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An Interesting Promotion

Bob Dancer

I wish I knew more about the promotion I’m writing about today, but I’ll share what I have surmised.

For the past several months, some Caesars Rewards properties have offered Next Day Bounceback (NDB). At these properties, if you play at least a minimum amount during a casino day (often 6 a.m. to 5:59 a.m. — but it varies), you get a certain amount of free play added to your account at approximately noon. The exact time can vary from casino to casino.

The percentage return can vary as well. I’ve seen it from 0.1% to 0.75%, depending on the casino. Some “expert” players get a lesser amount. At many of these casinos, the percentage amount returned is less today than it was six months ago.

Sometimes these casinos offer a multiplier to their NDB. At least one of the casinos offers a multiple NDB reward once a week (or sometimes once every other week). It’s at least 2x, and usually 2x, but sometimes more. You don’t learn if you received a 2x, 3x, or other multiplier until after the promotion is over. Another casino awards a 20x NDB multiplier weekly for two hours — but video poker is excluded from this promotion. There are daily limits for the amount of NDB you can earn — but this is only relevant for the biggest of high rollers. Well over 99% of all players won’t come close to earning the limit.

Usually, the casino won’t tell you what the percentage return is on the NDB promotion, so you have to figure it out yourself. Or ask a knowledgeable friend. 

To figure it out, you need to know how much money you received, and how much coin-in you played to earn that money. For example, let’s assume you played 500 Tier Credits (TCs) at video poker and received $20 in NDB. What percentage is that?

On most video poker machines at these properties, it requires $10 coin-in to earn one TC, so 500 TCs mean you played $5,000 through the machine. Your percentage return is $20 / $5,000 = 0.004 = 0.4%. 

At some of these casinos, it takes $20 or $25 to earn a TC on the loosest video poker machines. In these cases, 500 TCs mean you played $10,000 or $12,500, respectively. The percentage return becomes 0.2% or 0.16%, respectively.

Slot players at these casinos typically earn one TC for $5 coin-in, so if you’re a slot player, the return, in this case, is 0.8%.

The percentage you’ve received before does not have to be the percentage you’re going to receive today. While the percentage rate could go up, I suppose, I’ve only seen it stay the same or go down. 

While NDB becomes available at noon, it needs to be downloaded into your bank within a certain number of days (which varies by casino) and once it’s in your bank it’s good for 72 hours (or some other period of time). The Caesars Rewards booth at the particular casino you’re interested in will likely tell you these lengths of time.

At one out-of-town casino I frequent, NDB used to be good for 90 days after earning it, but now it is only good for 30 days. If I have to leave for my flight home before noon on my last day, this might mean I don’t play on the next-to-last day. That’ll be the day for sightseeing. If I leave for my flight after noon, I probably won’t play between 6 a.m. and when I leave because if I did, I would forfeit any NDB I earned. If I were a local, I wouldn’t worry about this because I know I’ll be back before my NDB expires.

On the last day of my stay, it could be that a promotion is in effect that dwarfs whatever I could earn from NDB, so I’ll keep playing after 6 a.m. even though I know that I won’t be able to collect the NDB (assuming I’m not planning on returning to this casino within the requisite time period.)

The expiration period for multiple NDB days does not have to be the same as the regular 1x NDB days. In fact, it usually isn’t.

For most players, they’ll learn to stay until after noon on their last day in order to collect their extra money. This means they might stay longer than they used to. For most players, NDB means they’ll lose less money because of this “rebate,” although many will simply play more and it’ll all come out about the same.

These casinos have multiple promotions and NDB is just one of them. Often, you’ll have multiplier days for TCs or Reward Credits (RCs), which are different. Sometimes if you play a certain number of TCs you get extra benefits. Sometimes you earn benefits that are hard to quantify (such as 100x drawing tickets). These casinos have monthly mailers and for big-enough players, they’ll receive a certain amount of free play based on how much they played.

As best I can, I try to add up the value of the benefits with the return of the video poker machine I’m playing. Sometimes I can get it pretty precise. Sometimes it’s sort of a scientific wild-assed guess based on the best information I have. 

When I play slots, it’s hard to get the precise percentage return. I might know that it’s positive-equity to play a certain machine when the mini meter is above 22 or the minor meter is above 30, but if I find a machine when these numbers are at 21 and 29, I assume I have the advantage but I’m unsure how much. While both numbers are slightly below being positive in and of themselves, the combination is surely a good one to play.

