There is more going on at the El Cortez. They are closing the cafe and blending it into the Seigel upscale restaurant. I think it will mean a return to the good upscale food, but an end to the good downscale prices.
http://lasvegasweekly.com/as-we-see-it/2015/may/27/el-cortez-restaurant-revamp-downtown-evolution/
The biggest personal loss for me was the closing of the poker room. It was an interesting and very cheap spread limit game like no other and over the years I came to know the dealers well and some of the regulars.
Although many of the regulars I enjoyed years ago were banned.
Action Jackson was one.
And some died.
Jackie came down every day and splashed the pot with his strange, loose play. It was sad to see him go down hill over the years, but fun to be at a table with him. I don't suppose that will come back. The room really was a playroom for old Jackie, a place for him to enjoy a game with folks who loved and respected him.
The last renovation of the café, a few years ago, also took out a favorite of mine. Since I go solo, I loved the old bar stools where I might end up eating with one of the fellows I had just played against at the poker game. The renovation created islands where solos eat alone. Now I guess it will be just tables of some sort and perhaps upscale.
I don't usually eat upscale, but I did like the Flame and often there were good deals. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the new restaurant is like and how they blend that into the café menu. I wonder if there will be any good restaurant.com deals. I doubt it will be the cheap café prime rib that was served.
Every one of these Vegas renovations of late takes out the inexpensive deals and replaces them with good food at a higher price. But for me personally, since the onset of diabetes, I tend to eat more at the Golden Nugget buffet because I can get foods that fit the diet. Playing poker there, I get ten dollars off.
I am pretty easy on frugal rooms, but I've given the Pavillion rooms up. It is hard to find room for the computer. The noise from the wrap around walkways can wake me up, especially if napping in the morning when the maids shout at one another and run their carts along the concrete sounding like little trains right outside my window.
Vintage rooms are cheaper than Pavillion, but are an acquired taste. There is no elevator (although there is a way to take the elevator up to a certain Pavillion floor level and then go in an unmarked door and have just a few stairs down to the Vintage hallway. It is much easier than luggage carried up the huge staircase. Sorry, I can't remember the floor. I was annoyed with dueling televisions on my last attempt to stay there and thin walls. I'd call these rooms a taste of old Vegas.
[url]http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2010/11/el-cortez-vintage-rooms.html[/url]
There are some large Vintage suites tucked in up there somewhere. They are not offered in booking, but you can get them, sometimes for no money for upgrade. Many have written liking these. Sorry I can't find details and I haven't stayed in one.
I love the Cabana rooms, but not on the first floor street level where street noise from walking and talking people is right outside the window. I guess sometimes there is noise from some bars nearby, but I have never been bothered. I love the classy feel of these rooms, the wild green color, the refrigerator, the choices on the television, the free fruit in the lobby. I don't see the walk outside as worrisome (there is always a guard) or long. However, there are three levels of these rooms and many have found the cheaper levels very tiny for their needs. Again, I am solo, so I don't care. There are some great deals on the smallest of the Cabana rooms every so often.
Now, some of my information may be dated, but here are some photos of the Cabana rooms from an old TRhttp://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/05/tr-snippet-hotels-compared.html
Here is a more recent review
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2014/6/12/2120/92359/vegas-travel/You'll+Never+Believe+What+An+Extra+$10+Gets+You+At+El+Cortez
The Tower is quiet, comfortable, perhaps a bit dull. The rooms are very much like Orleans rooms. The bed mattresses are just great, huge and thick. Also these are right in the casino. Years back they still had small screen televisions. If that matters to you, ask and see if that has changed.
Sometimes Tower does not cost more than Pavillion. I booked three nights over upcoming Halloween weekend and the Tower offer was the same as the Pavillion offer. I'm printing that out, however, as it was from a new discounter and I'm wondering if I will have difficulty on check in. I read some negative reviews.
There is a daily resort fee of $9 plustax. There is also a fee if you book more than 7 nights in a row. It is a strange unique fee.
The casino itself has some advantages. I don't much like gambling there solo, but a group can have a great time. Craps is some of the best in Vegas, often three dollars with ten times odds. I just read they have fifty cent chips for paying off those 6/8 place bets, Roulette was cheap. There is not as much full pay video poker as there used to be when JOB 9/6 was everywhere. Just before Dancer did a VP workshop there, they installed some full pay JOB at his insistence. Just after he left, they pulled them out.
There are still some 10/7 DB and some other good plays. There were still some coin droppers.
