Larry Smith was born on September 9, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ritenour High School in 1964 and joined the Marine Corps in 1965. Larry volunteered for a tour in Viet Nam and after two years was honorably discharged in 1967.
After his discharge from the Marine Corps Larry moved to San Francisco with a buddy and spent the next two years enjoying life.
In 1969 Larry married and spent his honeymoon in Reno, Nevada. Larry enjoyed the casino atmosphere so much that he and his wife moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1972 so he could pursue a career in the casino business.
Larry broke-in as a craps dealer at the Fremont Casino and shortly thereafter he ran a couple of single table card rooms in North Las Vegas. From there he took on a couple of four-table rooms and in 1976 landed at the Silver Slipper as a floorman in the pit.
At the same time and up until 1980, he was an instructor at Las Valley School of Dealing. He followed that up with a position as a gaming instructor with the Clark County Community College.
In 1984 Larry moved to Davenport, Iowa to work on the first river boat on the Mississippi, the President, as the Director of Training. In 1985 he was asked to set up an eight table poker room on the river boat along with training the staff.
In 1987 he took on the position of Director of Training for their new President Casino in Biloxi. When he was done training the pit dealers he was commissioned to set up a 12 table poker room along with training the dealers and supervisors.
In 1989 they sent him to open the President on the Admiral in St. Louis. His title was Director of Training/Casino Shift Manager and again was asked to open another poker room. He set up a 24 table poker room that eventually increased to a 32 table room. In 1994 Larry moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to open his own dealer's school.
In 1998 he went to Isleta to train the dealers and supervisors for their new 10 table poker room.
In 1998 Larry left the conventional work force to play poker for a living. In 2001 he decided he didn't like the roller coaster ride of a poker player and went back to work as a gaming instructor.
In 2002 he took a surveillance position with the MGM Grand and in 2004 he transferred to the Stratosphere. The Stratosphere offered him the position of cardroom manager in November 2005 and he accepted the position.
DB: What future plans do you have for the Stratosphere room?
LS: After the first of the year we're planning to institute more tournaments. We will also be starting a .25 to $1.00 game for beginners that we call the Kitchen Table Game.
DB: What live games are available on a daily basis at the Stratosphere?
LS: We spread $2-$4, $3- $6, and $4-$8 limit hold'em daily. We also spread $1-$2 and $2-$5 blind no-limit games. The maximum buyin on the $1-$2 game is $300 and the maximum buy-in on the $2-$5 game is $500.
DB: Are you offering any daily tournaments?
LS: We offer $50 shootouts 24/7 whenever we get 10 players.
DB: What incentives does the Stratosphere offer it's poker players?
LS: We comp players meals after five hours of live play. The bar is right next to the poker room so we are known for having the best cocktail service.
DB: Is the room convenient for local poker payers?
LS: Our room is very convenient to self parking and valet parking. Right outside our room is a deli, the Sportsbook and Starbucks.
DB: What promos does the Stratosphere offer at the moment?
LS: We have high-hand jackpots ranging from four deuces to royal flushes. The jackpots pay up to $599 and they build on a daily basis. Starting in January 2006 we will have a coupon for anyone who buys in for $20 will receive $25 in chips.
DB: What are you most committed to as a Cardroom Manager?
LS: The philosophy here at the Stratosphere is a G.R.E.A.T.E.R. Program which is basically a customer service philosophy that I agree with. It's all about customer service and we constantly strive to make the players happy. We want to hear their suggestions and ideas. That helps us to improve on our customer service program.
