The 28,000-square-foot casino at Main Street Station is a lively area of the hotel brought to life by more than 800 slot and video poker machines, and a wide array of table games. However, if relaxation is what you’re going for, go ahead and lounge poolside at the resort’s quaint outdoor pool. Main Street Station is not a Station's Casino property. It is owned by Boyd Gaming, Station's biggest competitor for local gaming spots. It has a Victorian theme, is very well kept and in excellent repair considering its age, and has a staff of service personnel that know how to treat their guests.
- Ghost At Main Street Casino Vegas
- Main Street Station Slot Machines Missouri
- Main Street Station Casino Brewery Hotel
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Introduction
The following table ranks the Las Vegas casinos according to the looseness of their video display reeled nickel slot machines. The returns are based on a sampling of five different types of machines. The data collected goes back as far as October 2001 so the information is a bit dated.
Las Vegas 5 Cent Slot Survey
| Rank | Casino | Average Return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palms | 93.42% |
| 2 | Gold Coast | 92.84% |
| 3 | Sahara | 92.81% |
| 4 (tie) | Bourbon Street | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Imperial Palace | 92.63% |
| 4 (tie) | Slots a Fun | 92.63% |
| 7 | Key Largo | 92.60% |
| 8 | Western | 92.57% |
| 9 | Ellis Island | 92.56% |
| 10 | El Cortez | 92.56% |
| 11 | Orleans | 92.56% |
| 12 | Circus Circus | 92.56% |
| 13 | Gold Spike | 92.55% |
| 14 | Fitzgeralds | 92.54% |
| 15 | Fiesta - Rancho | 92.53% |
| 16 | Arizona Charlie's East | 92.51% |
| 17 | Barbary Coast | 92.50% |
| 18 | Terrible's | 92.49% |
| 19 | Arizona Charlie's | 92.49% |
| 20 | Hard Rock | 92.47% |
| 21 | Town Hall | 92.47% |
| 22 | Longhorn | 92.47% |
| 23 | Riviera | 92.23% |
| 24 | California | 92.14% |
| 25 | Lady Luck | 92.10% |
| 26 | Nevada Palace | 92.06% |
| 27 | Plaza | 91.94% |
| 28 | Luxor | 91.92% |
| 29 | Paris | 91.92% |
| 30 | San Remo | 91.88% |
| 31 | Excalibur | 91.84% |
| 32 | Palace Station | 91.84% |
| 33 | Ballys | 91.82% |
| 34 | Las Vegas Club | 91.76% |
| 35 | Four Queens | 91.75% |
| 36 | Texas Station | 91.71% |
| 37 | Casino Royale | 91.67% |
| 38 | Boulder Station | 91.55% |
| 39 | Aladdin | 91.5% |
| 40 | O'sheas | 91.48% |
| 41 | Hilton | 91.40% |
| 42 | Boardwalk | 91.28% |
| 43 | New York New York | 90.99% |
| 44 | Horseshoe | 90.96% |
| 45 | Sam's Town | 90.89% |
| 46 | Santa Fe Station | 90.87% |
| 47 | Flamingo | 90.86% |
| 48 | Golden Nugget | 90.85% |
| 49 | Stratosphere | 90.8% |
| 50 | Tropicana | 90.71% |
| 51 | Golden Gate | 90.64% |
| 52 | Silverton | 90.57% |
| 53 | Main Street Station | 90.56% |
| 54 | Westward Ho | 90.40% |
| 55 | Fremont | 90.37% |
| 56 | Castaways | 90.36% |
| 57 | Monte Carlo | 90.24% |
| 58 | Stardust | 89.97% |
| 59 | Frontier | 89.91% |
| 60 | MGM Grand | 89.81% |
| 61 | Harrahs | 89.32% |
| 62 | Treasure Island | 89.32% |
| 63 | Mirage | 89.3% |
| 64 | Caesars Palace | 89.05% |
| 65 | Mandalay Bay | 88.87% |
| 66 | Rio | 88.72% |
| 67 | La Bayou | 88.26% |
| 68 | Mermaids | 88.26% |
| 69 | Bellagio | 87.42% |
| 70 | Venetian | 86.66% |
| 71 | Airport | 85.02% |
Excluded Casinos
The Suncoast and Rampart Casino in Summerlin do not allow playing slots and taking notes at the same time. I can not include any casino that prohibits the method in which I gather data.