I think there are decent Deuces, but they have in some cases odd pay tables. Scroll down and see Mike actually write that he is not sure of what to call some of the El Cortez games.
[url]http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/loose-deuces/[/url]
There were also some penny slots that actually took a bet of a penny. When they pulled back on good booze at the poker game a few years ago, I played off ten dollars in freeplay at 3 cents a pull and drank four Myers rums for a profit of $6 at cashout. I guess the American Casino Guide coupons from the El Cortez are no longer part of the book, but that $10 freeplay was one of the better deals.
Right next to the elevator going to Pavillion rooms is one of the most unique old fashioned slot experiences perhaps in the world.
There are a few slots that actually work with slots inside, antiques. They pay pretty well. They take a coin like a silver dollar available at the cashier. I play every trip just for the feel of olden days before even my time. They do measure points and start the turning of the reels with electricity, but the results are based on actual slots catching the grooves inside as they spin.
The Sinatra impersonator I saw last time in the upscale bar was just great. If you like fancy drinks, I'm told these are done by a good mixologist and at reasonable prices compared to other fancy drink places. I miss the old lounge where I could meet people and walk in with a comped drink from the poker room and find plenty of room to sit. But I see how it is an upscale improvement.
The El Cortez would like to join that Freemont East revolution, but frankly I don't see too many young folks there. I went once to a young folks gathering in the outside courtyard and it was packed with upscale youth. I was perhaps the oldest guy there. But in the casino were my peers.
They did have plans to have a pool, but I don't see those developing.
There is more and more thematic reflection of the mob. I'm not too nostalgic about the mob. Today their tactics would be called terrorism. But folks love them like they love pirates and wild west bandits.
My poker buddy had a "talk like a pirate" poker game. I came with a Somalian dictionary for some modern pirate talk. However, if you are nostalgic about old Bugsy... this is the place to go. In the really upscale, one of a kind, suites there is even one surrounded by desert scenes where you can sleep in safe luxury and imagine where the bodies are buried.
When I first started gambling, the El Cortez was one of my favorites with good comps and frugal deals. It is not a place I invest in or seed for future trips. I do that at the D and at the Four Queens. There have been folks noting the loss of long time established comp patterns. Some of my friends went there exclusively with a host, and that all backfired. They don't go there now.
I do use them for cheap nights that I pay money for in between my comped nights downtown.
It is a great place to park a rental car.
And while it is not in the heart of the Fremont Experience, it is in right there for Fremont East, so especially for the young who like that scene, it now has good location. I never minded the walk. Now that is upscale as well.
[COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]
The biggest personal loss for me was the closing of the poker room. It was an interesting and very cheap spread limit game like no other and over the years I came to know the dealers well and some of the regulars.
Although many of the regulars I enjoyed years ago were banned.
Action Jackson was one.
And some died.
Jackie came down every day and splashed the pot with his strange, loose play. It was sad to see him go down hill over the years, but fun to be at a table with him. I don't suppose that will come back. The room really was a playroom for old Jackie, a place for him to enjoy a game with folks who loved and respected him.
The last renovation of the café, a few years ago, also took out a favorite of mine. Since I go solo, I loved the old bar stools where I might end up eating with one of the fellows I had just played against at the poker game. The renovation created islands where solos eat alone. Now I guess it will be just tables of some sort and perhaps upscale.
I don't usually eat upscale, but I did like the Flame and often there were good deals. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the new restaurant is like and how they blend that into the café menu. I wonder if there will be any good restaurant.com deals. I doubt it will be the cheap café prime rib that was served.
Every one of these Vegas renovations of late takes out the inexpensive deals and replaces them with good food at a higher price. But for me personally, since the onset of diabetes, I tend to eat more at the Golden Nugget buffet because I can get foods that fit the diet. Playing poker there, I get ten dollars off.
I am pretty easy on frugal rooms, but I've given the Pavillion rooms up. It is hard to find room for the computer. The noise from the wrap around walkways can wake me up, especially if napping in the morning when the maids shout at one another and run their carts along the concrete sounding like little trains right outside my window.
Vintage rooms are cheaper than Pavillion, but are an acquired taste. There is no elevator (although there is a way to take the elevator up to a certain Pavillion floor level and then go in an unmarked door and have just a few stairs down to the Vintage hallway. It is much easier than luggage carried up the huge staircase. Sorry, I can't remember the floor. I was annoyed with dueling televisions on my last attempt to stay there and thin walls. I'd call these rooms a taste of old Vegas.
