Wildfire Valley View — Local services in Las Vegas

Wildfire Casino 3045 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102

4 Stars (chain casino review)

The Big Boy has landed. I repeat, the Big Boy has landed and Las Vegas is home for a least a bit. After getting settled into my new digs, I set off to explore my new environs. My first stop was the Wildfire Casino on Valley View Blvd. Wildfire is part of the Station Casinos Boarding Pass and this is what sets them apart from other local dives. They are all electronic, with nary a poker table in sight. Think of it as an arcade for adults who want to gamble and possibly enjoy some day drinking. The place was clean and as they no longer allow smoking in most casinos, it didn't smell like a two-bit, hole-in-the-wall dive bar from the 80s. This is a good thing for those that don't smoke and the general public overall, how smokers gamble and not smoke is beyond me. At this time of the day, it was also as lively as Boot Hill.

Maria was my bartender and she set me up with a player's card and got me set up on a poker machine while Maria additionally helped with charging my phone. Thank you, ma’am! If this is Western Hospitality, I must say, it'll give Southern Hospitality a run for its money. I asked Maria for their All-American Breakfast, a cup of Joe and a Bud Light (did I mention day drinking?). Waiting for my food to arrive, I managed to lose $7.50 playing video poker. I'm what they call a “Whale” in these here parts and that ain't due to my girth.

Faster than a Sidewinder skedaddles across the hot desert sand, my order was up. Great timing, as I was sure to lose a whole ten bucks if I kept playing video poker. As one can see from the pictures, my All-American Breakfast had the staples that make America, America, sans the pistol. Everything was cooked to near perfection and the griddle cakes were outstanding. Seriously, I could scarf down ten stacks of these fluffy circles of heaven without batting an eye. The coffee was good, not great, but about what you would expect in a Casino/Bar. The Bud Light was a Bud Light, rate as you will. Like most (if not all) casinos, the drinks were comped while I was playing. As a newcomer to the city, I like that.

The All-American Breakfast was 9 bucks and I lost $7.50, so the total bill was a whopping $16.50. What the WHAT? This is 50 times better than the sludge they serve at Backwater in Melbourne, FL, that's for damn sure.

The Big Boy says, “This was a nice start to what could be a beautiful friendship with Las Vegas. Wildfire Valley View is in a great neighborhood with great casino food and friendly staff. This is well worth the price...

Wildfire is like a larger Dotty's, but is also an extension of the Station Casinos, which I was pleasantly surprised to find out after walking in here 6 months ago while waiting for my scooter to get fixed at MMS Scooters around the corner, completely on a whim. I got there at about 5 pm following a suprisingly pleasant day at the office where I worked. Never taking anything too seriously, I walked in with low expectations and unfortunately, for the most part, they were fulfilled as such and perhaps even lowered further. It began with the bartender's disdainful look when I walked in, his condescending tone when he spoke to me, interrupting me when I tried to speak, his insistence I buy something just to gamble (which would have been fine had he not ordered me to do so like I was a prisoner of war under his charge), and the most hilarious part, that when I ordered a pineapple juice since I'd seen it in the refrigerator behind him, his snobby insistence the bar didn't have ANY until after almost a minute more of arguing, he realized there was....and of course, he didn't apologize. The atmosphere was dreary & the customers who I'd venture to say were regulars didn't seem happy or even friendly (but seemed perhaps a bit...intolerant). The food did smell good but was a tad expensive for bar food. What I enjoyed was simply being able to use my Station Casinos Player's Club card to play the slots. I did that for an hour or so & left, unimpressed & I've never gone back since & even wanted to a few times passing by but rememberd that bad experience & went elsewhere instead. I never give 1 star for mistreatment unless it's consistent and truly dramatic & I rarely give bad reviews but this one stuck out to me as...

Formerly one of my top 5 dive bars in Las Vegas "the Lift" however now taken over by Wildfire Casinos. Wildfire did a good job though, more gaming machines etc without losing the pub/tavern feel. They also kept the large room in the back for watching sports on big comfy couches. One of the best places for Sunday football because you can watch several games simultaneously with the most important game controlling the sound. All that being said I would give it more stars but there really wasn't anything outstanding to make me want to come back. No interesting decoration or furniture. The restroom was iffy, cleanliness borderline, music sleep inducing and food just was nothing to complain about but nothing to brag about. That's how you get 3 stars from me, nothing to complain about but nothing to brag...