For the history buffs out there (like me), the Max sits on the sight of the former Maxim Hotel and Casino. The Maxim opened in the summer of 1977 and was reportedly home to some great blackjack. Many of you "old heads" might have played there back in the good ole days. I've read about the single-deck blackjack games being dealt down to the final card in the Maxim's heyday and people lining up for a seat at the tables. I managed to play at the Maxim a couple of times back in the late 1990s, the last in 1998 when my squadron was participating in a Flag exercise at nearby Nellis Air Force Base. Details are sketchy, but as I recall my two comrades and I each managed a small profit. The pit boss even comped us dinner at the buffet; nothing to write home about, but in the aircrew world "free food" was "good food."

On a non-gaming footnote, the Maxim was also the site of the shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996. Shakur was a passenger in an automobile in front of the casino. As the story goes, another vehicle pulled up and a man opened fire, seriously wounding Shakur. He died several days later from the injuries suffered during the attack.

I had not set foot inside the Westin in over five years since meeting an old flight attendant friend (from another life) there during her layover. It had been much, much longer since I visited the casino space. I was guardedly optimistic as I found my way to The Max Casino floor. The space is small, maybe 20,000 square feet at best. It is neat and clean with a smattering of slot and video poker machines. The video poker is all of the short-pay variety in all denominations with everything I noticed below 99% expected return.

The Max's table games are open daily beginning at 4 p.m. Weekday closing time varies between midnight at 2 a.m. based on "the crowd." At least one blackjack table is available around the clock starting Friday afternoon until the wee hours Monday morning. The Max has one table-games pit with seven tables. There is a craps table, a roulette table, and five blackjack tables, all of the six-deck shoe variety. I was shocked to discover that all paid 6:5 on player blackjacks. I guess this shouldn't surprise me, but in a small boutique casino like the Max, dealing a good game could do wonders and really increase foot traffic. I'd like to play there, but with 6:5 payouts on player blackjacks, it won't happen and I can't recommend the place to anyone else either. For the record, the Max's house rules allow players to double-down on any first two cards (DOA) and after splitting (DAS). Aces can be split and re-split to form four total hands. Dealers hit soft 17 and surrender is available. Minimum bets were $5. I didn't see any shuffles and there were no other players when I visited, so I can't comment on deck penetration.