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2010/11/el-cortez-vintage-rooms.html
There are some large Vintage suites tucked in up there somewhere. They are not offered in booking, but you can get them, sometimes for no money for upgrade. Many have written liking these. Sorry I can't find details and I haven't stayed in one.
I love the Cabana rooms, but not on the first floor street level where street noise from walking and talking people is right outside the window. I guess sometimes there is noise from some bars nearby, but I have never been bothered. I love the classy feel of these rooms, the wild green color, the refrigerator, the choices on the television, the free fruit in the lobby. I don't see the walk outside as worrisome (there is always a guard) or long. However, there are three levels of these rooms and many have found the cheaper levels very tiny for their needs. Again, I am solo, so I don't care. There are some great deals on the smallest of the Cabana rooms every so often.
Now, some of my information may be dated, but here are some photos of the Cabana rooms from an old TRhttp://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/05/tr-snippet-hotels-compared.html
The Tower is quiet, comfortable, perhaps a bit dull. The rooms are very much like Orleans rooms. The bed mattresses are just great, huge and thick. Also these are right in the casino. Years back they still had small screen televisions. If that matters to you, ask and see if that has changed.
Sometimes Tower does not cost more than Pavillion. I booked three nights over upcoming Halloween weekend and the Tower offer was the same as the Pavillion offer. I'm printing that out, however, as it was from a new discounter and I'm wondering if I will have difficulty on check in. I read some negative reviews.
There is a daily resort fee of $9 plustax. There is also a fee if you book more than 7 nights in a row. It is a strange unique fee.
The casino itself has some advantages. I don't much like gambling there solo, but a group can have a great time. Craps is some of the best in Vegas, often three dollars with ten times odds. I just read they have fifty cent chips for paying off those 6/8 place bets, Roulette was cheap. There is not as much full pay video poker as there used to be when JOB 9/6 was everywhere. Just before Dancer did a VP workshop there, they installed some full pay JOB at his insistence. Just after he left, they pulled them out.
There are still some 10/7 DB and some other good plays. There were still some coin droppers.
I think there are decent Deuces, but they have in some cases odd pay tables. Scroll down and see Mike actually write that he is not sure of what to call some of the El Cortez games.
http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/loose-deuces/
There were also some penny slots that actually took a bet of a penny. When they pulled back on good booze at the poker game a few years ago, I played off ten dollars in freeplay at 3 cents a pull and drank four Myers rums for a profit of $6 at cashout. I guess the American Casino Guide coupons from the El Cortez are no longer part of the book, but that $10 freeplay was one of the better deals.
Right next to the elevator going to Pavillion rooms is one of the most unique old fashioned slot experiences perhaps in the world.
There are a few slots that actually work with slots inside, antiques. They pay pretty well. They take a coin like a silver dollar available at the cashier. I play every trip just for the feel of olden days before even my time. They do measure points and start the turning of the reels with electricity, but the results are based on actual slots catching the grooves inside as they spin.
The Sinatra impersonator I saw last time in the upscale bar was just great. If you like fancy drinks, I'm told these are done by a good mixologist and at reasonable prices compared to other fancy drink places. I miss the old lounge where I could meet people and walk in with a comped drink from the poker room and find plenty of room to sit. But I see how it is an upscale improvement.
The El Cortez would like to join that Freemont East revolution, but frankly I don't see too many young folks there. I went once to a young folks gathering in the outside courtyard and it was packed with upscale youth. I was perhaps the oldest guy there. But in the casino were my peers.
They did have plans to have a pool, but I don't see those developing.
There is more and more thematic reflection of the mob. I'm not too nostalgic about the mob. Today their tactics would be called terrorism. But folks love them like they love pirates and wild west bandits.
My poker buddy had a "talk like a pirate" poker game. I came with a Somalian dictionary for some modern pirate talk. However, if you are nostalgic about old Bugsy... this is the place to go. In the really upscale, one of a kind, suites there is even one surrounded by desert scenes where you can sleep in safe luxury and imagine where the bodies are buried.
When I first started gambling, the El Cortez was one of my favorites with good comps and frugal deals. It is not a place I invest in or seed for future trips. I do that at the D and at the Four Queens. There have been folks noting the loss of long time established comp patterns. Some of my friends went there exclusively with a host, and that all backfired. They don't go there now.
I do use them for cheap nights that I pay money for in between my comped nights downtown.
It is a great place to park a rental car.
