AC Decatur: Cash cow

This is one of the most bare bones casinos I have ever seen. Coffee shop, buffet, minimal fast food, slot machines and a small pit with maybe 12 tables. Only one table is devoted to Pai-Gow poker for some variation from the craps/roulette/blackjack. No specialty restaurants (not even Mexican). What is surprising is that the gaming revenue here is higher than at Hard Rock Casino. No kidding!

Quote: pacomartin

This is one of the most bare bones casinos I have ever seen.

Precisely. Frills are not always valued. Anyone who wants a nightclub will go elsewhere. Retirees find it convenient to get to, convenient to park and it gives them what they want and no more than what they want. Its a good business model though not necessarily applicable to a casino on some fifty million dollar an acre parcel on the strip. Those who sell plain vanilla and nothing but plain vanilla often do very well.

Quote: FleaStiff

Frills are not always valued.

Interesting. So why are casinos falling all over themselves by adding Japanese cuisine, Chinese restuarants, Irish pubs, Oyster bars, etc. This place rakes in more gambling income than Hard Rock Casino, and it just barely has table games.

Arizona Charlie's is the kind of casino you go to if you're living on a Social Security check. The limits are very low and everything is dirt cheap. No frills at all. I had a hard time thinking of things to take pictures of when I was there with Lisa. As a bit of trivia, I'm told it is the only casino within easy walking distance of a synagogue, should you be required to walk to one.

Quote: Wizard

As a bit of trivia, I'm told it is the only casino within easy walking distance of a synagogue, should you be required to walk to one.

ROTFLMAO. Sorry, Wizard, but that was unintentionally hilarious. Anyone who is required to walk to synagogue should not be gambling on the Sabbath anyway!

>Maybe there is a bracha for craps players?< :)

Quote: pacomartin

Quote: FleaStiff

Frills are not always valued.

Interesting. So why are casinos falling all over themselves by adding Japanese cuisine, Chinese restuarants, Irish pubs, Oyster bars, etc. This place rakes in more gambling income than Hard Rock Casino, and it just barely has table games.

Sort of a Slots o' Fun but not on the strip. It gets retired locals.
I've often wondered if what I've referred to as Frills really adds all that much. It adds perhaps to "the experience" but there are alot of people who don't value "the experience". Some people go to a gym to work out, they do not go to a trendy health-club to "have an experience". Its sort of the "I don't 'do lunch', I eat lunch!" type crowd. Casinos compete. They want to distinguish themselves in the market place. Surely Asian Cuisine brings in some Asians and some culinarily adventuresome non-Asians but for some retirees "culinary adventure" means a new brand of ketchup on their fries. Night clubs, pool parties, Irish bars... the younger crowd goes for it. Many women come to Vegas for the shopping and the shows, many of the younger set come for the pheremone-filled club scene, there are profits to be made from Frills of various types but there are also profits to be made catering to those who stick with the same ketchup.
There is nothing exotic about Bingo... but it brings in retirees with social security checks that get fed into slot machines during the non-Bingo even hours. Bingo players don't want Oyster Bars, they want coffee and donuts (and booze).

Quote: Wizard

Arizona Charlie's is the kind of casino you go to if you're living on a Social Security check. The limits are very low and everything is dirt cheap. No frills at all. I had a hard time thinking of things to take pictures of when I was there with Lisa. As a bit of trivia, I'm told it is the only casino within easy walking distance of a synagogue, should you be required to walk to one.

Interesting trivia, most of the Synagogues are in much wealthier sections of town. Midbar Kodesh is a long walk from Green Valley Ranch, but it doable. But more specifically there are a dozen places of worship within easy walking distance of Arizona Charlie's.

As to the business model, this place was a bowling alley when it was built in 1963 a few years before Howard Hughes came to Vegas and the population of Clark County was roughly 150K. They kept adding slot machines until they finally tore out the bowling alley and made it solely a casino. Eventually the Becker family (long time Vegas developers) lost the casino to corporate raider Carl Icahn and he was sold to Goldman Sachs about two years ago. It is an older modest neighborhood of Las Vegas. The hotel has 258 rooms.

