Horseshoe Baltimore - Diamond preview reopening, 06/27/20

I received an email 06/19 that Horseshoe Baltimore was going to reopen on Sunday, June 28, but it would open at 8:00 AM on Friday, June 26 to Diamond and Seven Stars members.  I happen to be a Diamond cardholder, and was curious to see how they would handle things during the pandemic.

I took some pictures, but didn't take a lot because I know sometimes security gets upset when you take a lot of pictures.

I arrived there around 3:30 PM.  There is a Diamond parking level where the signage says you need to swipe your card to get in, but the gate was up.  Parking is free anyway.

Right inside the door to the hallway to the casino, there were security guards and a thermal scanner.  They asked for my player's card to verify I was Diamond or Seven Stars and then stepped to the spot to get my temperature checked.  I passed, so I was allowed to walk down the hallway to the casino entrance.  The person at the desk asked me to lower my mask to my chin and look up at the camera.  I know there are cameras all over a casino, so I did not immediately see the camera pointing at where I was standing.  I didn't ask what that was for, but he said I could go in.

A quick view into the casino revealed not many people.  Granted, it was only open for Diamond and Seven Stars members.  I could see that there were only three chairs per table game, and about every other slot machine was inactivated and the chair removed, if possible.  At the craps table, it seemed they were playing six to a table, three on each side.

View into the casino.

Rows of every other machine turned off and seat removed.

Six players per craps table.

I did a walk around the top floor of the casino, there was a bar open, with a couple talking with the bartender, but no one else.  Everyone had a mask, although I saw a few slot players had removed them while they were playing, and I saw a few people walking around with their masks pulled down.  There were quite a few hand sanitizing machines and signage on the casino floor.

Empty High Limit room

Signage around the casino.

They have a Topgolf suite on the casino floor, but it didn't seem open. The poker room was also not open.

Topgolf suite.

Poker room was closed.

They have a beverage station where you could get your own soft drinks, but it was shut down.

Closed beverage station.

They do not comp alcohol at Maryland casinos, but I did see cocktail waitresses with trays full of sodas and bottled waters.  They were also wearing masks.  The Laurel Lounge was not open, but there isn't much value here, as you cannot get free drinks or food here.  But, if you don't have to pay to get in, it would probably be a nice place to chill off the casino floor.

I noticed the escalators I usually take to the lower floor were out of service, so I was wondering if the first floor was closed.  I spoke with some security guards about this, and they said I needed to take the elevator.

There was no one in the elevator, but the capacity is four, although there were not spots marked on the floor to indicate where people should stand (I guess it should be obvious that people should stand in each corner).

Social distancing in the elevator, please.

There were less people on the first floor than the second floor.  I was thinking it might have been because people didn't know how to get to the first floor as I did.

Even less people on the first floor.

The B'More Beers bar was closed, all of the machines were turned off.  Most of the restaurants in the Baltimore Marketplace were closed.

The Asian Gaming pit was open, and I saw one player.  The FU Noodle restaurant that is adjacent to it was also open.  The Face-up Pai Gow Poker table was full (three people), and all of them were playing two spots, but the two $50 midi-baccarat tables were empty.

I went back up to the second floor, and noticed a podium with a monitor that said, "Poker Waiting List".  A closed look showed that this was actually a table game waiting list, as listed the wait (or interest) for various games.

Wait list for craps.

Wait list/interest for baccarat and Ultimate Texas Hold'em.

I saw a man go up, and the employees took his phone number and told him they would call him when a spot opened.  So it currently seems that one can not just walk up to an open game if there is a waiting list.  I saw an open spot at the craps table earlier, and the employees escorted a woman to the open spot.  As I was not going to play, I did not make any further inquiries about it.

I discovered that they opened a new outdoor gaming area, The Terrace.  Their website says that it features 160 slot machines, 16 live table games, 15 video poker machines, and a bar.  The gentleman I spoke with about it said they opened it two months ago (I guess while it was still closed) and they are still completing work on it (which you can see in my photo).

A view of The Terrace.

Pricey cigar selection (there is a second humidor as well).

Full dice table, unsure if this is connected with the waiting list inside.

Other than the craps table, there were only two or three other gaming tables open (with no players), although there was one player at the baccarat/roulette stadium game.

I was considering opening a play day, since they are currently offering 5x Reward Credits and Tier Credits, but the gaming is pretty bad (but pretty standard for Caesars properties).

I did find a linked video poker progressive that was to be removed once it hit.  It was almost at $1,300.  I took a shot to help them remove this game, but fell short.  I dropped $40 at 25c double bonus, and then switched to a very poor deuces wild game, where my first hand was a dealt wild royal flush.  I then managed to get five-of-a-kind and cashed out up $5.  I found another linked machine on the other side of the bank, and hit four-of-a-kind on double double bonus and cashed out with a $40 profit.

I went upstairs and played my "lucky" Super Draw Triple Play video poker machine.  I almost lost my winnings and then some, but was rescued by another quad and I decided to cash out with an $8 profit, and walked out up $53.

It's hard to say how things will be when it opens to the general public (which was today).  I felt comfortable playing, there were hardly any people around.  Most people seemed to be social distancing and most people wore their masks.  I didn't have too much interaction with anyone, other than speaking with the people as I entered the casino and the security guards that I asked my question.  People are definitely closer than six feet apart at the table games, I believe, but I think my main concern would be at the craps table.  I did not stand by the table games to observe any sanitizing processes.  I also did not see any attendants come right away to wipe down the machines I was playing.

I'm sure it is a nice place to hang out after attending a sporting event, it's very close to Ravens Stadium and Orioles Park at Camden Yards, but the lack of comped alcohol, poor video poker paytables, and high table game limits makes this place a turn off for me.

**EDIT:  I should mention that I saw a lot of white buckets, such as the one on one of the table game photos and one on the end of a slot row, which I image are cleaning supplies.  These were abundant around the casino.