las Vegas......93.7
Lake Tahoe....................93.7
Las Vegas Strip..............93.7
Laughlin........................95.2
Mesquite......................95.7
North Las Vegas...........95.9
Reno............................96.2


The key to notice is that the amount isn't really significant to warrant driving to a location with the hopes of finding a "better" machine.
The payback percentages vary based on location as well as machine denomination.
So even if you knew one location was better it may only be for a particular denomination or the better percentage was two months ago.

If you want to check out other places that makes sense but the justification to find a "better" machine does not.

 

All I can tell you is where I've had better luck and/or more fun. That list would be Silverton, Eastside Cannery and to a lesser extent Gold Coast and Orleans. The first two impressed me for having a good diversity of old and new games as well as being a bit more lucky for me. The latter two, I can't say I win easily at them but over a trip, I do have good streaks. I think the intent to go offstrip is good if you are a slot player. Locals casinos have a ton of slots compared to downtown and it's nice to have so much to choose from. I get bored pretty easily downtown seeing the same games and not winning on any of them.

 

Gold Coast has a great selection of slots. Not so sure about the payouts though. It's right next door to the Rio and across the street from the Palms. I believe they have a shuttle to the strip, so does Rio.

 

click

http://www.americancasinoguide.com/slot-machine-payback-statistics.html

Boulder Highway and North Las Vegas have verified returns. The highest being last reported at average 96.7% return on .25 cent slots on the Boulder Strip. Where is it? Along the Boulder Highway between Downtown Las Vegas and Henderson. You can go east on most of the roads along the Strip. We usually take Flamingo. Google a map.

Or if your staying Downtown you can get on the 75 freeway at Las Vegas Blvd and head towards Henderson get off at the Boulder Hwy exit or Flamingo (go left) then you'll see the Cannery on the right, Sam's Town is to the Left. There are a few locals joints most
never see. click on map below.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Las+Vegas+Fwy,+Las+Vegas,+NV/@36.1272077,-115.1095923,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c8db16c908f1cd:0xcf1b10114e4a8a70

Oddly enough quarter machines pay slightly better than dollars in some locales

see nevada on list

 

Hi zignerlv:

Actually ... according to the data in Strictly Slots (which is an aggregate published by Nevada gaming commission), downtown shares the strip with the distinction for the worst payouts. You are accurate to say that a few trips can not give anyone a definitive answer.

I've had the most luck at The Palms ... it's not scientific ... but things just seem to work out for me there. The Boyd properties have been pretty good as well. I do not generally have luck at Caesars, but I seem to have good play at the RIO.

My performance downtown has been dismal for 5 consecutive years. I'm convinced the payback percentage is pretty tight there.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

 

Try Silverton , lots of aristocrat games ,i.e. Buffalo, chow sun doa , timber wolf ... They have a great players club and great drink service . They serve Starbucks coffee on the floor and the hosts have open door policy just off the lobby.

 

I am staying at the Rio Dec 23rd and there are also 2 casinos right next door (Gold Coast and Palms) as well as free shuttles to the strip and orleans. I have never been to those casinos before (will be my first time and parents first time), so we are looking forward to trying something new for one night before spending the next 2 nights downtown. Speaking of downtown, I am worried about how the slots are going to pay because I was there on a sunday night memorial weekend (staying off strip at the eastside cannery hotel and casino) and nothing paid at all downtown. I just hope this trip I can find the lucky machine and win stuff when downtown. All my wins in May trip were from the eastside cannery (slots are pretty loose there) and on the strip Venetien, flamingo and quad with only the slots by the casino entrance on las vegas blvd of both quad and flamingo paying good (won $100 at flamingo and won over $600 at quad).

A really good casino on the strip that I enjoy playing slots at that have a lot of loose slots throughout the casino is Venetian. I love playing slots there. I have noticed though by watching on the strip and downtown, majority of the slots located by the casino entrances, I see people triggering bonuses all the time. If you go further in, you do not see as many. Like at the Quad (now LINQ), people were playing more by the entrance on las vegas blvd when I was there and everywhere else in the casino was pretty dead. However though, only saw one handpay throughout my 3 nights in Vegas and that was someone max betting on China Chores at the LINQ when I was there for a couple hours from triggering a bunch of free spins.

By the way - eastside cannery hotel and casino: across the street is longhorn and samstown. Longhorn is small though with not many slots, but samstown is pretty big. Samstown also has a good lazer show at night.