The Golden Nugget casino is one of the most established in Downtown Las Vegas and was showcased in a reality TV series.
The Fox TV show The Casino did a whole series where they followed an entertaining cast of employees at the property and if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend you check it out.
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Golden Nugget Casino overview
Total gaming space: 38,000 sq. ft
Rewards program: 24K Select Club
Number of Slot and video poker machines: 1,000+
High Limit slots room: Yes
Table games: Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, variations of poker
Poker Room: Yes
Sports book: Yes
Smoking: Yes
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Golden Nugget, by number or rooms, is the biggest hotel in the Downtown area. With that in mind, it perhaps has a surprisingly small casino.
It is not too small by any means. In fact, it’s probably a bit bigger than average for this part of Las Vegas, and it’s a very high quality one too.
The Golden Nugget casino is one of those that has direct access to and from the Fremont Street Experience, and that means footfall and plenty of it. At peak times, such as evenings and weekends, the gaming floor can get very busy indeed.
Gambling in the Golden Nugget casino
There always seem to be enough slot machines to go around and the property has a wide selection available. Whether you like the modern machines or prefer the more vintage mechanical ones, you shouldn’t be left wanting at the Golden Nugget casino.
That can make for a cramped environment at times, though, as they do like to pack the machines in, certainly within some parts of the casino at least.
The Golden Nugget also make a special effort with their table games. Tables are usually very busy, but perhaps a bit too busy for the more nervy first-timers.
Playing table games in Las Vegas can be intimidating for first-time visitors. If that is you, then I’d stress there is nothing to fear about playing at the Golden Nugget, in fact there may well be nowhere better for you, but if it all looks a bit overwhelming then a quieter casino – such as the brilliant Downtown Grand – might be a better spot for you until you have grown your confidence.
In terms of the variety of games available, you have your usual Blackjack versions, Poker variants, Baccarat, Roulette and Craps.
If Video Poker and Keno are more up your street, then the Golden Nugget casino should serve you just fine too. These tend to be located on bar tops around the property.
Sportsbook and drinks service
As with every other casino, the Golden Nugget offers a complimentary drinks service and it’s definitely one of the better ones. My personal experiences there have always been quite good, even in the busier times.
Finally, no Las Vegas Gambling trip is truly complete without a sports bet or two. The Golden Nugget casino has a very good sportsbook, all things considered. Granted, it’s not in the same league as somewhere like Circa or Cosmopolitan, but it’s comparable to most in town and better than many.
Rewards Club
The Golden Nugget casino has its own rewards club called the 25k Select Club. Like the others, it is free to join up and you can start earning points immediately.
One thing to bear in mind is that the 24k Select Club is not linked to another properties. That means you’ll only make the most of it by doing most of your gambling in the Golden Nugget exclusively.