And while it is not in the heart of the Fremont Experience, it is in right there for Fremont East, so especially for the young who like that scene, it now has good location. I never minded the walk. Now that is upscale.
http://lasvegasweekly.com/as-we-see-it/2015/may/27/el-cortez-restaurant-revamp-downtown-evolution/
The biggest personal loss for me was the closing of the poker room. It was an interesting and very cheap spread limit game like no other and over the years I came to know the dealers well and some of the regulars.
Although many of the regulars I enjoyed years ago were banned.
Action Jackson was one.
And some died.
Jackie came down every day and splashed the pot with his strange, loose play. It was sad to see him go down hill over the years, but fun to be at a table with him. I don't suppose that will come back. The room really was a playroom for old Jackie, a place for him to enjoy a game with folks who loved and respected him.
The last renovation of the café, a few years ago, also took out a favorite of mine. Since I go solo, I loved the old bar stools where I might end up eating with one of the fellows I had just played against at the poker game. The renovation created islands where solos eat alone. Now I guess it will be just tables of some sort and perhaps upscale.
I don't usually eat upscale, but I did like the Flame and often there were good deals. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the new restaurant is like and how they blend that into the café menu. I wonder if there will be any good restaurant.com deals. I doubt it will be the cheap café prime rib that was served.
Every one of these Vegas renovations of late takes out the inexpensive deals and replaces them with good food at a higher price. But for me personally, since the onset of diabetes, I tend to eat more at the Golden Nugget buffet because I can get foods that fit the diet. Playing poker there, I get ten dollars off.
I am pretty easy on frugal rooms, but I've given the Pavillion rooms up. It is hard to find room for the computer. The noise from the wrap around walkways can wake me up, especially if napping in the morning when the maids shout at one another and run their carts along the concrete sounding like little trains right outside my window.
Vintage rooms are cheaper than Pavillion, but are an acquired taste. There is no elevator (although there is a way to take the elevator up to a certain Pavillion floor level and then go in an unmarked door and have just a few stairs down to the Vintage hallway. It is much easier than luggage carried up the huge staircase. Sorry, I can't remember the floor. I was annoyed with dueling televisions on my last attempt to stay there and thin walls. I'd call these rooms a taste of old Vegas.
[url]http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2010/11/el-cortez-vintage-rooms.html[/url]
There are some large Vintage suites tucked in up there somewhere. They are not offered in booking, but you can get them, sometimes for no money for upgrade. Many have written liking these. Sorry I can't find details and I haven't stayed in one.
I love the Cabana rooms, but not on the first floor street level where street noise from walking and talking people is right outside the window. I guess sometimes there is noise from some bars nearby, but I have never been bothered. I love the classy feel of these rooms, the wild green color, the refrigerator, the choices on the television, the free fruit in the lobby. I don't see the walk outside as worrisome (there is always a guard) or long. However, there are three levels of these rooms and many have found the cheaper levels very tiny for their needs. Again, I am solo, so I don't care. There are some great deals on the smallest of the Cabana rooms every so often.
Now, some of my information may be dated, but here are some photos of the Cabana rooms from an old TRhttp://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/05/tr-snippet-hotels-compared.html
Here is a more recent review
http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2014/6/12/2120/92359/vegas-travel/You'll+Never+Believe+What+An+Extra+$10+Gets+You+At+El+Cortez
The Tower is quiet, comfortable, perhaps a bit dull. The rooms are very much like Orleans rooms. The bed mattresses are just great, huge and thick. Also these are right in the casino. Years back they still had small screen televisions. If that matters to you, ask and see if that has changed.
Sometimes Tower does not cost more than Pavillion. I booked three nights over upcoming Halloween weekend and the Tower offer was the same as the Pavillion offer. I'm printing that out, however, as it was from a new discounter and I'm wondering if I will have difficulty on check in. I read some negative reviews.
There is a daily resort fee of $9 plustax. There is also a fee if you book more than 7 nights in a row. It is a strange unique fee.
The casino itself has some advantages. I don't much like gambling there solo, but a group can have a great time. Craps is some of the best in Vegas, often three dollars with ten times odds. I just read they have fifty cent chips for paying off those 6/8 place bets, Roulette was cheap. There is not as much full pay video poker as there used to be when JOB 9/6 was everywhere. Just before Dancer did a VP workshop there, they installed some full pay JOB at his insistence. Just after he left, they pulled them out.
There are still some 10/7 DB and some other good plays. There were still some coin droppers.
I think there are decent Deuces, but they have in some cases odd pay tables. Scroll down and see Mike actually write that he is not sure of what to call some of the El Cortez games.