Now they have 1240 Slot machines, Bingo, Keno, Craps, Roulette, Sports, Race and 11 Blackjack tables, and 1 exotic Pai Gow Poker table that sort of acknowledges that they are 2.5 miles from Chinatown.

But their gaming revenue is relatively high, and patrons don't drive a few miles to find a casino with more offerings. It makes you wonder what the actual potential is for gaming around the country. There must be 100,000 neighborhoods like this around the country, but they will probably never be zoned for a casino.

===============
To use another business comparison, the San Remo Casino was making a modest $33M Net revenue from all sources in 2004 a few hundred yards from Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd (one of the busiest crossroads in the world). But it was profitable.

Hooters bought the place for $74M and dumped at least $130M in for improvements including 5 places to eat and a showroom. They have 700 rooms (much more than Arizona Charlie's Decatur). By 2006 they managed to get net revenue up to $68M and it has been plunging since then. Hooters peaked gaming revenue in FY2008 at $25M (compared to over $72M at AZ Charlie's Decatur). Now with the depression Hooters made only $13.9M in gaming revenue for the first 9 months of 2009. Total net revenue will probably not break $48M for 2009.

If I'm losing you with numbers, Hooters is doing reasonably well at selling hotel rooms and beer and chicken wings and Hooters stuff, but the gaming revenues are extremely low compared to this neighborhood casino. Considering the debt they occurred, Hooters has consistently lost money for the last five years.

Makes you wonder about the MBA's vs. the old guys in polyester suits.

Quote: pacomartin

Makes you wonder about the MBA's vs. the old guys in polyester suits.

Yes. At times the MBAs do seem to be too sharp with their calculators and not sharp enough with common sense. I'm told that Hooters did a rather slapdash job of refurbishing the San Remo, it may have been expensive but it wasn't much more than a good scrubbing and some fresh paint would have done. What did Hooters think was going to be happening? Hordes of drunken frat rats flocking there to see tits? Drunken frat rats don't have that much money and if they do they go elsewhere for more and better than some middle-aged dealer wearing an orange outfit. The place sells burgers and chicken wings with gambling as a frill. What more was it ever going to do? Just look at that 100/200 in free play promotion: Trek here, play a machine that offers you zilch for free and then stay here and play in the real casino because you are too tired to trek anywhere else. Hardly the basis for great wealth...unless you are a whiz-kid MBA with a calculator.

Quote: pacomartin

This is one of the most bare bones casinos I have ever seen. Coffee shop, buffet, minimal fast food, slot machines and a small pit with maybe 12 tables. Only one table is devoted to Pai-Gow poker for some variation from the craps/roulette/blackjack. No specialty restaurants (not even Mexican). What is surprising is that the gaming revenue here is higher than at Hard Rock Casino. No kidding!

For those who don't know, where is this located? I will always prefer a place with good rules and reasonable limits to a place where I can play near a fake Empire State Building but have neither.

I keep saying the more "flash" they put in the resorts the more the real "gamblers" will play elsewhere.

BTW: I know enough to play BJ at Slots-O-Fun then go to Bellagio for the buffet. Once a coworker and I went to Vegas for Christmas as neither of us had family in the Mountain Time Zone nor anyplace better to go. The guy was amazed I showed him a $1 Shrimp Cocktail and $100 Hamburger in the same afternoon!

Quote: AZDuffman

For those who don't know, where is this located?

From Las Vegas Blvd headed north turn left on Spring Mountain Rd. directly between Treasure Island and Fashion Show Mall. Proceed west for 2.2 miles right underneath I15 and directly into Chinatown. Pass Pho So vietnamese stew. When you see Hot 'N Juicy Crawfish make a right on Decatur Blvd and proceed north for 2.6 miles. You will see it on the left.

