South Strip Stroll: Low Limits, High Hopes, And A Little Double Down Madness

Before I moved to Las Vegas, walking the Strip was an all-day, all-night event. I would usually park at Treasure Island, head south to Mandalay Bay, make the long trek north to The Strat, and eventually work my way back to TI. Naturally, I documented the adventure along the way.

Calling these walks “leisurely” would be generous. They routinely stretched into double-digit miles, sometimes in heat that made me question my judgment, but I loved every second of it. Now that I live here, though, I am perfectly happy to retire the marathon version.

These days, I can tackle the Strip in sections: south, center, and north. That gives me more time to explore each property, take better photos, and put together more thorough write-ups. It also gives my phone battery a fighting chance, which it rarely had on those old walks.

So, on a hot, late summer Thursday afternoon with no better plans, I headed to the Strip to get my steps in on my favorite stretch: the south end.

Stop No. 1: New York-New York

Why save my favorite for later? I kicked things off at New York-New York, my personal favorite resort on the south end of the Strip. I have always had a soft spot for the tacky, nostalgic, heavily themed casinos that so many of us grew up associating with Vegas. In my opinion, New York-New York does that better than just about anybody.

On my old full-Strip walks, I somehow always seemed to reach New York-New York between 4 and 7 a.m. As you might imagine, the place had a little more life at 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday. It was nice to finally catch it when everyone else was awake, too!

The MGM properties on this end of the Strip have done a great job of keeping low-limit table games around, even if the cheaper blackjack usually pays 6:5 and most low-limit roulette comes with three zeros. Before COVID-19, finding $5 blackjack on the Strip was remarkably easy. Those days are mostly gone, but a few holdouts remain.

New York-New York is one of them, with multiple $5 6:5 blackjack tables for beginners and low rollers, plus 3:2 blackjack starting at $15. Having both options is always good to see.

The crowd getting an early start to the weekend was filling the casino floor and the resort’s many restaurants. With the evening’s sports action getting underway on televisions throughout the property, there was plenty of energy to get this walk started.

Table limits at New York-New York on a Thursday evening included $5 6:5 continuously shuffled blackjack and eight-deck 6:5 blackjack; $7 6:5 continuously shuffled blackjack ($5 with a mandatory $2 side bet); $10 eight-deck 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack, triple-0 roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold’em (UTH), Three Card Poker (TCP), 5x odds craps, Let It Ride, Crazy 4 Poker, Double Down Madness, and I Luv Suits; $15 continuously shuffled 3:2 blackjack and double-0 roulette; and $25 eight-deck 3:2 blackjack and Face Up Pai Gow Poker.

Baccarat was the only game unavailable during my walkthrough. Its table was in the high-limit room, with no limits posted.

Stop No. 2: Planet Hollywood

Of all the Caesars properties on the Strip, Planet Hollywood may be the one that has impressed me most consistently over the years, even though I have not played here much. The table limits are usually reasonable, there are some solid rules to be found, and the dining options give me plenty to like. I have never stayed in the hotel, but I have heard nothing but good things.

The casino floor has also been remarkably consistent. It looks much the same as it did when I first started gambling on the Strip back in college. In a city that is constantly reinventing itself, there is something comforting about that.

This visit did bring one welcome change: a new table games pit beside the massive stadium-style gaming area at the south end of the casino. With so many casinos swapping live tables for more slots, seeing new tables go in is always a pleasant surprise.

I sat down for my first game of the outing at a $25 double-deck blackjack table, ready to take advantage of those solid rules. Unfortunately, the cards did not share my enthusiasm. The game started cold and only got colder.

When your best remaining strategy is sliding every last chip into the betting circle for a hero bet, things probably are not going according to plan. That was exactly where I found myself.

My final stand was a $100 bet that gave me an 18 against the dealer’s 6. Promising enough, right? Then the player to my right hit his 16 and drew a 7 to bust. Everyone else stood. The dealer turned over a 10, drew a 4, and finished with 20. I have never been one to blame other players for not “playing by the book,” but I cannot pretend I was thrilled with how that hand unfolded. Fortunately, I had a walk to the next casino to cool off.

The bad news: I was starting the evening in a hole. The good news: There was still plenty of evening left to turn it around!

Table limits at Planet Hollywood included $10 Double Down Madness, UTH, Mississippi Stud, and TCP; $15 eight-deck 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack, continuously shuffled 6:5 blackjack, eight-deck 6:5 blackjack, I Luv Suits, 5x odds craps, and Crapless Craps; $20 double-0 roulette and triple-0 roulette; $25 two-deck 3:2 blackjack, eight-deck 3:2 blackjack, two-deck 6:5 blackjack, and Face Up Pai Gow Poker; and $100 baccarat.

