Real Estate Jargon: Las Vegas “Sawdust Joints” & “Rug Joints"

Buyers, sellers, investors, welcome back to another installment of Real Estate Jargon, aka, simple explanations of complex or obscure real estate terms.  As a departure from terms typically used in real estate transactions or property management, I’m responding to a question I’ve received a couple times regarding “rug joints” and “sawdust joints.”

All men know that anything they need to learn about being a man they can learn from watching “The Godfather.”  Women – if you want to understand men, watch this movie.  Mario Puzzo, the late author who wrote the book, said that the story isn’t about the Mafia, it’s about the relationship between a father and his sons.  But I digress…

In “The Godfather, Part II,” one of the Mafia chiefs talks about how their casino hotels in Cuba are bigger and swankier than their “rug joints” in Vegas.  Some believe that a rug joint is a place where you shoot someone in the head, then roll their body in a rug to be taken into the woods to be buried.  Not true!

Here’s the real story.

“Sawdust joints” are casinos or bars with wood floors that are sprinkled with sawdust to 1) absorb spilled liquids, 2) protect the floor from damage by hard soled shoes, and 3) to muffle the sound made by walking on the wood floor.  In the early days of Las Vegas casinos, almost all of them were sawdust joints.

When big investors started building larger, fancier casinos to attract big-spending customers, those casinos were decorated with better furnishings and rugs on the floor.  They were known as “rug joints.”  Over time, nicer casinos came to be known as “rug joints” and not as nice casinos were known as “sawdust joints.”

Thanks to those who asked this question, I hope everyone found it somewhat interesting.

John A. Souerbry & Associates  (DRE 01370983)  www.jsrealproperty.com

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