Decatur Blvd is the inexpensive ethnic cuisine and fast food Blvd of Vegas. In addition to china-town you will pass Chapala's Mexican , Mary's Hash House , and Aloha Kitchen .

And next to the synagogue that the Wizard mentioned earlier is Flex, a gay stripper bar on 4371 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89102-1603. Like I said it is a very eclectic neighborhood.

Quote: AZDuffman

I will always prefer a place with good rules and reasonable limits to a place where I can play near a fake Empire State Building but have neither.
I keep saying the more "flash" they put in the resorts the more the real "gamblers" will play elsewhere.

Right! Most people want a restaurant where the food is good rather than the owner is famous. Glitz, Glamour and Gizmos just don't cut it. The Palms is supposed to feature the presence of a great many sports stars and Hollywood starlets. Well, I'll go elsewhere thank you!
Two thousand guys are lined up to go to a swimming pool party because three hundred half naked girls will be cavorting there? No thanks, I'll swim elsewhere.

Oh don't get me wrong. I'm impressed by a nice building and by beautiful women but if I am in a casino, I'm probably there to gamble. The booze, waitress's cleavage and shrimp cocktails are extraneous matters. Its the game and the odds that matters. And if I win, I'll spend my winnings at stores that offer value, not the glittery shops featured in casino complexes.

I think a good deal of Arizona Charlie's business is due to location and traffic patterns and parking, but if there gambling outreach is a factor, then thats great, but its due to their offering a good gamble rather than glitz.

Somehow people have gotten the idea that this place is charming. Many of the oldest places downtown have some charm, and a sense of history. AZ Charlie's Decatur is pure vanilla, with hardly any pit, bland food, and in a semi-run down neighborhood shopping center. Only two miles in any direction is a locals casinos with something there (movie theaters, some food selection, a bigger pit, a brew pub, cute girls).

Quote: pacomartin

Only two miles in any direction is a locals casinos with something there (movie theaters, some food selection, a bigger pit, a brew pub, cute girls).

Okay. So what gives AzCharlies their loyal following? I'd opt for a brew pub and cute girls. Might even opt for a movie theater and a bit more variety in the menu. So what is it? Accessibility, outreach, parking?
Select the locals casinos "only two miles in any direction" and find out: are the odds any different? Are the slot machines any looser? Is the parking lot significantly less inviting?

Quote: FleaStiff

So what gives AzCharlies their loyal following? I'd opt for a brew pub and cute girls. Might even opt for a movie theater and a bit more variety in the menu. So what is it? Accessibility, outreach, parking? Select the locals casinos "only two miles in any direction" and find out: are the odds any different? Are the slot machines any looser? Is the parking lot significantly less inviting?

It seems to be simple loyalty. The Wards in Las Vegas are 100K people and AZCharlies shares the ward with Palace Station which is within a mile of the strip. Palace station has steak houses, oyster bars, Chinese, Pasta Bars, and Mexican. Palace Station is the oldest locals casino in the city, while AZCharlie's is probably 3rd oldest. However Palace Station is positioned to capture budget crowd from the strip where AZCharlie's is too far away.

On the assumption that the locals may not want to mix with the tourists at all, there is Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho which are across the street from each other about 3 miles to the north. These casinos are newer and have a greater variety of games, food, and movie theaters (& dancing girls). There is only a rare tourist in these places.

There is no obvious difference in odds (although there may be a perception that the slots are tighter). There is no obvious difference in accessibility or parking.

It seems that even small differences in driving distance matter.
In Pennsylvania they announced that slot revenue in their 10 casinos had topped slot revenue in the 11 New Jersey casinos for the first time since they legalized gambling in PA. PA has it's casinos and racinos spread out so that most of the population is now within 20-30 miles of a casino. NJ still has them all in Atlantic City, which is at least 100 miles from it's main population centers, and 60 miles from Philadelphia (which now has two casinos in it's suburbs). But the data seems to indicate that people won't drive 3 miles extra for an upgraded newer casino.