Location Averages
The next table shows the average return by location.
Returns by Region
| Location | Average Return |
|---|---|
| Off strip | 92.07% |
| Downtown | 91.66% |
| Strip | 91.47% |
| Total | 91.74% |
The above sign can be found across the street from the Palms. Although I did the study Anthony Curtis published it in the LasVegas Advisor, which is how it become well known. The'...' in the sign encompases quite a bit of information,which was conveniently left off the sign. Actually the study only says that the Palms had the lowest nickel video slotsof the casinos surveyed in Las Vegas. The small print at thebottom says, 'Independent study conducted between November2001-February 2002 on Austin Powers, Fortune Cookie, Reel'em In, and Wheel of Fortune games. They left off LeopardSpots, and the study began in October.
Observations
There seemed to be no truth behind slot placement myths. Machines on the end of a bank did no better on average than those in the middle. There was also no correlation between return and proximity to such things as the main door, table game pit, high traffic areas, and low traffic areas.
Most casinos were very consistent in their slot returns.If one nickel machine had a return of x% then all others like it also returned x%. However some casinos did mix up loose and tight machines, most notably Treasure Island and the California casinos.
Methodology
A kind and anonymous source provided me with par sheets for the games in question. The EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) chip is what tells the machine the order of the symbols on the reel, in some cases how the stops are weighted, how much each winning combination pays, and any other pertinent information about how much the machine pays.It is up to the slot manager to select which EPROM chip to order according to the return percentage desired. On atypical game there might be about 8 different possible return percentages, ranging from about 85% to 98%.
Each of the different par sheets has five sets of distinct reels. On video display slots the stops are not weighted; in other words all stops are equally likely. The distribution of each symbol on each reel is what determines the theoretical return of the machine. For example a higher paying machine may have more of the higher paying symbols.
On the machine itself three consecutive symbols arevisible on five different reels. By comparing actualobservations of results to the par sheets it is possible todetermine which reels the machine uses, and thus which par sheet and which return. There are various three-symbol combinations that appear in at least one but not all par sheets. So if one of these combinations occurs on an actualmachine it narrows down the possible par sheets. By playingenough the player can narrow down the possible par sheets tojust one.
To help identify the unique combinations I wrote a computer program for each game, which had the exact reel order of all 5 reels of all the par sheets. The program then counted the number of par sheets with each possible three-symbol combination. If the number was greater than 0 and less than the maximum then that combination was identified along with the associated par sheets it belonged to.
It is then a matter of simply playing the game and comparing the outcomes to the list of partially unique combinations. It only takes about 5-10 plays per machine to narrow down the possibilities to just one par sheet.
The averages in the table are actually an average of averages. For each kind of machine at each casino I took an average return. Then I took the average of these averages over the five kinds of machines I tested for.
Slot Machine Definition
There is some confusion about what constitutes a 'slot machine' or 'slot.' My definition, and that of most gamblers, is a gambling machine with either actual spinning reels or video representations of the them.
People in the gaming business and regulators generally refer to a slot machine as any gambling machine, including reeled slots, video poker, video keno, video blackjack,etc.. For purposes of statistics both casino managers and regulators combine all the electronic gambling machines together. For example, the Slot Chart in Casino Player magazine and reports by the Nevada Gaming Control Board do not isolate just reeled slots but consider all electronic games a 'slot.' Therefore my return percentages should not be expected to agree with those reported by the casinos or regulators. As far as I know mine is the only source to isolate just the return of reeled slots.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Rob Feldheim for helping with the slot play and record keeping. Rob helped me with most of the casinos on the east side of town and part of downtown. I would also like to thank par Sheet Pete (not his real name)for providing the par sheets, without which this project would not have been possible.
Internal Links
Go to slot machine appendix3B (Jean/Primm slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3D(Henderson slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3E(Las Vegas quarter and dollar slot returns).
Go to slot machine appendix 3F(Montreal slot return).
Go back to slot machines.
Ghost At Main Street Casino Vegas
External Links
The main-stream media has covered this study in depth. Here are links to some articles.
- Turning'em loose, an article that appeared in the Las VegasReview Journal on May 19, 2002, about the possible effectsof this study.
- One-Armed Bandit or Robin Hood? , an article by myself for Contingencies Magazine explaining the methodology, results, and weaknesses of the study.
