Room Quality: Very good for the price. Every room is bigger than average, has a king or two queen beds and a nice-sized sitting area. We don't mean a crummy little table and dining chairs, we mean comfy loungers, a sofa to call your own. The bathrooms are decent, but not fancy. There is enough space to spread out, or lie against the cool floor when you think you're going to puke. The toilet and tub/shower are in an enclosed room while the sink and hanger rack are in a little space with a sliding door. A really neat touch is the little window in the tub/shower that opens to the outside world, so you can yell at people in the parking lot while you bathe. We usually yell, "Come on up, the water's fine!" Rooms have hairdryers and coffeemakers (with only a little free coffee). TVs are flat panel, for after you lose all your money and want to watch Judge Judy.

Service Quality: Good. It's a small place by Vegas standards, and because it's not directly on the Strip, they try a little harder. Check-in is quick and easy, and room-service is not a rip-off.

What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: They provide generous little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and bath gel. It's almost more than you can smuggle out in your toilet kit. That' why God gave you so much extra room in your underwear. Check the desk drawer for the elusive and coveted sewing kit.

Clientele: Lots of locals in the casino, and middle-aged people in the hotel. If you're a young punk who likes to make noise, this place will feel a little slow. They have a lot of weddings going on upstairs, so don't be shocked to see a lovely bride and groom sitting next to you at the "Filthy Rich" slots.

How's the Pool? Better than average for an off-strip hotel, but average compared to the big boys. It's large but not really themed or unique. If all you want to do is swim, and not dunk yourself under waterfalls, it should suit your needs just fine. In the summer they have big barbecue parties out there one night a week.

Table Games: Blackjack, baccarat, craps, Three Card Poker, roulette, Pai Gow. It's the garden variety, with no particular deals to note. Blackjack, craps and roulette are on par with Strip casinos.

Bet Minimums: Craps is $5 with standard 3x4x5x odds. We've seen other table games at $5 most of the time. Roulette has dollar chips most of the time.

Machines: Slots from a nickel on up. There are tons of those crazy video nickel slots that take about 50 at a time. There's a good selection of video poker in all varieties at the nickel quarter and higher levels, some are full-pay at the quarter level.

Cocktails? Good cocktail service. If you want to get blotto, the too-scantily-clad cocktail waitresses will be happy to help. Above the casino, on the second floor, there are eight drinking fountains all lined up in a lonely hallway. Why? We don't know, but there's never a wait. And if the first fountain has no cold water, you can try any one of the other seven.

Who Gets Comps? A $25 bettor can get a buffet comp after a few hours. As with most off-strip casinos, joining the slot club and using it will likely result in some free or discount room offers in the mail. The B-Connected Club has occasional bonus points promotions, so keep your eye out for them and stay on their mailing list.

Big Al's Oyster Bar: They really do have a lot of oysters on the menu, and you can get them as shooters. The atmosphere is brick walls and casual. The menu is full of seafood soups, pastas and even some chicken. The cioppino is good, but when isn't it? Jambalaya and gumbo almost make you forget where you are.

Canal Street: About the only thing N'awlins about this steak and fancy foods joint is the prices. It's steak and seafood and they claim it's all done up N'awlins style. The locals love it, and it is pretty good. Overall, not a bad deal, but not a place for us cheapskates, either.

Courtyard Cafe: A very good coffee shop with some decent late night specials and fresh foods all the time, including free coffee cake on the table during morning hours! You'd be hard pressed to spend more than $10 for dinner unless you load up on the seafood. The breakfasts in here beat the pants off the buffet for flavor and freshness.

Don Miguel's: One of the better casino-based Mexican restaurants. It looks like a dull old coffee shop, though. Open dinners, but not on Monday and Tuesday.

French Market Buffet: It's good. It's pretty good sized and there is a wide variety of basic foods. The desserts are mediocre. Breakfast is the worst meal of the day, so you're better off going to the coffee shop. There are almost no New Orleans touches to this buffet, except for the fact that they serve crawfish and have a cheesy statue of a Krewe leader out front, so don't hope for chitlins or spicy fried chicken.

