Room Quality: The rooms are modest and clean, and also undersized compared to the new Strip properties. This is probably about the quality of your average Ramada Inn. The Tangiers is the nicest of the three towers. Tangiers is the "deluxe" rooms, and the Tunis and Alexandria are "standard." The main differences are that there are more non-smoking rooms in the Tangiers, and individual air conditioners instead of central air. Bathrooms are nothing special. Just a sink, toilet and shower with a cheap floor and counter tops. TVs are plain. Furniture is the standard beds and table with two sitting chairs. Views are generally mediocre. You can overlook the Stratosphere, the east Las Vegas suburbs and monorail station, or maybe a view down the Strip.

Service Quality: Fair. This is a moderate hotel. We wouldn't say you are on your own, but expect service commensurate with the price.

What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: Shampoo and soap. It's nothing you'd want to hoard and take home, but it will get you clean enough for a few hours at a cheap blackjack table.

Clientele: A few young folks are drawn here by the cheap rooms. Lots of middle-aged travelers on a budget also appreciate the value. Overall, it's a Mid-America vibe, maybe because of the NASCAR affiliation.

How's the Pool? Large and okay. It's a rectangle, with a nice Moroccan theme and a gazebo-covered jacuzzi. For a fee you can get a poolside cabana with chairs, a TV, fridge, bottled water and a pool raft. Security seems to be more lax than at other pools in town about letting people in.

Table Games: The usual suspects: craps, blackjack, roulette, Let it Ride and a few oddball card games, especially ripoff versions of blackjack. The table pit is large, and that's a good thing. Down one hallway they have something they call the "party pit" at night. This really doesn't involve much more than louder dealers and wackier costumes.

Bet Minimums: Blackjack has some very, very, very bad rules at $1 tables all of the time, and merely bad rules at $3 and up. Craps is $5. Roulette has $1 chips. Let It Ride is at least $5 while Pai Gow is $10. Craps has 5x odds. The single-deck blackjack is 6:5 - pbbbbt.

Machines: From a penny on up. They have all the latest video and reel slots, including all the faddish slot machines. There are a few quarter and higher full-pay video poker machines hanging around, and pretty loose slots for the Strip.

Cocktails? Fair to good. It used to be better, but on our last few reconnaissance missions, they failed to get us blotto in a satisfactory amount of time. In fact, once we had to wait a half-hour before we could even order a drink.

Who Gets Comps? A friendly green chip bettor just might find himself getting a dinner comp (okay, so it's not worth much) after a few hours. A $100/hand will definitely get the royal treatment. Generally, the slot club is not generous while you're there, but they mail out free room offers and invitations to slot tournaments.

Caravan Cafe: Typical coffee shop fare. The service can be painfully slow, even when the place is half-empty. The specials aren't really that special for price.

The House of Lords: A relatively inexpensive steakhouse/gourmet room. For a gourmet steak, you're better off at many places farther south on the Strip. However, they are more expensive. In addition to the steaks, the house of Lords serves gourmet staples like crab cakes and lobster bisque. Open for dinner only, so you'll have to get your breakfast lobster elsewhere.

NASCAR Cafe: If you're a NASCAR nut with a hankerin' for some overpriced food surrounded by racing memorabilia, well, you'll be right at home. This place isn't as absurdly overpriced as some theme restaurants, but you should still expect to pay $20 per person for a meal that would only cost $12 elsewhere. Fare is typically American, such as ribs, chicken, burgers and fried stuff.

Sahara Buffet: Considering the price, it's almost a fair deal, although recent diners have said they will not return to this buffet. It might be good to stay away 'round about dinnertime. On weekdays that's the only meal they serve. Weekends have a brunch, too. Both are lousy.

Casbar: Now, this is a lounge! We've seen some real old school crooners with big rings and dirty jokes performing here. It's not our favorite lounge, but it's right up there. They have some really great performers, and the occasional dud like hypnotists or low-rent magicians. Overall, though, cool lounge.

Comedy Stop: The Comedy Stop has up and coming stand-up comedians. They have had a good track record of hiring funny folks with good-quality comedy. In other words, you aren't likely to hear someone talk about airport security for 45 minutes. Expect about 90 minutes of gags with a headliner doing 30-45 minutes of it.

Cyber Speedway: Indy Car and Off-road race simulations. It's like a giant interactive motion simulator ride. We have heard the off-road races are so wild as to be vomit-inducing, but the Indy cars are plenty fun.

Rick Thomas: Rick Thomas has been doing afternoon magic in Vegas for a while, but now he as graduated to a nighttime show. It's a bargain by Vegas show standards and suitable for children. The act includes big cats and large-scale illusions.

Speed - The Ride: The roller coaster closest to the Strip is a doozy. It features a 224 foot drop going both forward and backward. It's a short ride, unfortunately, but extra-cool because it whips right by the tourists on the sidewalk outside.

Number of TVs: About 12, with half for sports and half for racing

Number of Seats: About 17 altogether, with most of those for racing. Chairs are uniformly below average. If you don't believe us, ask our asses.

How Many Betting Windows? Three windows with an electronic board behind them.

Free Drinks? This sports book is so far removed from the casino that drink service is highly unlikely. Besides, you don't want to hang around to see a game here unless you're a hermit.

Snack Bar? No, nothing. I guess that's why they call this place the Sahara.

Minimum Wager: $5 for sports, $2 for racing.

Other Notes: This is a disappointing sports book, closer to hotel registration than the casino. It was just shoved into an unused corner right by an entrance with a lot of foot traffic. Don't come here to watch the big game, just to curl up and die.

Number of Tables: Sixteen, with half of them working when it's busy.

Comfort of Chairs: Below average chairs, so don't get your hopes up, and don't come here if you have a sensitive bum.

Closed Room or Open to Casino? It's open to the casino, but off a hallway, so not loud or distracting.

Game Spreads and Limits: Hold-em $2-$4 and $1-$2 No Limit. They have no-limit games most of the busy hours.

Beginner Games or Classes? No.

How Crowded is the Room? The room is rarely crowded and there is not much wait for a table. Maybe longer on Friday or Saturday night, but otherwise they welcome you to come in and lose a few bucks.

Comps? A $4 food discount when you play a few hours.

How Good Are the Players? There are very few regulars and lots of loose tourists. The poker manager told us that games can get pretty wild, and the play of some players can be counter-intuitive. They have a few poker tournaments every day and they have a nice structure with good play.

What Else Do I Need to Know? They have a bad beat jackpot, and some good low-roller daily tournaments.