Club Fortune North has opened in North Las Vegas and you won’t recognize the joint. The former Poker Palace has been completely transformed from its dingy rundown self to a sparkling modern casino. About the only holdovers from Poker Palace are the huge (free) parking lot and a security presence in that lot. Honestly, the place felt good and we’re looking forward to going back, if only for the 99¢ ice cream.

 It’s not what you’d call a “resort,” mind you, but rather a cool locals-type place that outshines the Wildfires and the recently opened Cadence Crossing that were created in the same mode. The new owners, Truckee Gaming from Reno, thought this out and streamlined the product. Machines only. A sports book. A big bar. A single dining option called Baskets. Compact and efficient. There are two notable introductory promos. The first is no ATM fees (“for a limited time”). The second is a juicy players club sign-up bonus that you’ll read about in gambling.

To get there, follow the Strip north, through Naked City, past downtown, and into North Las Vegas. You’ll pass Jerry’s Nugget and it’s about another two miles up on the left.

One more thing. Although the official name seems to be Club Fortune North, that doesn’t appear anywhere. Even on the building, it says Club Fortune Casino. The problem with that is there’s a Club Fortune in Henderson, so this one has to be Club Fortune North, or “CFN” as you’ll see as you read about it throughout this issue.

Last month featured what might have been a Las Vegas first, a double opening on the same day. Well, kinda sorta. Club Fortune North actually opened on July 19, but that was termed a soft opening, with the official opening promoted as July 22. Meanwhile, Primm Valley reopened without notice on July 22, the same day as CFN. While neither casino is located in Las Vegas proper and a stickler would say CFN opened three days earlier, the dual openings in such close proximity of each other represents a rare, if not unique, occurrence for the Las Vegas area and we felt it was worth noting.

Here’s something we’ve been working on mostly under the radar. It’s a new book titled Mathematical Theory of the Game of Baccarat, written by Émile Dormoy. If that rings a bell—though I sincerely doubt it will—it’s because the book has been around since 1873. Originally published in French and officially titled Théorie mathématique du jeu de baccarat, it’s the first book written about the mathematics of baccarat.

Our book is an English translation, accomplished via a joint effort between Don Schlesinger, author of our book Blackjack Attack, who did the translating and Stewart Ethier, considered by many to be the world’s preeminent gambling-math expert. Despite what I assume was Dormoy’s best efforts, there were some mistakes in the original that were flagged and corrected by Stewart (with the corrections highlighted in red). As such, this is now likely the most accurate book anywhere on the history and numbers associated with the game in all its forms (and that’s why we wanted to publish it). Except for those corrections and the Introduction, everything else, including the cover, is true to the original.

To be candid, this book should have a narrow audience made up of academics, historians, gambling-number nerds, and collectors. But if you’re (proudly) one of them, this is something special that you’ll want to have on your shelf. The book is at the printer and available with our pre-pub discount on the wrap.

Club Fortune North—After missing a projected June debut, Club Fortune North opened on July 19 in the same (renovated) space that was formerly the Poker Palace. It brings the North Las Vegas casino count back to four, with CFN joining Jerry’s Nugget, Bighorn, and Ojos Locos. 

Hard Rock—The Hard Rock is adding a 2,000-seat entertainment venue to complement its two existing theaters. The main Mirage Theater will be transformed into a new venue, the details of which have yet to be made public. The former Love Theater will be expanded into the 5,000-seat Hard Rock Live Arena for major concerts and productions. The new 2,000-seater, so far called “the west theater,” will be five stories tall and the centerpiece of a retail promenade and a karaoke bar on the second floor. 

Green Valley Ranch—As part of an ongoing $200 million renovation, Green Valley Ranch has completely overhauled its convention facilities, with multiple indoor and outdoor spaces spanning 69,000 square feet. The complete renovation also includes room upgrades, new suites, an overhaul of the movie theater, and new restaurants coming in 2027.

Luxor—According to the Vital Vegas blog, the Luxor sky beam, which has been bright white for its 33-year run, is getting a splash of color. Red, apparently, will debut, then other colors will also be tested. Read the whole story here.

