The Winding Road To Vegas: Ten Southwest Casinos In Two Days

When I think about visiting Las Vegas, most of my memories are from my earliest trips just after I turned 21, while I was still in college in Oklahoma. I packed up my car and made the 16-plus hour drive, mostly because I couldn’t account for plane tickets or rental cars in my Vegas budget.

Fast forward a few years, and I almost exclusively fly to Vegas and rent a car when I get there. It is so much easier and quicker that way.

I am of the mindset, however, that the adventure is in the journey as well as the destination. (See my first road trip diary article for Casino Reports, for example.) So for old time’s sake, over the winter holiday, I loaded up the car with everything I would need for a week on the road and hit the interstate — as well as memory lane — en route to Las Vegas.

First stop: Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino

My first stop of the day came eight hours into the trip in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I deviated off the direct path a little, but what is a trip down memory lane without a stop at the first casino I regularly played in after turning 21?

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon at Buffalo Thunder, which sits on some of the prettiest land in the country. I always thought this one was interesting, because the casino itself seems to be a small add-on onto the resort, which overwhelms the property. 

I sat down at a $10 eight-deck blackjack table to play for about 30 minutes. Spirits were high early on this trip, as I booked a $5 win! Typically, my trips start out with a massive loss, so this is at least a step in the right direction.

Buffalo Thunder’s Friday afternoon table limits were set at $5 for double-zero roulette, $10 for eight-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $25 for double-deck 3:2 blackjack. The only game that was not open was a $5 High Card Flush table, which I don’t think I have ever seen open here.

Second stop: Tesuque Casino

They always say casinos have no windows so people lose track of time. The memo was apparently not received by the developer of Tesuque Casino. Located about 10 minutes south of Buffalo Thunder, this newer casino features massive floor-to-ceiling windows on three of the four sides, so you can play with a million-dollar view of the nearby mountains.

In trips past, Tesuque was the only casino to offer Players Edge 21, a game like Spanish 21 that I can’t seem to get enough of. I was upset to see that table had disappeared since my last visit.

Tesuque is the newest casino in New Mexico, opening in late-2018 to replace the former Camel Rock Casino. I didn’t end up playing there during this early-evening stop, but I snapped some great photos of the casino as the sun was setting. 

Friday evening table limits at Tesuque Casino started at $5 for Heads Up Hold’em, $10 for six-deck 3:2 blackjack, and $25 for double-deck 3:2 blackjack. There were also $5 Three Card Poker and double-zero roulette games that were not open yet. 

For years at the end of its table games pit, Tesuque has also featured a craps table that has never had chips in the rack, leading me to believe it’s more of a decorative piece than a real game.

Third stop: Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel

About 45 minutes south of Santa Fe in Bernalillo, New Mexico, is the casino I was most looking forward to visiting: Santa Ana Star. Historically, this casino has treated me well and it has always been the only casino in the area to feature my favorite game, double-deck hand-pitched blackjack with relatively low limits.

I am happy to report that my good-luck streak here lived on after about an hour on this table! My biggest regret is not being able to spend more time here, with about eight more hours of driving left to do on the night.

Santa Ana Star is one of the largest casinos in the area and one of the first to offer sports betting. Nowadays, the sportsbook is tucked away in the sports bar area and somewhat hidden.

Players were starting to pack into the casino for the weekend rush. Friday night table limits were $5 for six-deck 3:2 blackjack, 5x craps, and Heads Up Hold’em, $10 double-zero roulette, $15 double-deck 3:2 blackjack and Face Up Pai Gow Poker, and $50 baccarat in the high-limit room.

Fourth stop: Sandia Resort & Casino

Ten minutes south of Santa Ana Star is Sandia, a casino in Albuquerque proper that, because of its location, always seems to be the busiest casino in the region.

I don’t think I have ever previously seen Sandia around Christmas time, and I was blown away by the incredible decorations. The capper was a 50-foot Christmas tree located in the hotel lobby just off the casino floor. They truly went all out.

The casino on this night was its usual busy self. The atmosphere was energetic, people were walking around everywhere, and a live band played in the lofted lounge area. The biggest surprise was that although most of the table games were open, there were only one or two players at each table.

Sandia is another casino where I have historically enjoyed positive results, dating back nearly a decade. But I made the decision not to play, so I could get back on the road and stay on schedule.

Friday night table games at Sandia were $10 for Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and $15 for six-deck 3:2 blackjack, 5x craps, double-zero roulette, and Face Up Pai Gow Poker.

Fifth stop: Route 66 Casino Hotel

Since the theme of this trip is “Reminiscing on Old Times,” I’ll note that when I regularly made this drive, I was always most excited to stop at Route 66 Casino Hotel about 20 minutes west of Albuquerque. I always played $5 blackjack until I made $15 in profit, then took that to the Johnny Rockets on the casino floor to essentially get a free burger.

Unfortunately, the Johnny Rockets has closed, replaced with a different restaurant, but at least the $5 blackjack tables still exist!

I was shocked to find out Route 66 deals a pitched double-deck blackjack game, like the one at Santa Ana Star, for $15. In trips past, this table was $25, so I had to play it.

Things went well … until they didn’t. Fortunately, I lost only a little less than half of my buy-in, so, it was a downer, but not a disaster.

Overall, I love the classic Americana theming throughout the casino at Route 66. The centerpiece slots area even has a Roswell alien landing theme, a cool touch. The property has been under construction for years now, but it looks like work is wrapping up, with only some of the exterior of the hotel yet to be done.

