Ante Up … Or Better Yet, Don’t: A Weekend Of Action In Oklahoma

Sometimes I spend so much time chasing casinos in major gaming destinations like Las Vegas, Reno, Biloxi, and Black Hawk that I forget about the incredible collection of gambling establishments sitting practically in my own backyard. I went to high school and part of college in Oklahoma — where the gambling age is 18 — so I was spoiled by how easy it was to hop in the car and be at a casino in no time and I often take for granted nowadays that these casinos even exist.

As a table games player, Oklahoma offers some of the best blackjack conditions and lowest limits in the country. There is one catch, however — and it's a big one. Many Oklahoma casinos require players to pay an ante of 50 cents or $1 per hand, depending on the game. The ante is essentially a gaming tax casinos must pay to the state through tribal gaming compacts, and that cost gets passed directly to the player. Over time, it takes a sizable bite out of your expected results at the tables.

Fortunately, some casinos choose to absorb the ante themselves. Some do it full-time, while others only offer it on certain days of the week. These promotions come and go, so every few months I make a loop through Oklahoma to see which casinos are currently offering the best value for table games players.

Stop Number 1: WinStar World Casino

Years ago, when I was in high school in Oklahoma City, a few friends and I made what felt like weekly trips to Dallas for summer baseball tournaments. To break up the drive, we'd stop at WinStar World Casino, located just north of the Texas border along I-35, to hit the buffet and play a few slot machines. At that point, I hadn't yet developed my obsession with table games.

As strange as it sounds, those buffet stops remain some of my favorite memories from those trips.

Normally it's late by the time I begin my Friday drive north to Oklahoma City, but I wrapped up work early and hit the road around 5 p.m. so I could revisit the buffet and relive a few old memories.

Unfortunately, the buffet wasn't quite as good as I remembered. Whether my palate has become more refined or the quality has slipped over the years, I'm not sure. Either way, I arrived hungry and left full, so I suppose it still accomplished its mission.

The world's largest casino floor was beginning to fill with weekend traffic. WinStar is a slot player's paradise, with more than 10,000 machines spread throughout a half-mile-long casino floor. The table games are a different story. WinStar charges antes around the clock, and because it effectively owns the Dallas-Fort Worth casino market, people continue to fill the tables anyway.

The casino floor is divided into themed gaming plazas modeled after cities from around the world. The table games can be found in London, Beijing, and Vienna.

The table limits for Friday evening included $1 for Roll-to-Win craps, $5 for Mississippi Stud, $10 for 3:2 blackjack (dealt from a continuous shuffler), 5x odds craps, double-0 roulette, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em (UTH), and Jackpot Hold’em, $25 for 6-deck 3:2 blackjack and Dai-bacc, and $50 for baccarat.

Stop Number 2: Riverwind Casino

I've played blackjack in hundreds of casinos, but it all started at Riverwind.

Riverwind is home to a long list of casino firsts for me. Not only was it where I played blackjack for the first time, but it was also where I first sat down in a poker room, where I received my first food comp, where I earned my first complimentary hotel room, and, fittingly enough, where I received my first blackjack back-off.

The property has changed dramatically since those days. A major renovation completed between 2022 and 2024 transformed the interior and gave the casino a much more modern feel.

Like WinStar, the gaming machines are packed tightly together. Also like WinStar, Riverwind charges antes at the tables. Unfortunately for players, that's been a longstanding trend among Chickasaw-owned casinos.

The casino floor was quieter than usual, which I deduced was owed to the fact that nearby University of Oklahoma is on summer break, so the hordes of college kids are not around to play here. Table limits on a Friday night were set at $5 for UTH, Jackpot Hold’em, Three Card Poker, double-0 roulette, and 5x odds craps, and $10 for 6-deck 3:2 blackjack & Dai-bacc.

Stop Number 3: Lucky Star Casino – Concho

One of the things I love about Oklahoma is that not every casino sits in a major city or off a busy interstate. Some are tucked away in towns with populations under 1,000, like Lucky Star Casino in Concho.