Caesars Arena—Caesars Entertainment, in a partnership with VICI Properties, is apparently joining the burgeoning fray to own the arena for the putative Las Vegas NBA team. VICI says the two companies are working “to develop a plan” to build the arena. VICI owns the 50 acres in play, a mostly vacant/surface-parking lot behind Horseshoe, Paris, and Planet Hollywood.

Primm—After being closed for 17 days, Primm Valley Resort & Casino reopened on July 22 under the ownership of Terribles. Along with the 422-machine casino and William Hill sports book, the 250-room hotel is also open, and the Bonnie & Clyde “death car,” a longtime attraction at Whiskey Pete’s, has reportedly been relocated there. Terrible’s says work has begun on new dining options, including a coffee bar, a 24-hour café, and a steakhouse. There are apparently no current plans to bring back Buffalo Bills, Whiskey Pete’s, the Star of the Desert arena, or the Desperado roller coaster.

Lake Tahoe—Originally announced in April of last year, the venerable Harvey’s in Stateline at Lake Tahoe has officially been rebranded as Caesars Republic after a $200 million remodel. It’s the end of one of the longest eras in Nevada casino history; Harvey’s opened in 1944, only three years after El Cortez.

Alaska—Two Coppers Casino has opened in Juneau. Similar to other “casinos” in the state, it’s a small operation that offers only Class II electronic games that are based on bingo. Also similar to other Alaskan casinos, challenges to its legal status have been lodged.

Canada—Alberta has launched igaming and online sports betting, making it the second Canadian province to offer the options, after Ontario. Upwards of 30 operators have been licensed, including FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, BallyBet, PointsBet, theScore Bet, BET99, Betway, and several Canadian/local players like River Cree iGaming and Play Alberta. It’s estimated Alberta’s icasino and sports betting market could generate nearly $3 billion in revenue over its first two fiscal years.

Statistics—Nevada’s statewide gambling win was up 7.4% in May compared to the same month last year, taking in $1.4 billion. The Strip win was up 13.2% while downtown declined 4.2%. The Laughlin win was down 5.2%. Despite the high gambling win, the sports book win was down 17.2% on a 5.4% decline in handle, a possible indication of the impact of the prediction markets.

Las Vegas visitation was up 2.0%, with 3.5 million coming to town. Hotel occupancy was up from April at 84.7%, with 91.9% weekends and 80.7% weekdays.

Airline traffic was down again at -8.4%, with 3.9 million travelers. Summer temperatures are impacting Reid International. On a single day in July, 450 flights were delayed due to extreme heat. Weight restrictions were put into effect, as the airplanes struggled for lift in the hot thin air. One flight reportedly had to reduce its passenger count by 50% and volunteers received $2,500 vouchers to give up their seats in yet another example of advantage play in action.

The big news is the Alberta launch (see pg. 3). In the U.S., the District of Columbia is in play for legalization of online sports betting; retail wagering is already legal. And in one of the first instances of pushback, a bill has been introduced to repeal online sports betting in Ohio. The bill doesn’t seek to abolish retail sports betting, but includes several new restrictions and wagering limits.

Follow the progress of sports betting legalization across the country and track developments as they occur via our map at LasVegasAdvisor.com.

The only significant buffet change this month is at Main Street Station, where the price of the Weekend Brunch has been increased by $6 to $33.99. The Gospel Brunch at House of Blues runs August 23. 

We update our casino buffet listing with a call-around every month and input the changes. Check the listing for current prices and see all of this month’s changes here.

Following is the list of the 10 operating buffets in order of overall pricing, from lowest to highest: South Point, Circus Circus, Main Street Station, Resort at Summerlin, Excalibur, Cosmopolitan, Palms, Bellagio, Wynn, Caesars Palace.