Quote: pacomartin

It seems to be simple loyalty.

Loyalty? In Vegas? Loyalty in Vegas lasts as long as your bankroll.

>But the data seems to indicate that people won't drive 3 miles extra for an upgraded newer casino.
Perhaps there are subtle differences not considered by you yet. Are the upgraded newer casinos more crowded? More noisy? Less friendly to retirees? Tables closer together? Further apart? Something has to make the customers of AzCharlies "loyal". They are not loyal to the name AzCharlies, they are loyal to something about the place. Decibel levels of the music? Lighting? Something!!

From their prospectus:
For the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003, approximately 90.9%, 89.3%, 90.0%
and 90.8%, respectively, of the property’s gaming revenue was generated by slot machine play.
Arizona Charlie’s Decatur also derives other gaming revenue from bingo, keno, poker and the race
and sports book, which primarily are intended to attract customers for slot machines and table
games.

With 90% from slot machines, I would think that they are mostly older people. Perhaps the noise level is high enough at the other locals casinos that it makes a difference.

The entire company which runs four casinos, Arizona Charlie's Decatur, and AZC Boulder, the Stratosphere, and Aquarius casino in Laughlin was sold for $1.3 billion in March of 2008. A huge amount of money for casinos with net revenue of $450 million. Carl Icahn was the seller and Goldman Sachs was the buyer. The huge purchase price was justified by 17 acres of empty land near the Stratopshere. Revenue had to go up just to cover the debt service. Instead it was a spectacular crash with losses as a significant fraction of a billion dollars.

Quote: pacomartin

It seems to be simple loyalty.
These casinos are newer and have a greater variety of games, food, and movie theaters (& dancing girls).
There is no obvious difference in odds (although there may be a perception that the slots are tighter). There is no obvious difference in accessibility or parking.
It seems that even small differences in driving distance matter

So the formula for success seems to be Plain Vanilla in a location with lots of retirees who display loyalty to Vanilla and don't drive far.
A recent review of AZCharlies (EAST) mentioned the "non upper echelon of society" on the Boulder Strip. Perhaps there would be fewer car-owners/drivers there or perhaps not. It seems that many businesses have realized that dollar bills given to them by the non-upper echelons can be deposited in the bank account of the upper echelon owner. Something gives Arizona Charlies business despite the lack of any frills at all even when a nearby non-frills place exists and offers more to the locals even though the "more amenities" may still be rather bare-boned.

Quote: pacomartin

It seems to be simple loyalty. The Wards in Las Vegas are 100K people and AZCharlies shares the ward with Palace Station which is within a mile of the strip. Palace station has steak houses, oyster bars, Chinese, Pasta Bars, and Mexican. Palace Station is the oldest locals casino in the city, while AZCharlie's is probably 3rd oldest. However Palace Station is positioned to capture budget crowd from the strip where AZCharlie's is too far away.

If I recall correctly, Palace Station was on the $72 million revenue list, so they appear to get their fair share of business. Between bingo and $4 blackjack, AC Deacatur has found a nice little niche. There are restaurants, and even a dance club. However, I think they succeed by number one, offering a good gamble, and number two, by not screwing up number one.

Quote: Ayecarumba

If I recall correctly, Palace Station was on the $72 million revenue list, so they appear to get their fair share of business.

Palace Station has remained on the over $72 million dollar in gambling revenue list for the all these years. Falling off the list in Vegas area are Stratosphere, Arizona Charlie's Decatur, Circus Circus Vegas, Las Vegas Hilton, Texas Station in N. Las Vegas, and Rampart Casino in Summerlin.

I find it hard to believe they are putting up that many tourists since it has become a wasteland between Palace Station and the strip. They must do a very strong locals business still after all these decades.