Also. when I play slots, I usually only play when one-or-more meters is above a certain level. When it’s no longer that high, I move on and try to find another game in a positive state. On each machine I check, it could be there are 50 different amounts to check, ranging perhaps from 50 cents to 50 dollars. Any of these could be positive and I won’t know before I go check which one(s) will be that way. In video poker, on the other hand, I’m usually playing one particular machine and I know going in what denomination I’ll be playing and the return on the game.

I don’t know how much longer NDB will last. The fact that the return rates have been decreasing leads me to conclude that they will be down to zero in the relatively near future — at least at some of these properties— but I could be wrong. 

When the new tax law kicks in on January, if enough players quit or cut back, these casinos might increase NDB in order to lure players back. For me this won’t work, but it might for some other players.

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A Desert Mirage?

Surprisingly few victory laps were taken after Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues spiked 5.5% in August, helped by tighter hold. Perhaps it was the simultaneous, inconvenient disclosure the visitation slumped 6.5% that same month which quelled exuberance. Sin City is in a world of hurt, unlike regional casinos, and it’s not easy to spin right now. To the numbers …

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Golden Gate Open Bar

In one of the more creative promos in some time, the Golden Gate offers an open bar every day from 6 to 7 p.m. They call it “The Night Starts Here” and it’s intended to ease the transition from live tables and dancing dealers to electronic table games. As such, the deal includes free-play for those new games. Here are the details.

Drinks

You can get beer, wine, and well drinks. No top-shelf pours, but beer in the bottle. We got a cold Bud.

Crowds

It’s been busy the two times we checked, but the promo is new and it remains to be seen if the crowds persist. The center bar goes from being crowded to suddenly having gaps where you can pop in to order a drink. While it would seem like an opportunity that the downtown “street people” might relish, there was none of that when we visited (possibly because of the next point).

ID

You must show ID to even get into the casino, at least during the promo. This now makes Golden Gate and Circa the only Las Vegas casinos that card customers at the door.

Wristbands

Once you’re inside, go to the players club booth to be processed. This entails showing your ID again and a Circa group players card (they’ll sign you up if you don’t have one). The wristband clears you to get the free drinks. You’ll also be given an envelope with a free-play voucher inside. If you’ve parked in the Golden Gate parking lot where you get two free hours with validation, you should get the ticket validated while you’re at the booth.

Free-Play

The amount of free-play reportedly varies between $5 and $1,000, but expect $5. That’s what we got. This is interesting, because the FP vouchers state that they can be redeemed at the cage (read the second sentence in the rules). They can’t. You have to play them and you have to do so before 7:14 pm (yes, 14 minutes) the same day. No problem, except ours wasn’t accepted by several of the new games on the floor. It worked at the bar.

Overall, this is a cool promotion. Credit is due the booth personnel, who work fast to process the line, which was steady, but not overwhelming during our observation. Get a few drinks and shoot your free-play for a good start to your evening.

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Buffet Update – October 2025

Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This week’s Breakfast Buffet is Sat & Sun, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for $32.95 and dinner’s Fri & Sat, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $34.95

Cosmopolitan – Wicked Spoon: No changes to the buffet. Local Wednesday is still offered for $38 with valid NV I.D. but no longer offers additional club discount.

South Point – Garden Buffet: All buffet prices went up by $1-$5. Breakfast Mon-Fri, 7 a.m.-10 a.m. including two bloody marys is now $19.95. Lunch Mon-Fri, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $26.95. Prime Rib & Champagne Brunch Sat & Sun, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. including two mimosas is now $37.95. Prime Rib Dinner Sat-Thurs, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. is now $37.95 and Seafood Dinner on Fri, 3 p.m.-9 p.m. is now $57.95.

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Pretty Pictures and B.S.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to build a casino megaresort if you don’t plan on paying for it. We learned that from Sheldon Adelson, who erected The Venetian out of other people’s pockets. By dint of releasing a new rendering of failsino Bally’s Las Vegas, Chairman Soo Kim scored himself a great deal of free media last weekend. The deck chairs on the Titanic have been duly rearranged.

