Football in Las Vegas
Football is back and there aren’t many better places for watching and betting on College Football or the NFL than at a sports book in Las Vegas. Here are 7 tips to keep in mind as you venture to the wonderful world of Vegas sports book land to catch the pigskin action!
1. Choose Your Sports Book Wisely
Make sure that the sports book you decide to spend the day (or night) at fits your needs. Research online and check out the different sports books as you’re walking through the casinos. If you are reading The Vegas Parlay then you are already on your way to making the right choice!
2. Smoking or Non?
Some sports books can be smoky places – the Gold Coast, which is actually a cool spot, is one old school sports book that doesn’t have optimum ventilation. If you enjoy having a stogie or don’t mind the smoking (you are in Vegas, right?) most sports books have designated smoking sections. Many sports books, however are non smoking: List of smoke free Las Vegas sports books.
3. Comped Drinks
Just about every sports book has gone to the drink ticket system. Make a bet of a certain amount and drink tickets are offered. The minimum bet to score drink tickets will vary from sports book to sports book. Cantor operated sports books (Cosmopolitan, Venetian, Palazzo, Hard Rock to name a few) don’t even offer comped drinks while places like The LVH, South Point, TI, and The Mirage are a bit looser. The best way to go is to tip, find ticket writers that aren’t tight with drink tickets, and investigate which sports books are best for free drinks.
Aria Drink Tickets
4. Screen Quality
You would be surprised at how some premium casinos such as Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and Mandalay Bay have been slow to upgrade their viewing screens. Fortunately, there is no shortage of high quality HD screens at sports books both on and off-strip. All of the aforementioned Cantor sports books have outstanding HD quality screens (Venetian is A+) and other places such as The Mirage, Aria, and The Golden Nugget also offer some great, crystal clear high definition monitors.
Mirage Sports Book – Great HD Screens
5. Get to the Sports Book Early on Big Sports Days
On big NFL Sundays or during the first days of March Madness, many sports books are standing room only so make sure either yourself or someone from your party gets to the sports book early to save a seat. During March Madness, some sports books start a line for seating as early as 4 am! It’s a good idea to ask the sports book staff the night before how early they recommend that you get there in the morning – if you are lucky, some of the sports book managers will reserve a seat or two for you if you are a guest of the hotel. That is of course if some of their big-betting customers don’t have them all reserved already. Needless to say, if you are planning to get some betting action on horse racing from Mountaineer Park on a Thursday night, you should be ok in terms of seating.
6. Heading Off-Strip or Downtown is a Good Option
The Vegas strip contains some of the best and most famous sports books in town. That being said, there are some great spots off-strip and Downtown that offer some great sports viewing and sports betting opportunities. Any NFL fan visiting Las Vegas should visit the Sunday Football Central Viewing Party at the LVH. Fremont Street also has some great sports books such as the Golden Nugget and the Plaza – betting a game at The D and making your way to the Longbar to watch the sports action is a great option. The customer-friendly South Point opens up their showroom for NFL and has some great food specials.
7. What Are You Going to Eat While Sitting There All Day?
Many folks like to hunker down and make their sports book experience an all day proposition. During the early part of college football or the NFL season, there is not only football, but also MLB and great late Summer/early Autumn horse racing as well. So, there is a TON to keep you entertained in the sports book during football season. Part of the fun of Vegas is the food, and you don’t have to settle for a hot dog (although the Gold Coast, Orleans, and South Point serves them up tasty and cheap) if you are sitting at the sports book all day.
American Coney Chili Cheese Fries at The D
Earl of Sandwich located directly adjacent to sports books at Planet Hollywood and The Palms is a great place to grab a sandwich to take back to the sports book. Some great pizza-by-the-slice offerings are also available at The Plaza, TI, and Cosmopolitan. In a nutshell, there are some fantastic food options if you decide to camp out at the sports book all day: Here are some options for sports book food on the Strip, Downtown, and Off-Strip.
Thanks for checking out The Vegas Parlay – The Las Vegas Sports Book Blog. connect with us on Twitter @sportsbooktom or via The Vegas Parlay Facebook Page.
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