Why Las Vegas Locals Love South Point Casino

Why Las Vegas Locals
Love South Point Casino
🥩 💰 🍸 🎰

Las Vegas has no shortage of spectacular resorts, celebrity restaurants and over-the-top attractions. We love those too. But one of the pleasures of living here is having places that offer a completely different kind of Las Vegas experience.

That’s a big part of why we love South Point.

Located at the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard, South Point is especially convenient for us coming up from Henderson. There’s plenty of free parking, and the atmosphere is relaxed, casual and come-as-you-are. There isn’t an elaborate theme and there isn’t much pretense. It’s simply a comfortable place to spend an afternoon or evening.

And after living here for years, we’ve developed quite a few South Point favorites.

South Point
Hotel Casino and Spa

Blue Point Oysters and a Glass of Chandon

One of our favorite stops is the Big Sur Oyster Bar, where Blue Point oysters and a glass of Domaine Chandon Brut make a pretty perfect afternoon. We always choose the Blue Points, classic East Coast oysters known for their clean, briny flavor.

The Oyster Bar is casual—sit at the counter, order some oysters and watch the cooks working in the open kitchen. Nothing fancy. Just cold oysters, a glass of bubbly and a very pleasant way to spend some time at South Point.

Primarily Prime Rib, Michael’s, and Don Vito’s

South Point has also held onto a style of casino dining that we love.

Primarily Prime Rib is a favorite for very good food, excellent service and, perhaps best of all, value. The dining room has that old-school Las Vegas atmosphere, and a prime rib dinner here is still a genuinely good deal.

When there’s something special to celebrate, we love Michael’s Gourmet Room. With only 50 seats, it’s intimate and elegant, and it’s the one place at South Point where we like to dress up. What really makes Michael’s special, though, is the extraordinary service. A Captain oversees the meal, an attentive team of servers seems to anticipate every need, and tableside service—from the Sea Bass Sauté with buttered leeks and dill to classic desserts—preserves a style of gracious, old-school fine dining that’s increasingly rare.

And when we’re in the mood for Italian, there’s Don Vito’s, another longtime favorite. The dining room is attractive yet comfortable, and the professional service and well-prepared Italian classics make it a consistently enjoyable place for dinner. You can’t go wrong with the Shrimp Scampi or the Osso Buco.

Then there’s South Point dining at its most uncomplicated: the famous $1.50 Vienna Beef hot dog. We remember when the Hot Dog Cart really was a cart; today it’s served from a much larger station near the Sports Book, and there’s almost always a line. Its popularity is nothing new—in 2021, South Point was reportedly selling more than 600 hot dogs on a normal day. A $1.50 hot dog in a Las Vegas casino is pretty hard to resist.

$5 Blackjack—and It Pays 3:2 Odds

We’re blackjack players, and this is another big reason we like South Point.

Over the past several years, we’ve always found $5 blackjack tables here. There may be more or fewer of them depending on how crowded the casino is, but we’ve consistently been able to find a $5 game. That’s increasingly unusual on the Strip, where $10 and $25 minimums are commonplace.

Even better, South Point blackjack pays 3:2 rather than 6:5. South Point advertises it, and for blackjack players it matters. A $10 blackjack pays $15 at 3:2; that same blackjack pays only $12 at 6:5.

For my birthday a few years ago, Edward O. Thorp autographed a copy of Beat the Dealer for me. First published in 1962, the book made Dr. Thorp a legend in the blackjack world—the mathematician who demonstrated that the game could be beaten with a mathematically sound strategy. I’ve always found his inscription interesting. He wished me a happy birthday and “best wishes”—but not good luck. Perhaps that was fitting for the mathematician who taught generations of blackjack players that the game was less about luck than probabilities, strategy and making the right decisions.

There are also plenty of bars where you can have a drink and play video poker. And despite Dr. Thorp’s lesson about luck, we’ve had our share of it on the South Point slots too.

When the Rodeo Is in Town

One of our favorite times to be at South Point is when the rodeo crowd comes to town. The cowboy hats and boots take over the casino, competitors and their families are everywhere, and the whole place has a completely different energy.

South Point’s Arena & Equestrian Center is a major destination in its own right, hosting everything from team roping, reining and cutting competitions to rodeos and other Western events throughout the year.

For us, this is another part of what makes South Point so unique. It’s not simply a casino with an arena attached. The rodeo and equestrian events become part of the personality of the entire place.

Movies, Music and Live Entertainment

You don’t have to gamble to have a reason to go to South Point.

There’s a 16-screen movie theater, live music around the property and a 400-seat showroom that brings in an interesting mix of performers, comedians and tribute acts. We recently saw an ABBA tribute show there and had a great time.

The showroom is small enough to feel intimate, with good views of the stage, and it’s yet another example of what we like about South Point: you can see a show without turning the whole evening into a major production.

Why We Keep Coming Back

South Point can be Blue Point oysters and Chandon one afternoon, a prime rib dinner another night, Michael’s for a special occasion, a $5 blackjack table, a $1.50 hot dog, a movie, live music or a night at the rodeo.

It’s an entirely different Las Vegas experience from an evening on the Strip—and that’s exactly why we’re glad to have both.

South Point has simply become one of our favorite places in Las Vegas. ❤️

SOUTH POINT HOTEL CASINO AND SPA
9777 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89183

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