Since its release in 2013, GTA V has become one of the most famous video games of all time. The game is so popular that when its developer Epic Games released the title for free, their servers crashed, causing an outage that lasted 8-9 hours. With its sequel GTA 6 now having been announced, fans can start getting excited once more -– and many are likely dusting off GTA V for another run.
For those who haven’t played much of the game since the early days nearly a decade ago, the biggest new thrills may well come in the form of the GTA Online Diamond Casino –– which at the time of its unveiling made for some of the biggest DLC we’d yet seen in a modern game. Specifically, the casino and assorted activities were introduced for Grand Theft Auto Online as part of The Diamond Casino & Resort update. And because it might be new for some of you who are diving back into the game after a long hiatus, let’s take a look at some things you should know about the Diamond Casino.
Don’t forget the Lucky Wheel
The Lucky Wheel is a slot machine that the player can spin once every 24 hours (in real-life time, that is). Through these spins, you can win anything from cash, RP (reputation), and poker chips, to clothing items or discounts on vehicles. The best reward, however, is the Podium Vehicle of the week. And it really is worth checking back on the Lucky Wheel every day; Rockstar Games has been adding stuff through weekly updates from time to time.
The casino only offers three-card poker
One little surprise when you navigate the casino is that its gaming section only offers three-card poker. Not only is this not Texas Hold’em, (which is what most people today think of when they think poker), but it’s also a game that strays from traditional poker hand rankings, adjusting the values of certain hands to suit the fact that players only have three cards each. For instance, three-of-a-kind ranks higher in three-card poker than in Hold’em, wherein it’s easier to pull three of the same cards in a five-card hand. It’s not too big an adjustment, but for those who are more familiar with Hold’em or five-card draw, the poker in the Diamond Casino will be a bit of a new game.
The VIP Membership might be worth it
If you have some cash to burn, consider buying a Penthouse in order to get VIP Membership in the Diamond Casino. It includes the same perks as the Standard Membership, plus the added bonuses of having a Members Party, access to the VIP Lounge, and high-limit betting tables. There’s a caveat, though: The odds on games such as blackjack and roulette are the same as in real life, so don’t expect the high-limit games to net you a lot of in-game cash too quickly.
You can get kicked out
The Diamond Casino isn’t without its quirks, too. Chief among them is the bizarre fact that if you take more than five consecutive pictures in the casino with your phone, you can get (temporarily) kicked out. And the same goes for trying to access VIP areas repeatedly as a visitor. But if you do get yourself thrown out, don’t panic! You’ll eventually be let back in. Just remember that in the world of GTA, blowing each other up is more or less fine, but pictures in the casino are just too much.
We hope this has inspired you to dust off your GTA Online cars and get yourself to the casino. Goodies await you on the Lucky Wheel, and there’s plenty of fun to get up to beyond the gaming tables as well. At the end of the day, it’s one more way to occupy your time during the interminable wait for GTA 6!
