Hooters Review

by the Wizard2009-08-10 17:52:53 (edited 2009-09-25 17:41)

Introduction

The Hooters Casino presents a cozy yet vibrant gaming space that's conveniently located a short stroll from the Strip. Previously known as the San Remo, this venue captures the essence of its namesake restaurants with its white and orange decor, complemented by vibrant neon lights and wooden elements. The ambiance effectively mirrors the fun, albeit kitschy, vibe typical of Hooters establishments globally. It's hard to take a business that centers around the admiration of attractive waitstaff too seriously. I checked into Hooters for one night on July 15, 2009, and I'm sharing my thoughts on my experience.

Location

Positioned directly east of the Tropicana Hotel/Casino along Tropicana Boulevard, Hooters is just across from the iconic MGM Grand. If you walk from Hooters' entrance to the intersection of Tropicana and the Strip, it takes about five minutes. There’s also a convenient crosswalk connecting Hooters with the MGM's loading area. Additionally, both the airport and UNLV, as well as numerous properties situated along the southern part of the Strip, are all easily accessible by a brief drive or even a walk from Hooters.

Gambling

According to the 2009 American Casino Guide Hooters offers a relatively compact casino space, measuring approximately 27,546 square feet. For perspective, the MGM Grand boasts nearly six times this size, with 156,023 square feet of gaming area. Nevada Gaming Control Board Inside Hooters, guests will find 25 table games alongside 2 poker tables, and a total of 616 slot machines. To compare, the MGM Grand features a more extensive selection with 178 table games, 22 poker tables, and a whopping 2,470 slot machines. The types of table games available at Hooters are as follows:

• Blackjack: 15
• Craps: 2
• Roulette: 2
• Super Fun 21: 1
• Pai gow poker: 1
• Let it Ride: 1
• Big Six: 1
• Three Card Poker: 1
• Live poker: 2

I did notice that a few dealers could benefit from enhanced customer service training. Out of the four dealers I interacted with, two seemed unappreciative of my tips and displayed a rather unpleasant demeanor throughout my time at the table. One particularly inexperienced blackjack player was at my table, making a series of poor decisions, like hitting on a hard 17, taking a hit on 12 to 16 against a dealer's 5 or 6, and the worst, hitting on a soft 20. Usually, dealers caution players against such questionable moves, but in this case, the dealer remained silent and simply dealt a card to the player. This felt like an inappropriate exploitation of the situation.

Here’s a brief overview of the specific game regulations during my visit.

Blackjack

Unfortunately, Hooters has a rather disappointing selection of blackjack games. It's possible that they possess the highest percentage (40%) of the dreaded 6 to 5 payout blackjack variants in Las Vegas. They do promote a minimum bet of $3 for blackjack, which is indeed available, but it is associated with incredibly unfavorable rules.

The following table from the Current Blackjack Newsletter The rules for blackjack at Hooters are outlined, but I did not come across the double-deck variant mentioned. It's possible it operates only during peak hours.

Craps

In a surprising twist, the odds in their craps games are quite generous, offering 10X odds. However, the field bets tend to be on the stingy side, providing only 2 to 1 payout for the 12. Hop bets, however, offer the standard payouts of 15 and 30 to 1.

Roulette

Both roulette wheels feature a double zero, resulting in a house edge of 5.26%.

Poker

It's hard to categorize Hooters as having a true poker 'room.' To be candid, it feels more like a designated area with two tables situated near the player's club. They only operate starting at noon, and the rake is set at 10%, capping at a maximum of $4.

Sports Book

The sportsbook operates under the Leroy’s brand, often found in smaller casinos. Though I neglected to take detailed notes, I recall it consisting of two betting windows and a handful of chairs. For an actual sports viewing experience, there is a nearby sports bar.

For baseball betting, the lines are set 10 points apart, such as +160 and -170. Payouts for parlays and teasers follow a standard structure.

Sports betting tickets remain valid for up to 120 days, which is either equal to or better than what many other places offer.

Video Poker

During my visit, I randomly checked various machines and was disappointed to find the payout tables to be quite poor. Here are the games offered on one randomly-selected machine.

Interestingly, vpFREE2 points out some notable pay tables that were not included in my random checks, as detailed below.

Slot tickets are valid for 90 days.

