The vpFree2 database has accurately reported the removal of most of the better VP at Harrah’s Reno. If you want to play 9/6 JOB, it’s now only available at 25 ct. to $1 denominations. Harrah’s removed the bigger games earlier this year. 8/5 BP is available at 25 ct. to $5 denominations, with games above $1 only in the high limit room. Just a couple of weeks ago, everything over $5 disappeared. The mediocre DB and DDB games are offered only up to the $1 level. There have been NO multiline machines for a while now.
The upshot is that if you want to earn good offers, it’s going to be very difficult to give sufficient coin in. I suppose you could play a lot of the $5 BP. But that’s a rough game compared to what we’ve grown used to in Reno. And maybe it would be a bad gamble in view of what one could expect to receive in return, the way things are going throughout most of the Caesars chain. I also worry about putting in modest play days in Reno, because they could have a negative impact on the ADT calculation for offers at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, which remains a good place to play, I think. So for now, I’m completely turning my back on Harrah’s Reno.
This strikes me as a case of a casino not even trying any more. I realize that business at Harrah’s Reno has fallen off badly. But as casino managers, you don’t have to be afraid of your own shadow, worrying that you might have a losing day or a losing month if someone hits a big jackpot. Your risk is spread across the whole chain. Taking out all the big games, and as much as telling your high rollers that they’re not welcome any more, is just stupid. It’s beyond discussion.
Unfortunately, this is just another step in the serious deterioration of the quality of games in Reno and the rest of northern Nevada generally. There are still notable holdouts, of course, but I wonder how long they’ll continue.