How do you rate El Cortez?

"Checks play" is simply the dealer calling out that you are betting $100+ on that hand. It is quite typical in most casinos.

Quote: WizardofEngland

What would 'Check Play' mean?

It is a short non--accusatory phrase that a dealer uses to alert the Floor and Pit that something is happening that is possibly significant but possibly quite normal and innocent. If a player suddenly bets five times what he has been averaging so far, perhaps the deck is positive and he is counting cards. This "checks play" is a way of letting the Suits know of the sharp increase in the amount being bet but play continues. Usually the floor does not particularly care but the dealer is making him aware of what is happening. Its often the first step in eventually backing off a card counter, but its also simply a routine policy to have the dealer call it out even if its the normal variance in what various whimsical players bet.

The suits may watch more closely or may linger in the area and watch intently. If they don't like what they are seeing, the suits may start chatting with the player to distract him or start glaring at him.

In the old days at the Monte Carlo Gaming Salons, the croupiers would softly perform various hand clap signals but in Las Vegas it is now all short calls that aurally alert the suits to any unusual situation.

Quote: teddys

The last time I was at the 'Tez (or is it the ElCo?), they gave me a free Klondike bar from the reach-in freezer that I think was only for player that hit big jackpots. A little gesture like that goes a LONG way. Why do I remember that incident more than big winning sessions?

You get the Klondike bar for any jackpot of $25 or more, but just on Wednesdays (they give you a ticket, so you can pick up the bar at any subsequent time).

Quote: mkl654321

You get the Klondike bar for any jackpot of $25 or more, but just on Wednesdays (they give you a ticket, so you can pick up the bar at any subsequent time).

Don't forget the free slices of Marie Calander Pies on Holidays.

I don't have a clue what you guys are talking about, but they sound tasty.

Quote: dudestupid

My wife and I get entertainment on the strip, but the ElCo is our favorite place to play.

It's just so much more fun than anywhere else (for all the reasons mentioned above). It really does have a cozy atmosphere that's hard to describe.

I think the signs that advertise "Gambling" and "Coffee Shop and Bar" sum it up. It's as comfortable as my house. But my house doesn't have any of those things!

The single-deck games have a nice pace, and the craps table is always a blast.

Do you ever stay at the rooms above the casino. It's one of my dreams to roll out of bed and fall down stairs to a blackjack or craps table :)

Quote: teddys

Do you ever stay at the rooms above the casino. It's one of my dreams to roll out of bed and fall down stairs to a blackjack or craps table :)

My wife and I have stayed in the old rooms just up from the casino floor quite a few times.
Truthfully it's like the dream Req Room. Running down the stairs to be smack dab in front of a craps table.

I must admit the walk up after a few dozen hours f drinking can be a task.

Quote: WizardofEngland

I don't have a clue what you guys are talking about, but they sound tasty.

I think you call them Choc ice. In the United States, Klondike bar, Eskimo Pie, Hershey's, and Krunch brands are common. Dove bars are more expensive version.



Go to the Beauty Bar across the street from the El Cortez. On Wednesday night it is Ladies Night, so it won't cost as much to buy some girls a drink.

The girls at Beauty Bar can be seriously gothic.


El Cortez has not changed their exterior in 70 years.


If the girls in the photo from the Beauty bar look scary, then in the same block is a more upscale, piano bar called Don't Tell Mama which obviously caters to both straights and gays.


The Griffin is an excellent bar, fashionable, but not super upscale



The Downtown Cocktail Lounge has such an unassuming front that you could easily walk by it. It is sort of the hang out of the gallery owners and the media types, and is much nicer than you might think for such a neighborhood. It's around the corner on Las Vegas Blvd. The girls will be older and less gothic than the Beauty Bar.


The kabob corner is the best place for an $8 meal


Mamacita's doesn't have the finest food, but the music videos are good, and I recommend the soup.


The Western is one of the dingiest casinos in Vegas, but some people like to pop inside just to say they've been there. I don't recommend breathing.





Do not wander too far down Fremont Street (stop at 8th street). It's a series of 50's eras motels where serious drugs and prostitution are king. This is the section of the city where the mayor wanted to legalize prostitution as a way to raise money for urban redevelopment.

I LOVE the El Cortez! I haven't stayed there yet but I praise it for offering no-nonsense low limit gambling in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

How can you get to Western if you don't go past 8th?