- Play by the rules and the one-armed bandits will still win. Boston Globe article about slot machines, in which my Las Vegas survey is mentioned and my advice quoted. (cache)
Written by: Michael Shackleford
Main Street Station Casino, Brewery and Hotel is located in downtown Las Vegas. It is on the north end of Main Street, just south of the U.S. 95 overpass. The property has a train station theme. It is just north of the former location of the last Las Vegas passenger train station. A pedestrian bridge connects Main Street Station to sister property California Casino.
Main Street Station is popular among Hawaiian tourists. Boyd Gaming owns Main Street Station and has marketed its downtown properties for decades to residents of America’s 50th state. This includes special Boyd Gaming charter flights. Las Vegas is the most popular tourist destination for Hawaiians.
Main Street Station was built in 1977. It was originally named Main Street Park Hotel. It was later acquired by Boyd Gaming in the 90’s and renamed Main Street Station.
Casino at Main Street Station
The casino at Main Street Station is very small. Its gaming floor is just 28,500 square feet. There are about 1,000 machines and 18 table games.
Main Street Station is best known for its 20 times craps odds. This game has a minimum bet of just $5 24 hours a day. The max bet is $1,000. There is one table each of Single Deck Super Fun 21, Single Deck Blackjack that pays 6-5, and a blackjack game that deals six decks. The shoe game does not allow a double down after splitting. The limits for these games are $5-$500. There are eight tables of Double Deck Blackjack. The limits are $5-$1,000 and doubling after the split is not allowed here either.
There is a $10-$500 Pai Gow Poker table. One table of Let it Ride and Three Card Poker are also available. The limits for these games are $5-$50. There is one roulette wheel with two zeros where limits are $5-$100.
The casino floor at Main Street Station is full of coin operated video poker games. These include full pay Jacks or Better, full pay Double Double Bonus, Aces Bonus, and Treasure Chest Poker. These are available in $.05, $.25, $.50, and $1 denominations. Main Street Station is one of a handful of casinos that spread more video poker than traditional slot machines.
There is a special video poker promotion at Main Street Station that is available 24 hours a day. Any player that makes a natural four of a kind when betting five coins will receive a scratch off card. The player will often win $2, $3, or $5. A few larger tickets are available to lucky winners. There are a couple of $5,000 winners each year.
Main Street Station uses the Boyd Gaming BConnected card. Players may check status and offers at Bconnectedonline.com. Players receive one point for every dollar in slot or video poker action. These may be exchanged for comps at a rate of 600 points per $1. Free slot play may be exchanged at a rate of 900 points for every $1.
Hotel at Main Street Station
The hotel is small by Las Vegas standards. It offers 406 rooms. Most rooms are deluxe with two queens or one king. Each floor hosts one suite. These are typically reserved for high volume players.
One annoyance of the hotel is that two sides of the tower have noise from the neighboring railroad tracks. The north view overlooks a busy highway. The hotel is relatively sound proof considering the proximity of these noisy neighbors. Room rates start at $33 on weeknights and $60 on weekends.
Dining at Main Street Station
Main Street Station offers just two dining options. There is the highly acclaimed buffet. Most nights have a special theme. Tuesday is T-bone steak night. Thursday is steak and shrimp scampi night. Friday is seafood night, while Saturday offers prime rib. These special nights start at $13.99. Other nights are $10.99. Breakfast is $6.99, while lunch is $7.99.
Main Street Station Slot Machines Missouri
Triple 7 Brewery offers homebrews and a full bar. There is a lunch and dinner menu with steak and Asian fare. There is a limited graveyard menu. Triple 7 Brewery is open from 11am-7am.
Bars at Main Street Station
There is just one bar at Main Street Station. It offers the best bar top games in Las Vegas. Full pay Jacks or Better is available at all bar machines. Drink service is exceptional. Those that are bothered by cigarettes will appreciate special fans located near the ceiling that help remove smoke from the bar area.
Location
Main Street Station is located on the west side of Main Street across from California. The two sister casinos connect. There is a parking deck located on the property and a surface lot across Main Street. Parking is $5 and is comped if dining or playing at Main Street Station.
The area around the casino is safe. We advise not walking north of US 95 as the neighborhood changes quickly.
Main Street Station Features
There are several Berlin Wall pieces and stories around the resort. Otherwise, there are really no features outside of gambling. There are no nightclubs or shopping beyond the gift shop.
Main Street Station Casino Brewery Hotel