Stop No. 3: MGM Grand

By the time I reached MGM Grand, I had mostly recovered from my blackjack tragedy at Planet Hollywood. A little walking can do wonders.

I love MGM Grand. Between its history of big boxing matches and major entertainment, it is one of those iconic Vegas resorts that people immediately recognize when you mention where you are. Judging by the hotel check-in line and the busy table games on a Thursday evening, plenty of people were happy to be there.

Despite that fondness, I have spent surprisingly little time exploring the place. On previous Strip walks, I usually arrived with tired legs or a phone battery hanging on for dear life. Neither makes for great photos or a thorough write-up. This time, I still had plenty left in the tank and could take a different route through the casino to see more of it.

I have never thought of MGM Grand as a particularly luxurious property, so its historically higher table limits sometimes felt a little steep to me. Fortunately, they have come down to more reasonable levels in recent years.

The standout was a $25 single-zero roulette table right on the main casino floor. That is one of the cheaper single-zero games I have seen anywhere in town, let alone on the Strip. One of these days, I will finally sit down and play it. With several more stops ahead, this was not that day.

I also noticed a couple of changes since my visit several months earlier. The poker room had expanded into the west side of the casino, in the area with the curved ceiling, and most of the slots had disappeared from that wing. Whether this setup is temporary or permanent, I am not sure.

Table limits this evening at MGM Grand included $10 for Double Down Madness; $15 for six-deck 6:5 blackjack, double-0 roulette, triple-0 roulette, and TCP; $25 for six-deck 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack, Face Up Pai Gow Poker, single-0 roulette, 5x odds craps, Crapless Craps, UTH, and baccarat; and $50 for six-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Stop No. 4: OYO Hotel & Casino

After the lively floors at New York-New York, Planet Hollywood, and MGM Grand, OYO was quite a change of pace. The casino was about as quiet as they come. Construction on the future Major League Baseball stadium next door makes it feel even more tucked away from the Strip, which certainly cannot help. Some worn-out areas of the casino and hotel were not doing it any favors, either.

Back when I was in college, this was Hooters Hotel & Casino. I remember walking in at 21, excited by the possibility that the blackjack dealers might be Hooters girls. Instead, I found older dealers in Hawaiian shirts. That was a quick lesson in managing expectations.

Still, I will always appreciate OYO for keeping $1 blackjack alive. I spent plenty of hours at that game back when my bankroll was much better suited to a $1 table than a $15 or $25 one. It is a great way for new players to get comfortable, and I have enough good memories of it to give this place some credit.

Only a handful of tables were open around 7 p.m., and several had no players at all. The $1 blackjack table was the lone exception. For a low roller, that game might be enough to justify the walk past the construction, a block east of Las Vegas Boulevard.

I briefly considered sitting at the empty $10 3:2 blackjack table for old time’s sake. With nobody else playing, at least I would not have to watch someone hit a hard 16 against a dealer’s 6. (Clearly, I was completely over Planet Hollywood by this point.)

I decided against playing here, opting to continue my walk past the future home of the Las Vegas Athletics baseball team and south along the Strip. Table limits here were set at $1 for continuously shuffled 6:5 blackjack and $5 for six-deck 3:2 blackjack & double-0 roulette.

The one game not open at the time was 5x odds craps, which had no posted limits, although I have seen it for $5 in the past.

Stop No. 5: Mandalay Bay

I decided to get the longest stretch of walking out of the way and head straight to my turnaround point, Mandalay Bay, before working my way north toward my truck. Every visit here reminds me of the fantastic suite I stayed in at Delano, now the W, back in 2024. The panoramic view of the Strip was hard to beat. Another staycation there is definitely on my wish list.

Mandalay Bay’s table limits always keep me guessing. On some visits, it is one of the more reasonable places to play on this end of the Strip. On others, it feels like the most expensive stop in the neighborhood. You never quite know which version you are going to get.

This evening, the limits seemed reasonable and generally in line with MGM Grand. Mandalay Bay also has one of the more luxurious casino floors down here, so at least the surroundings help make the price of admission feel a little more worthwhile.

A new lounge had also opened on one of the hotel’s upper floors, and I would love to check it out soon. Mandalay Bay’s location at the far south end gives its north-facing rooms and venues some spectacular views of the Strip. From what I have seen, this lounge looks like another great place to take it all in.