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Bobby Vegas—Desperation Breeds Great Deals

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Haggard corporates huddle over their conference-table laptop spreadsheets revealing red lines pointing down, empty coffee cups, half-eaten pastries, hair askew, bloodshot eyes.

“Ya think if we just get them in the door, we can make it up in …?”

Next month? Next quarter? Next year? Ya think?

Like this is a new idea? Maybe they’re catching on. See, an empty hotel room night is lost revenue forever. By my calcs, they’re staring at 15,000-25,000 empty rooms every weekend night. Midweek. more like 50,000. We may be seeing their breakeven revealed.

And as any good scuffler worth their stacked coupons knows, that’s good news.

Here’s Bobby Vegas’ common-sense recipe for success:

1) lower your costs coming in,
2) spend as much time as humanly possible on their dime, through comps, deals, coupons, WHATEVER,
3) and play the best games for you with the lowest edge.

Winner winner steaks for dinner! You’d prefer salmon? Fine.

Folks, there’s something you must always keep in mind: Time is your enemy. The longer you play with even a slight negative edge, the more likely they’ll win your money. Slots? Fuggedabouddit. The casinos know that many players like to forget it and hope for the best, tipping back the free drinks.

So if you care to win, or at least break even and have a grand old time, use EVERY advantage they give you, playing on their dime and on their time, eat on their comps, and use every free play, matchplay, two-fer, and discount and coupon you can beg, borrow, or fish out of the trash. (Thank you, Jean Scott.)

Old scuffler reminiscing.

“Now way back in the spring of ’25 when the cracks started to appear, there was the Plaza and that young Jonnie Jossel. My oh my, a smart boy, even bringing them in with bingo. Maybe try Bobby Wilson?

Then Downtown Grand followed, almost matching Plaza’s all-inclusive $125 a night deal, food, drinks, parking, and NRF. Now everyone from Boyd at the Fremont to Caesars at the Flamingo is offering two- night stays with $50 food credit for $150.

There’s that NRF again, a Bobby Vegas abbreviation for NO RESORT FEE.

Maybe it’ll catch on, like, a Bona Fide Bobby Vegas-Approved NRF Deal!

Plaza’s doing it, Downtown Grand does it, Four Queens, Golden Nugget, Treasure Island sometimes, and a few others dipping their toes in the NRF pool.

Yo, MGM, Caesars. Maybe you can work on those Strip food and drink prices, so we might get more than French fries and a Coke for our $50. Fremont? No problem, but can comps be used in the very nice new food court?

Me, I’m waiting for them to pay us to walk in. Remember the Stardust? $17 a night, complete with a $10 bounce-back and buffet coupon.

Just wait, people. It’s like fishing or hunting. Patience … patience … patience … then POUNCE!

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3 Great Pizza Happy Hours

Guide to Pizza Happy Hours in Las Vegas

Las Vegas has a thriving pizza scene, with styles that originated around the world well-represented at pizzerias and restaurants throughout the valley. If you’re interested in sampling a few, here are three spots where you can do it at a discount, providing you visit during their Happy Hours.

Dom Demarcos – Summerlin

Dom DeMarco’s is a spinoff of Brooklyn’s legendary DiFarra Pizza and offers two styles of pizza: round New York thin-crust and rectangular thick-crust Sicilian. It’s also a full-service Italian restaurant, with a beautiful outdoor patio, serious cocktail program, and 40-label wine list. They offer a basic Happy Hour on weekdays from 2 to 6.p.m featuring $3 off all beer, 50% off all cocktails and select wines, and a menu of $12 items. But the Happiest Hours are between 2:00 and 4:00, when all pizzas are 50% off.

Nudo Italiano Happy Hour – South Vegas

Created by Michael and Jenna Morton, who have operated successful restaurants on and off The Strip, Nudo Italiano is a family-focused Italian restaurant in the tragically underserved Southern Highlands community. They also offer a very authentic spin on Neapolitan pizza, four of which (normally priced at $17 or $18) can be had for $9 apiece from 4:00 to 5:00 during their Monday through Thursday Happy Hour. Wash it down woth a $4 draft beer, $8 glass of wine or $9 prosecco spritz.

