*** MIA - *** $2 NSUD removed from MG/MD TITO slant-tops outside the entrance to Cassidy's Prime Rib.

Details of the new comp policy are still not available. Booth people say "you are earning comps, just ask us if you want any food". Apparently there is a problem with programing the new policy into their computer.

*** MIA - *** (2) 25c PKM uprights ("Keno Plus") outside men's room near the Poker Corral.

Cashback has been discontinued and the new comp policy is to be finalized soon. The word for now from the booth is " It will be up to 7 times more than before and good at most of the Boomtown facilities". Meanwhile points for play will accumulate at the old rate of $30 = 1 point.

*** MIA - *** (4) $1 10/7 DB uprights between the change booth and the high-limit area. (1) 50c 10/7 DB slant-top near high-limit area. (2) $1 NSUD slant-tops near high-limit area. (4) $1 JOB (3 Play) uprights near cashier.

In February they discontinuted their very nice bounceback program.

The 4 upright $1 triple play 10/7 DB near the cashier are missing. This is disappointing as it was one of my favorite plays, it's hard to find full pay on multi-line machines any more. There are 8 MG/MD machines outside Cassidy's that have 10/7DB at $1/$2/$5. Unlike other locations in the casino, the $5 DB paytable has not been shorted on quads/SF on this bank of - location and game details are unknown.

The $5 10/7 DB are MIA, but I found some machines that had denominations up to five dollars, with a 10/7 paytable for $5, but the payoff for a straight flush or quad 5-K was only 239 at the $5 level, instead of 250.

The $1 10/7 DB progressives at the Happy Trails bar have been removed and the $5 DB progressives have been changed to 9/7.

The database mentions a bank of 12 machines by the poker corral. The info is correct, except I couldn't find the two Multi-strike machines mentioned. I never found NSUD or 9/6 JoB in nickel or dime anywhere in the casino and after I asked a slot staffer for nickel and dime and he pointed me towards a bank of low-pay JoBs in another part of the casino. I can confirm 2 quarter Pick'Ems still by Men's room. Cashback/Comp level is correct on database. Slot staff was friendly and continually passed out drawing tickets for free gas, which this summer is quite a prize. After driving in from the Bay Area, this is a good first stop to stretch your legs and play a bit.