Like most of the casinos I had already visited, the casino floor was flooded with people getting an early start to their weekend. Table limits included $15 TCP, continuously shuffled 6:5 blackjack, and 5x odds craps; $25 continuously shuffled 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack, eight-deck 6:5 blackjack, UTH, triple-0 roulette, and Face Up Pai Gow Poker; and $100 two-deck 3:2 blackjack and baccarat, which were both located in the high limits room.

The only game unavailable this evening was a single-0 roulette table found in the high limits room, which had no posted limits.

Stop No. 6: Luxor Las Vegas

I cannot quite explain it, but I have always maintained that Luxor has the best music playlist heard on any casino floor. Whatever else I think about the place, its soundtrack consistently gets my vote.

Of course, a good playlist only goes so far. The games matter more, and like its sister property New York-New York, Luxor still offers plenty of $5 blackjack. It is my go-to spot on the Strip when my non-gambling buddy visits and wants to sit down for a few hands.

I do wish the interior had a little more of the personality promised by the exterior. For a resort shaped like a giant pyramid, the casino itself has always felt surprisingly plain to me. The Egyptian-themed carpet added a couple of years ago helps, but there is still room to have more fun with the theme.

Luxor has plenty of tables spread across three large pits that form a semicircle around the big center bar. This evening, though, far fewer were open than was the case among its neighbors. It was also the first casino on my walk with more than one type of game unavailable.

It was also the only stop where I did not spot a single 3:2 blackjack or double-zero roulette table. The $5 games are nice, but that was a disappointing omission.

Table games limits at Luxor included $5 continuously shuffled 6:5 blackjack; $10 continuously shuffled 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack, Double Down Madness, triple-0 roulette, and 5x odds craps.

Luxor also had $10 eight-deck 6:5 blackjack and Crapless craps tables, as well as TCP and baccarat games with no posted limits but unavailable this night.

My girlfriend is dying to see Blue Man Group here, so it looks like Luxor will be getting another visit from me soon. At least I know I will enjoy the music on the way through!

Stop No. 7: Excalibur

There are plenty of reasons I like the MGM properties, but free parking through my players card tier is pretty high on the list. Excalibur’s garage is easy and convenient, making it my usual choice for a south-Strip walkthrough or a Golden Knights game.

Since my truck was parked here, Excalibur was the natural final stop. It would also host my last game of the evening, although this one came with a few twists on regular blackjack.

Earlier, on my way to New York-New York, I had spotted a cheap Double Down Madness table calling my name. If you have never played it, this blackjack variant lets you double your bet after every card you receive, even before your second card is dealt. There are a few catches: You cannot split, you get only one card after doubling an ace, and a dealer 22 pushes the entire hand.

As you can probably imagine, things can get out of hand in a hurry!

I was ready for a little madness, especially with Planet Hollywood still lingering in the back of my mind. Almost immediately after buying in, I got a 2 against the dealer’s 5. I doubled, hoping for another low card and a chance to double again.

Ask and you shall receive: out came a 9, giving me 11. Perfect! I doubled again and got … a 4. That left me standing on 15 with considerably more money on the table than I had started with. After all that buildup, the dealer drew to 22 and pushed the hand. A lot of excitement to end up right where I started.

I stayed for about an hour and eventually colored up $100 ahead. It did not erase the Planet Hollywood loss, but it was a welcome little rebate, and I had a great time earning it.

By then, the miserable afternoon heat had given way to a beautiful evening, with the sun finally slipping behind the mountains to the west. In hindsight, starting this walk around 8 p.m. might have been the smarter move. Apparently, living here has not cured me of every questionable Strip-walking decision.

Table limits at Excalibur this evening included $5 continuously shuffled 6:5 blackjack; $10 Double Down Madness, UTH, TCP, & triple-0 roulette; and $15 continuously shuffled 6:5 Free-Bet blackjack and continuously shuffled 3:2 blackjack.

Double-0 roulette and 5x odds craps were the only games on the casino floor that were currently closed. Although live craps was not open, Excalibur did feature a $5 hybrid Crapless Craps game with a real craps table, actual dice, only with electronic betting.

Coloring up

By the time I got back to my truck, I had covered seven casinos, taken my share of blackjack punishment, and salvaged a little of the bankroll with a game that lived up to its name. Even with a losing session in the mix, this is why I still love wandering the south end of the Strip.

There is enough old-school Vegas personality to keep me coming back and a few low-limit tables hanging on for those of us who would rather stretch an evening than empty our wallets in 20 minutes.

Best of all, living here means I can actually take my time and enjoy it without having to squeeze the entire Strip into one exhausting lap. The center and north end can wait for another day. Next time, though, I might let the sun clock out before I clock in!