Durango Opening
Two days ago, on December 5, Las Vegas celebrated the opening of the Durango. If my history is correct, this is the first opening since the Circa opened three years ago, in October 2020. This is the latest new development by Station Casinos.
The Durango is located in the rapidly growing southwest side of Las Vegas. Previously, there were no casinos in this part of town, so I expect business to be good. The size is comparable to other Station casinos. Unlike other Station casinos, the Durango has neither a bowling alley nor movie theater. I do hear an expansion is in the long-term plan, so maybe later.
I found the interior of the Durango to be unusually bright and well lit. You have heard that casinos never have windows because they want patrons to lose track of time. However, this is not the case with the Durango as many walls are composed entirely of glass, letting in plenty of natural light.
The color scheme is mostly white granite floors and walls with subdued brown and red carpeting. Unlike most Vegas casinos, everything is easy on the eyes. Overall it is serene, like many casinos in Macau, as opposed to the usual Las Vegas loud and obnoxious décor.
Here are table game counts in the main casino:
- Blackjack: 19
- Baccarat: 6
- Roulette: 5 (4 double-zero, 1 triple-zero)
- Face-up pai gow poker: 5
- Craps: 4 (3 traditional, one electronic)
- Ultimate Texas Hold 'em: 4
- Free Bet Blackjack: 3
- Mississippi Stud: 1
- Three Card Poker: 1
- Crazy 4 Poker: 1
- I Love Suits: 1
In the high limit room:
- Blackjack: 5
- Baccarat: 4
I picked a video poker machine at random on the casino floor. Here were the games and pay tables at the $0.25 and $0.50 denominations:
| Game | Pay Table | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus Poker | 7-5 | 98.01% |
| Double Bonus | 9-6-5 | 97.81% |
| Double Double Bonus | 9-5 | 97.87% |
| Deuces Wild | 20-12-10 | 97.58% |
| Deuces Wild Double Double Bonus | 12-10 | 97.42% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 8-5 | 97.40% |
| Super Aces Bonus | 6-5 | 97.78% |
| Super Double Double Bonus | 6-5 | 98.25% |
| Super Double Bonus | 7-5 | 97.77% |
| Deuces Wild Bonus | 10-4-3-3 | 97.36% |
| Super Bonus Deuces Wild | 8-4-3-2 | 97.87% |
The pay tables got better at the $1, $2 and $5 denomination, as follows.
| Game | Pay Table | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus Poker | 8-5 | 99.17% |
| Double Bonus | 9-7-5 | 99.11% |
| Double Double Bonus | 9-6 | 98.98% |
| Deuces Wild | 25-15-9 | 98.91% |
| Deuces Wild Double Double Bonus | 10-8 | 98.70% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 8-6 | 98.49% |
| Super Aces Bonus | 7-5 | 98.85% |
| Super Double Double Bonus | 7-5 | 99.17% |
| Super Double Bonus | 8-5 | 98.69% |
| Deuces Wild Bonus | 13-4-3-3 | 98.80% |
| Super Bonus Deuces Wild | 8-5 | 98.84% |
I did not see the usual teaser 100% games by any of the entrances. The high limit room had video poker in $5 to $50 denominations. The games and pay tables seemed to be the same as those above for $1 to $5 denomination.
I also had a look at randomly chosen keno game. The $0.25 and $0.50 denomination followed “pay table 5” at Wizard of Odds. There, the best odds are on the pick 6, which follows the 3-4-70-1600 pay table for a return of 92.67%.
The odds get better at the $1 denomination, which follows pay table 7 at Wizard of Odds. The best odds are again on the pick 6, this time with the 3-4-75-1660 pay table, which returns 94.99%. I have always said you can tell how loose a casino sets their slots by how loose they set their video keno. In this case, the video keno is quite liberal. The $1 pay table is as good as it gets when it comes to keno, so I applaud the Durango for that.
Overall, the Durango looks like a warm and friendly place. I doubt you will see me there much as the location is not very convenient for me and they have nothing to do there besides gamble and eat. Plus, I am on the “no mail” list with Station Casinos, so I have no motive to play at any of them. Nevertheless, I wish them well.
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