The Cromwell is located on the northeast corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Road. It is between Bally’s and Flamingo. The Cromwell is owned by Caesars Entertainment. It sits on the former property of Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Barbary Coast.
Caesars Entertainment, called Harrah’s Entertainment at the time, acquired the Barbary Coast property from Boyd Gaming in February 2007. Harrah’s traded 24 acres it owned on the north end of the Strip to Boyd Gaming for Barbary Coast. Harrah’s closed Barbary Coast on February 27, 2007. It reopened on March 1, 2007 as Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall.
The intent was never to keep Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall open in its acquired state. Harrah’s envisioned a continuous network of casinos under its umbrella on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip. This included an extensive renovation of Flamingo and working it into the old Barbary Coast property. The recession killed those plans.
After the name change to Caesars Entertainment, the company decided to close Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall on February 4, 2013. It reopened on February 21, 2014 as The Cromwell. It is a boutique hotel concept that is unique among Caesars Entertainment hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel has just 188 rooms and one restaurant. There is also a nightclub known as Drai’s After Hours. It is located on the rooftop and includes a pool.
Cromwell Tables and Games
There are 37 blackjack tables at The Cromwell. This is an extremely large number considering the size of the hotel and casino. Most of the blackjack tables are unplayable for serious players. There are 20 eight-deck 6-5 blackjack tables. These offer surrender and double down on any cards and after splitting, but that is little consolation with the ripoff 6-5 rule. The dealer hits soft 17. The bet limits for these tables are $10 to $2,000. The house edge for this game is 1.91%.
Eight of the tables are single deck blackjack games. These have bet limits of $15 to $2,000. Blackjack pays 6-5 at these tables. Players can double down on any two cards. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge for this game is 1.6%.
The best low limit game also has $15 to $2,000 bet limits. It uses eight decks. Players can double on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender is available. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge for this game is 0.56%. There are five of these tables.
The best blackjack game is spread in the high limit salon. The bet limits are $100 to $10,000. This game allows double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender is also permitted. Unlike the other blackjack tables in The Cromwell, these high limit games stand on all 17’s. The house edge is .36%. There are four of these tables. Two are in the high limit salon by the nightclub entrance. The other two are in a secluded high limit area on the south wall of The Cromwell by the Flamingo Road entrance.
What’s Different?
The Cromwell is one of the smallest hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. It has more blackjack tables per hotel room than any other casino in the area. The rule differences vary drastically from one section of the casino to the next. Players need to check the felt on the table to make sure that the game pays 3-2 on a blackjack. There are three tables in the front of the casino and two by the nightclub elevator that pay 3-2 starting at $15, $25 on weekends. The high limit tables pay 3-2 and also stand on all 17’s.
Total Rewards for Frequent Blackjack Players
Total Rewards is the players card used by all Caesars Entertainment properties, including The Cromwell. The formula for table game comps is not disclosed to players. This makes it hard to predict what comps will be issued for play to the card. Total Rewards gives points to slot and video poker players much faster than table game players.
One perk is that Total Rewards will issue free rooms to players on less action when compared to competitors. It is important to check the Total Rewards website when booking a room to see if an offer is available. It may take trying to book the room as some free offers are often not openly advertised.
The Inside View
The 3-2 tables are some of the best that can be found in the center of the Las Vegas Strip in the $15 range. These are hand shuffle games. You don’t have to worry about continuous shuffle machines at The Cromwell. If you can bring enough of a bankroll to hit the $100 tables, they are among the better games in town. Make sure to always read the felt to determine if the game pays 6-5 or 3-2 on a blackjack.