Friday night table limits included $5 six-deck 3:2 blackjack, 20x craps, double-zero roulette, six-deck 3:2 free-bet blackjack, and Heads Up Hold’em, $10 Face Up Pai Gow Poker, and $15 double-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Sixth stop: Sky City Casino Hotel

Sky City used to be a staple stop for me along the drive to Las Vegas. Before COVID, Sky City dealt a pitched $5-minimum blackjack game and featured all other games for under $5. This casino was a fantastic place to stop to break up the drive.

Although the casino here is small, it has always been a low-roller haven. After COVID, times were tough. The tables didn’t even open back up until early 2024 — and without the craps tub this casino once featured.

I arrived around 10 p.m. on a Friday and although the table games weren’t busy, the loud music coming from the lounge/nightclub near the casino floor that permeated the rest of the property told me that was where the people were.

The entire casino floor smelled like crab, and I was disappointed that I’d just missed the crab buffet available earlier that evening. 

This was the first visit I had ever made here with the lowest blackjack minimum at $5. In trips past, I had always noted there being a $3 table. All in all, live gaming limits at Sky City were $2 double-zero roulette and $5 six-deck 3:2 blackjack and Heads Up Hold’em. 

Seventh stop: Fire Rock Navajo Casino

I knew this day was coming, unfortunately. Fire Rock Navajo Casino, just east of Gallup, New Mexico, finally completely removed its table games. Action here was mostly centered around slot play and it always seemed as if the tables were dying off.

Live gaming once was prominently featured just within the main entrance, then moved to a hidden back room on the casino floor, but now the tables are gone, leaving Twin Arrows and Northern Edge as the only Navajo casinos with live gaming.

Despite the new absence of table games, the casino floor was still one of the liveliest I had seen so far on the trip. It seems as if the locals love this place, table games or not! But I am always disappointed to see the removal of live gaming anywhere.

Eighth stop: Cliff Castle Casino Hotel

Finally, at about 3 a.m., I made it to my final stop for the night, Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, where I checked into the hotel. 

Back in college, I either just powered through the entire drive or pulled off in a parking lot to nap for a couple hours. That is an aspect of those road trips that I would not be recreating this time around.

Only one game was still open at this hour, a $5 Ultimate Texas Hold’em table with two players. The other table games would not open again until 11 a.m. Saturday, but included $5 Three Card Poker and $15 3:2 blackjack dealt from a continuous shuffler.

Cliff Castle also advertised $5 table limits on all table games on Tuesdays until 6 p.m. Similar to the craps table at Tesuque, Cliff Castle features a roulette table with no chips or wheel, leading me to believe it is also just for show.

I checked into the hotel here and was shocked when I was given a free upgrade to a suite! Too bad I would only be spending a few hours here and not be able to fully enjoy it. Cliff Castle, as the name implies, is located on a mountain with valleys and features amazing views in every direction.

Ninth stop: Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort

I was awakened around 7 a.m. by kids running wind sprints in the room above me and couldn’t get back to sleep, due in part to my excitement that I would be in Las Vegas by the end of the day. I ended up backtracking about an hour east to Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort before continuing my drive west to Las Vegas, since I missed Twin Arrows the previous night after running out of time.

Twin Arrows (see photo at the top of this article) seems to be a late-rising casino. Nothing other than the casino floor itself was open that Saturday morning. The tables were closed until 4 p.m., the amenities were closed, even the players club desk was closed.

That said, I did not mind the tables being closed, because I was able to take some great photos of the casino floor without fear of getting yelled at by security.

When they opened, posted table limits here included $5 for Three Card Poker, High Card Flush, Heads Up Hold’em, double-zero roulette, and 5x craps, and $10 Players Edge 21 and six-deck 3:2 blackjack.

Tenth stop: Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort

My final stop before arriving in Las Vegas was in Laughlin, Nevada, a town about 100 miles south of Vegas. And the target was Laughlin’s original casino, Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort. 

This casino is one of my favorites. In fact, I love it enough to go out of my way on the home stretch to Las Vegas to stop and play the single-deck blackjack game. The casino floor here is maze-like and tacky (or classic, depending on how you see it). The tackiness is endearing, in my opinion.

The table games area backs up to outfacing windows with a great view of the Colorado River, so at least I could see that as I was getting hammered by the dealer at the blackjack table.

This was my first major loss this trip — two hours of 12s, 13s, 14s, and 15s to the dealer’s 20s, and 20s to the dealer’s blackjacks. Very frustrating, but part of the game!

Table limits on this Saturday afternoon started at $5 for Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Deuces Wild Hold’em Fold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and 5x craps, $10 for single-deck 3:2 blackjack, six-deck 3:2 blackjack, and six-deck 3:2 Free-Bet Blackjack, and $15 double-zero roulette & Face Up Pai Gow Poker.

No doubt about it: I love road trips

Seventeen hours is a lot, but when the drive is broken into an assortment of stops, it seems to go by quicker. These old roadside casinos in New Mexico are fantastic spots for low rollers.

If you are a carnival-game or poker player, they probably aren’t the best casinos for you, but if you love blackjack, craps, or roulette, you won’t go wrong with these properties.

In total on the way to Vegas, I visited 10 casinos … of the (spoiler alert) 68 casinos I would visit in total on this trip. In other words, I left myself plenty to write about in the next road diary.