No longer owned by anyone named Binion, and in fact about three owners removed from the namesake family, Binion's has seen better days. Some parts, like the new poker room and Benny's Bullpen are big improvements, but other areas, like the tournament area in back, are sad reminder that not much money is pouring in.
Room Quality: The rooms are small. dingy and mostly functional. About like a Super-8 room. They are bare of most amenities, but do have coffee-makers. Otherwise, just a bed or beds, a TV, dresser, small bathroom, and a view of downtown or North Las Vegas. If you want a slightly better room, ask for one in the old Mint tower; they are larger. The casino is full of dark woods, with low ceilings, dark lighting, and the ghosts of gangsters and other unsavory characters floating around, including a very pissed off Benny Binion.
Service Quality: Fair. The current ownership has a long way to go to mend the damage done by the previous owners who cut back services like they were overgrown hedges.
What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: You get shampoo, conditioner and lotion. They are all generic and bland, which is fine, because so ifs our hair.
Clientele: The typical downtown crowd of middle-class gamblers. Although, expect to see a lot of people who came for the great gambling, only to learn that's long gone.
How's the Pool? Well, the view is great since it's on the roof. It's small and not very crowded, because people staying here would mostly rather be in the casino than in the pool.
Table Games: Blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, baccarrat, Pai gow and a few trendy varieties. The Binon's legacy is good games, like 3:2 blackjack and 10x odds on craps, and that great stuff is back. New management has also scattered a few extra tables around, possibly in hopes of regaining a reputation as a good place to play table games. Recently, there have been three ladies with large breasts dealing blackjack out in front.
Bet Minimums: Blackjack is mostly $5, but you can sometimes find a seat at a $3 table, all of it 3:2. Craps is usually $5 (rarely $3). Let It Ride, Pai Gow are $5. Roulette's a $4 minimum with $1 chips.
Machines: Lousy video poker, normal slots, and apparently lots and lots of keno machines.
Cocktails? Good cocktail service, unless it's crowded.
Who Gets Comps? The club is on par with other downtown properties. They will seek you out, though, if you put decent play on your card. Expect to see a few offers in the mail. Also, they will rate you at the tables even if you are only betting $5 a hand.
Coffee Shop: Located in the casino basement, the Horseshoe coffee shop almost always has a special or two worth eating. It's actually a very good little cafe, with crummy coffee, but big portions and a very old-Vegas feel... for now. It closes too early for late night dining, and doesn't open until afternoon on weekdays, though, which is terrible.
Ranch Steakhouse: It's pretty hard to get more traditional than this venerable steak house. Big, juicy chops, warm rolls and iceberg-lettuce salads. It's old school and okay, although it was great in its heyday. Still, the view from the dining room on the top floor of the Horseshoe is spectacular at night.
Snack Bar: A snack bar serves some very good burgers, sandwiches. This choice is ideal for a quick bite to eat. A plus can be the interesting characters you may meet while eating at the counter. We like the burger and the onion rings, others swear by the chili.
The deli makes pretty good sandwiches with a half-pound of meat in them. The pastrami is legit. Benny's Bullpen, a bar for men watching sports, has bar food like nachos and sliders.
Million Dollar Display: The old Binion's Horseshoe had a display of 100 rare $10,000 bills that you could be photographed with. Well, lousy Becky Behnen sold those. But the current Binion's owner has a new million-dollar display and you can get a free photo with it. It's not rare bills, but it's still a million bucks. It's a nice, classy touch. They will take your photo with it, or you may take a photo of it. But, you aren't allowed to take a photo of people with it. Don't ask us why.
Number of TVs: Four televisions. One for you, one for a friend, and two for the hookers that came with you.
Number of Seats: Twenty-one chairs, which is one fewer than needed to seat two football teams. There are also four barstools. Chairs have rollers, though, so you can still have a seated game of football (bring your own pigskin). All chairs have individual TVs, which is cool, especially considering there are only four shared ones.
How Many Betting Windows? Five with video monitors behind them displaying the odds on games.
Free Drinks? Sure, if you're one of them high rollers who can afford to wager $20 on a bet.
Snack Bar? There is a great snack bar twenty paces away. Remember that number in case you ever need to write a treasure map that leads to it.
Minimum Wager: $5 sports
Other Notes: The sports book is just where you're supposed to place your bets. you need to go over to Benny's Bullpen, a bar, to watch them in any comfort. It has the liquor, sometimes some table games, and always video poker.
Number of Tables: Ten in the main room and eighteen more in the tournament room. Of all the places taking advantage of the Hold 'Em craze, Binion's is in the lead.
Comfort of Chairs: Okay, as long as you're not a primadonna. The main room is where the old sports book was and is quite nice and the tables and chairs are better. The tournament room is tired and dingy.
Closed Room or Open to Casino? The tournament room is open, but conveniently tucked away in the back corner, so it stays quiet. The new room is closed off and nicer. It is also closer to the rest of the casino.
Game Spreads and Limits: 7-Card Stud $1-$5: Hold-em $2-$4, $3-$6: Omaha occasionally. They have no-limit, and other high-limit games on busy nights.
Beginner Games or Classes? Nope, no lessons. At least, management couldn't remember any when we asked.
How Crowded is the Room? It can get packed. Binion's wants to be famous for poker, so some people want to play here. Weekdays and late at night you're more likely to find a spot easily. The typical wait is 20 minutes to an hour when the room is full.
Comps? Free drinks while playing. Two bucks an hour while you play. That's pretty dang good.
How Good Are the Players? Fair to very good. This ain't a great game for beginners or timid players because there are much weaker games in town. The tournaments are usually 20% decent and 80% lousy, the low limit games are about average.
What Else Do I Need to Know? There are several daily hold 'em tournaments with a range of buy-ins. The max rake on games is $3, and that's swee-eeeet.
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