ES
The room has moved to a new location next to the restaurants near the front of the casino. The new location isn't perfect, but it's better than the old nook hidden behind the sportsbook.
The Stratosphere has the best rake structure in Vegas, 5% to $4. Due to the high number of pots that get raked 0 or $1 this structure is even better than the 10% to $3 that a few other rooms offer. Unfortunately there is a jackpot drop, but it gets recycled back to the players fairly quickly via their Aces Cracked promo. The tables are a little worn out and don't have auto-shufflers. The chairs are comfortable, although I have run across a couple with defective legs. The dealers are okay and the floorpeople are very good. The cash game traffic is lackluster and the games can sometimes get shorthanded, but the tournaments seem to consistently draw well considering the size of the room. The rake structure makes up for the room's flaws, and the only thing stopping me from giving the room a 5 rating is the lack of auto-shufflers.
The competition is typical for the limits spread. Which is another way of saying that the games are juicy.
Most of the dealers are decent enough, but there are a few really bad ones. There are no auto-shufflers, so the slowness of the bad dealers can be excruciating. I've put in a fair number of hours at the Stratosphere, and I've yet to run across a dealer with a bad attitude. And at risk of sounding like a perv, two of the female dealers are smoking hot.
Cocktail service is very fast. The only problem is that when the main waitress for the room is on break there can be delays.
The floor people at the Stratosphere are excellent. They are friendly, helpful, and very generous with how the comp hours are tallied. My only complaint is that some of the floors have a habit of recruiting tournament players from the cash games.
For 40 hours in a month you get comped 2 show tickets and a free $60 tourney entry. If you win the tourney your prize is doubled. I saw the floor offer one player a comped dinner, but they don't have a regular per hour comp system. Management is exceedingly accommodating, so if you put in a reasonable amount of hours I'd wager they'll probably give you something. Also, by joining the players club you'll get a coupon book with matchplays for the pit, a free $5 in the poker room, and discounts at the shops & restaurants. While the comps might be higher in other places, when you factor in the reduced rake the comp program is a very nice deal.
