The D wagers on nostalgic crowds with vintage games
It may not be Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, but The D’s Sigma Derby may be the next best thing .
The D Las Vegas hosted its first Sigma Derby tournament May 3 and 4 in honor of the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby.
The coin-in, coin-out machine, manufactured in the early ’80s, boasts five metal horses that race around a roughly 2-foot-long track. Gamblers wager a quarter at a time on the two-horse combo they think will finish first and second or second and first, called a quinella. Odds are displayed around the track, from 2-1 to 200-1.
The game is the “crown jewel” of the casino’s vintage slots floor, said Brad Stegman, vice president of slots. The downtown casino did away with its poker room, citing an oversaturated poker market, opting for the retro machines in an attempt to rope in nostalgic patrons.
“It is the only game of its kind in downtown (Las Vegas), and people come here specifically for this game,” Stegman said.
Unlike pai gow poker or baccarat and like any other slot machine, the game requires no strategy or no knowledge of horse racing — just plain luck.
“It’s not a sit-down-and-relax game,” Stegman said. “People get really excited playing this game.”
Stegman declined to comment on how much revenue it brings in but said, “ It does pretty well for us.”
The D’s keno and events manager, Mike Palm, said he put the tournament together from scratch.
“No one has ever done a tournament like this with a machine like this before,” the horse racing aficionado said. “We were forced to get clever.”
Palm said he structured the tournament in a way similar to how thoroughbreds qualify for a race.
The first day of play May 3 saw two rounds of 10 races. For a $50 entry fee, players received 40 quarters to wager over the course of play. The top winners moved on to the May 4 finals. The first-place winner received $2,500.
“It’s the same strategy,” Palm said. “I think it captures the drama of a horse race, and it all ties into the Kentucky Derby weekend. We have fun with our tournaments here.”
Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.