Koji: We always thought that the Japanese and Chinese have fought like cats and dogs throughout history. But here at Koji they live harmony on what could be the most extensive menu in the world. Sushi right next to egg noodles. Tempura sitting besde the lemon chicken. We don't have any experience with the quality yet, but the prices are right, and you can get out with a dinner and drinks under $25.

Prime Rib Loft: Oh, boy, here's something you can't get enough of in Vegas: prime rib. This place is open for dinners only and advertises big cuts of meats and a menu starting under $15.

TGI Fridays: Thank God it's Fridays! Because, God knows you can't get this sort of food at, oh, say, Applebees, Chilis, Tony Romas, Ruby Tuesdays, etc, etc. Yes, this is a TGI Fridays just like the one right by your house. So, if you want to feel like you're not on vacation, enjoy!

Bowling: Lots of lanes for your ball-throwing pleasure. 70 lanes to be exact.

Century Theaters: They have a fairly large, and extremely comfortable, cineplex inside the theater. It's all stadium loveseats, which means plenty of room to spread out, big cup holders and nobody hanging their feet over the seat next to you. If you get a hankering to see a movie while on vacation, this is a great place to do it.

Lounges: Sometimes they actually have Dixie music in the lounge, but you're more likely to get a cheesy classic rock or top 40 cover act. The lounge crowd is middle-aged locals.

Orleans Arena: A big hall, seating up to 9,000 for sporting events (including Las Vegas's minor league hockey team), circuses, motocross and country music concerts. It's pretty new, but certainly not the first arena in town. Usually, the events are big and not every night. Check the Orleans web site for a concert schedule.

Orleans Showroom: Big names from years ago, like Don Rickles, Dennis Miller or a Righteous Brother. You won't see Lady Gaga or The Apples in Stereo, but you're likely to get decent older acts with tickets usually in the $40-$70 range.

Number of TVs: Thirty-nine, with 30 of them for race and the other nine for sports. There are seven more over the lounge area.

Number of Seats: About 115 below-average seats with TVs for racers. Seventy additional seats are lounge-style behind the book, and thirty chairs are set up for sports. They're leather, but not particularly comfortable.

How Many Betting Windows? About 13 take race wagers, while seven place sports bets. Race results are written by hand but sports scores get the electronic light treatment.

Free Drinks? Ummmm, probably not, but there's no rule against it. The Orleans Express snack bar is about 100 feet away.

Snack Bar? There is a hot dog cart in the book for your heart-bursting needs.

Minimum Wager: $5 sports, $2 for racing

Other Notes: This place really wants your race bet business. The sports, not so much. But those guys that sit around all day, every day, kibitzing and betting race after race are sorely wanted.

Number of Tables: Thirty-five tables in total. That's a lot of action, although, only a fraction tables are usually working.

Comfort of Chairs: Above average. Your butt won't ache, but it won't feel coddled, either.

Closed Room or Open to Casino? It's open, but removed from the noisiest action. It's also a nice card room, one of our favorites.

Game Spreads and Limits: 7-Card Stud 1-5 (very rarely and on weekends): Hold-em $2-$4; $4-$8; $8-$16: Omaha Hi Lo $4-$8-$8 and $8-$16. No Limit Hold 'em $1-$2 and $2-$5.

Beginner Games or Classes? No.

How Crowded is the Room? This is definitely a good poker room, but it's also very big so it doesn't fill up fast, except on weekends, or during their very popular daily tournaments. Most of the time, though, there should be less than a half hour of waiting here.

Comps? Free drinks while playing. $1.25 per hour in comps for the first four hours and then 50 cents an hour, capping at $9 a day. You've got to have a players card, too.

How Good Are the Players? It's a mix of good and very good. This is no place for rookies to get their feet wet, but it's perfect for a decent player who wants to get better.

What Else Do I Need to Know? Bad beat jackpot. Tournaments twice a day, mostly Texas Hold 'Em. The weekend evening tournaments are the most expensive and the deepest stacked.