The first thing you notice when entering this casino is the smell. The odor is not at all offensive but it is quite strong. I really don't know what it is.

The casino is classic old-style Vegas. There are old and interesting photos on the walls. Good single-deck blackjack games are available.

Customer service is lacking, however. Once, I went to the cashier's cage to ask to borrow a pen. The employee told me there weren't any but there were several in plain view. I was not happy with this rude treatment, so I sent an email about it to the management. The email was ignored and I never received a response, much less an apology.

If there was a category for value it would rate high. The tower and vintage rooms have recently been renovated and are now non smoking. Only the Pavilion rooms will offer smoking.

The story goes Jackie Gaughan bought a defunct hotel and had it disassembled and re constructed as the pavilion rooms that are the 5th floor of the then new parking garage structure finished in 1963. The doors open outside so you can smoke to your hearts content with your room door open.

The 15 story Tower rooms, built in 1980, are non smoking now, as well as the original Vintage Rooms, which are accessible only by stairs in the casino, and are part of the original hotel. The vintage rooms used to be all smoking. I wonder how they got the stink out of there.

The new Cabana Building is 100% non smoking as well and has a "Smart" climate system. So if you smoke in there they fine you big time. The regular deluxe rooms are tiny, the junior suites are the size of a regular room, 400 sq ft. It's the old "Ogden House" building that used to be a fleabag used by the El CO for overflow and low buck rooms. There are a couple of "Super Suites" but I don't know if those are available to the common folk.

The gambling is good, 3-to-2 Blackjack, hand dealt or by shoe, but no double after split, H17 and the table limits are low.

.25 cent, $1.00 min roulette double zero, 4 tables.

Craps 2 tables, one is $3 sometimes, both are usually $5 on busy nights or weekends. I think it was 10X odds but don't quote me on that. Field 12 pays only double.

There's a decent mix of video poker, but no 9/6 JOB. Most of the best machines are deuces wild or various bonus poker games.

There are a couple of Wheel of Fortune machines, and a good cross section of slots, keno, and others including the newer video slots as well as a few old clunkers that pay pretty good.

The poker room is a cordoned off section over by the bar and has low fees, a very popular room for those crusty old card sharks from yesteryear, including the man "Jackie Gaughan" who loves to sit and play for hours most days. You know the guy has got to love to gamble, and he had some of the best offerings downtown for serious gamblers for many years. Low limits and buy ins make for an interesting crowd.

The casino layout is old school and smoking is still permitted in the casino but that may change in the future due to the strong trend developing nationwide as to smoking in public. Vegas still caters to many tourists from many nations, some have a high percentage of smokers, such as China and India, that have more smokers than America has people. Gamblers have a high percentage of smokers, it goes with the territory, both are risky propositions.

It's not exactly part of the Fremont Street Experience, but it's just down on Fremont Street. Pass Las Vegas Blvd, through the Fremont East District, it's down on the left.

El Cortez is a Vegas time capsule. It's a reflection of the good old days in Vegas with a little soul and history intact. The hotel is just off The Fremont Experience so it is close enough to walk to in comfort and safety and far enough away from the noise to get a little peace. The entire staff is extremely friendly, courteous and helpful.

The casino area is decently sized and quaint with plenty of good slots, table games and an understated but very functional sports book. The restaurants on-site offer very good value and quality. The rooms are very adequate for what I want to do - sleep in comfort when too beat to game.

The floor cocktail waitresses are efficient as are the bartenders and the drinks are stout. The presence of the owner, Jackie Gaughan, is reminiscent of Vegas-past where management took an interest in their guests. The El Cortez is a very special place rich in tradition and offering a great value downtown.

Would I take my wife there? Maybe not for a week, but a weekend hop, sure. It's great for the guys and those on a budget. It's also nice to be treated like a high-roller even if you are not. This is classic Vegas, baby. Catch it before it is gone and we're left at the mercy of the faceless Strip behemoths who gut everything of any real value.

No this isn't a Strip Hotel & Spa, it's not even under the Fremont Expererience which is merely four blocks away, however this hotel is on Fremont St. in the East Entertainment District.

Much has changed since my first stay in 2006, at that time I had never even heard of it but needed a room. Why do I come back three times a year? Very simple, after one stay, my comps cannot compare with the Four Queens where I had stayed since 1998. I have not paid for a room since 2006, I get a food & slot allowance because comps are generous as are many of the penny & nickel slots.

The Hotel has undergone a major $23 million dollar renovation over the course of the last few years. New ventilatiion system, new carpet, new slots, updated rooms & lobby, and brand spanking new Cabana Suites across the street on Ogden in a sister building, also a brand new entrance and valet parking. The area around the Cortez is in flux everytime I come a new bar or shop has opened gradually changing, as once vacant buildings get occupants.

I always feel safe plenty of security both in and outside the Casino and I walk around alone sometimes at 2,3,4 in the morning from Cortez to the Fitzgerald, Binions and beyond.

The restraurant has been redesigned and features some good food at very modest prices, a steakhouse is on site as well but never eaten there. Additionally a Subway, Ice Cream and Coffee bar take up one corner. There is a new Fiesta Showroom for special events and concerts of local bands, plus a piano bar and two regular bars scattered through out the casino & conveinent parking garage.

While the drink waitresses don't come by too often, a decent tip helps to get better service and my drinks don't taste watered down. I'm not a table gamer so I can't say much about that however many have told me its the best video poker place downtown & for keno too.

I like a slot machine that pays or at least plays with a twenty to I can get an hour or better on some machines. On my first visit i won $200 on a two credit quarter machine, on my last visit using comps on a penny machine played it from 7pm till 4am walking away with $700.

My buddy and I never paid for a meal except for the sandwich from Subway and The Cortez has coupons for eating there, saving you a few bucks. People have always been so nice to me and once I left my HP digital Camera when I called two days later a maid had turned it in and it was shipped to me via priority mail which I paid for gladly.

When people ask me what the rooms are like I say compare them to La Quinta or Best Western however the rooms are large with very comfortable beds and pillows always clean sheets & rooms. These rooms have mostly all been updated, some have Flat Screen TV's and from what I have read the Cabana Suites are all new with modern amenities.

I spend very little time in my room. mostly to sleep and bathe. The rest of the day was spent walking around & seeing shows, when my brother stayed with me last winter he said the rooms were better than the Plaza where he often stays. My favorite thing about this property is it's still locally owned, not by a corprate magnet, and still has that feeling of old Vegas.

El Cortez is one of only three casinos in Las vegas that still has full pay 3-2 single deck blackjack.

They also have some of the best video poker in Las Vegas. They have good deals on rooms and food.

?