[url]http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/loose-deuces/[/url]
There were also some penny slots that actually took a bet of a penny. When they pulled back on good booze at the poker game a few years ago, I played off ten dollars in freeplay at 3 cents a pull and drank four Myers rums for a profit of $6 at cashout. I guess the American Casino Guide coupons from the El Cortez are no longer part of the book, but that $10 freeplay was one of the better deals.
Right next to the elevator going to Pavillion rooms is one of the most unique old fashioned slot experiences perhaps in the world.
There are a few slots that actually work with slots inside, antiques. They pay pretty well. They take a coin like a silver dollar available at the cashier. I play every trip just for the feel of olden days before even my time. They do measure points and start the turning of the reels with electricity, but the results are based on actual slots catching the grooves inside as they spin.
The Sinatra impersonator I saw last time in the upscale bar was just great. If you like fancy drinks, I'm told these are done by a good mixologist and at reasonable prices compared to other fancy drink places. I miss the old lounge where I could meet people and walk in with a comped drink from the poker room and find plenty of room to sit. But I see how it is an upscale improvement.
The El Cortez would like to join that Freemont East revolution, but frankly I don't see too many young folks there. I went once to a young folks gathering in the outside courtyard and it was packed with upscale youth. I was perhaps the oldest guy there. But in the casino were my peers.
They did have plans to have a pool, but I don't see those developing.
There is more and more thematic reflection of the mob. I'm not too nostalgic about the mob. Today their tactics would be called terrorism. But folks love them like they love pirates and wild west bandits.
My poker buddy had a "talk like a pirate" poker game. I came with a Somalian dictionary for some modern pirate talk. However, if you are nostalgic about old Bugsy... this is the place to go. In the really upscale, one of a kind, suites there is even one surrounded by desert scenes where you can sleep in safe luxury and imagine where the bodies are buried.
When I first started gambling, the El Cortez was one of my favorites with good comps and frugal deals. It is not a place I invest in or seed for future trips. I do that at the D and at the Four Queens. There have been folks noting the loss of long time established comp patterns. Some of my friends went there exclusively with a host, and that all backfired. They don't go there now.
I do use them for cheap nights that I pay money for in between my comped nights downtown.
It is a great place to park a rental car.
And while it is not in the heart of the Fremont Experience, it is in right there for Fremont East, so especially for the young who like that scene, it now has good location. I never minded the walk. Now that is upscale as well.
[COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]
The biggest personal loss for me was the closing of the poker room. It was an interesting and very cheap spread limit game like no other and over the years I came to know the dealers well and some of the regulars.
Although many of the regulars I enjoyed years ago were banned.
Action Jackson was one.
And some died.
Jackie came down every day and splashed the pot with his strange, loose play. It was sad to see him go down hill over the years, but fun to be at a table with him. I don't suppose that will come back. The room really was a playroom for old Jackie, a place for him to enjoy a game with folks who loved and respected him.
The last renovation of the café, a few years ago, also took out a favorite of mine. Since I go solo, I loved the old bar stools where I might end up eating with one of the fellows I had just played against at the poker game. The renovation created islands where solos eat alone. Now I guess it will be just tables of some sort and perhaps upscale.
I don't usually eat upscale, but I did like the Flame and often there were good deals. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the new restaurant is like and how they blend that into the café menu. I wonder if there will be any good restaurant.com deals. I doubt it will be the cheap café prime rib that was served.
Every one of these Vegas renovations of late takes out the inexpensive deals and replaces them with good food at a higher price. But for me personally, since the onset of diabetes, I tend to eat more at the Golden Nugget buffet because I can get foods that fit the diet. Playing poker there, I get ten dollars off.
I am pretty easy on frugal rooms, but I've given the Pavillion rooms up. It is hard to find room for the computer. The noise from the wrap around walkways can wake me up, especially if napping in the morning when the maids shout at one another and run their carts along the concrete sounding like little trains right outside my window.
Vintage rooms are cheaper than Pavillion, but are an acquired taste. There is no elevator (although there is a way to take the elevator up to a certain Pavillion floor level and then go in an unmarked door and have just a few stairs down to the Vintage hallway. It is much easier than luggage carried up the huge staircase. Sorry, I can't remember the floor. I was annoyed with dueling televisions on my last attempt to stay there and thin walls. I'd call these rooms a taste of old Vegas.