Pizza Rock – Downtown LV

The undisputed G.O.A.T of competitive pizza making, 13-time World Pizza Champ Tony Gemignani, offers a dozen different styles of pizza at his high-energy Las Vegas flagship. Two of those styles (Classic American and Classic Italian) are represented in the half-dozen personal-sized Happy Hour pizzas, priced between $8 and $9.50 from 3 to 6 p.m. every Monday through Thursday. The Happy Hour menu also includes $2 off three types of beer and select glasses of wine, as well as five appetizers/sides for between $7 and $9.

Pizza Rock Happy Hour Downtown Las Vegas

Find more Las Vegas Happy Hours here.

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Downtown Las Vegas Pizza Tour

Downtown Las Vegas Pizza Tour

Downtown Las Vegas is hot. The Fremont Street Experience, Fremont East and The Arts District have all had major makeovers within the last decade, thanks to pioneers like Derek Stevens, Tony Hsieh and James Trees. And the Huntridge District seems poised to join them.

What may surprise visitors and locals alike is the proliferation of amazing and distinctly different pizzerias. If you’re a casual pizza fan, that means you can find a great slice in any Downtown neighborhood. If you’re a serious pizza fanatic, you may want to consider plotting your own DTLV Pizza Tour.

The Neon Feast restaurant guide lists 14 of the best pizzerias throughout the valley, with a separate list of five great pizza spots in Downtown Las Vegas. Here’s a short rundown of those picks. (Click the links for more information on each.)

Good Pie (1212 Main St.)

Good Pie Las Vegas

With a slice window out front, plenty of indoor seating, a great bar program and a cool vibe, Good Pie is an Arts District institution. The signature style is Grandma Pies: thin-crust rectangular pizzas made with dough that’s been fermented for three days, topped with high-quality tomato sauce and cheese. Rotolo is so dedicated to keeping this Long Island-born style alive, he’s decorated the restaurant with photos of grandmothers. But Good Pie also offers Brooklyn Round, Sicilian and Detroit-style pies. If you want to get more creative, ask about the Fried Pizza with burrata or the Detroit Stuffed Chicken Parm.

Pop Up Pizza (The Plaza)

Pop Up Pizza at The Plaza Hotel Casino Las Vegas

Located in the lobby of The Plaza, Pop Up is award-winning pizzaiola Michael Vakeen’s most traditional creation. It’s extremely casual, with counter service and a handful of tables, and décor that maintains an NYC vibe with a Beastie Boys-inspired mural and other Big Apple references. All of the pies and slices are made with California tomatoes, sausage from Chicago and Brooklyn-born mozzarella. Among the available toppings for the round and square pizzas, you’ll find Creamy Onion Spinach & Mushroom, and Hot Pepperoni.

Pizza Rock (201 N. 3rd Street)

Pizza Rock Downtown Las Vegas

Thirteen-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani has received just about every accolade imaginable for his California and Las Vegas restaurants, and is in the process of opening franchises for his Slice House brand across the country. But this location of Pizza Rock (there’s another one in the Green Valley Ranch casino) offers more styles of pizza than any of them. We’re talking Napoletana, Romana, Classic American, Classic Italian, Grandma, Sicilian, Detroit, California, Chicago Cracker Thin Crust, New York/New Haven and even Gluten-free in the dining room and bar, with New York slices available at the 3rd Street window.

Evel Pie (508 E. Fremont Street)

Evelyn Pie Downtown Las Vegas

Combining Evel Knievel fandom with a punk rock aesthetic, this East Fremont pizzeria serves New York-style slices in a dining room packed with memorabilia and a pinball machine, and has a back patio perfect for bands. Try a signature rattlesnake slice as you people-watch the tourists, punks, and hipsters who collide here from early afternoon until late into the night. The real surprise is how good the pizza tastes, even without the theme. So if the gritty, irreverent atmosphere isn’t for you, grab a whole pie or a few slices to go.

Yukon Pizza (1130 E. Charleston Blvd.)

Yukon Pizza Downtown Las Vegas

This family-run shop near the historic Huntridge Theater has earned a devoted following, particularly after winning a top prize at the International Pizza Challenge. The pizzas are built around a sourdough starter that dates back five generations, originally cultivated in the Yukon Territory during the Klondike Gold Rush. The result is a rich, crackly and chewy crust with an astounding depth of flavor. Expect a mix of traditional Neapolitan pies and offbeat creations, such as Sausage & Kale or the garlic-loaded “You Had Me At Garlic,” each one powered by that unique dough.