I've stayed at the Strat at least once a year for the last five years. This has always been an out of the way hike from the main strip, but it used to be a cheap and fun place to stay. Sadly I've seen a steady decline at this place. The closing of the Sahara down the street seems to have hit this place hard. Five years ago this was a cheap place to stay with a lot of entertainment right in the building. Now it's only good for a cheap place to stay if you plan to spend your days elsewhere, especially if you have already seen the view from the tower. The current owners bought this place about five years ago at the height of the real estate bubble. Since that time they've lost money almost every month and have engaged in some serious cost cutting to try and ride out the recession. In the last five years they've closed Polyester's nightclub, Lucky's Diner, the celebrity impersonator show, the topless pool on the roof, their steakhouse restaurant and bar, and most of the live bands that play in the casino. The impersonator show used to be fun for kids and adults alike. Now they've got very little in the way of entertainment or dining going on. The slot machines used to be among the loosest in Vegas, on my most recent visit I noticed the average payout for a bonus round was about $20. Yawn. OK, this is the same story at most of the casinos since the recession hit, but they used to have decent rules blackjack tables with $5 minimums. On my most recent visit last weekend I was appalled to learn that they now pay 6:5 blackjack on most of their tables. They still have a few 3:2 tables, but they have $10 minimums, so of course all the clueless morons flock to the $5 minimum tables with the 6:5 payout. If you want the 3:2 payout, you'll probably be sitting alone at a table, which I don't like. On a recent visit I stayed at the Plaza downtown. Brand new rooms for less that the Stratosphere, the Freemont Street experience and all the entertainment there nightly right outside the front door, and the Golden Nugget right down the street with some of the best blackjack rules in Vegas. Looks like I'll be spending most of my visits downtown from now on. So long, Stratosphere.
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a).