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The Strat (Stratosphere) Las Vegas - Poker Room review

           

Walking Time Allowed 45 Minutes
Comp Rate $1/Hour
Poker Rate Weekday Varies
Poker Rate Weekend Varies
Other Information
Free pizza is offered at the break of the 7PM tournament. Bad Beat Jackpot & High Hand Jackpots are offered. The cash games listed above are the regularly spread games in this room. Others games and stakes are sometimes played based on player interest.

Stratosphere Poker Room Description
The Stratosphere Poker Room is the busiest room on the North side of the Strip and is best known for its very popular daily tournament schedule.

Offering a low buy-in, deepstacked, slow structured tournament 3 times a day has made the poker room at the Stratosphere a popular venue that draws many players from all areas.

Many of the staff, including the Poker Room Manager, came from the former Sahara Hotel & Casino, which had popularized the deepstack low buy in idea.

The Stratosphere Poker Room offers adjustable height chairs, high hand jackpot promotions, automatic shufflers, and complimentary pizza for the 7PM tournament break. Players earn comps on their ace | PLAY™ card for cash game play.



Room Quality: 3
Tables were decent, half wall surrounding poker area so not actually a room for those wanting to avoid smoke and traffic of the rest of the casino. TV's on various channels on the back wall, a digital blinds clock on the wall that can be seen by all. Chairs were decent and comfortable.
Competition: 3
I only played the 7PM tournament, about 80 average $30 buy in players came on board, nothing special. I was so tired after my flight I shouldn't have even considered playing, but I, like most who get in town want to get in on the action. I donated $30 to the cause, my 2 pocket nut diamonds to the board flush were in fact hearts. At that point I figured I'd best head to bed.
Dealers: 4
Dealers were decent, you knew right away who the locals and regulars were by their banter back and forth about mostly nothing. Overall the dealers were doing their job and trying to keep the game moving.
Cocktails: 4
Cocktail waitress was good, she wasn't young, but she was proficient at doing her job and was friendly, she came back for a second round about the time the first round was gone.
Management: 3
No instance came about where management had to make any decisions or be involved, they kept close track of the clock and the blind structure was adhered to.
Comps & Bonuses: 0
Though I have read they comp cash players, I didn't find out. I only played the one tournament and figured I'd not be playing there again opted to pass on any comp offerings.




Room Quality: 4
A much better location than when it was in the sportsbook area. Not cramped at all between tables, adjustable/rolling chairs were fairly comfortable, tables in good shape. Open to the casino, but not too disturbing. Close to restrooms.
Competition: 3
Most everyone had varying degrees of experience. I can't say any were at a "pro" level, but most were pretty sharp. In one tourney, there were a couple fairly new players, but they didn't last past the first hour.
Dealers: 4
I can't recall any major mistakes; maybe 1 misdeal in a week. All were friendly & personable, but did their jobs in a professional manner with respect to the rules. Quickly settled a charge of collusion by a player; 2 other players were speaking in a foreign language & the dealer put a quick end to it.
Cocktails: 4
This one is hard to be impartial. The 2 waitress' I dealt with mostly in the poker room that week, I've known in the Strat for many years, so I already had a high opinion of them. However, the service was pretty quick (at least 3-4 times an hour), accurate, & always with a smile.
Management: 3
I really didn't have that much contact w/ management. They ran the tourneys well with no conflicts. There never was a waiting list for cash games, so I had no problem there. All that I spoke to were nice; one even recalled my name after my second visit that week. One minor issue; on a cash game, the desk manager didn't clock in my players card, but the manager who clocked me out took care of it & backed up my time.
Comps & Bonuses: 3
I was already staying on a comp, so I can't say. There is a bad beat, but it's not advertised that well & I don't recall how much is raked for it.


Room Quality: 2
I had just arrived in Vegas at 11 in the morning, and after getting to the hotel and being informed I couldn't check in yet I decided to go ahead and hit the felt ASAP. After having to be pointed in the direction of the poker room, when I first got there, I thought there was something wrong due to the number of players sitting down. There was only one table running and it was a slow 1/2 NL game. First hand AK, pop it to 15 in LP,(one caller) flop AK3...Checked in first, bet $20, reraised all in...Pocket 3's for a set of crabs. This did not shake me up until this happened over and over again. 6 times in about 3 hours of play I had an overpair before the flop QQ v 99, 77 v 44, JJ v 99, and got out flopped every time! The worst part is that after busting out playing the 1/2 game there, there is nothing else to do. Im going back to Vegas for the world series in 2 weeks, and could not be happier about staying at the bellagio.
Competition: 3
Although it was my first trip to Vegas to play cards the players were average to what I have normally played against in AC or home games. Some, as expected were very aggresive, and profitable to anyone who had the patience to smooth call that at the end. Otherwise it was a total crap shoot.
Dealers: 4
The dealers at the Strat were probably the only semi decent thing I enjoyed while playing here. They were very friendly as they seem to know most of the people at the table, as many people were locals.
Cocktails: 2
If you are thinking that the cocktail waitresses are going to be attractive, you are going to be more than upset. Under 40 would have been a good start, but it felt like someones grandmother was walking around serving drinks, with just as much excitement as you could expect.
Management: 3
The management was fine, as they had very little to do besides taking down the occasional name every hour. Although when I had questions they were very polite and answered them as best they could.
Comps & Bonuses: 1
I don't even think the Stratosphere knows the word "comps"


Room Quality: 4
Most comfortable chairs in town. Lots of space between tables and 9 handed games....Excellent! Felts need to be replaced but all else good.
Competition: 3
A good mix between "regulars" and tourists, including a regular contingent of loose-aggressive Europeans.
Dealers: 4
They are all friendly and well trained. From your first day there, they try to remember your name, most of the time succeeding. This is probably why visitors think everyone is local.
Cocktails: 3
The recent addition of some very attractive waitresses has added a little balance to this area. The service is slow, especially late at night, since the bar is quite a ways from the poker room and the server must cover a very large area. They have monster instead of red bull and no premiums(petron, etc.), but the selection is adequate.
Management: 1
They work hard to make it a pleasurable place to play. They are friendly and remember the player names.
Comps & Bonuses: 1
High hand jackpot promotion is not bad. Starts at $500 and ads $100 per day until hit, then starts over. Qualifying for the monthly $10,000 freeroll is easily achievable. Tableside dining from Roxy's is a real perk! Standard $1 per hour for food comps.