PALACE STATION HOTEL & CASINO is registered for 1760 slots, 52 table games, and 9 poker tables
ARIZONA CHARLIE'S DECATUR is registered for 1160 slots, 16 table games, and 3 poker tables

So Palace Station is a much bigger casino and hotel.

And the general manager of AC Decatur is still paid $1/4 million per year plus $30K in bonus money. Executive salaries have not gone down despite a 25% drop in revenue and a 90% drop in operational income. As a matter of fact these salaries have gone up.

I was in Arizona Charlies once. As I recall they had one roulette table with felt that hadn't been changed since they opened. It had gouges in it, cig burns and beer stains. And the table had no marquee and nothing to write results on. Nobody was playing. Half the people in there had oxygen tanks. I left.

Quote: EvenBob

they had one roulette table with felt that hadn't been changed since they opened. It had gouges in it, cig burns and beer stains. And the table had no marquee and nothing to write results on.

Its the wheel that makes the money, not the felt.
A roulette annunciator is for entertainment purposes, it draws in passing rubes.

>I left.
Those oxygen-tank toting players stayed.

Note: Management salaries and management bonuses never seem to take a hit. Dealer salaries do. Its the new economics perhaps.

Quote: FleaStiff

Its the wheel that makes the money, not the felt.
A roulette annunciator is for entertainment purposes, it draws in passing rubes.

The filthy felt means they aren't professional. And I'm one of the 'rubes' who uses the marquee to keep track.

>The filthy felt means they aren't professional.
Their bankers consider them to be very professional.

> And I'm one of the 'rubes' who uses the marquee to keep track.
You do? Is this on the theory that the little white ball likes to follow trends or that the little white ball likes to end trends and start new ones just after I've made my bets?

Quote: FleaStiff

> And I'm one of the 'rubes' who uses the marquee to keep track.>

You do? Is this on the theory that the little white ball likes to follow trends or that the little white ball likes to end trends and start new ones just after I've made my bets?

The little white ball ball does what it likes, I'm just along for the ride. In private, I refer to the little white ball as 'my bitch'. In public I refer to it as 'I'd like to cash in my chips now, please.'

Nuff said..

Quote: FleaStiff

>The filthy felt means they aren't professional. Their bankers consider them to be very professional.

Arizona Charlie's Decatur

I still find it pretty remarkable that this place makes that much money. It seems to offer so very little in the way of amenities.

Quote: pacomartin

I still find it pretty remarkable that this place makes that much money. It seems to offer so very little in the way of amenities.

There is a reason the various locals casino owners banded together to drive Dotty and her LookALikes out of business. It has nothing at all to do with the machines being on top of a bar or in stand-alone clusters. It has to do with money.

The various Dotty casinos (and the later emerging Dotty Lookalikes) probably provided the least in the way of amenities. For reasons not yet precisely delineated, but probably due mainly to location, Arizona Charlies (Decatur) is a highly profitable casino despite providing not all that much more than a Dotty's place. Its a plain vanilla Slot Parlor and Bingo Hall with the trappings of a casino, since it also provides other amenities. Its clear that their craps and blackjack tables are there primarily to keep the license active.

A bit up the scale on the amenities scene is a few geographically nearby places that are Locals Casinos but have even more in amenities such as movie theaters, nightclubs, gaming promotions, better food service, better rooms, etc. Yet the nearby locals casinos seem to make less than Arizona Charlies-Decatur according to various commonly employed metrics. Arizona Charlies does Plain Vanilla very well. The nearby places seem to have added Cherry Vanilla as well as Plain Vanilla, but it doesn't seem to be worth all the investment that was made.

Quote: pacomartin

What is surprising is that the gaming revenue here is higher than at Hard Rock Casino. No kidding!

Shoemaker. Stick to your last.
Is it really surprising the gaming revenue is higher than at the Hard Rock?
When I simply hear the casino name "hard rock"... I get a headache from the anticipated noise of a rock concert or heavy metal band.

