This is the younger sibling of the venerable and sort-of-dumpy original Arizona Charlie's, but it's not that young anymore. The hotel rooms are cheap, though they are called suites. The casino is decent but shows wear. They do have some reasonable games, though.
Room Quality: Most of the rooms are "suites" but don't get your hopes up for something dazzling. This place was originally going to be a long-term stay hotel, so the rooms are larger and have separate living rooms and bedrooms, but they're not fancy and actually a little cramped. The bedroom barely holds a king bed. The bathrooms are tiny. Furniture is minimal -- there are two TVs in the "suites" -- one in each room. It's like staying in a very large Super 8 room, meaning they are clean, and a notch above an average Motel 6. The rooms are in a series of buildings, none of which is directly attached to the casino, so be prepared to walk. Views are pretty bad in almost every room, so don't hope for a spectacular Strip panorama.
Service Quality: Fair to good. We've found the dealers here to be quite friendly, same with the general staff. Don't expect a full-service resort, but expect a smile and thank you.
What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: They've got shampoo and lotion in bottles for your using or pilfering convenience.
Clientele: A mix of blue-collar locals, ambitious video poker players and tourists looking for cheaper lodging than the Strip. There are few kids around and most of the adults are in their forties or older.
How's the Pool? Small and undistinguished, but you will often have it to yourself. There are jacuzzis, too.
Table Games: Blackjack, some double-deck games and some out of shoes with decent rules. Craps, Pai Gow Poker, roulette. They also have bingo. Lordy, is it getting stinky stale smokey in this place, and a little run down.
Bet Minimums: We see craps at $3 or higher, and you get groovy 10x odds. They have fair limits across the board. Usually $5 blackjack, $5 Let It Ride and roulette with 50-cent chips are available.
Machines: Loads of video poker, a small number of which is actually full pay, even down to some nickels. There are loads of video slots and other favorites, mostly in nickel and quarter flavors.
Cocktails? Fair, but the casino is built around the lounge and you can always grab a drink there for cheap or free (depending on how sweet you are to the bartender).
Who Gets Comps? A fair slot club means that VP action may pay off in rooms and other comps. The club is good for both AZ Charlie's, the Stratosphere and the Flamingo in Laughlin (but not in Vegas). You get twice as much in comps as you do in cash, should you choose them. Remember, always tell the pit bosses that you're friends of ours. They have no idea who we are, but they might think you're crazy and give you something just to get you to leave them alone.
Sourdough Cafe: A decent coffee shop, open 24 hours, that serves plenty of low-budget options on the menu and on special. The $3.29 steak-and-eggs or ham-and-eggs served anytime is a classic (but you gotta show your slot club card to get it).
Wild West Buffet: This buffet might actually be a touch better than the one at the AZ Charlie's West, but that still doesn't mean we recommend it. Instead, truck down the road to the Firelight Buffet at Sam's Town, which is still not great, but better. The big plus here is it is easily one of the cheapest buffets in Vegas.
Yukon Grille: Big portions of your meaty favorites, like steak and chops. All straight from Arizona's famous Yukon Territory. The smart shopper who smuggles his own bottle of malt liquor in can get out for less than $75 for two dinners with tips and dessert.
They also have a Sbarro's and a place called Charlie's Philly Cheese Steaks here. We can't vouch for Charlie's grilling ability, but it's an interesting variation on the usual fast-food offerings.
Palace Grand Lounge: This lounge has acts that can be a cut above the usual lounge tripe. Although, it can also be tripe. Once we saw a country band with a singer so bad a friend thought it was karaoke night.
Number of TVs: About twenty, all flat screens, with two slightly larger ones.
Number of Seats: About forty seats. They seem to be wider and cushier than a cheap sports book seat, but about half have that little desktop built into the chair anfd the other half are at long tabletops.
How Many Betting Windows? There are about five windows with slate boards behind them for tracking scores and odds.
Free Drinks? If you can flag down a cocktail waitress, sure.
Snack Bar? No. There is a bar a hundred feet away, but no snack foods to get your betting stubs greasy.
Minimum Wager: $5 for sports. $2 for horse racing. So, if you only got two bucks, become a horse racing fan.
Other Notes: Like the rest of the casino, it's got the generic feel of a Ramada. It's pretty bland and a little froofy, Victorian looking.
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