There’s only one dining outlet at Club Fortune North and it’s not fancy, but it’s 2 for 2 with us on their specialties—a giant stuffed baked potato and 99¢ ice cream.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/baskets-club-fortune-north/

A roundup of all the available and worthwhile loss-leader food specials in the new Bargain City — 115 degrees notwithstanding.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/laughlin-meal-deals-revisited/

Twice as big as the typical outlet, the new In-N-Out on the south Strip is a bit obscure and out of the way, but build it and they will come.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/south-strip-in-n-out-big-fast-crowded/

In this month’s Neon Feast contribution, Al Mancini turns you on to two new pizza options that have enhanced Vegas’ burgeoning reputation as one of the best pizza cities in the country. And when we say new, we mean it—before reading this, we hadn’t heard of either one.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/two-new-local-pizzerias-push-boundaries-evolve-the-craft/

This month Quick Reviews checks out two Chinatown stalwarts, one helmed by a James Beard Award nominee and the other our go-to for the best pig ears in town.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/quick-reviews/

Price Increase—The price of the ceviche at Peru Chicken has gone up $2.50 to $18.95. It was $10 when we first wrote about it in 2014 and the portion was bigger. Regardless, this still ranks among the best ceviches in town. 

Shrimp Tariff—Westgate is advertising a $2.99 shrimp cocktail in Sid’s Café. It looks good and sounds like a deal, but Westgate charges $11 for parking with almost no grace; hence, this is a $13.99 shrimp cocktail that we’re not rushing over to try.

Silverton Special—On Fridays and Saturdays in August, “Cowgirl Dinner” in Silverton’s Twin Creeks Steakhouse is $25 for a martini, Caesar salad in a bread bowl, truffle fries, and a pasta dish.

Eureka Specials—The specials in Fat Choy at the Eureka are still going strong. The current lineup includes a French dip sandwich and fries on Monday ($15), three tacos with salsa on Tuesdays ($9), a half-pound burger and fries on Wednesdays ($12), a half-rack of pork ribs and fries on Thursdays ($15), and a 12-inch pepperoni pizza on Fridays ($12). Better yet, they all come with $10 in free-play, so subtract around $9.50 in expected value from these prices and you’ve got a heck of a dining/gambling tandem. 

Double Zero for Lunch—Double Zero Pie & Pub, previously open for dinner only, now opens daily at 11 am. See a review here.

Hawaiian Hall—A food hall called Stix Asia has been announced for the UnCommons complex. Originally from Honolulu’s Waikiki Shopping Plaza, it will feature Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Portuguese fare and is expected to open this fall.

Prime Pick—According to a list of the best prime rib in every state compiled by thetakeout.com, Las Vegas’ best is served up by Primarily Prime Rib at South Point. It’s a reasonable choice, but thetakeout obviously didn’t get around to trying Ellis Island, or for that matter, the Village Pubs, Lawry’s, Emerald Island, or the Jackson’s bar special, to name a few that we’d have chosen above.

Meril has opened at M Resort. It’s the third Las Vegas restaurant for Emeril Lagasse, joining Delmonico’s Steakhouse at the Venetian and Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand.

A food hall called Quick Bites has opened at Suncoast, featuring Steak ’n Shake, Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders, and a Starbucks (is that a hall?).

Las Vegas’ third Irv’s Burgers has opened in the food court (they still call it a court) at Green Valley Ranch; the previous two are at Durango Casino and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

After going through several iterations, Durango Social Club (3655 S. Durango Dr.) has entered into a permanent collaboration with Crystina Nguyen, formerly of District One; the restaurant will serve Vietnamese fare.

A sixth Méraki Greek Grill has opened in downtown’s Arts District (1551 S. Commerce St.); the others are located around Las Vegas in Summerlin, Blue Diamond, Centennial Hills, Henderson, and the original on S. Rainbow.

The 710 Coffee Bar has opened in North Las Vegas. Named for its address, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd., it’s run by the students of the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas.

Grotto Ristorante has closed at Golden Nugget.

Earl of Sandwich has closed in the food court at the Palms.

Pepper Lunch has closed in Chinatown and reopened at BLVD on the Strip.

Experience one of the world’s most treasured artistic masterpieces up close at life-size scale — no trip to the Vatican required.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/michelangelos-sistine-chapel/

We cover Las Vegas happenings daily in “Vegas News” on the LasVegasAdvisor.com home page. Following are links to entertainment-related stories that ran in July.

