Fewer Tables Open
I have noticed this also, the fewer tables open and they are packed in like sardines. This is all over AC and I have spent lots of time lately walking into a place to see this and promptly turn around and leave, moving on to the next place.
The sad and stupid part of it all is that you have these few packed in blackjack tables and then on all the "carnival games", such as 3 card poker, etc., you have dealers standing there twiddling their thumbs and admiring the ceiling fixtures! If management's idea is to have fewer dealers standing there and doing nothing, they are off base by a mile! Not only do they STILL have a large group of dealers admiring ceiling fixtures but they are also turning away players that would otherwise be playing.
I was standing around in Tropicana one fine day and there was this other guy hanging back, watching the array of busy tables that I struck up a conversation with. It turns out that he was waiting for the some of the same things that I was waiting for, which was for some of these packed in tables to open up a bit! As it turns out he was staying at the hotel there with his wife and she was playing slots and he was (wanting to be playing) blackjack. As I was leaving after not playing a single hand, he was talking of simply going back to their room and waiting for things to die out a bit which I assured him would happen by middle of the night. Not having enough blackjack tables open turns away business... simple as that! Casinos are crying about their lowered volume of business? Well, they can be their own worst enemy in not maximizing gaming availability for the customers they have! To see a few very packed in blackjack tables and most blackjack tables closed and then see a string of dealers standing at carnival games tables with not a single player at any of them is somewhat less than brilliant strategy.
What I am hearing about Tropicana (I haven't been there in a few weeks) is ugly and it sounds like they could be transiting from the best place to play in AC to the absolute WORST. Are we talking green chip sort of tables or red chip sort of tables for the 8 decks? I will get that way again soon enough to see for myself, I guess.