El Cortez Closing Poker Room December 30

The El Cortez will close its poker room on December 30.  USPoker confirmed the news today with poker room staff.

The three-table poker room is currently located in the center of the casino with slot machines just a few feet from the tables.  The main game is 1-3-6 spread limit game.  There is a single $1 blind and it is $1-3 until the river when the bet may be as high as $6.  A regular $1-4 Seven Card Stud game was spread on Saturdays for years but that game broke earlier this year.

Former El Cortez owner Jackie Gaughan is known to play in the low limit game.  He lives in the hotel and entertains guests with stories from old Las Vegas, a city he helped build.

There will not be any promotional money to give away when the poker room closes.  The jackpot drop is paid daily to the top high hands of the day.

This will bring the total number of downtown Las Vegas poker rooms to three.  Golden Nugget and Binion’s offer traditional poker rooms where players will find regular $2/4 limit and $1/2 no limit games.  Plaza offers a three-table electronic poker room.  The regular game at Plaza is $.25/.50 no limit.

Las Vegas has seen its fair share of poker rooms close this year.  Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall, Circus Circus, M Resort and Riviera all closed their poker rooms in 2013.