Status Change: Good Games; Player's Club Update

New: $5 : 99.17% BP High limit room

New: (8) $1 : 99.64% Bdlx on the main floor

Good sign up bonus, $100 total Freeplay for hitting 500 points in the first day.

Status Change: Nothing Good

MIA: 25¢ : 99.57% WHA bank by the table games on the roulette end

All five White Hot Aces 25 cent machines have been refurbished and reprogrammed. The machines now have multiple poor payback games. I spoke with a slot supervisor on 08-17-14, who confirmed they are the sames machines, but are reprogrammed. The White Hot Aces no longer exist.

I can confirm cashback is .2%. I couldn't find the 6/5 bonus poker progressives. I believe they're gone. They give BOTH husband and wife $10 for your anniversary month. It was our anniversary so a nice $20 to kick things off! Nothing mentioned or in print about birthdays. Casino has Blackjack ($3 - $25 tables), 3 card poker ($5), Let It Ride ($5), and Craps ($5) available now. Blackjack was decent. 2 deck and 6 deck games. Double Any 2 cards, Resplit aces (except 2 deck), Double After Split, Dealer hits soft 17, and attention blackjack lovers...they still pay 3:2 on your blackjacks in Bowler!!! (Nearest airport is Central WI Airport...I know you're all salivating :) I checked several machines in the casino, but I never did check the banks of White Hot Aces. I assumed they'd be the same as the WHA at the bar (6-5). They were always full and I didn't want to hover over anyone while they played as I wrote down the paytable. I didn't even consider looking at Austin Powers machines. I assumed they were just slots and the wife gets bored when I "walk all over the casino looking to make an extra .000078 percent. Sheesh!" :) What I did find - Bar plays: 93.78% Joker Poker, 94.82% Deuces, 6-5 WHA, and a one eyed jacks game I can't find a paytable for, however it's definitely lower than 94%. All of these at quarter level. Some Game King Multi-game, Multi-Denoms had the same or worse (nickel payoffs were worse, no VP in dollars on these.) Interesting Find - There is a bank of 4 Game Maker uprights on a wall near an entrance about the middle of the casino (sorry I don't know if it was North wall or what...the casino isn't that big you'll find them). They are dollar machines that only take 1 or 2 credit bets. Each machine has it's own progressive meter for the royal. With a 2 credit bet 2 machines paytables are: Royal (I assume starts about $1200 since 2 machines were around $1250 and the meters looked pretty slow - about a penny per bet) 239-65-16-10-8-6-4-2. Machines 3 and 4 were standard 9/6 JOB, but note the progressive starting at only $1200 for 2 coins in gave me 99.09% return from Frugal. The 2-coin ($2) 8/5 JB progressive is 99.37% at $1200 reset and is 100% at $1703.72. The 2-coin ($2) 9/6 JB progressive is 100% at $1952. All in all, not a lot of reason to go there unless you're in the area for some reason and just want to play for fun. Or you're driving by on your anniversary month. Quick $20!

One thing I can tell you is that the White Hot Aces are a better pay table than you assume based on bar machines. They are 9/5 on full house & flush, 120 on high 4 of a kind. Betting 5, it is 1200 for 4 aces and 4000 for a Royal. The SF pays 400, so it is 99.57%. That plus the .2% cashback on points make it a pretty good deal. These are a bank of "Sit Down" machines located by the table games on the roulette end. They have other sit down poker machines down that entire side of the tables such as joker poker, dueces wild, and double bonus, but they are considerably tighter than the WHA's, 94-96%. I never thought to try those Bally progressive Game Makers. They are on the South Wall, just to the left of the several door main entrance. No wonder they are so popular! Austin Powers machines are gone, converted to other video themes. Star Club Point system: Earn 1 point for every $2 cycled. Points can be cashed in as follows: 1500 points= $5 meal vouture. They only have a grill/cafe and a sub shop. No fancy restaurant or buffet like the near by Menominee Casino has. Food is ok to average, nothing worth a special trip for. 3000 points= $10.00; 6250 points= $25.00 cash back; 12500 pts = $50.00 cash back, etc. You also get monthly casino cash coupons in the mail, $5-$50 or more per month, depending on how much you play. I'm there alot and finally made it to the $25 level. You also get either $5 free food or $5 in free gas from thier convenience store, switches off about every 3 months. Gas prices average to good, good prices on smokes too, reservation so no tax. I prefer USA Gold generic menthol, good as Newports for $20 a carton! Northstar calims to be "Wisconsin's friendliest casino", but I disagree. Workers are not overly polite, walk 2 or 3 wide down the main isles talking and won't get out of customer's way. That is a big turn off for me. Also have not had the best luck with thier drink servers either. Usually if I want a beverage, I end up getting it myself or I'd die of thirst at my machine waiting for service!

*** MIA - *** 25c 6/5 BP PROG.

North Star: The same 25c bonus poker (6-5 bonus with five separate progressives) as Onieda. Other 97%+ Play are 25c 7-5 white Hot Aces and on multi-denominational Austin Powers they had 8-5 "Mini Me" jacks for quarters. Cashback is 0.2%.