On August 16, 2024, US Casino Advantage visited Black Hawk, Colorado. We flew from Las Vegas to Denver. The flight was fine. However, the Budget Car Rental was terrible. The line was over an hour long. We finally got to Black Hawk about 4pm, four hours after landing. We stayed at Ameristar.
Related: Cripple Creek Trip Report, Central City Trip Report
Saratoga
We met the inventors of 3 Shot Poker at Saratoga. We had dinner and played their table game. Saratoga deals 3 Shot Poker. It has a $5 minimum bet. It also has $5 3/2 blackjack and double zero roulette. Craps starts at $10. The Betfred sportsbook was steps away from the Saratoga pit. It permanently closed a few days before our arrival.
Saratoga’s bar has 30/8/5 Bonus Poker with a straight flush and royal flush progressive. The straight flush was around $160 to $170. The royal flush meter was over $1100. Unfortunately, I hit many quads that would have paid more on regular Bonus Poker. I never caught either progressive. The loss was small, about comparable to what happened at 3 Shot Poker.
Gilpin
Little changed since our last Gilpin visit. Some video poker machines moved around. The best games remain in the back corner of the casino, which is the only place we found video poker besides the bars. Gilpin has no live table games or ETGs.
Ameristar
We wanted to play at Ameristar. That is where we stayed. It was packed at all moments we tried to play. We gave some action. The cocktail service was overwhelmed due to the crowd, which is why we kept returning to the Saratoga bar.
Poker pit games are $10 and $15 at Ameristar. Craps, double zero roulette, 6/5 Free Bet Blackjack, and 3/2 six-deck games start at $10. The baccarat room has $25, $50, and $100 minimum bets. A new high-limit blackjack game deals two decks, pays 3/2, and allows aces to be re-split into four hands.
The only remaining stadium in Black Hawk is at Ameristar. Games have a $5 minimum. Options include 3:2 blackjack, craps that pays triple on a field 12, and 00 roulette. Blackjack offers Lucky Lucky and 21+3 side bets. Heads-up craps is also $5 but only pays double on a field 12. There are also two multiplayer roulette options. One has an optional Mystery Golden Ball side bet and a $3 minimum. The other has a $5 minimum.
Lodge
Lodge has a good quick-serve restaurant called Jake’s. We ate there a couple of times. The video poker is about the same as our last visit in 2021. The best game is 9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker at the upstairs bar. In that same area, the Superbook counter is closed. It left the Colorado sportsbook market earlier in 2024.
Two pits are available at The Lodge. Bonus Six Poker is the only $5 game. Other poker pit games, including the rare Texas Hold’em Bonus, are $10 except pai gow poker is $25. Dice games start at $10 and have 100 times odds. Roulette was $15, while baccarat was $25. Double-deck blackjack also had a $25 minimum. It does not allow double down after splitting. The six-deck game is $15. It has standard Black Hawk blackjack rules. All blackjack pays 3/2.
There are three electronic table game options at the Lodge. Heads-up blackjack has a $3 minimum. However, blackjack only pays 6/5. Heads-up craps and multiplayer roulette are $5.
Bally’s
Bally’s operates three casinos. A pedestrian bridge connects two. Table games are available at Bally’s North and Bally’s West. Bally’s West has a poker room with regular tournaments. Bally’s East is all slots. All restaurants are at Bally’s North.
The table games are about the same between properties. Craps offers 100 times odds. Bonus Six Stud was $5. The $10 and $15 table games include blackjack, roulette, and craps.
At Bally’s North, electronic table game options include heads-up craps and blackjack, and multiplayer roulette. Craps has a $1 minimum while blackjack and roulette are $3. Blackjack pays 3/2.
Lady Luck
Lady Luck, operated by Caesars Entertainment, was very slow this Saturday afternoon. Its operations are much smaller than our previous visits. Table games are gone. There are just two electronic table game options; both have a $5 minimum. Games include heads-up 6/5 blackjack and multiplayer roulette.
The upstairs casino floor, which was a video poker room and later O’Sheas, was closed. It was advertised as a bingo room, but no games were scheduled. Lady Luck has one restaurant that was downsized to a counter.
Horseshoe
Like Lady Luck, Horseshoe is operated by Caesars Entertainment. A pedestrian bridge connects the two properties. Horseshoe has a large variety of table games and a WSOP poker room. It also has three restaurants. All dining options are accessible to minors.
The best Black Hawk video poker is available at Horseshoe. The machines are near the baccarat tables. Bonus Poker Deluxe and Jacks or Better with 9/6 paytables are offered in $1 and $5 denominations. Full Caesars Rewards points are paid.
Horseshoe also has the best Colorado blackjack. It is a $100 3/2 double-deck table that stands on soft 17. The pit blackjack requires $25 to get paid 3/2. All lower-limit tables pay 6/5. Poker pit games were $10. Craps, crapless craps, and roulette were $15. Horseshoe offers 100 times odds at its dice tables. It was the first casino in Black Hawk to do that. Several of its competitors followed.
There are two multiplayer roulette options; both with a $5 minimum. One offers an optional Mystery Golden Ball side bet. Also for $5, players can find heads-up 6/5 blackjack. Heads-up craps has a $3 minimum.
Monarch
Monarch has become the jewel of Black Hawk. A renovation of over $400 million was completed in recent years. It now has several table game pits, a new high-limit slots room, a table game salon, a sportsbook, and a poker room.
The video poker is unplayable under the $10 denomination. At that level, the high-limit slots room next to the sportsbook has 9/6 Double Double Bonus and 15/9 Deuces Wild.
Poker pit games like Deuces Wild Extreme and Interblock hybrid stadium craps were $10. Live craps with 20 times odds was $15, as were most blackjack tables. Pai gow and roulette were $25. Baccarat started at $50. There is a high-limit table game salon on the second floor. The minimum bet starts at $100. However, there are no differences between the games there and on the casino floor.
Monarch also has a large selection of electronic table games. Minimums range from $1 to $5. Two banks of craps have a $1 minimum while crapless craps is $3. A Lucky Roller side bet is offered on crapless craps games. Other $3 games include heads-up 3/2 blackjack and multiplayer baccarat. Three multiplayer roulette machines have a $5 minimum. One offers a Mystery Golden Ball side bet.
We visited smaller casinos in the older part of Black Hawk next. That includes the only casino that permits smoking.
Wild Card Saloon
Wild Card Saloon is the only Colorado casino that permits smoking. It is a tobacco shop with slots, which helped it get an exemption from the statewide smoking ban. It is mostly slots with a few video poker machines at the bar and on the second floor.
Bull Durham
Bull Durham is another small Black Hawk casino. It has slots and video poker.
Z Casino
Z Casino is owned by Maverick Gaming, which operates two Central City casinos: Grand Z and Dragon Tiger. It had live table games during our first visit in 2020. Today, Z Casino only has slots, video poker, and electronic table games.
Found on the lower level, the electronic table game selection includes low-limit heads-up and multiplayer options. Three roulette options range from $0.25 to $1 minimum. One multiplayer machine offers a Mystery Golden Ball side bet. All other games have a $1 minimum. Heads-up games include 6/5 blackjack, big six, and craps. Baccarat, 6/5 blackjack, and craps are available multiplayer machines.
Sasquatch
Sasquatch closed its arcade and part of the casino floor. It is down to some slot machines and a few bartop machines.