Arizona Charlie's provides slots and the basic table games pit. It focuses on a casino. Everything else is bare minimalist Plain Vanilla but it seems to work very well. Its a Dottys on Steroids with all the proper licenses. Its simply the focus is relentlessly on the casino experience rather than a nightlife experience that simply features a stint in the casino.

Great place to play craps if you like empty tables....which I do...the rooms are old but very clean. I stumbled on this place because I was recently there and went to 7 casinos and couldn't get a room even at my home casino with a diamond card and a awesome host! So at 4 in the morning i found myself at Az Charlies wondering what the heck did i get myself into and making sure my bankroll was shoved down extra far!!! LOL... but I was pleasantly surprised.

Quote: FleaStiff

Okay. So what gives AzCharlies their loyal following? I'd opt for a brew pub and cute girls. Might even opt for a movie theater and a bit more variety in the menu. So what is it? Accessibility, outreach, parking?
Select the locals casinos "only two miles in any direction" and find out: are the odds any different? Are the slot machines any looser? Is the parking lot significantly less inviting?

Here's what makes AC Decatur attractive to its core clientele:

1. Very easy access--just off the freeway, and away from I-15, and lots of parking.
2. It's right in the middle of a residential area, which includes a 300-unit senior apartment complex less than 50 yards away.
3. A quite good basic coffee shop with long-running breakfast specials such as steak and eggs for $5.
4. A serviceable buffet (much better than it used to be).
5. 24-hour bingo.
6. Slots and VP are the same loose variety found in other locals' casinos.
7. Low limits on everything.

Also, it's not a flashy, noisy Strip casino. The dealers and slot floorpersons know their customers and greet them by name. In short, locals--especially retirees--get what they want there. IMHO, the decision to locate the casino where it is and cater to its core demographic was an act of genius.

Quote: Joeshlabotnik

Here's what makes AC Decatur attractive to its core clientele:

<snip>

6. Slots and VP are the same loose variety found in other locals' casinos.

A couple years ago I checked for meter rise on a 7-5 Bonus Poker progressive at AC-D, for quarters. I clocked it at the snail's pace of .15%. Naturally, the jackpot was about $1020. Why even offer it as a progressive if you're going to drag it in at a pace like that? That's stupid.

Quote: bobbartop

A couple years ago I checked for meter rise on a 7-5 Bonus Poker progressive at AC-D, for quarters. I clocked it at the snail's pace of .15%. Naturally, the jackpot was about $1020. Why even offer it as a progressive if you're going to drag it in at a pace like that? That's stupid.

Not stupid, just not your cup of tea!

Don't assume other players are as savvy as you --- and they know things like pay schedules, meter rates, basic strategy, etc. Some players, including many seniors, will play anything! A 7-5 Bonus Poker game with no progressive at all is looser than many of the other games they have there. (I haven't been in there for years --- but still am quite certain it is true.) It's hard to make a case that a 98% game is gouging the senior players. Have you checked out the lower end games at Stations?

Casinos need to make their money somewhere. No casino can afford to offer 99%+ video poker everywhere.

For stronger players, so long as the casino offers the good games SOMEWHERE, along with appropriate slot clubs and promos, we can take our bite and move along. Every casino has some 95% or 96% video poker --- along with a ton of slot machines that are much tighter. It's not that hard to walk quietly by these machines and go play the ones that are more attractive to us.

Quote: BobDancer

Not stupid, just not your cup of tea!

Don't assume other players are as savvy as you --- and they know things like pay schedules, meter rates, basic strategy, etc. Some players, including many seniors, will play anything! A 7-5 Bonus Poker game with no progressive at all is looser than many of the other games they have there. (I haven't been in there for years --- but still am quite certain it is true.) It's hard to make a case that a 98% game is gouging the senior players. Have you checked out the lower end games at Stations?

Casinos need to make their money somewhere. No casino can afford to offer 99%+ video poker everywhere.