Located west of Reno just off Interstate 80 in Verdi, Boomtown appeals to both the locals market as well as to auto travelers along I-80. They are very generous with free room offers (I get them regularly, even as a local, for – as near as I can tell – just being a member of the slot club). They will also, as has been noted many times, still match any other room/food offer that you have from another casino (with some minor limitations). Just make sure to talk with VIP services to book this & not room reservation. Also note that one of the best ways to get back and forth to Boomtown is their free shuttle service to downtown every 30 minutes. They pickup & dropoff at the National Bowling Stadium, so it's a breeze to stay at Boomtown on one of their great room offers & head downtown to play there if you like. The casino design meanders a bit (you can tell that it started very small and just kept adding new wings). A convenient way to think of it is the "upper casino" and "lower casino." The elevation difference is only two steps, but it's a nice way to break it up. The upper casino has the Silver Screen Buffet, the End of the Trail Bar, Cassady's Steak House and the Gift Shop. The lower casino is where the table games, Poker Corral, Sportsbook, Sundance Cantina Coffee Shop, Dance Hall and Six Shooter Saloon bar are located. Player's Club - The player's club is a cash AND comps (Boomtown Bucks) system, with a slightly higher return for comps. Cashback = .10% ($25 = 1 point, 170 points = $5 in cash) Comps = .13% ($25 = 1 point, 125 points = $5 in comps). Cashback can be used as comps at the .13% rate. Video Poker Inventory - To put it simply, the best game is 10/7 Double Bonus (100.1%), which is available in every denomination from quarters to $5 and includes multi-plays and progressives. There are also plenty of 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.5%) and a few instances of 16/10 NSU Deuces (99.7%) and Pick'em (99.9%). If 10/7 is your game, you can probably just skip the rest of this report and just know that you can find your game at just about any level you care to play. In fact, one of the surprising things to me is the large number of $1, $2 & $5 single and multi-line 10/7 games available. Frankly, I just can't imagine that Boomtown attracts that many high-limit players (I could be wrong, of course). Games in the Upper Casino - Beginning at the upper casino is one of the best plays in the casino, $1 10/7 DB with a progressive royal flush at the End-of-the-Trail Bar, next door to the Keno Lounge. This is a long bar and there are plenty of machines to choose from. The progressive was $4,200 this weekend. Also in the upper casino is a bank of six slant-top IGT Game King TI/TO (three machines on each side) right outside the entrance to Cassady's Steakhouse. These machines all have 10/7DB at $1, $2 & $5 and 16/10 NSU Deuces at $1. Games in the Lower Casino - Just below the steps between the upper & lower casino (on the lower casino side) is a double bank of 10 (five on either side) slant-top quarter triple play 9/6 JoB. They are between the beginning of the blackjack tables and the change booth. These machines have bill acceptors but are coin dispensers. Along the wall, right next to that change booth and between the change booth and the high-limit salon are four $1 10/7DB uprights. Just in front of these uprights is a double bank of four (two on each side) slant-tops with $5 10/7DB. Right outside the high-limit Slot Area, on the California side (heading towards the upper casino and the change booth) is a bank of eight slant-top machines (four on each side). On the side facing the high-limit Room is a lone .50 10/7DB machine. On the side opposite are two $1 16/10 NSU Deuces. At the curvy bar between the high-limit slot areas and the blackjack tables, the bar-top machines have $1 8/5 Bonus Poker Progressive. On the opposite side of the casino from that curvy bar (you walk between the two craps tables) is the cashier's cage. Just outside the cashier's cage are four $1 uprights triple play with 10/7DB and 9/6JoB. There are two machines on either side of the "Credit" sign above the entrance to the cashier's cage area. The machines themselves are facing the to craps tables. Just outside the Poker Corral (lower casino) is a double bank of 12 slant-top, ticket-in/ticket-out machines. On the Poker Corral side are six IGT Game Kings with JoB 9/6 at .25, .50, $1, $2 & $5. They also have 10/7DB at $1, $2 & $5 as well as 16/10 NSU Deuces at $1 & $2. On the opposite side are four Game Kings with the same games. Also on the opposite side are two Multi-Strike machines at .05, .10, .20 & .25 with the best games at these denominations being 9/6 JoB and 16/10 NSU Deuces. Just outside the Men's restroom, next door to the Poker Corral, are two upright machines with .25 Pick'em. The glasses on the machines say "Keno Plus." At the Six Shooter Saloon the bar top machines have quarter progressive 8/5 Bonus Poker. Nothing else on this bar appears to have any reasonable potential to go positive. Blackjack - Boomtown has one of the best blackjack games in Northern Nevada. It's the traditional "Downtown Las Vegas" game of single deck, double on any two cards with a house edge of just .18%. Penetration is dealer dependent but can be quite good as long as you don't get too greedy. Conclusion - A low Cashback rate means that there are not any really super profitable plays to be had (unless some of the progressives get high). However, add mailed room and food offers into the mix and you can get some great comp value while playing games with about a 100.2+% total return (including Cashback). Not a bad deal at all, especially for a visitor.

Stayed in a comped room at Boomtown - they send comp offers to EVERYONE - and found some interesting play. (The Boomtown database info needs updating.) I looked at every machine in the casino and found NO 25¢ 10/7 DB and just one 50¢. (Lots of $1 and $2 10/7 DB, though.) These machines are scattered throughout the casino. I found only one 10/7 DB for 50¢. It's on the end of a bank of machines between the high-limit Salon and a change counter, just steps away from a bank of four $1 10/7 DB - location and game details are unknown. The progressives at the End of the Trail Bar looked OK. The quarter progressive was well over $1100 and the DB paytable was 9/7. These are MG/MD machines and had a similar DB paytable on a $1 progressive. (Machines at the other bar had no positive paytables.) Played most at the 25¢ Triple DB progressive. The paytable put it close to positive; the progressive was over $1200 when I left. (No royal for me. No complaints though, since I hit one $500 payout and my son hit two.) These are near the Cantina, facing the stage of the little "club" area. Band was pretty good too. Players' Club benefits: Cashback is given in $5 increments for 170 points (34 pts = $1). Or, take $5 in "Boomtown Bucks" for 125 points (25 pts = $1). The "Bucks" are good for food, rooms, gas, gift shop, etc. These are in addition to discretionary comps based on evaluation of your play. The computers were down when we were there, so I'm not sure how much play is needed for comps, but the club staff encouraged us to have our play evaluated regularly to be sure to get our comps. Just ask at the Players' Club booth.