Some casino names are so iconic that even if you’ve never been near their carpets or slot machines, you know what they are.
The Stardust was one of them.
For nearly three decades, the space-themed resort helped define the Las Vegas skyline – and played a starring role in any number of heist and action movies from the late 20th century.
Today, the Stardust is gone – imploded in 2007 to make way for the CityCenter development. But its spirit lives on – at least in New Jersey.
Ways to Improve Your Casino Edge that You Probably Aren't DoingWhy a Stardust casino online?
The Stardust brand came out of mothballs in 2018 as an online casino in New Jersey – just in time for the holiday season. Operated by the Mohegan Sun, the site offers a full complement of casino games including slots, blackjack, video poker, and live dealer games.
Why resurrect the Stardust name? According to Mohegan Sun Executive Vice President Kyle Wailster, it made sense from a branding perspective.
“When you think about legendary gaming experiences, the Stardust Resort & Casino in Las Vegas was synonymous with excellence and unforgettable entertainment,” Wailster said in a press release. “We are honored to continue its legendary legacy and bring the Stardust experience to players in the Garden State.”
Even if you can’t make it to the new (old) Stardust anytime soon, let’s take a look at some of the standout casino games that made it famous – along with where you can play them online today.
Stardust Slots
Slots have always been the lifeblood of American casinos, and the Stardust was no exception. In fact, when the Bally’s remodeled in the late 1980s, they added hundreds of new slot machines.
Like most Vegas casinos, the Stardust featured a mix of older ‘reel’ slot machines alongside newer ‘video’ slots. Here are five classic slot games that could have called the Stardust home.
Wheel of Fortune
These days, the various Wheel of Fortune slot games are a staple of Indian country and state casinos across America. Developed by International Game Technology (IGT), these slots feature bonus rounds based on the various wheels found on the long-running Pat Sajak/Vanna White TV show.
IGT began life under another name in the 1970s and quickly became a leader in the reel-spinning slot market. When the company entered the video slot era in the 1990s, it wasted no time rolling out digital versions of Wheel of Fortune.
New Jersey residents can get their Wheel of Fortune fix online via Borgata Casino.
Reel ’em In
Fishing is a popular pastime in Alaska, where the pioneering manufacturer Arkansas Charley Co. got its start in the mid-1970s. Better known as ACC, the company moved to the Las Vegas area in the late ‘70s and began cranking out reel slots featuring a fishing theme.
Of all their games, none were more popular than Reel ‘em In. Featuring colorful graphics and several creative reel configurations, Reel ‘em In could be found in casinos across the US – including the Stardust.
While ACC is no longer in business, many of their creations lived on through various acquisitions. That includes Reel ‘em In, which can still be found in casinos today.
In terms of online equivalents, that would be Quick Hit Platinum (Betcha). Based on the popular Quick Hits slot family, Betcha also throws in the Reel ‘em In-like Fishing Frenzy bonus round for some serious nostalgia appeal.
Super Times Pay Poker Machines
By the early 2000s, almost all slots being produced were of the video variety. However, there was still a large segment of gamblers who preferred the old-school reel machines.
To serve that demographic, several manufacturers—including Aristocrat—began producing slots with video technology driving old-fashioned mechanical reels. The idea was to give players the best of both worlds.
Aristocrat’s initial offering in this category was the Times Pay line of slots. Featching a retro, neon Las Vegas skyline, the Times Pay slots proved popular enough to inspire a successor: Super Times Pay.
You can get a similar vibe online via Virgin Casino and the Retro Roulette slot game from Pragmatic Play.
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Another Alaskan manufacturer, Fortune Coin went head-to-head with ACC in the fishing-themed slot market. While not as popular as Reel ‘em In, Fortune Coin’s Fish n’ Chips remained in production for over two decades.
Unfortunately, Fortune Coin wasn’t around for the smartphone revolution. The company ceased operations in 2004, shortly before Apple launched the original iPhone.
Online slots with a fishing theme are few and far between, but Big Bass Bonanza from PokerStars Casinos comes close.
Show Me the Mummy
Universal Monsters were all the rage in the 1940s and beyond, with every major studio fielding its own stable of boo-inducing baddies. Columbia Pictures had the mummified prince Kharis, while RKO had the ghoul Ghota. Even Disney got into the act with the hunger-haunted Headless Horseman.
With so many monsters running amok, it’s no surprise slot manufacturers jumped into the fray. IGT, in particular, released numerous monster slots during the 1990s and beyond, including two based on the bandaged borrower: Tombs of the Pharaohs and Secrets of the Mummy.
The latter title was a Stardust fixture for many years, delighting boogeyman buffs with random win animations and mini feature triggered by three Mummy scatter symbols.
If you like your slots with a side order of cryptobiology, try Book of Dead (Scores Casino). Swedish game maker Yggdrasil Gaming hasn’t exactly ripped off IGT’s Secrets of the Mummy; rather, they’ve taken inspiration from the ancient Egyptian mythos so fondly depicted in Hammer horror films like The Mummy’s Shroud.
Main differences? The main character is an Indiana Jones-esque archaeologist named Rich Wilde, and the big wins come courtesy of the adventurer’s girlfriend instead of his own skills.
Popular Table Games at the Stardust
While slot machines may have been queen at the Stardust, the resort also offered up plenty of traditional table games. Here are five classics that could easily be found on the casino floor.
