= Vegas Sportsbooks - Breakdown =

[TNAchicago]

After a few searches - surprisingly, I only found one real thread breaking down B&M Sportsbooks in Vegas (below) - not with much detail. If there's a better one, please post it. Otherwise, I offer this thread to give pros/cons on Vegas sportsbooks.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...rue#Post7081965

Google turns up a few reviews, but they're all basic and lame. 2+2 has a few excellent poker room and restaurant threads, but none for sportsbooks.

What makes a good sportsbook obviously depends on the individual - but here's my criteria below. Any & all sage wisdom from veterans is appreciated:

* Availability of Drinks - High turnover from cocktail service or volume/ease of access to nearby bars is crucial. Waiting inline for a 12 oz Heineken during NFL Sunday is not cool. And I don't even drink.
* Seating * This is pretty self explanatory. Standing to watch a 3-hour game (unless you're at the game) gets old, quick. A lot of sportsbooks limit some seating for only those betting horses, leaving only a handful of prime seats for normal people watching games. Though there's never enough seating, obviously, some have more then others. And some you don't have to get there 3 hours before kickoff/tipoff to actually get a seat.
* Screens * The more, the merrier. And the bigger the better.
* Crowd * Preferences vary here - But some sportsbooks just get more fired up. I'd try to figure out why that is, but I'm not that into analyzing the habits of other dudes...not that there's anything wrong with that. Bringing me to my next point:
* Talent * It's not the reason you're at the sportsbook, but let's be honest - 6 hours of "Beatrice" bringing you Corona's at New York/New York might have its ill effects. Unless you're into that. In which case, go nuts.
* Is It Cool? * After passing whatever previous criteria means most to you - I'd last ask, is this place cool? That could be the nostalgic, old-school sportsbook for one person - Or the total opposite for someone else.

Other factors: Quality of food & beverage, prices, Odds offered, What you can bet on (some offer a ton of prop bets, others don't), many more I'm sure I didn't realize.

I've at least walked through all the sportsbooks and have a vague opinion of most - but I've only spent quality time in a few (thus my need for this thread). So of those I've spent time in, my reviews:

MANDALAY BAY - I've spent a couple of March Madness weekends here (total chaos) and a few others - it's pretty solid. Good crowd, tons of screens, food options were ok, but the line is always long & slow at the grill during peak times. And the drink service was average at best. The bar was usually the best option. I think some seating is horses-only, but can't remember.

MGM GRAND All seating is open for game watching (I think). Cool place (it's new), lot of screens, food at the grill is ok (fat deli sandwiches & burgers), drink service was actually pretty good when I was there. The bar's pretty accessible, too. Not a ton of standing room though - I bet it gets crowded on big weekends. They also have a "luxury box" upstairs with a view of the whole sportsbook if that's how you roll.

WYNN It's WYNN, so it was as expected. Strong talent, high prices, but very comfortable chairs. The shape of the book (it's kind of narrow) bugged me though, and I think it would be tough for them to fit a lot of people in there during big games. The food at the grill was by far the best (great burger) I've had at any sportsbook though, worth every penny. Though I've enjoyed the cardroom a lot, the sportsbook came off as kind of stuffy. Maybe I caught it on a bad day.

That's it - feel free to add any other candid reviews/comments on these or other sportsbooks