March Madness in Vegas Tips

March Madness in Vegas Tips 2015

March Madness in Vegas, particularly the 4-day opening weekend of the tournament, is one of the busiest periods on the calendar for Las Vegas sports books. Virtually every sports book in Sin City is standing room only and the big crowds continue all the way to the Final Four. Even the large “mega sports books” in town like Westgate, Caesars Palace and The Mirage have little to no available seating by the time opening tip-off of March Madness occurs.

There are different ways to take in the action at a sports book or March Madness party in Las Vegas during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Some methods are easier than others, but with some planning you can assure yourself (and your feet) a comfortable experience during one of the most exciting sports weekends in Las Vegas. Here are some tips from my 20+ years of enjoying March Madness in Las Vegas.

 Plan Sports Book Time for Saturday and Sunday

The first two days of the tournament (Thursday and Friday) is quite a party and these are the days that most visitors are arriving into town. The sports books are packed and the fun starts very early with mid-morning tip-offs. The excitement continues into Saturday and Sunday, however far less people are getting up early after a day or two of loading up on beers and shots of Fireball. On Saturday and Sunday of opening weekend, sports book seating gets a little easier, especially during the morning hours. So, if you are in town on Thursday and Friday and discover that the sports book is already a mad house at 8 a.m., don’t worry – it gets a tad more manageable (in the morning at least) as the weekend progresses.

The Vegas Parlay List of March Madness Parties in Las Vegas 2015

Smaller Ultra-Cool Sports Books are Great, Just Don’t Expect a Seat

There are a plethora of smaller, hipper sports books around town that have great screens and a cool vibe, but limited seating. Aria, Cosmopolitan, and Golden Nugget are a few that come to mind. The screens are beautiful and the packed house adds to the excitement. As cool as these spots are (and they are very nice sports books) their overall lack of seating will make scoring a spot during March Madness that much harder. Plan ahead by perhaps looking to reserve seating, which can be tough unless your name is Nick Papageorgio or you have a casino host that’s impressed by your table play. Otherwise, simply arrive at the crack of dawn and try to stake a claim.

Video Poker

What does Video Poker have to do with watching basketball you ask? Well, $20 on a video poker machine will get you a seat at the bar with all of the flat screens showing the games. How far the $20 goes depends on you, however there are several Video Poker games (Deuces Wild) that will generally keep you in the game with more frequent, yet smaller, payoffs. Plus, free refreshments while you are playing. And who knows? Perhaps there’s a Royal Flush waiting in the wings?

Early Bird Gets the Worm

The Mirage sports book had a line forming at 4 a.m. prior to tip-off the first morning of the tournament last year. If you can handle heading to the sports book while the night clubbers are stumbling back to their rooms and the casino floor is being vacuumed, you may be able to score a seat at the sports book. Every year, however, March Madness fans are claiming their sports book seat earlier and earlier in the morning, especially on Thursday and Friday of opening weekend.

Take to Social Media

There is a large network of March Madness in Las Vegas fans connecting via Twitter and Facebook. One of the top resources via social media is a Facebook Community of March Madness in Las Vegas fans.

Twitter can be useful for more instant information about which sports books or parties have some empty seats available. If you are on twitter, check out hash tag #mmilv to get connected. Twitter has a plethora of sports betting information during March Madness as well.

Seek Out a March Madness in Vegas Party

There is no right or wrong answer to whether you should fork out cash for a Las Vegas March Madness party or attend one of the free events around town. The Vegas Parlay List of March Madness Parties in Las Vegas includes many of the free and paid options.

 

Not keen on forking out hundreds of bucks? Well, there are plenty of spots around town that not only have multiple screens set up in resort ballrooms or theaters, but also have betting stations or kiosks set up for wagering on the games. These spots are also good for larger groups.

The drinks and food are cheap, betting is available, and the crowd is just as much into the hoops action as the folks that scored seats at the sports book. These “makeshift” sports books that many casinos put together have ample space and seating is usually available with all of the amenities (large screens, betting stations) that you find in the sports book.

Among my favorite “Free-Admission” events that I have attended in the past are: Hoops Central at Westgate, Ballroom Party at The D, Treasure Island Showroom, and the Gold Coast (yes Gold Coast) Ballroom set up.

Bet Early!

Lines at betting windows at Vegas sports books can get ridiculous during March Madness. Try placing your wager the night before or very early in the morning.

 

Many sports are open until the wee hours of the A.M. during March Madness In Vegas. Waiting until minutes before tip-off could leave you shut out. 

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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