You may have noticed that I’ve been tackling off-Strip casino upgrades for the past few weeks. There are a few reasons I shared the Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming property renovations, and plans for more in the near future.
While some of you reading this are new to Las Vegas, there are plenty who have visited more times than you can remember. While newer visitors tend to stay and play on the Strip, those who visit often might want new experiences.
When I first started visiting Las Vegas, local casinos were old, smoky, and felt run down. While many are still smoky, the massive upgrades and new casinos over the past few years make these viable options for travelers of all budgets.
Infrequent visitors might have equity in the large nationwide casino chains, so it may not make sense to spend time and money elsewhere to maximize rewards. Frequent visitors might not have the same issue since there could be enough visits to warrant spending time and money elsewhere.
Would you rather stay at a Days Inn quality hotel on the Strip or something nicer away from the action?
Low prices have always been a calling card for off-Strip casinos. The upgrades have made it easy to also find luxury amenities and experiences.
This has also been an introduction to the rewards programs at the two off-Strip casino chains.
Station Casinos Boarding Pass
Station Casinos’ rewards program is called Boarding Pass. It’s a five-tier program that really only offers significant benefits to the top two tiers, President and Chairman.
If tier benefits are important, they shouldn’t be too difficult to come by. Boarding Pass rewards non-gaming spend at a much higher rate than I’ve seen anywhere.
- 50 credits per dollar spent on hotel rooms
- 30 credits per dollar spent on bowling and bars
- 20 credits per dollar spent at steakhouses
- 10 credits per dollar spent at Station restaurants and other amenities
That doesn’t mean it’s not valuable to lower-tier players. In fact, I find it to be one of the most rewarding programs for mid to low-rollers because earning reward points to use on meals and such is pretty easy.
One reason it’s somewhat easy for me is that the casinos offer solid 8/5 Bonus Poker and 9/6 Jacks or Better games. The lower house advantage for the casino means I can play longer and earn more points.
The reward points that matter to me are:
- Video Poker gives players one point for every $2 of coin in.
- Sports bets, slots, and keno earn one point for every $1 coin in or bet.
There are frequent multipliers to help push the point totals up. There are also plenty of offers to tack onto the regular gambling days.
The program does a solid job catering to players with all budgets. The upgrades give a good excuse to explore Station Casinos properties to see if they’re right for you.
Boyd Rewards
Boyd Gaming has three full-service casinos in downtown Las Vegas, six more around town, and more than a dozen more around the country.
While Station Casinos offer credits for all spending, Boyd Rewards is old-school, only offering points and tier credits from gambling when inside casinos. (The company also has points for online gaming)
Earning tier credits is a mystery. Players earn these “Based on game played, denomination, and time played.”
Players can earn reward points on a $1 coin-in per point basis from slots and keno. Video poker is $2 of coin-in per point.
I have no actionable info to share because I have no experience with Boyd’s current rewards program. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I rarely gamble at Boyd properties. When I do, I don’t bother using a card because it’s usually just a few bucks before or after a meal.
Even though I’m not a fan of the rewards program, the changes at Suncoast are so nice that I’ve visited a couple of times to meet friends for meals and drinks.
If the Orleans gets the same casino floor renovation as Suncoast, that could legitimately be a near-Strip destination in a couple of years.
The Suncoast has new rooms and is great for golfers with numerous courses in the area. Gold Coast also has new rooms and is great if you like Chinese food and don’t mind being five minutes away from Bellagio and Caesars Palace. It’s also smoky AF, so consider yourself warned.
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You’ll get insider updates, deals , commentary and “what’s up”
2x a month with no spam ever.
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Also: Watch, Like, and Sub on YouTube
Check it out: The Yo-11 Minutes Playlist on YouTube
Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.