It may be dark, less glamorous than the strip, and full of weathered-looking folk (including our group, as the hours wore on), but we had more fun gambling here than anywhere else on our visit.
$5 blackjack allowed our whole group to play for hours, even those who were just learning. The drinks were strong and free-flowing. Hank, our dealer on Friday 9/15/17, was a blast and was great to banter with while we played.
We had so much fun that we went back on Saturday night after the Cosmopolitan got mobbed with people. Freemont is the way to go if you want to gamble in a more relaxed environment.