Burning Man on the Horizon

‘The Ultimatum’ Streaming from Vegas

‘Lucky’ Now Streaming

Enhyphen Plays T-Mobile

Hearthstone at Red Rock has a happy hour Mon.-Thurs. from 4 to 6 pm, with $8 beer, wine, and cocktails; $9 appetizers; and $12 pizzas. Martinis are $7 starting at 4 pm on Mondays and oysters are $1 from 6 to 9 pm on Wednesdays (see “Reader Leader,” pg. 7).

Basilico Ristorante Italiano in the Evora Vegas complex (6111 S. Buffalo) has a happy hour daily from 4 to 6 pm, with $5 beer, $7 wine, $10 cocktails, and $10 food specials, including pasta dishes. On Wednesdays you can roll that into $1 oysters from 6 to 9 pm.

Morton’s on E. Flamingo runs “Power Hour” Sun.-Fri. from 4 to 6:30 pm, with $5.50 beer, $9 wine, $10 cocktails, and appetizers from $8 to $20, including its famous petite filet mignon sandwich for $12.

The two Aces & Ales bars (2801 N. Tenaya, 3740 S. Nellis) run “Hoppy Hour” Tues.-Fri. from 4 to 6 pm and midnight to 2 am, and all-day Monday, with $2-off beer, $10 specialty drinks, $2-off appetizers, and 50%-off pizzas.

In its monthly contribution for LVA, Happy Hour Vegas zeros in on HHs at a center Strip restaurant with a view, a lakeside locals foodie favorite, and a Japanese standard with discounted sushi rolls in the mix.

Kick Off Bar at Club Fortune North gives the D’s Long Bar and Circa’s Mega Bar a run for their money. It bends around the back of the casino where we counted 38 positions. The bar looks onto several big screens showing sports, with the Boomer’s sports book nearby.

Joining the “secret speakeasy” craze, Buddy V’s Ristorante at the Venetian has opened Dolce Notte, a separate room located behind a door next to a family portrait in the main restaurant.

There will be comped-drinks opportunities for football-contest entrants during Circa’s Contest Weekend Aug. 27-29; see GAMBLING for details.

STG Bar & Grill has opened at Sam’s Town.

A sixth Seventy Six Tavern has opened in North Las Vegas at 976 W. Dorrell Lane. 

The Las Vegas franchise of The Sports Bra, a bar that debuted in Portland, Oregon and is dedicated to women’s sports, is planning to open on Paradise Rd. near Silver Sevens next year. Along with Las Vegas, Sports Bra bars are being built in Boston, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Portland, Maine. Read an interview with the concept’s creator here.

Skyfall Panoramic Bar at W Las Vegas has closed for “reimagining”; it will reopen in October, we imagine.

Rounders bar on S. Buffalo has closed.

The long-tenured Charlie’s Down Under on N. Buffalo has closed after a 30-year run. It will become a Jackpot Joanie’s.

The doubly tenured Four Mile Bar on Boulder Highway has closed after a 60-year run. No word on a successor.

Manilow Returns—Barry Manilow has returned to the Westgate. After recovering from a long illness, the 83-year-old Manilow will play another 37 shows through the end of the year in the International Theater, where he has a “lifetime residency.” He also holds the record for the most performances there, breaking Elvis’ string of 636 a few years ago. 

Diana at Encore—Diana Ross will play three shows at Encore Theater October 2-4. Ross, now 82, performed six shows at Encore in 2022 and three last February. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $115.

T&T Replaces M&M—The long-running Marriage Can Be Murder has closed at the Rio. The interactive murder-mystery-comedy dinner show lasted for 27 years at nearly 10 different venues and claims that it will reopen again. It will be replaced by the equally interactive Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding starting August 13. We have a Member Rewards Online discount for T&T.

More Bolero—The “one-night only” performance of Bolero—The Show in the Plaza showroom has been extended to several nights, with performances now scheduled for August 1, 15, and 29, September 12 and 19, and October 3. Another “one-night” event, The Tony Bennett Experience, plays August 8.