While the previous casinos on this trip were destination properties that attract both locals and travelers, Lucky Star is the definition of a neighborhood casino. It feels like nearly everyone inside lives within a 20-minute drive.

If I thought WinStar and Riverwind packed their slot machines tightly together, Lucky Star somehow found a way to fit even more into less space.

Lucky Star is quite the change of pace from my two previous stops of the evening. Whereas my last stops were larger resort-style casinos, Lucky Star is a traditional Indian casino and is decorated as such.

I always seem to forget about this property when I'm in town, but it's a great stop for low-limit table games and slots despite charging antes across the board.

About two-thirds of the tables were open during my Friday night visit, including $2 UTH and $5 6-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Lucky Star Casino also features $5 6-deck 3:2 Free Bet blackjack that was not open during my visit, as well as a $5 double-0 roulette table with no chips in the rack, leading me to believe it was more decorative than anything.

Stop Number 4: Grand Casino Hotel & Resort

Personally, I refuse to play blackjack at tables that require antes. Once you do the math, it's hard to ignore how much money disappears before the cards are even dealt. If you play an average of around 80 hands per hour, at a 50-cent ante, you already lose $40 off your profits.

One of the few places near Oklahoma City where that isn't an issue is Grand Casino.

I decided to make Grand my first of two Saturday night blackjack sessions. While Grand offers some of the best blackjack conditions in the state, my favorite feature might actually be the free soft-serve ice cream machine on the casino floor.

Sometimes you get paid to eat ice cream, and sometimes that ice cream ends up costing a few hundred dollars. Either way, I'm a fan of the concept.

Fortunately, this was one of the nights where I got paid.

I bought in for $200 and left with $510 after roughly four hours at a $10 blackjack table. The rules were excellent, the cards cooperated, and the absence of an ante made the session even sweeter.

Table limits here on a weekend night include $5 UTH and double-0 roulette, and $10 6-deck 3:2 blackjack, 6-deck 3:2 Free Bet blackjack, 10x odds craps, baccarat, and 3-dice baccarat, all consistently free of antes for the player!

Stop Number 5: Thunderbird Wild Wild West Casino

I always say that every casino has something unique to offer, even if it isn't immediately obvious.

Thunderbird Wild Wild West Casino, located in Norman near Lake Thunderbird, is one of the smallest and smokiest casinos you'll encounter, but it also offers some of the best blackjack conditions in the area.

For such a small property, Thunderbird offers a respectable table games lineup. It even used to feature the area's only double-deck blackjack game before that disappeared during the COVID era.

Thunderbird may be the most unassuming casino in Oklahoma. The building looks like it could double as a community church on Sunday mornings, which only adds to its charm.

This casino is a nice switch from Grand due to its inherently more low-key atmosphere. Where at the Grand you might struggle to find a seat at the tables, there is always one open at Thunderbird.

I played one of my more dramatic blackjack sessions here. After quickly falling to my last $60, I fired a desperation bet, caught some momentum, and eventually doubled my original buy-in.

The best parts? No antes, free soft-serve ice cream, free soda, and some of the friendliest dealers in the state.

And I didn’t just get paid to eat one cup of ice cream on this night. I got paid to eat two!

On a Saturday night at Thunderbird Wild Wild West Casino, you can find $2 UTH, and $5 6-deck 3:2 blackjack, 6-deck 3:2 Free Bet blackjack, and Three Card Poker.

Stop Number 6: Apache Casino Hotel

Heading home Sunday, I took the longer route down Interstate 44 so I could visit a few of the more obscure tribal casinos.

Apache Casino Hotel has always been one of my favorite stops. The casino itself is housed inside a permanent tension-fabric structure that resembles a giant circus tent disguised behind a traditional facade.

Like Grand, Apache waives antes on most days, although Friday and Saturday remain exceptions. That makes Sundays particularly attractive for table games players.

