This is the 14th post from our May 2021 casino road trip. It is the last one in the series. It covers casinos and racinos in southern Ohio and southern Indiana. The day started in Columbus, Ohio, about an hour away from our first stop. It ended at our hotel in Kentucky near the Cincinnati airport, where we stayed two nights.
Hollywood Gaming, Dayton, OH
This was one of three remaining Ohio racinos on our trip. There were no races and virtually nothing was going on as it was early in the morning. We moved on quickly. I lost another $5 playing with the keno machines while noting the payouts for a future project.
Miami Valley Gaming, Lebanon, OH
This racino was identical to the others. Its racetrack also was not open. We did not spend much time there as it is all keno and slots.
Hard Rock Casino, Cincinnati, OH
Hard Rock was the last of the four casinos in Ohio for us to hit. It is still in transition from JACK, the previous owner. We had lunch at Mr. Lucky’s. My burger was great. Kristina was not a fan of the chicken fingers. They are breaded with cayenne pepper. She was not expecting that.
I played some quarter 9/6/5 Double Bonus on Ultimate X. I won $10 and moved on to check out the table games.
Poker table games and 6:5 blackjack started at $5. Craps and crapless craps were $15. All 3:2 blackjack and pai gow were $25.
Results: +$10, trip: +$659
Belterra Downs, Cincinnati, OH
This was the last of our Ohio racino tour. It was race day so we bet $5 on three races. We lost all of the bets, but it was fun. Our first horse bet won $0.75. That was on day three of our trip. We lost every other horse bet that we made on the journey.
Results: -$15, trip: +$644
Our hotel was in Florence, Kentucky. That is where the Cincinnati airport is. We stayed here two nights. We had a good experience around that town. The hotel is in front of Turfway Downs. It is closed due to a renovation.
Our last day consisted of visiting three riverboat casinos in southern Indiana near Cincinnati. Our first stop was Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. We hoped to find somewhere to play pai gow poker to conclude our trip. None of these three casinos offer the game. Hollywood Casino said that they had it before the pandemic but it was taken off the floor at reopening time.
Hollywood Casino, Lawrenceburg, IN
Hollywood Casino was a great stop. This is the best casino in terms of value that I found along our entire trip. It is comparable to an above average Las Vegas locals casino. I lost $100 playing quarter triple double bonus. Hollywood Casino has full pay 9/7 from quarter up to $5 denominations. Kristina played Illinois Deuces.
I decided that I wanted to play some blackjack. I tried to sit at a stand on all 17 table with a $25 minimum bet. The first hand had just been dealt. Mid-shoe entry is not permitted. One player busted and it slowed the game down even more. Kristina got sick of playing video poker and got me before I was ever able to play. We bet $19 on double zero roulette, lost it, and left. We saved the last chip for a chip collector friend of ours.
The typical selection of poker table games and roulette were $10. Craps and crapless craps were $10 and offered double odds. It took $15 to get baccarat and 3:2 blackjack. High limit offered a double deck game with stand on all 17’s and double down only on 10 and 11.
Results: $-119, trip: +$525
Rising Star, Rising Sun, IN
Rising Star is a riverboat next to a golf course. It has a ferry that will take players to and from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.
We enjoyed looking around the casino. It is on an old boat with a deck that guests may enter for a view. I could not find anything to play. All the seats at the open table games were filled with players. The video poker was far below average.
We found $10 table games including six-deck blackjack, craps, crapless craps and Mississippi Stud. Double deck blackjack was $25, as was stand on all 17 six-deck games. The double deck game only permits double down before and after splitting.
We left without playing, hoping we would find pai gow poker at the Boyd Gaming property that was our last stop.
Belterra Resort, Florence, IN
Belterra Resort was our 58th and final casino stop in this 16-day trip. It is a Boyd Gaming riverboat connected to a resort. It offered good value.
It took me a while, but I found 9/6 Jacks or Better. It was in the smoking room. I lost $20 on it and went to check out the table games.
Poker table games started at $5. It took $10 to get 3:2 blackjack, double zero roulette or 10 times odds at craps and crapless craps. There is a $25 double deck game with double down on 10 and 11, as well as stand on all 17 shoes, in the high limit room. The shoe games allow surrender.
Results: -$20, trip: +$505
It was nice to win $505 for the trip. However, we spent more than 10 times that on the trip. We drove the rental car nearly 3,000 miles. It was worth the time and money. It was all worth it.