EJ Hologram—AV magazine reports that Elton John has signed a deal for a Las Vegas residency at the Hard Rock performing as a hologram. The 79-year-old Sir Elton retired from touring in 2023, but that doesn’t extend to his computer image. Elton, along with duet partners Dua Lipa singing “Cold Heart” and Kiki Dee singing “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” will record in the UK over the next few months, with an eye toward opening with the Hard Rock in 2027 (or whenever it debuts). 

Top Gun Attraction—Paramount and Advent Allen Entertainment are developing Top Gun Vegas, an attraction based on the blockbuster movies starring Tom Cruise. A 2.5-acre site near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign has been purchased for $12.5 million to create an immersive experience that will include the Hard Deck bar featured in Top Gun: Maverick, along with other elements from the Top Gun movies. Whether or not it happens remains to be seen, as this attraction was previously slated for a location next to The STRAT that never materialized. However, given that the project site has been purchased, the effort appears to be on better footing this time. A projected completion date was not announced.

Tyson Attraction—The first-ever official multi-sensory Mike Tyson experience, dubbed “Iron Mike Legacy,” will open at the Flamingo sometime this fall. Its 12,000 square feet will encompass “seven immersive rooms featuring VR, AR, holograms, projection mapping, and spatial audio,” as visitors relive the defining moments of Tyson’s boxing career. Tickets are listed at $59 (afternoon), $79 (evening), $99 (anytime), and $129 (VIP).

Mobbed Up—In a list of the 12 best museums in the U.S. chosen by WorldAtlas.com from “hundreds, maybe thousands, spanning nearly every major city,” Las Vegas’ Mob Museum squeaked in as last on the list. It’s no small feat given the competition that included the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.), and the Getty Center (Los Angeles).

Gorman Ranked—Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman is again in the running to be the top high school football team in the nation. Pre-season MaxPreps rankings have them #2 behind California’s St. John Bosco. The two will play in Las Vegas on August 21.

I went to Hearthstone for the Wednesday $1 oysters. I had a reservation. There was a line outside at 4 pm and the place was packed by 4:15. I can see why: The happy hour, combined with the 50%-off for 50 and older, is a great deal. And yes, you can stack half-point dining and happy hour, so a $12 Stella becomes $4 and the oysters are 50¢. I wouldn’t go without a reservation. I made mine that morning and they require a credit card to enforce a $10-per-person no-show fee if you cancel less than 24 hours prior.

LVA: Combining the 50+ half-price discount with the daily happy hour on $1-oyster day is a slick move. Along these lines, the HH and $7 martinis on Mondays would also be a good Hearthstone parlay.

It’s slot machines galore on the floor at Club Fortune North—lots of the newest models, with video poker and some electronic table games mixed in, and a Boomer’s sports book. The video poker mix is disappointing, with nothing above 98.5%; see “VPL&F” for a rundown on the schedules. No table games, poker, or live keno. Real Time Rewards is the club card and you’ll want to get one for the sign-up bonus.

New members get an excellent sign-up bonus: a rebate on losses up to $100. Sign up, play the machines, and if you lose, get the amount of your loss, up to $100, back in free-play. You can play a long time at low denoms (quarters) before losing the $100 and you should do that if entertainment longevity is your goal. But the best strategy is to play higher denoms (dollars), hoping to pop a big payout and never collect the bonus. If you do claim the free-play, you’re required to run it through once before cashing out. At this point, switching back to quarters will lower your overall risk. The reality is, most times you’ll lose a little, because you’ll collect the bonus and lose on the rebate play-through, but it’s an opportunity for a big score and a positive play worth traveling to CFN to make.

Regarding eligibility, if you’ve never had cards from Poker Palace or Club Fortune in Henderson, you’re in. If you have had one of those, we’ve heard it might disqualify you depending on who’s working the booth, but we were told it doesn’t matter and got the bonus with no problem despite having had both others previously.

We’ve touched on this before, the fact that many players believe newly opened casinos are “lucky” (for players), perhaps because machines are set to be looser. The notion was perpetuated when Megabucks was hit on opening night at the Mirage in 1989. It’s not a valid theory, but we’re getting to the point where we can see how it might be believed. On our first video poker hand on our first visit to Cadence Crossing, we hit four 7s. Then, on our first hand on our first visit to CFN, we hit quad kings. Video poker machines work on random number generators that can’t be legally altered, so a looser return can be accomplished only by installing better paytables, and both plays were on quarter 6/5 Bonus Poker machines at the bars. Believe what you will, but the explanation for this result is simply favorable random variance. (And we’re stickin’ to it.)

