This post starts on Tuesday. We cut the previous day short because we were too tired to continue. We were about four hours away from our next stop and took an 18-hour break.
We hit the road around 6am. I had driven the entire trip up to this point while Kristina navigated us along her route. It was time for us to trade places and for Kristina to drive. She drove the entire next day to Columbus, OH.
Mardi Gras, Cross Lanes, WV
Mardi Gras Casino is at an old greyhound track just outside Charleston, WV. Dogs still race here, but not on the day we visited.
We talked for a few minutes with a very friendly security guard that checked our IDs. She was surprised to see people from Las Vegas there. She was a great representative of the people we encountered inside. This was typical of our West Virginia casino visits.
I looked for video poker to play. It seemed like the only machines available at Mardi Gras Casino are video lottery ones with poor pay tables. It took 10 coins for an 800/1 royal flush. The max bet button took it to 20 coins. I lost $10 trying to figure this out and getting dealt nothing. I lost another dollar playing slots.
I took my ticket to the combined casino cage and sports betting window. There were two friendly cashiers. I then headed to the tables to see what was available there.
The typical house poker games were available, except for anything like Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The minimum bets for these games and double zero roulette were $5. Craps and 3:2 blackjack were $10.
This completed all the West Virginia casinos we could visit. Greenbrier is the casinos in the state that we did not visit. It is not open to the public. We hope to stay there in the future.
Results: -$11, trip: +$674
Scioto Downs, Columbus, OH
Scioto Downs is a racino with slots and keno. I decided to check out the keno pay tables to see what those paid out. While seated, a patron wished me luck, telling me that he lost $800 the night before on the machine. I took a modest $5 loss and headed on. A casino with only slots and keno does not appeal to me. I do not find those games fun.
We checked out the track while we were there. There were no races. Those were later in the day.
Results: -$5, trip: +$669
Hollywood Casino, Columbus, OH
Our last stop of the day was Hollywood Casino Columbus. It is a nice property inside and out. I found a five-way quarter progressive on 9/6/5 Double Bonus. I donated $20 to future winners.
Poker table games were mostly $10 with some $15 tables. Blackjack with 3:2 payouts starts at $15. There is a high limit salon with a double deck game with double down on 9-11 and a six-deck with standard double down rules for $50. These games stand on all 17’s.
We decided to cut trip short
This was Tuesday night. Our plane leaves Cincinnati early Friday morning. It is clear that our day off was going to make covering all of Indiana difficult. We were tired and overwhelmed by how much we learned. We decided to drive to Cincinnati for our last two nights.
I drove the remainder of the trip. Kristina navigated us on our new route now that we decided that we were not going to be able to finish Indiana.
Results: -$20, trip: +$649