Player Club

When playing slots, every $3 wager earns you one point. Accumulating 100 points can be exchanged for $1 in free play or other casino purchases, such as items from the gift shop, resulting in a 0.33% rebate.

Table game players also accrue the same points based on their betting activity. While I'm not fully aware of the equivalent for every game, I inquired about my playtime and was informed that I enjoyed blackjack for 3 hours and 13 minutes with an average wager of $50. Under typical industry standards, if I estimated one hand per minute, I would have wagered a total of 193 hands, or $9,650. According to their records, I earned 3,216 points, translating to one point for every $3 bet, yielding the same 0.33% rebate.

The line for the player club desk operates in a Wendy’s style, where there's a single queue for multiple windows, which is efficient.

Promotions

Like many casinos, Hooters has an enticing offer to attract newcomers to their player club, named the 'Owl Rewards Club.' During my visit, they were promoting a '$100 in free play' special. This campaign was advertised prominently with billboards outside the casino, large signs on the building, additional signage throughout the premises, and even ads in tourist brochures. However, after signing up and participating, I feel the advertising could be seen as misleading.

The process involved heading to a partitioned area where I presented my voucher to a promotional staff member. She took my voucher and immediately deposited a $100 bill into one of approximately 20 dedicated $5 slot machines with two coins. These are legitimate machines, contrary to promotional machines that typically return 15% of bets like those famously offered by Bob Stupak in his 'free vacation' deals. However, I noticed that the top two prizes were taped over and altered to reflect $1,000 for the highest and $100 for the second prize. For instance, on the Red White and Blue machine, the standard payouts would have been $25,000 and $3,000. Additionally, there was a provision stating that accumulating 1,700 total credits only awarded $50. At a bet of $10 per spin, players could make 10 attempts with their $100 free play. My rough estimation suggests that this offer may only be worth about $5, depending on the chosen machine.

What stops another casino from advertising '$5,000 in free play' by allowing a player a single spin on a $5,000 machine (one can be found at the Wynn), and if they win, they receive a hot dog? In my view, Nevada's truth in advertising standards (if they exist) are far too lenient. Should I ever have the chance to oversee the Gaming Control Board, I would enforce stricter regulations.

Beyond the '$100 in free play' offer, Hooters also provides $5 in real slot credits and a ticket for the Todd Paul show. Overall, it's quite a generous sign-up offer for a player card in comparison to other casinos. However, I can easily envision patrons traveling specifically to Hooters for something that seems close to $100 and feeling like they've been misled.

Comps

As mentioned previously, I was engaged in blackjack for a total of 193 minutes while averaging a $50 bet. I would venture that my average bet was actually higher, but perhaps no one noticed during my more substantial bets. Before I departed, I exchanged 3,200 of my 3,216 points for $32 in free play. Additionally, I inquired if my room or associated charges could be comped. It's always worth asking for complimentary services in Vegas, as it can often result in success.

On this occasion, however, my request was declined. It wasn't because I had already claimed the $32 in free play. Instead, I was informed that a solid four hours of play is required for any comp. Unfortunately, I fell short by 47 minutes. I contemplated playing for another 47 minutes, but by 9:00 AM, there were no legitimate blackjack tables available, merely the unfavorable 6 to 5 games.

I typically don’t comment on cocktail service in my reviews, but it's notable that Hooters serves drinks in plastic cups. Perhaps I am a bit spoiled, but there’s something odd about sipping wine from a plastic cup. Nonetheless, at Hooters, it somehow feels less out of place than it would in other casinos.

Cashier

If I remember correctly, there was a single line for each cashier window. Luckily, there was no waiting during my stay, so it wasn’t an issue.

Non-Smoking Areas

Based on my observations, smoking is permitted throughout the casino. Typically, poker rooms in Las Vegas are non-smoking, but I was informed that smoking is allowed here, although the person I spoke to seemed uncertain. According to the Las Vegas Advisor, one of the two poker tables is designated as non-smoking (http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/nonsmoke.cfm).

Hotel

According to the 2009 American Casino Guide Hooters features a total of 694 hotel rooms, especially when compared to the MGM's 5,005 rooms.

