Vegas Sports Books

Another reason to kidnap a Maloof: The sports book at the Palms sucks!

When I was in Vegas for my girlfriend's wedding, I went on a mission to find the best sports book to watch the game. I figure the combination of big screens and free drinks makes Vegas the pre-eminent venue for any sports fan. I have to say I was really disappointed. Nevertheless, here's my guide for anyone looking to watch a game in Vegas.

Top 3:

1. Caesar's - Situated next to Pure, the Caesar's sports book boasts large flat screen TVs on the walls as well as individual flat screens at the tables. Each table is designed to comfortably sit 4 people. I didn't watch the game here; I just passed by it while going to Pure, but I think it had the best and largest setup by far.
2. Bellagio - I ended up watching the game here because the seats looked the most comfortable and it's my favorite hotel. However, let me warn you. The seats are those large, leather armchairs more commonly found in libraries. As such, the seating area is pretty small and you may be stuck next to a chain-smoking, loafers-and-socks wearing jackass more comfortable in a library but trying to look cool by showing up at a sports book. The idiot next to me spent the whole game calling Danny Crawford "Joey" and saying how Joey always call this and Joey always calls that. He then made fun of Bruce Bowen's alcoholic parents during the halftime piece as he washed down his 5 beers with 5 more beers. Utterly hateful bastard. I almost beat him with his fanny pack.
3. The Palms - But only because there's a Coffee Bean in there, too. Considering you get about 4 hours of sleep the entire time you're in Vegas, Coffee Bean is like Valhalla.
   

The Rest:

• The Wynn was just disappointing overall. There was so much hype when it opened, but inside, it's really not that different from the Bellagio. I think the Bellagio raised the bar when it opened, but it also made luxury more commonplace. Therefore, the Wynn just seems like more of the same. The two main attractions of the Wynn: Ferrari and Manolo Blahnik. The sports book is really small.
• New York, New York - This whole hotel just gives me the creeps. I don't know whether it's intentional or not, but there's a seedy vibe to the hotel and even more so at the sports book. Lots of lonely old men. Yuck.
  
• MGM Grand - Very similar vibe as New York, New York. And they keep lions in a glass case. Enough said.
• Monte Carlo - I expected this place to be a lot nicer than it actually was. It's actually really cheesy and smells of urine in parts. Sports book is nothing special.
• Paris Hotel - I don't really remember the sports book but the food is really good here. I had bananas foster...yum.