Last month on my Reno/Vegas trip I finally made a stop at the Sweaty Spainard. I wasn't doing much playing that day and was with the Mrs downtown enjoying some drinks and the music. I got one of those ridiculous 64oz. Football drinks and made it a Long Island. Made my way down to the El Cortez to check it out. Yes they had a lot of Single Deck games but I found it odd they dealt it out of a shoe. Also what stood out to me is how many floor men they have. Most of the tables were semi crowded and most of my bankroll was back in the hotel safe but still had like a grand in my pocket. I found a table in one of the smaller pits which only had a few tables with one other player. I bought in for 300 and began min betting $5 lol. Possibly a coincidence but a couple minutes later I noticed two very large men in suits were standing behind the table. They eventually moved on but seemed a bit intimidating. Pen was pretty bad with the first dealer and always seemed to deal a couple hands more when the count was neg and shuffled up in + counts. Got a new dealer in and he was pretty consistent. Also the other guy at the table took an extended walk so it was HU.

Got into some shenanigans with this guy when I had $25 out there and he misdealt the cards and proceeded to give himself my 2nd card and me his down card. Normally where I play they would likely consider the hand dead or give the option to back out. He switched the cards back and proceded with the hand which I lost.

Couple decks later got into a huge plus count with all the Aces remaining with half the deck left and I jammed out $125. I kinda expected to get shuffled up on but he dealt the hand and boom 20 against his 9. I also figured a 25-1 spread would for sure get me the boot. He flips the down card and its an Ace. Damn. Played on a bit and couldn't get nothing going. Donated around $150 to the El Cortez and probably won't ever go back.

Overall the trip was a success and crushed it in Reno. Vegas I find it hard to find a good game although there was one place way south of the strip on 2D I was getting 80% pen and made a decent chunk of my losses back from other Vegas properties I donated to.