The Wild Card casino is not your typical gaming establishment in Black Hawk. A throw back to the old days when Black Hawk casinos were small and intimate, the Wild Card manages to survive with great customer service, a “free spin” promotion out front on weekends and holidays, and some unique features you’ll read about later.

This is indeed a small casino, crammed to the brim with machines, about 170 or so.
There are no table games at this time. There are two video poker bars, a small one upstairs and a larger one on the main floor. The slot machine selection is quite good, while the video poker selection is a little light. A few of those “Game King” multi-game/multi-denomination units would help a lot.

I’ve had really good service on all fronts every time I’ve visited the Wild Card. The staff is friendly and fast. They seem to be having a good time and want you to do the same.

There’s a couple of unique features of this establishment that I need to mention. One is the compact little “grocery store” in the back of the main floor. So you can buy milk in Black Hawk! Pretty cool. It has its own check out lane for customers so you can get in and out fast if you need to. The second is this little “jackpot card” you get when you hit something with a hand-pay over $100 (I think that’s the level, but ask someone there if you want to know for sure). The card gets you a meal at the “snack bar” (which by the way is combined with the “bar” downstairs), an entry into the current drawing for something big (it was a Dodge Viper last month), and a turn at the “claw” machine. Believe me – you won’t find many “claw machines” in Black Hawk. When you play the claw, you most likely will grab a small stuffed toy (I got a cool ”alien” the last time I tried) that has a little tag attached to it with a bonus prize number written on it – something like $5 or $10. Call me sentimental, but I love that claw promotion. A nice touch for those of us who used to do it at carnivals for a quarter.

So – I recommend you squeeze yourself into the Wild Card next time you’re walking around that end of Black Hawk. There’s usually live music upstairs, a machine with your name on it, and plenty of smiling faces to make your visit a lot of fun.

-Review by Steve Hall