As close as you can get to Las Vegas, just a lot closer.  The Ameristar is the largest and most popular casino in the St. Louis area.  It is the destination for our St. Louis day trip promotions.  The evolution of the Ameristar, from boat to quasi-land based casino, to a real life destination resort with a 397 room hotel-spa over the last ten years has been testament to its popularity.  More than 3,000 slots. 100 table games. Poker room. Eight restaurants.  Two levels of casino.  In 2008 the casino removed slots from its second level south area and moved black jack tables that once occupied a new center bar from the first floor.  Although signs indicate that the black jack tables are open on Friday and Saturdays it appears that the tables are in fact no longer used by the casino.  This is somewhat of an perplexing.  Why would a casino not make use of valuable floor space? Very strange.  And perhaps an indicator of the weak economy. A recent Saturday night visit found several $25.00 minimum bet black jack tables open. The majority of the tables are gimmick $10.00 black jack tables such as 21 plus three card poker tables.  Not a good sign. Recently the Ameristar added a "crapless" craps table on the first floor to its mix of six craps tables.  This is in fact a re-appearance of the game at the Ameristar.  Playing "crapless" craps means throwing all standard strategy out the window and concentrating on making buy bets on the extreme outlying numbers 2,3,11, and 12.  Hitting the 2 or 12 with a $25 buy bet pays $149.  But you are bucking the extreme casino vigorish to do so.  With more than 3,000 slots the Ameristar is really slot payer heaven.  The penny machines are favored by most Midwestern players and this casino is full of penny machines.  The majority of the second floor penny machines are Aristrocrat.  They are tight and really starting to show their age.  And it seems to be a universal complaint of most penny players at the Ameristar. "Tight machines." Smaller bonus pay outs.  The tight slots are probably a hold over from the $500 loss limits days. Remember that Ameristar's hold on their penny machines are 11.9 %. Don't expect too many winners.  Ameristar was one of the first testing grounds of the IGT server based games.  You will find them scattered on the first floor and concentrated in one area of the second floor.   Although penny machines dominate the casino, other denominations are scattered through out the casino.  The higher denomination machines do not get anywhere near the same amount of play as the penny machines.  Senior citizen players swear by the nickel reel IGT games found on the second floor found in the north east section of the casino. You will find them playing the machines 24/7.  Newer machines are always found on the first floor at the entrance and to the left. The casino recently added some new G20 IGT games, Aristocrat power play and Cash Man Tonight games, and a single zero computerized roulette table.  All of the newer games are found on the first floor.  Ameristar has a reputation of having a good selection of Video Poker slots.  And you will find them scattered on the first floor and few on the second floor in the north west section of the casino. Ameristar has recently moved its poker room downstairs and replaced the old second floor poker room with a non smoking slot area. 

We have had a love hate relationship with the food service at the Ameristar.  Frankly the buffet menu needs a make over.  It is over priced for the selection.  On crab and steak night can they cut the seaks any smaller?  We don't see how. Harrah's simply does a better job.  The other restaurants including Falcon Diner and Sports Bar are just average. We suggest the Cobb salad at the Sports Bar and the chicken fried steak at the diner. Perhaps a little over priced.  But with comps earned they will do.  The steak house is the exception.  Pricey but worth it.

The year old hotel is first class.  All rooms are suites.  Sunken living rooms.  Three flat screen televisions including one in the private bathroom.  Outdoor-indoor swimming pool.  Spa.  Excercise room.  Free wireless internet.  Take advantage of the free hotel room comps and forget about the tight penny slots.  It is worth it.