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2010/11/el-cortez-vintage-rooms.html
There are some large Vintage suites tucked in up there somewhere. They are not offered in booking, but you can get them, sometimes for no money for upgrade. Many have written liking these. Sorry I can't find details and I haven't stayed in one.
I love the Cabana rooms, but not on the first floor street level where street noise from walking and talking people is right outside the window. I guess sometimes there is noise from some bars nearby, but I have never been bothered. I love the classy feel of these rooms, the wild green color, the refrigerator, the choices on the television, the free fruit in the lobby. I don't see the walk outside as worrisome (there is always a guard) or long. However, there are three levels of these rooms and many have found the cheaper levels very tiny for their needs. Again, I am solo, so I don't care. There are some great deals on the smallest of the Cabana rooms every so often.
Now, some of my information may be dated, but here are some photos of the Cabana rooms from an old TRhttp://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2011/05/tr-snippet-hotels-compared.html
The Tower is quiet, comfortable, perhaps a bit dull. The rooms are very much like Orleans rooms. The bed mattresses are just great, huge and thick. Also these are right in the casino. Years back they still had small screen televisions. If that matters to you, ask and see if that has changed.
Sometimes Tower does not cost more than Pavillion. I booked three nights over upcoming Halloween weekend and the Tower offer was the same as the Pavillion offer. I'm printing that out, however, as it was from a new discounter and I'm wondering if I will have difficulty on check in. I read some negative reviews.
There is a daily resort fee of $9 plustax. There is also a fee if you book more than 7 nights in a row. It is a strange unique fee.
The casino itself has some advantages. I don't much like gambling there solo, but a group can have a great time. Craps is some of the best in Vegas, often three dollars with ten times odds. I just read they have fifty cent chips for paying off those 6/8 place bets, Roulette was cheap. There is not as much full pay video poker as there used to be when JOB 9/6 was everywhere. Just before Dancer did a VP workshop there, they installed some full pay JOB at his insistence. Just after he left, they pulled them out.
There are still some 10/7 DB and some other good plays. There were still some coin droppers.
I think there are decent Deuces, but they have in some cases odd pay tables. Scroll down and see Mike actually write that he is not sure of what to call some of the El Cortez games.
http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/loose-deuces/
There were also some penny slots that actually took a bet of a penny. When they pulled back on good booze at the poker game a few years ago, I played off ten dollars in freeplay at 3 cents a pull and drank four Myers rums for a profit of $6 at cashout. I guess the American Casino Guide coupons from the El Cortez are no longer part of the book, but that $10 freeplay was one of the better deals.
Right next to the elevator going to Pavillion rooms is one of the most unique old fashioned slot experiences perhaps in the world.
There are a few slots that actually work with slots inside, antiques. They pay pretty well. They take a coin like a silver dollar available at the cashier. I play every trip just for the feel of olden days before even my time. They do measure points and start the turning of the reels with electricity, but the results are based on actual slots catching the grooves inside as they spin.
The Sinatra impersonator I saw last time in the upscale bar was just great. If you like fancy drinks, I'm told these are done by a good mixologist and at reasonable prices compared to other fancy drink places. I miss the old lounge where I could meet people and walk in with a comped drink from the poker room and find plenty of room to sit. But I see how it is an upscale improvement.
The El Cortez would like to join that Freemont East revolution, but frankly I don't see too many young folks there. I went once to a young folks gathering in the outside courtyard and it was packed with upscale youth. I was perhaps the oldest guy there. But in the casino were my peers.
They did have plans to have a pool, but I don't see those developing.
There is more and more thematic reflection of the mob. I'm not too nostalgic about the mob. Today their tactics would be called terrorism. But folks love them like they love pirates and wild west bandits.
My poker buddy had a "talk like a pirate" poker game. I came with a Somalian dictionary for some modern pirate talk. However, if you are nostalgic about old Bugsy... this is the place to go. In the really upscale, one of a kind, suites there is even one surrounded by desert scenes where you can sleep in safe luxury and imagine where the bodies are buried.
When I first started gambling, the El Cortez was one of my favorites with good comps and frugal deals. It is not a place I invest in or seed for future trips. I do that at the D and at the Four Queens. There have been folks noting the loss of long time established comp patterns. Some of my friends went there exclusively with a host, and that all backfired. They don't go there now.
I do use them for cheap nights that I pay money for in between my comped nights downtown.
It is a great place to park a rental car.
And while it is not in the heart of the Fremont Experience, it is in right there for Fremont East, so especially for the young who like that scene, it now has good location. I never minded the walk. Now that is upscale.
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