Normally, this space in this issue would reveal the new poker world champion and detail how the final table played out. But this year, final-table play was “paused” for three weeks until August 3-5. What we do know is who will be playing. 

Twenty-two-year-old Luke Jumalon is the chip leader with 194 million and Rami Hammoud is second with 79 million. There are four U.S. players, two from Canada, and one each from France, Finland, and Cypress. Ages range from 22 to 55 with 37.67 the average. Following is the list of players with their chip counts and the odds on each from one betting outlet.

Lucas Jumalon USA 194 million +150

Rami Hammoud Canada 79 million +450

Jaimie Shaevel USA 56 million +650

Greg Mueller Canada 48.5 million +750

Michael Gagliano USA 46.5 million +650

Mario Boos France 44 million +850

Lauri Saaskilahti Finland 37.5 million +1400

Han Feng USA 25 million +1750

Evagoras Evagorou Cypress 22.5 million +2200

While none of these players are household names, there’s definitely some firepower at the final table this year, starting with Michael Gagliano who’s won three gold bracelets. That’s reflected in the betting prices, where he’s tied for third favorite, despite being fifth in chip count. Greg Mueller has also won three bracelets and most of the other players are categorized as “pros.” The winner gets $10 million and all nine are guaranteed at least $1 million in prize money.

The Main Event drew 9,208 players, a 5.4% drop-off from last year and the second consecutive yearly decline. However, it still ranks as the fourth largest Main Event field of all time, reinforcing the fact that poker continues to be a powerful draw. It also suggests that fears that the change in the tax laws for gamblers would depress participation were at least somewhat exaggerated. The prize pool is more than $85 million, with $10 million going to first place. All nine final-table players will get $1 million or more and the top 1,382 finishers were in the money for at least a $15,000 prize. The money bubble had a touch of irony, with Chris Moneymaker, the player credited for igniting the poker boom, being one of three players eliminated one spot out of the money in a tie for 1,383^rd place. The last woman standing was Congya Zhang, who finished 61^st. The highest finish by a previous champ was Hossein Ensan, the 2019 winner, who almost made the final table, out in 13^th. Final-table play will be broadcast live in its entirety across the ESPN channels.

Outside of the Main Event, Daniel Negreaunu won his 8^th bracelet, putting him in a tie for 10^th all time in WSOP wins.

As expressed last month, the WSOP’s coverage of results has been dismal, fueling speculation that the numbers might not have been good. However, a round-up by Poker.org indicates otherwise. According to its count, the total number of entries was 251,899, setting a new record for a single year. The total prize money came to just under $470 million, of which 41 prizes were over $1 million. Players from 149 countries participated, with 111 countries represented in the Main Event, a new record. Seven tournaments attracted more than 10,000 entries. And the oldest player to enter this year’s WSOP was 95. You can see many more statistics about this year’s WSOP in the Poker.org story. The rake was $47.3 million, of which $14.2 million was paid out in salaries, leaving $33.1 million for the WSOP.

Jackpot—A player at the Venetian made a royal flush in spades playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em to win $2.2 million on the Millionaire Progressive side bet.

Sports Books—Boomer’s has opened sports books at Baldini’s in Sparks and the Longstreet Inn in Amargosa Valley. The openings bring the total of Boomer’s Sportsbooks to 16. Caesars has officially taken over operations at the Westgate sports book, which is now officially the Westgate SuperBook powered by Caesars Sportsbook. Fine. The sports book at Sam’s Town has completed a renovation.

Contest Weekend—Circa Contest Weekend takes place August 27-29 and is open to those who enter at least one Circa football contest ($1K minimum). The events include an open bar at Stadium Swim, entry to a party in the Legacy Club with one free drink, and a free blackjack tournament.