I also spotted a new game I'd never seen before called Battle 1-2-3. The game looked like a hybrid of Casino War played across multiple hands, complete with side bets based on what kind of poker hand you get. Whether it catches on remains to be seen, but it certainly caught my attention and I will keep an eye out for it during future casino trips.

Sunday evening table games at Apache include $5 Battle 1-2-3, Three Card Poker, UTH, and 5x odds craps, $10 6-deck 3:2 blackjack and double-0 roulette.

Stop Number 7: Comanche Red River Casino Hotel

Few casinos bring back as many memories as Comanche Red River. During summers spent coaching baseball in nearby Burkburnett, Texas, I spent plenty of time here.

For years, Red River offered one of the best deals around: $5 ante-free craps seven days a week. A couple years ago it switched to only ante-free on weekdays along with the other table games.

Even worse, the former craps table has been replaced by a grill the casino is giving away. As much as I appreciate a nice grill, I would rather have low-limit ante-free craps nearby. I consider that a significant downgrade.

Luckily, the rest of the table games remain intact, and the limits are still excellent.

One thing Red River does particularly well is beverages. While most Oklahoma casinos offer free soda in small cups, Red River hands out massive 24-ounce cups that can keep you caffeinated for the rest of the drive.

All in all, table game limits at Comanche Red River on this day included $2 Three Card Poker & UTH, and $5 6-deck 3:2 blackjack and double-0 roulette.

Stop Number 8: Kiowa Casino & Hotel

COVID changed a lot of things in the casino industry, but one casualty continues to sting: buffets.

Kiowa was one of the places where that loss hit hardest. I remember stopping here regularly for a $5 lunch buffet while spending summers across the Red River in Texas when I was younger.

Today, the buffet is gone, replaced by a more traditional restaurant concept.

The casino has changed in other ways as well, including the addition of a high-limit slot area where the sports bar once stood.

I always thought it was interesting that Kiowa charged players antes at the table games every day when its neighbors waive it from Monday-Thursday. Where it gets its competitive edge back is by being the only 21+ casino in town.

Table limits this afternoon at Kiowa Casino & Hotel included $5 for 6-deck 3:2 blackjack, 6-deck 3:2 Free Bet blackjack, double-0 roulette, UTH, and Three Card Poker.

Stop Number 9: Apache Lonestar Casino

There could not have been a more appropriate final stop on the drive home than a casino named Lonestar.

Every time I cross the Texas border into a casino state, I'm reminded how much gaming revenue Texas willingly sends elsewhere. Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico have all benefited from that decision. They don’t pay me to solve the world’s problems, though …

Apache Lonestar is one of Oklahoma's newest casinos, opening in 2024. Initially it offered free antes seven days a week, but those promotions have since been scaled back.

My favorite thing about the property is that it's smoke-free. The difference in air quality compared to many regional casinos is immediately noticeable.

I love a good themed casino in a time where tacky themes have been repealed nationwide. Apache Lonestar is just that with its heavy Texas theme, which reminds me of a Texas Roadhouse restaurant without the steak. (See photo at top of article.)

On my final stop of the trip before making the hour-and-a-half drive back to DFW, Sunday evening table limits at Apache Lonestar Casino included $5 6-deck 3:2 blackjack & UTH.

A run for the border

There’s no place like home, and while my home state doesn't offer casino gaming, I'm fortunate to live within driving distance of some of the best table game conditions in the country.

Despite being home to the world's largest casino, in Oklahoma, most casinos cater primarily to locals. They may not resemble Las Vegas mega-resorts, but each property has its own personality, loyal customer base, and unique charm.

For table games players, the challenge is finding casinos that waive the ante. They exist, and when you find them, the value can be tremendous.

At the crossroads of Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 44 sits Oklahoma City, making it the perfect launching point for exploring the state's gaming scene.

All told, I visited nine casinos on this quick weekend run through the Sooner State. Better yet, I played at two of them and managed to leave both as a winner.