There's no potato famine going on, but excitement is on the wane. The Fitz is an average hotel and casino. It's also greener than just about any other place in town. The sad thing is they are really downplaying the Irish theme these days, and the owner names stuff after himself. What happens when he sells? Will Mr. O'Lucky wind up on the welfare rolls?
Room Quality: Tired, medium-sized rooms. The beds are soft and cheap, there is a sitting area with a small table and two chairs and a nice armoire for the TV. The colors don't hurt the eyes. Bathrooms are standard, with tub/shower combo (unless you can sweet talk your way into a jacuzzi room). There are in-wall safes and irons with boards. Nothing to get excited about here, but usually a good value, especially on weekdays. The views can be great, since this is the tallest building downtown. Rooms are directly above the casino and check-in, so there are no long walks, but elevators can be slow. The parking garage is scary to drive in, with a narrow, spiral path leading you to the fifth floor and above.
Service Quality: Pretty good. Rumor is the employees get pretty mad at anyone who tries to steal their lucky charms, though. Especially the purple horseshoes. The hotel is small enough that you don't get lost, but big enough to afford to pay people to help you out when you need stuff. Check-in is quick and painless.
What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: Cheap shampoo and soap.
Clientele: Downtowners in their 40s and 50s and beyond. There are a few young people drawn in by the cheap rates and the location on Fremont Street.
How's the Pool? Don't expect much of a view. It's small and quiet, nothing like the big tropical paradises on the Strip. But, it's the fourth best pool downtown (there are only five: Golden Nugget, Plaza, Horseshoe, Fitz and California - in order of quality).
Table Games: Craps, roulette and ugly six-deck blackjack, 3-card poker, Caribbean Draw, Spanish 21 and Let It Ride are the flavors of the casino.
Bet Minimums: For blackjack, you'll find $2 tables, but expect more open seats at the $5 ones. Plus, the $2 game has some weak rules. Craps is $5 mostly ($3 sometimes), and odds are 3x4x5x. 50¢ roulette with $2 minimums sometimes, but often higher. Other table games are $5.
Machines: They claim to have loose slots, but so does everyone else. Games range from nickels to five bones, and the selection is not that great since the place is small. There are lots of those sneaky $1 slots that keep tricking us into giving them our lunch money. There is a grand array of nickel machines in their Nickel Zone. They usually have a small inventory of full-pay video poker.
Cocktails? Pretty good. We could make a joke that stereotypes Irish people and their drinking habits, but we'll refrain. Please just repeat to yourself some joke you remember.
Who Gets Comps? Their comp policy is pretty generous for table players, and it automatically tracks your play starting at $5 a hand. For slot players it's pretty good. The Club Fitz has 0.2% cashback for slots and half that for VP.
Courtyard Grill and Buffet: Perennially at the bottom of the list of worst buffet, even with the recent redo. Or is that at the top of the list of worst? Either way, rub your lucky shamrock if you eat here and maybe you won't regret it. Don't have a shamrock? Then run! For slow runners, this is a coffee shop with a full menu for all meals plus a buffet at dinner only.
Don B's Steakhouse: Don B owns the Fitz, but we're pretty sure he is not in the kitchen cooking your meat. This is a fair steakhouse, nowhere near the best places in town and you're better off at the Redwood Grille at the California for an equally affordable hunk of meat. One nice thing is the casual atmosphere; no need to get dressed up here. Open for dinner on weekends only, and be sure to use the house phone just outside the restaurant to call in your reservations.
They also have a Krispy Kreme and a McDonald's where you can get French fries. Hey, those aren't Irish!
Vue Bar: While nothing really goes on at this patio overlooking Fremont Street, it's a pleasant place to sit and watch people walk by below while having a drink. It used to just be there, but now they have incorporated it into the Vue Bar. Don't be intimidated, though, just walk through and hang out on the balcony for free.
Number of TVs: Just eight lousy, little tubes, all of them dedicated to sports.
Number of Seats: Fourteen seats are divided between seven at low tables and seven at high tables. On the plus side, the seats are low in quantity but relatively high in quality.
How Many Betting Windows? Two, backed up by white slate signboards. Usually there is only one person taking bets.
Free Drinks? None to speak of.
Snack Bar? No, but check out the bar directly behind for beverages, at the Vine bar.
Minimum Wager: $5 sports
Other Notes: We can't imagine anybody coming here just for betting on sports, but the option is available if you're here anyway, or if you really believe in the luck of the Irish. Basically it's just a little tiny outpost for Leroy's sports-betting empire.
Number of Tables: Six tables in the "room" and that's about it. They are all Hold 'Em tables and they themselves are as big as our apartment.
Comfort of Chairs: Bleh. Sure they can buy fancy new giant tables, but why can't they spring for nice chairs? It makes us want to put our butts on the swanky felt.
Closed Room or Open to Casino? Either there is no room, or the room is enormous, and also contains slots, a sports book, bar and several restaurants. You see, the poker "room" is just a cramped space with a rail around it on the second floor.
Game Spreads and Limits: They hope you like Texas Hold'Em, because that's what they deal, in the $1-$2 no-limit and $3-$6 limit varieties. They say they start a HORSE game every morning. They say...
Beginner Games or Classes? Between ten and ten-thirty every day they have a lesson, so come on over, learn the game, get scared by the intricacies and run away.
How Crowded is the Room? Not crowded at all. There are times when they have only one table going, and rarely, if every will they have more than three going. Expect waits of up to 20 minutes if you are particular about the table you want to play at.
Comps? Cocktails. Do they count? The ladies deliver many of them due to the poker room's location.
How Good Are the Players? How is it that sheep say it? They are ba-a-a-a-a-d. And that's good. Very loose, passive games featuring a lot of people who think they have to play a lot of hands before they die, and they want to get them all out of the way now.
What Else Do I Need to Know? The rake is max $4, which is okay, but not great. There is also a jackpot rake on larger pots. Boo. Otherwise, enjoy the mediocre poker room rate on rooms if you play more than four hours a day. Oh, you can watch the Fremont Street Experience from the poker room.
|
