Rating: perfectly cromulent++.

No one goes to the Gold Coast for the glitz. This hotel is pretty much the working definition of the working man’s casino, with plenty of cheap games and plenty of cheap rooms. Plus they have bowling and bingo, and don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.

That said, if you’re looking to stretch a dollar (or stretch your trip as long as possible with as few dollars as necessary), this is an excellent choice. Room rates are frequently low, and go lower with casino or poker time. The restaurants are decent and cheap; the buffet is surprisingly good for the price. The room’s not much to look at, but hey, did I mention it’s pretty cheap?

Point scored: what might not be immediately obvious is that the Gold Coast is in an excellent location, and is a great bargain for that location. In your hotel, cheap eats and gambling. Across the street, the Rio. Across the other street, the Palms. Three very different casinos, very different crowds, and probably more entertainment options than you can fit into the average week.

If you want to go to the Strip, hop the free and frequent shuttle to Bill’s Gambling Saloon (formerly known as Barbary Coast), or grab the Rio shuttles to Ballys, Caesar’s, or Harrahs. Once you’re there, the monorail pretty much takes you everywhere else. I wouldn’t recommend the Gold Coast for anyone who wanted to spend significant time Downtown, but otherwise this place is a lot more central than it first appears.

Point scored: I didn’t realize it at the time, but Gold Coast offered one of the best poker games I found in a week in Vegas. 4-8 with a half kill was spreading two out of three times I stopped by, and the game was usually soft and rather friendly. Might be the high hand jackpots, which topped out at $2,000 for a heart royal at the time–and which I missed by a sole ace in one heartbreaking hand.