For stronger players, so long as the casino offers the good games SOMEWHERE, along with appropriate slot clubs and promos, we can take our bite and move along. Every casino has some 95% or 96% video poker --- along with a ton of slot machines that are much tighter. It's not that hard to walk quietly by these machines and go play the ones that are more attractive to us.

Players don't have to be "savvy" to recognize a bigger jackpot. I just thought it was stupid to have a jackpot that's never really going to get anywhere. At .15% it will probably seldom see $1100 in the best of times. Why not just raise it a smidgen, like maybe .5%? I would guess the casino would make more profit off a 7-5 BP progressive with a .5% meter than a .15% meter, because in the first scenario it will occasionally get big and attract a lot of action. Just my gut, no actual data.

I don't think I was implying that a 98% game was gouging anyone, I just meant that a progressive that doesn't really progress, might as well not be a progressive.

Ok, not "stupid". Just not my cup of tea.

Once again I see everyone hating these type of casinos. I for one love Arizona Charlie!! Not only some good FP games but they love locals and they really love red card players. One of the few places where the hosts calls me all the time begging me to come back and give me 100 dollar steak house just to show up with free cash mailers as well etc etc. However I hope all you sharpies stay away!!

Quote: monet0412

Once again I see everyone hating these type of casinos.

No no no no no no no. You misunderstood me. Or I just don't know how to convey myself in print. I don't hate Arizona Charlie's, not at all. I like the small places, and I like Arizona Charlie's. Maybe I sounded negative, I think I wish I could go back and take my comments back.

Strike everything I said. I LIKE Arizona Charlie's!

Quote: bobbartop

No no no no no no no. You misunderstood me. Or I just don't know how to convey myself in print. I don't hate Arizona Charlie's, not at all. I like the small places, and I like Arizona Charlie's. Maybe I sounded negative, I think I wish I could go back and take my comments back.

Strike everything I said. I LIKE Arizona Charlie's!

My comments weren't directed at you. I didn't read all the comments but when I see the wiz saying this casino is only for people with a SS check and some other negative comments, I realize that most people are hating this place like the Plaza. Of course this could be mis direction as well since I know for a fact that AZ Charlie Decatur has always been a good spot for FP and locals with good mail. AZ Boulder is another story and the Stratosphere hasn't had my action for a very long time. Now the Aquarius is really good if you don't mind going to Laughlin. My point is that I see a lot of negative comments but I understand. People want to gamble in new casinos with scented air and model type hookers running around. I for one want to be able to gamble with a place that gives me the three basics for smaller no risk plays. Good Food, Good Gamble, and Good Drink. I eat and drink almost anything so I really only require Good Gamble which AZ Charlie Decatur has enough for me. Honestly though the AZ Decatur Buffet is pretty good IMHO.

Quote: monet0412

My comments weren't directed at you.

Oh. Uh, never mind.

Is the one on Decauter that much better than the Henderson one?
Worth a trip from the Green Valley area?

Is it just me or are the cocktail servers above average for what one would expect in a place like AZ Decatur?

Like AZD, circus circus lv doesn't require a deposit for incidentals, if you're into that kinda thang.

Quote: billryan

Is the one on Decauter that much better than the Henderson one?
Worth a trip from the Green Valley area?

IMO, no unless you enjoy being hit up for money by overly fidgety video keno players. If you like Philly cheese steaks there's a decent place across the street from AZD. I forget the name.

Quote: billryan

Is the one on Decauter that much better than the Henderson one?
Worth a trip from the Green Valley area?

Nothing really to play at AZ Boulder... not much at Decatur but at least they offer a few FP games and they send good mail and don't mind giving out comps for things like food, rooms and smokes for daily play. Laughlin has good mail as well and really good Tournaments that are AP IMHO.

Quote: RogerKint

IMO, no unless you enjoy being hit up for money by overly fidgety video keno players. If you like Philly cheese steaks there's a decent place across the street from AZD. I forget the name.

Pops?

Quote: RS

Pops?

Yes! There's even outside seating so one can enjoy the beautiful view.