Poker Rooms Reviews and information: El Cortez

Phone: (702) 385-5200
Address: 600 East Freemont Street

El Cortez Poker Room Information

Tables: 2

Texas Holdem: Yes
1-3-3-6.
Rake is only 10% or $2.50 (one of the lowest in Las Vegas).
No-Limit Holdem: No
Stud: Yes
1-3.
Rake is $3 max.

Omaha: No
Tournaments: No
Weekend Wait-Time: 10 to 30 minutes.

There are only two tables, so although the list is usually short, the wait can still be quite long.

Smoking Allowed: Yes
The poker tables are smack in the middle of one of the smokiest casino's in Las Vegas. If you're a chain smoker, The El Cortez is the place to play.

Review - El Cortez Poker Room

Total Rating: 1.80

Room Quality Rating: 1
The El Cortez hotel, and the poker room inside, should have been blown up 10 years ago. But the place has character.

The poker tables may be the oldest poker tables still in service in Las Vegas. They have terrible felt and cigarette burns everywhere. Even the card decks seem old school.

With only two Texas Holdem tables, the El Cortez is also the smallest poker room listed at allvegaspoker.com -- In fact, the El Cortez doesn't even really have a poker "room" -- It just has two poker tables and a manager's desk next to the craps tables in the middle of the casino.

If you're looking for an up-town poker experience, then go elsewhere. The El Cortez poker room is the biggest poker hole in the wall in Vegas. But, if you're the type of person that likes a place like this, then God bless and good luck.

Competition Rating: 3
If you're under 40, you will probably be the youngest person seated at the table.

Some players have been playing at the El Cortez for 30 years. These people know how to play poker -- not always very well -- but they know how to play.

Of course, the El Cortez also gets a lot of visitors from downtown. These are your standard bums, crack dealers, and street hookers. At the El Cortez, these are your best friends because they usually continue to dump money on the table, and they will call with ANYTHING.

These are the people that make the El Cortez a profitable place to play.

Dealer Rating: 1
The dealers are pretty bad. Some of the old timers are decent, but if these were good dealers they wouldn't be working at the El Cortez.

Cocktail Rating: 2
Some of the cocktail waitresses have probably been working at the El Cortez since it opened.

I don't know when the El Cortez opened -- But it was a long time ago. These waitresses are OLD, and frankly most of them have no business in the outfits they're wearing.

Thankfully, the cocktail waitress outfits are not too revealing. But, trust me when I tell you that's a good thing.

Despite the lackluster appearances, most of the women who serve drinks here are really nice and friendly.

Although their personalities won't get them a top rating at allvegaspoker.com, the speed with which they bring the drinks will earn the El Cortez cocktail waitresses a 2 instead of a 1.

It is worth mentioning that the El Cortez is the ONLY place I have ever ordered a Corona and had it served in a CAN rather than a bottle.

Management Rating: 5
The El Cortez poker room management is one of a kind.

This is the only place I know of in Las Vegas where the management smoke as many cigarettes as the players. They smoke on the job, and at the table.

Yes, that's right -- they smoke at the table. This is because the management at the El Cortez often sit down with the players when there are open seats.

They're not shy about it either. They will sit right down, and when a new player wants to enter the game, they will stand up from their seat, sell the new player some chips from their rack, and then watch the game (while smoking).

Because the management at the El Cortez is so unique, I'm rating it a 5 -- the best of Las Vegas.

Comps Rating: 1
The comps are pretty bad.

- $5 food voucher for four hours of play.