Las Vegas Party Pits are Latest Craze

If there’s one thing gambling history has taught us, it’s that casinos have evolved for the better. Instead of people sitting in dusty Roman coliseums wagering on horses or placing craps bets in uninspired 1940’s Las Vegas casinos, they’re being offered a full entertainment experience by glamorous venues across the world. And a big part of this broader experience involves the party pit areas that casinos are running. Seeing as how the party pit is becoming an increasingly important section of casinos, let’s go over the details of this new movement.

While casinos are decorated with flashing lights and signs that beckon visitors indoors, sometimes the inside is a complete letdown. The vibrant scene suddenly dies, and people are left with run-of-the-mill gambling tables and stale betting action. Enter party pits, which are small sections that offer casino bettors a totally unique and exciting gaming experience.

The idea behind party pits is exactly as the name implies: create a party atmosphere around the gambling action. What this means is that, in addition to the regular gaming tables, casinos also offer adrenaline-pumping music, mini light shows and dancing women. And these aren’t just any women either since many of them look like models, and are wearing next to nothing (obviously an attempt to appeal to red-blooded males).

When you mix all of this together, it’s like putting gaming tables in the middle of a trendy nightclub. And this nightclub experience is what keeps people staying in party pits for hours. Going beyond the excitement aspect, it’s also worth mentioning that people feel like they’re getting major value out of each dollar they spend. So even if you lose $20 playing blackjack, you’ve still gotten some extra fun out of the deal! Now that we’ve covered what Las Vegas party pits are all about, let’s move on to something you need to watch out for at these pits.

While the entertainment offered in party pits is certainly enough for casual players, bettors who look at the matter a little closer will see one glaring problem: unfavorable rules. This is especially the case with the most commonly offered game in blackjack, where casinos slip a lot of rules into the equation that increase their house edge.

Some of the blackjack games feature 6:5 natural blackjack payouts (instead of 3:2), dealers can hit on soft 17, no doubling down after splitting, and players can only double down on 10 and 11. Now this isn’t to say that every party pit has all, or any, of these rules in place; however, they know that they can get away with running unfavorable rules because party pits attract lots of inexperienced blackjack players. Assuming you’re not turned off by these potential rules, below are some of the hottest party pits around.

Pussycat Lounge Casino (Caesars Palace) - This is certainly one of the best known party pits since it’s fashioned after the world-famous dance group The Pussycat Dolls. Staying true to the original Pussycat Dolls, the female dealers wear provocative clothing, and other women dance in go-go cages.

Pleasure Pit (Planet Hollywood) - If you don’t mind the color of pink and heart shapes, then the Pleasure Pit is certainly a nice place to play casino games. Aside from the appearance, there are also women dancing on poles, which may explain this party pit’s name.

Hell’s Belles (Hard Rock) - Just like the Pleasure Pit at Planet Hollywood, Hell’s Belles features women dancing on poles. And while the pit area isn’t quite as energizing as others in Sin City, it’s still a fun and entertaining place for people to make bets.

The Party Pit (Excalibur) - While the Excalibur’s setup may be more family-oriented with the whole castle theme, its party pit is anything but family-friendly. Here you’ll find more lightly-clothed girls dancing on a runway while people play blackjack games.