There is no shortage of fun to be had on the Vegas strip. Getty Images
Las Vegas is kind of a home away from home for me. The station sends us on several trips a year for major fights, and I have gone countless times for poker and horse racing tournaments over the years.
The shootings that happened Oct. 1 were beyond horrific. Our hearts go out to everyone involved. I had several friends at the concert and know the area very well. It was sad, tragic and awful.
If you have a trip set up and still plan to go, there is no shortage of things to do. Consult this guide if you 1) are going for the first time, 2) have not been in a while, or c) have been many times but want to try something different. This isn't meant to be all-inclusive. This is just a look at the places I like to go when I am there. (I have a strong preference for the MGM properties).
My trips to Vegas are pretty routine. Usually I get in late and catch a 10 pm-midnight poker tournament somewhere, then get in a run on the strip in the morning, followed by a morning poker tournament and some horse/sports book time. Then we do the show, rinse and repeat. I always stay on the strip, and I don't do clubs or strip bars.
I will be adding an NHL game or two to the routine now that the Golden Knights are a reality. That T Mobile Arena is an absolute palace.
With all that in mind, here is a list of must-dos for the degenerates in all of us:
Food and beer
There is no shortage of overpriced, average food on the strip. You can pretty much assume any restaurant poking out of a casino on the strip is going to have bad service, cost too much and have average food. There are, however, some exceptions:
Burger Bar, Mandalay Bay. I hit this place up a couple times per trip. The burgers are excellent and a fair price for what you get. They also have an outstanding beer collection. My favorite lunch/dinner spot in Vegas.
Peppermill. You have seen it in countless movies, most notably Casino. Fantastic, old-school atmosphere. It's a great breakfast place, but the lines on weekends are ridiculous, so if you can, go during the week. Order one omelette for two people — they are massive. It's at the far end of the Trump side of the strip, so quite the walk from MGM Grand, where we usually stay. But there is a monorail that will get you there.
Hooters. Before you laugh, they have a $9.99 prime rib special. It is very solid for the price and a nice, inexpensive supper option.
Public House, The Venetian. Another place with an outstanding beer collection and really decent food. A little overpriced but this is the best place on that end of the strip.
Gallaghers, New York York. This is an excellent high-end steak house. It's actually very affordable for what you get and makes a nice date night place.
Beerhaus. A new addition near T Mobile Arena. They offer a really good beer menu and decent food.
Race and sports books
In truth, any strip casino is going to have a good race and sports book. If you have a choice, however, and don't mind walking, these are my five favorites:
Moneyline, Park MGM. Brand new, this place is awesome. It is a perfect sports bar with betting and you can catch all the games. A must on that side of the strip.
Lagasse's Stadium, Venetian. This is simply a palace and a terrific place to watch college football or the NFL. Warning: Get there early. It fills up fast. They also have a second sports book in the Venetian that is amazing as well.
Mandalay Bay. I spend a lot of time at this casino between the Burger Bar and the poker room. The race and sports book is first-class and well worth your time.
MGM Grand. An old-school, quality book, this is where I have spent most of my time over the years. Also, if you have a wagering ticket, you get complimentary drinks. Many places have gone to the method of giving a drink coupon for a certain amount bet. That doesn't really impact me — I bet enough races to stay flush on drink tickets — but it can be a pain. You don't have to worry about that at MGM.
Bally's. If you are a horse player, Bally's book is for you. It's an old-school setup but it is heaven if you are betting on the ponies. A lot of places shuffle the horse players off into a corner. Not Bally's.
Excalibur. This one is a little underrated. They do have the drink coupons, which is a pain, but the staff is friendly and it is right next to the poker room, so you can get some bets in while playing cards.
Poker rooms
Like sports books, almost every casino on the strip has one, and it just depends on what you are looking for. I generally like to play tournaments, but because of our show schedule we are usually unable to play anything but small dollar tourneys ($40-$85). Cardplayer has a daily schedule of tournaments you can check out here.
When I play cash in Vegas, it is almost exclusively the 2-5 at MGM Grand.
For years, the Bellagio was the place to be. At one time they had daily $500 tournaments and a $1,000 on Friday. They have scaled that back. They now have a daily $125 tournament at 5 pm, which is still very good (unfortunately the show ends at 5 pm so I never get to play them). The Wynn also has some nice tournaments from $125-$225 buy-ins.
For late-night tourneys, it depends on which end of the strip you are on. If you are on the MGM side, then you have lots of options. The MGM has two tourneys a night with good structure. Excalibur has an underrated tournament. Mandalay Bay has a 10 pm $65 buy-in that usually only draws 10-12 players so it is essentially a sit 'n' go (and easy money).
On the other side of the strip, Venetian has two poker tournaments daily at noon and 7 pm with buy-ins ranging from $125-$300.
Usually I will bounce between MGM, Mandalay and Excalibur when on that side of the strip and Venetian on the other. Golden Nugget has a nice room, as does Aria, but I have rarely stayed either place.
Good luck on your next trip.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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