Proxy Parlay—If you don’t live in Nevada and want to play a football contest at Circa or Westgate, you’ll need to work with a resident or use a proxy service to put in your picks. For a proxy, we recommend FootballContest.com. In order to use any proxy, you have to come to Las Vegas to pay for your entry in person (then you don’t need to show up again throughout the season), which presents an opportunity to coordinate your proxy trip with the Circa Contest Weekend.

GN Poker Room—Downtown’s only poker room downtown has been relocated and condensed. The new room is in the Rush Tower. 

World Cup Betting—All the numbers aren’t in, but it’s a foregone conclusion that the 2026 World Cup was the biggest betting event in history, racking up numbers equal to multiple Super Bowls combined and easily surpassing the March Madness tournament, which was the previous biggest betting event. To provide a taste, it’s estimated that $3.5 to $4.5 billion was wagered legally in the U.S. on March Madness, while, with only about half the states with sports betting reporting, the World Cup handle is already nearly $7 billion.

Prediction Markets—It’s estimated that prediction markets accounted for 27% of all sports bets in the U.S. over the course of the World Cup. There are questions about how that number was derived, but if it’s anywhere close, it’s indicative of the substantial increase in the betting share captured by those markets. One report estimates that Kalshi generated twice the “trading” (betting) volume of its arch-rival Polymarket and Kalshi told CNBC that it acquired three million new users during the tournament.

Counting Controversy—Not blackjack, hot dogs. Big faves Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo won their respective championships in the Nathan’s hot dog-eating contest, but Sudo’s came with a scoring revision that flipped the betting result. The line on Sudo’s total dogs eaten was 38.5 and the unofficial count was reported as 34, an apparent easy under. However, when the official count was revised to 38.75, the over came in by one-quarter of a hot dog. Chestnut won with an unrevised total of 66 dogs.

Airplane Gambling—We wrote about the potential for in-flight gambling last year via a partnership between DraftKings and Delta Airlines, but nothing came of it, primarily due to prohibiting laws on the books. However, the emergence of prediction markets, as it has in almost every other related area, may provide a path. Delta has launched a sports prediction game called SkyPicks for passengers on domestic flights. The game presents a series of sports-prediction questions and the highest scores can win Delta gift cards. No money is required to play, but it may only be a matter of time before prediction-style real-money wagering is implemented. 

The best schedule at Club Fortune North is 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe (98.49%) for dollars. There’s also lots of 9/5 Jacks or Better (98.45%) and 8/6 JoB (98.39%), but all are for dollars. The best game for quarters is 6/5 Bonus Poker (96.87%).

The Four Queens has removed all progressives, except for 25-15-9-4-4-3 Deuces Wild at King’s Bar. The return is 98.91% at reset and it’s breakeven at $1,575 for 25¢, $3,150 for 50¢, and $6,300 for $1.

The online database vpFREE2.com reports that the Rio also has only one remaining progressive, a dollar 9/6 JoB game at Shutters Bar that’s breakeven at $4,900.

Also from vpFREE2, the best schedule at the reopened Primm Valley is 9/6 Double Double Bonus (98.98%) from $1 to $10. The best game for quarters is 9/6 Double Bonus (97.81%).

Earn 750 points ($6,000 coin-in) at Four Queens or Binion’s in August and get $75 in free-play. It’s worth about $65 at Four Queens and $43 at Binion’s with perfect play on the best schedules, with a lot of risk. You can do it at both casinos

Seventy-Six Tavern Union Village (1120 Vitality Dr., Henderson) has a lose-$20-get-$20 promo on Tuesdays, along with a play-$50-get-$50 sign-up bonus. Both are unique to the Union Village location.

After running an in-house W-2G promo last month, Ichabod’s (3300 E. Flamingo) is advertising a 10% bonus for bringing in a “signer” from anywhere within 24 hours of issuance. The ad says “for a limited time,” so call to make sure it’s running. Ichabod’s is also advertising a “$100 matchplay” from 11 pm to 7 am that you can do once per week. We haven’t tried this one; we’ll post details at the link below when we do.

The 100/50 promo at 777 Gaming and Spirits has been discontinued.

Check out Bob Dancer’s Tuesday blog at LasVegasAdvisor.com.

These promotions change frequently, check for updated information here.