Three-Card Poker
Derek Webb and his wife, Suzie, created this straightforward card game in the late 1990s. The basic premise behind Three-Card Poker is simple: players are tried against the dealer on the strength of their three-card hands.
Proper bankroll management: The single most important skill in gambling.
Doyle’s room was actually the first poker room in the Las Vegas area, opening inside the Ambassador Lodge (now Bilyards) in 1977. More importantly, it was the birthplace of countless variations on the Stud-and-Draw format that made Doyle such a famous player.
Among the games Up Limits offered during the 1980s were:
- High Low Jacks or Better (later renamed Californian High Low)
- High Low Seven Card Stud
- 30 Second Stud
- Short Deck Hold’em
- No Peek Cheaters Choice
Alas, the Up Limits brand has faded from view in recent years. One of Doyle’s favorite games does live on in the garden city state, albeit under a different name.
The closest thing to Up Limits Brunson you’ll find online these days is the short-deck variant of Fast Blackjack at eight different BetMGM NJ. Unlike traditional blackjack, Fast Blackjack uses a 36-card deck (all 2s-6s and the Ace are removed), with pushes always pushing to the player.
Crapless Craps
Craps is a beloved casino game, but even don’t-pass bets can fail under certain circumstances. Specifically, when neither the don’t pass nor don’t come bets are active, and a 2 or 3 rolls on a come-out throw.
Such disappointments led to the creation of Crapless Craps, a variant that removes those downside odds. Instead of losing on those ill-fated rolls, the house simply locks in a push.
Golden Nugget offers several craps variants online, including a version of Crapless Craps from NetEnt.
Spanish 21
Regular superstition: Dealers replace broken cards with new ones regardless of the suit.
Superstition: Players are allowed to replace broken cards with new ones according to a set formula.
new us online casinos 2023Spanish 21 takes regular blackjack and adds several other twists, including bonuses for five or six card hands, 21+6 bets, and multiple payouts for natural 21s. The replacement rule is an important part of the equation, allowing players to trade broken cards for fresh ones in the hope of improving their hand.
Between the rule differentials and higher payouts, Spanish 21 and regular blackjack are not compatible games.
Dozens of casinos throughout Vegas offered Spanish 21 in addition to regular blackjack. The Stratosphere, Excalibur, and the aforementioned Golden Gate (then known as the Sal Sagev) all had sundial-themed rooms with hourly payouts for beating the house on a 6-card, 5-card, 4-card, etc. basis.
Naturally, the replacement rule makes Spanish 21 a difficult game to replicate online. After all, how do you replace a broken card in a virtual setting?
That said, a serviceable analogue does exist in the form of Multihand Blackjack Gold Series at BetMGM and Borgata Casino. It doesn’t have the bonuses, payouts, and dealer-replacement rule of Spanish 21, but it is blackjack as played at the Stardust in the 1990s.
Chuck-a-Luck
Chuck-a-Luck isn’t really a card game, but rather a dice game simulated with oversized tin balls. First introduced by Gardner Harrison (son of Kenny Rogers Roasters founder Albert) in the 1980s, Chuck-a-Luck was an instant hit due to its simplicity and communal nature.
Reasons Why CashIn Casino Is a Top Pick for UK Gamblers – PokerListingsHere’s how it works:
- Each tin ball bears a number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)
- The dealer spins the balls around in a wire cage resembling a luchador’s mask
- Bets are accepted during this period
- Once the cage stops spinning, the bettor wins according to the numbers drawn
All told, there are nine possible outcomes for a game of Chuck-a-Luck:
A low-variance game, Chuck-a-Luck is more of a social experience than a moneymaking venture. That likely explains why the Stardust housed the game in a small, enclosed pod outside the main casino area.
When you remove the social aspect, Chuck-a-Luck becomes a very efficient money sink. Thus explained its online home at Mohegan Sun’s Wild Casino, where triples pay 50X your wager and everything else is a losing proposition.
A near-exact analogue of Chuck-a-Luck can also be found at Caesars Casino in the form of Lucky Lion. Same deal with the lion dance mask and everything.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker was invented in the 1980s by Sam Torosian, an Armenian-American casino consultant. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Chinese domain game pai gow, Torosian created a poker variation where the dealer sets two hands (one high, one low) and players compare their hand to both of the dealer’s hands.
Easy to learn and featuring a high degree of player interaction, Pai Gow Poker became a staple at casinos across America.
At the Stardust, Pai Gow Poker was dealt out of special tables located near the entrances to each gaming section. This setup encouraged folks walking by to stop and watch the dealers work their magic, hopefully drawing them into the casino proper.
Anyway, if you want to feel the cool breeze of the Stardust entrance ways while playing Pai Gow Poker, I’d head to Partypoker Casino and their Asian-flavored Dominator Pai Gow.
Choosing Your Own Adventure at the Stardust Casino Online
No two gamblers are alike, which is why the Stardust Casino Online (SCO) offers a wide range of slots, table games, and live dealer titles.
Whether you prefer classic Stardust slots like Zombie Invasion or Triple Edge Poker at Borgata Casino, the choices are yours to make. So grab your jet pack and head for the Stardust online casino today!
Footnotes:
- Stardust history provided by the .
- Details on Mohegan Sun’s Stardust branding provided by an .
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