During my stay, I booked an 'Ocean View' room in the high-rise for $41.65, which included a $5.60 resort fee but excluded the 12% Nevada hotel tax. To be clear, there was no ocean view whatsoever, just a few surfboards situated near the elevators. The resort fee did provide certain perks that are typically unexpected, like free local and toll-free phone calls. Rooms located in the low-rise building near the pool were priced a bit lower.

The hotel rooms continue the Hooters theme, displaying their signature white and orange colors with furniture typically crafted from pine. As depicted in my pictures, the rooms are quite basic and lack luxurious features. Outside of the windows, I found the room clean and everything in working order, though I did take a photo to highlight how dirty the window was. I also captured a comparison image with the window open, and you can find pictures of the room itself.

Pool

For a hotel of its size, Hooters provides a commendable pool area, which includes three pools in addition to two spas. Surrounding the pools, there exist around 50 lounge chairs, a dozen palm trees, a small sandy area, and even a waterfall. The waterfall was inactive during my photo session with Lisa, but it was operational when I returned a week later for another stay. The nearby outdoor bar, known as 'Nipper's,' serves drinks but was closed during my photo-taking.

Parking Garage

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Restaurants

Following are the dining options:

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The Hooters Casino is a cozy establishment situated within a short stroll from the Strip. Previously known as the San Remo, it embodies the cheerful spirit of its namesake restaurants with a striking white and orange decor, vibrant neon lights, and wood accents. The casino successfully creates a lively atmosphere that mirrors the quirky charm of Hooters restaurants globally. It's hard to take a business seriously that humorously celebrates the appeal of its theme (and let's be honest, everyone knows what the owl is about). I stayed at Hooters for one night on July 15, 2009. Here’s my take on it.
Hooters is conveniently located just east of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino on Tropicana Boulevard, with the MGM Grand just across the street. It takes approximately five minutes to walk from the entrance of Hooters to the intersection of Tropicana and the Las Vegas Strip. There's even a crosswalk connecting Hooters to the MGM's loading and unloading area. Additionally, the airport, UNLV, and various south Strip attractions are just a short drive or, in many instances, a pleasant walk away.
The casino space covers an area of 27,546 square feet. To put this into perspective, the MGM Grand boasts a colossal 156,023 square feet of gaming area.
Coffee: $2.50

Entertainment

Inside Hooters, you'll find 25 table games and 2 poker tables, alongside 616 slot machines. In contrast, the MGM Grand features an impressive 178 table games, 22 poker tables, and a staggering 2,470 slot machines. Here’s a breakdown of the table games I noticed:

Men of X While some dealers were quite friendly, a few could benefit from improved customer service skills. Of the four dealers I interacted with, two failed to acknowledge my tips, and their demeanor was rather sour throughout my time at the table. One of those dealers was dealing while I played alongside what I can only describe as an exceptionally poor blackjack player. His blunders included hitting on a hard 17, making moves against a dealer's 5 or 6 when he should have held, and unbelievably, hitting on a soft 20. Generally, dealers will caution players against such choices, but when this player hit his soft 20, the dealer simply handed him another card without a word, suggesting this isn’t an uncommon occurrence and she was indifferent. This felt like an unfair advantage to me.

Here are the game rules that were in place during my visit.

Summary

The selection of blackjack games at Hooters leaves much to be desired. It wouldn't surprise me if they have the highest ratio of the disappointing 6 to 5 payout blackjack games in town, which stands at 40%. They advertise a $3 minimum bet for blackjack, and while this is accurate, it applies to tables with decidedly unfavorable rules.

• This document outlines the rules for playing blackjack at Hooters during my visit. However, I couldn't find the double-deck game advertised. Perhaps it is only available during peak hours.
• Hooters surprisingly offers generous odds for craps, with a 10X maximum. They have a rather stingy field that pays 2 to 1 for hitting a 12, and Hop bets pay the standard 15 and 30 to 1.
• Both roulette wheels are double zero, resulting in a house edge of 5.26%.
• Serve drinks in real glasses.
• Clean the hotel windows.

Acknowledgement

I wouldn’t characterize Hooters as having a dedicated poker room. It resembles more of an enclosed area with just two tables adjacent to the players' club. They commence operations at noon, and the rake stands at 10%, capped at a maximum of $4. ModelMayhem.com

Written by: Michael Shackleford