The casino floor is pretty new still. It's not revolutionary, since they've borrowed the sandstone/flagstone motif from the other new joints in town. What was once infamous for its grime, though, is now clean, bright and has windows! There are almost two eating choices and a friendly bar.
Room Quality: The rooms are small, but fresh, modern and clean. The walls are white, with white linens, dark carpet and turquoise accents. Furniture feels like IKEA. Lighting is new. There is an iPod dock between the beds in double-queen rooms. You can also get a king room. The bathrooms are very small, but fully functional and neatly laid out. Gold Spike owns the building next door and has renovating it as well, calling this additional 50 rooms "The Oasis". They are basically the same, and surround the pool. The overall feel of the Spike is fresh and pleasant and it'll prove to be a good deal for the traveler willing to walk one block to Fremont Street. On the top floor are suites. These aren't fancy--and the bathrooms are small and standard--but they're bigger, include fridges and are slightly themed: one with a pool table, another with a stripper pole.
Service Quality: The prices are low and you get more than you pay for, but you do not get room service.
What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: For now, they help you keep your hair clean with Leatherwood shampoo and lotion.
Clientele: It's a mid-tier crowd and they hope over time to get younger folks. The hotel is cleaner and fresher, but it's not trying to be the Bellagio.
How's the Pool? The pool is fairly small and standard, but this is a small hotel so the amount of water seems to be just about right.
Table Games: Three blackjack tables sit in the middle of the casino floor. The tables are open only one shift a day, from 5 p.m. to one a.m. and are dealt by "sexy" blackjack dealers who are mostly nice, sort of sexy and fun to play with. The rules are decent, too.
Bet Minimums: The blackjack tables is a fine $3 and with 3:2 on blackjacks. Roulette is 25-cent chips with a dollar minimum. Both match the El Cortez limits most of the time.
Machines: From a nickel up, with a thin selection of new machines. The payout tables are improved but still worse than elsewhere downtown and there is no slot club.
Cocktails? You tip a buck per drink, but figure it's just as easy to get them from the bar in this small casino.
Who Gets Comps? It's not known what the player's club will be like when they get it going. Right now, you can get some free food for hitting jackpots.
Golden Grille: Right where the old diner was, but certainly cleaned up with a lot of white patio chairs and white vinyl booth seating. Prices are quite reasonable, and the specials are cheap. The food is standard, though, and the steak-and-eggs features the stringiest piece of meat this side of a bike bar full of grannies. A four a.m. visit found four hookers at the counter.
Joe's New York Pizza is a walk-up counter that serves decent pies, but the prices aren't that friendly. Plus, its hours are variable: sometimes open, sometimes not.
Bar: The massive bar in the casino indicates the plans for a bigger casino. For now, you won't have trouble finding a seat at this horseshoe-shaped table with the bartenders in the middle. Low drink prices and the place's reputation for lunatics should keep the bar interesting in a good way.
Number of TVs: None dedicated to the sportsbook, but there are flat screens around the adjacent bar and three posting odds at the book counter.
Number of Seats: There are about twenty seats at the bar, and ten more dedicated for the sportsbook. The ten chairs are in two rows and, if mis-arranged make it difficult to get to the back row.
How Many Betting Windows? One window in this Leroy's outpost, with a bored looking man reading an instruction manual behind it. There is also a kiosk for those who hate speaking to people.
Free Drinks? The bar is right behind you, but the cocktails are not free, unless you're playing. They drinks are otherwise cheap, though.
Snack Bar? Thirty feet around a corner is the Golden Grille. If you're feeling adventurous, walk an extra thirty feet to the pizza ovens for a slice.
Minimum Wager: $2 horseys and $5 sports. Parlays on sports can be lower.
Other Notes: This is very small Leroy's sports book. The ten chairs are small but comfortable, but you really get the sense you've been pushed into the corner.
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