Out on I-80 near the California border, Boomtown sits alone. There are no other casinos for miles, so you'll need a car or use their free shuttle if you want to go carousing elsewhere. The joint is attractive from the outside and looks shiny and freshly scrubbed like a Hollywoood Western set. Inside, though, it looks somewhat utilitarian, like a long multi-purpose room they filled with purple and red neon signs. The table tops have purple felt and the seats have western stitching.
Room Quality: Better than a motel room, and kept as clean as a nun's fingernails. The rooms ain't fancy, and done up in the mustards and browns that are the new theme for hotel rooms. Flat-screen TVs and docking stations for your iPod are part of the decent amenities. Don't bother trying to upgrade to a room with a view, because the place is so far from the rest of the action that there's nothing to look at.
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Check prices for this property with Expedia and HotelDiscount.com. Weekday
$70-$90
Discount Weekday
$50-$70
Weekend
$90-$140
Discount Weekend
$80-$110
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Service Quality: Good. The clientele is a lot of older people and truckers, so there isn't a real outcry for high-tech business facilities or people at the ready to iron your lucky white shirt. However, employees are friendly and check-in is a breeze. What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: Combined shampoo/conditioner and a bottle of lotion to drench your hands in moisture after a long, hard evening of pumping nickels into machines.
Clientele: Locals, middle-aged to seniors and a few truckers. Don't worry, though, the truckers are pretty well-behaved. You will be happier here if you enjoy country music.
How's the Pool? Fair. It's a typical hotel pool, and it won't ever be confused for a tropical paradise. The main advantage is that it's indoors, so you won't get swept up by the strong winds out here.
Free Shuttle: They have a huge free shuttle that runs hourly to downtown and back. This is very convenient because this hotel is 8+ miles away, and that's a long way to walk when you've had a few too many whiskey sours. Trust us on that one; the first mile seems pretty fun, but then, whoooo.
Table Games: A relatively small pit has several single-deck blackjack tables where you can double on anything and the dealer hits soft 17s. They also offer craps, roulette, Pai Gow, Let It Ride, and if you're crafty, you can pitch pennies with your friends against the bathroom wall.
Bet Minimums: $3 or $5 single deck blackjack, $3 or $5 craps with 10x odds. The croupiers will let you lay one dollar chips on the roulette table, but Let It Ride and Pai gow will set you back at least $5. We saw limits lower than these here, but only in the dead of winter, when you have to dig your car out of the snow to take advantage of them.
Machines: A great selection of machines, especially if you're looking for nickels or quarters. There are a few full-pay machines at the quarter level scattered about for the bargain hunter.
Cocktails? Disappointing cocktail service. Even when we were tipping well, the waitresses didn't come around too often. We would guess that a couple drinks an hour is the most you can expect.
Who Gets Comps? You don't have to be a whale to share in some of the Boomtown booty. $10 bettors can catch the eye of pit bosses and probably score themselves some free grub. Go up to $25 and you might be sitting pretty in a free hotel room. Quarter players can get some goodies from the slot club with a few hours play.
Cassidy's Prime Rib: This is a farily unattractive dining area with a standard steak and prime rib menu, featuring big cuts of the titular meat(up to 32 oz.), steaks, pork and chicken. They also have some seafood, but this place is best at serving big slabs of bloody red meat. For those who can't stomach the big slabs of meat, there are some pasta dishes with only a little meat (and sometimes none). This is only open for dinner. Sundance Cantina: Mexican and (mostly) American cuisine in generous portions. Most meals come in somewhere between $6-11. The Mexican food is very disappointing. It's bland and, despite their claims of authenticity, it tastes like it comes from cans. On the plus side, this is one of the rare places in America where you can have both chimichangas and pancakes. Holy cow! There's a Starbucks here. How rare.
Cabelas: Cabela's is a massive sporting goods and outdoor store. In fact, it's more than just fishing rods and motor boats. This place is selling a woodsy lifestyle. These places are fun to walk around just to gawk at how massive it is and how creative they can be at selling stuff. Can-Can Theater: Plenty of lounge music here. It appeals to fans of mellow country music and classic rock from the 70s and 80s. Carousel: They've transplanted a classic old merry-go-round to the hotel and it's a beauty. Even if you don't want to go round and round on a phony pony, you should check out the craftsmanship. Fun Center: This is a pretty good arcade with a ton of games and a couple of rides for the very little kids. It's loud, and the kids are running wild. They also have 3-D dynamic motion machines, big booths where a movie flashes in front of you and it's supposed to feel like you're really moving.
Number of TVs: Two sad little TVs who want someone to please watch them.
Number of Seats: There are about twelve seats here in this little space off the casino floor. They are not reserved nor particularly comfortable, just average seats in the middle of casino traffic. Trust us, you'll feel weird sitting here for the duration of an entire game.
How Many Betting Windows? Two betting windows, but we doubt more than one is open much. They post lines on TV screens with lines alternating colors. Man, those are hard and unpleasant to read.
Snack Bar? Nope, not even a bar anywhere in site.
Minimum Wager: $5 for sports. There is no race betting.
Other Notes: The sports book is not manned late into the night, so if you have a winning ticket or a hunch, show up early. This is just some space in a corner of the casino, not a fun place to watch a game.
Number of Tables: They have five tables and two or three of them are usually going.
Comfort of Chairs: Typical poker room chairs, although they will probably give you an extra cushion if you ask nicely.
Closed Room or Open to Casino? The room is open to the casino and the noise level is high. Actually, the room looks like it used to be a big closet. Five tables is all it can handle and if all five are going, expect to feel the humidity of bodies pressed too close together.
Game Spreads and Limits: They deal a spread Hold 'Em game at $1-$5 with a full-kill if you win two hands in a row. They also deal that No Limit the kids are so kukoo about.
Beginner Games or Classes? No, you're on your own, but these limits are pretty low.
How Crowded is the Room? On weekend nights it can be pretty hectic and you might have a half-hour to hour wait, but most nights aren't too bad and you can get in a game pretty quick.
Comps? Every hour you play nets you 55 cents in comps for gas, food, gifts or whatever else boomtown sells. Yes, we agree, that's pretty stingy. You might be able to get a discounted room rate, but you have to talk to the manager, not us.
How Good Are the Players? It's a mix of locals, tourists and lots of truckers. Truckers tend to play pretty loose, which is great, until you start to feel guilty about their starving kids back home.
What Else Do I Need to Know? They offer Texas Hold 'Em tournaments with rebuys and add-ons. They also have high hand bonus on weekdays.
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