Somewhat related - does anyone have recommendations for where to watch the first weekend in Vegas?
And more importantly, any recommendations on where to watch the Illinois game(s) specifically? I'd prefer to be somewhere where I can be close to a big TV, hear the audio, and have minimal distractions (I know, this probably doesn't exist in Vegas) but I'd like to avoid the loud music, shoulder to shoulder type of atmosphere for our games.
Vegas is insane for the first weekend. I'm in Vegas atleast twice a year get around pretty good. The old Mirage sports book was always fun. The property was purchased by Hard Rock and they will and have been doing some remodeling. Do not know if they have started that book yet. It was unchanged last October.
The Cosmo book is fun, nice vibe in there and more of a bar type feel to me.
New York New York book is small and you will have a neck cramp. I think the MGM book is over rated and same with Caesers. Go down to the Venetian, crowd should be a little more tame there, but I've had some fun watching games there. This may sound out of left field, but there is a decent bar set up as Casino Royale. Bring cash as that is the only form of payment and plan on burning your clothing afterwards, but it is great fun with cheap drinks. The flamingo is a cesspool. If you walk down the linq, there are bars lined all over the place. You could probably find a nice spot in that area.
There are bars all over, I find just sitting at a casino bar, and if you drink and plan on parking it for a while, you are going to be set back a bit.