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True to my word, I did, indeed, spend the day at The Stratosphere.

As usual, I had a good time … and I got some photographs as well.

It took about half an hour from the time I bought a ticket, to the time I arrived at the top of the tower.  There is a long walk through the food court and shopping mall, and of course you have to wait in line to go through the metal detector.

The tower seemed to be extra “shaky” today.  I don’t know if there was wind, or just a bunch of fat people riding the thrill rides on the roof, but every now and then it rocked and thumped quite a bit.  It was a little strange, but I quickly got used to it.

A couple of helicopters flew by at eye level, which was actually cool.  It was also interesting to observe planes take off from McCarran beneath you, and watch them take twenty seconds just to reach your altitude.

When I typically get up in the tower, I like to kick back and relax. They have mini-couches placed throughout the tower, and they also have a Starbucks and a gift shop to meet your immediate hunger and thirst needs.  I like to sit on the couch, throw on my headphones, and watch the city play out below me.  While you are in the tower, you feel pretty isolated from the chaos below, and it really is a nice way to get away from it all, even if only for a short time.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, I saw brides and grooms all over the city today … including up in the  tower.

One thing that struck me this time was how much the Fontainebleau is really obstructing the view of The Strip from the tower.  It’s kind of a bummer.  When I compare recent photos from those I took a few years ago, the Fblue really is an annoying obstruction.

That is the price of progress … I suppose.

Anyway, after a solid two hours in the observation tower, I descended back to Earth and made my way back to the casino.

I felt like playing a little poker.

The Stratosphere Poker Room used to be a little hole in the wall near the Sports Book, but the newer room is significantly better.  It is located in the far north end of the casino near the buffet, and it is far nicer than you would probably expect.

As a matter of fact, comfort-wise, this room is well above-average for a Strip casino.

The chairs are actually padded.  Sort of like office chairs.  There are video screens lining the wall, and the staff is extraordinarily nice.

To be honest, it is every bit as comfortable as the rooms at Mandalay and MGM.  I prefer it even to the sardine can that is the Bellagio.  It may not look as nice, but for a comfortable place to park your ass, watch the game, and play cards … it’s a very solid room.  If you haven’t played it … you should probably give it a shot.  You might be surprised.

The only reason I don’t play the room more often is because the competition is often tough.

The  poker room is not a fishing hole.  It really never has been.  They have a freeroll that runs every other Monday which requires 25 hours of play.

Of course, the only people that typically are able to play freeroll tournaments are locals … which means that The Strat attracts a lot of players from the local neighborhoods … hence the overall difficulty making easy money.

I grabbed a flier while I was there, and the price for the roll is $5,000.   I think I am going to gun for some of these games in the coming months.

I’m going to have to make a few adjustments to my playing style and get in a few more hands than I otherwise would … but I am a sucker for freerolls.  I’ve made decent returns over the years playing these particular tournaments, and even if I lose a few bucks making the hours, sometimes it’s worth it to have a shot at getting in the money on the free game.

The last freeroll I played on a frequent basis was the Hilton, before that, I played the Luxor freeroll every week.

Maybe it’s time to get set up in a new regular room to get back into the tourney groove.  Hell, since my Hilton group was unceremoniously disbanded, perhaps I can find a new weekend Breakfast Club at the Strat.

While The Strat is in Naked City, it is also within walking distance of Paradise Palms and several other neighborhoods.   In contrast to far-flung locals casinos like the Suncoast and Boulder Station, the neighborhoods surrounding The Strat are quite dense by West Coast standards.  All told, I would estimate that 5,000 to 10,000 people live within a 20 minute walk, or a five minute drive to The Strat.

Since it is close, and draws a large amount of tourists, one might even call it the ultimate locals casino.  Kind of the best (or worst) of both worlds.

On any given day, I would estimate that the casino has 80% tourists and 20% locals.  While it doesn’t seem like much, this is a far higher mix than any other Strip casino, and it’s a reason that you probably aren’t going to get a lot of loose aggressive trust fund babies like you will find at the Mandalay or MGM.

I took a seat at the game, and fired away for about an hour and a half.  I was card-dead for the first hour, and the small blinds were eating into my small-ish buy in.

Then I got pocket rockets, and I threw in a few chips.  Everyone folded around.

Dorothy, you’re not at the Mandalay anymore.  They don’t fall for that crap here.

It will certainly help sharpen my overall skills, though.

I can’t abandon the Mandalay, etc, but I think I am going to throw some more hours into this room.

I didn’t get decimated, however.

There are certain advantages to being card dead.  Unless you are a complete donk, bad cards will keep you out of trouble.  When I have KK, and my opponent has AA, that’s when I get destroyed.

9-3 offsuit is an easy play.

I managed to win a single medium pot with two pair from an obvious tourist, and it brought me back from the blind bleed.  After tips, I walked out with $8 more than I sat down with.  Could have been better, could have been worse.

I bought a slice of pizza with my winnings, and headed home.

Extreme heights, poker, and pizza.

Just another Saturday in Las Vegas, and If you ask me, it was the absolute perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day.

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