THE OPENING LINE:

Kingpin for a night

Monday, March 10, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Is it 6 feet? Nah. Barely 5. No way is it a dancing pole. Is it? Let’s get Rob to do it.

We’re not in the Kingpin Suite, on the 25th floor of the Palms’ Fantasy Tower, for even 10 seconds when the chatter starts and about a dozen eyes lock on me.

The kidney-shaped bar has a couple of well-placed gold poles sprouting from the countertop to the ceiling. Dance poles? Can’t be. Up I go. Nobody pulls out dollar bills.

At 6 feet 5, it’s a snug fit. The ceiling between the poles is a bit recessed, but I have to bow my head if I don’t bend my knees. Anyone 5-10 or under could definitely boogie on the dark granite.

Palms kingpin George Maloof thought of everything for the 4,240-square-foot suite that contains two full-length bowling alleys, spacious lounge areas, a master bedroom and a spare room with two beds.

The tab is only $7,500 a night — $15,000 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tom the barrister, a close friend, won the luxury accommodations for one night. Either that or Maloof and his brothers wanted to thank Tom for keeping some of their video-poker machines company.

Fortunately, my cell phone was working when Tom rang with an invitation to the exclusive get-together.

The suite hugs the northeast corner of the building. Walk in the double doors and the bar is a few steps away. Around the right corner is a billiards table, and the spare room is beyond that.

The two lanes hug the left wall, with three plasma TVs on each side of a large projection screen, from the entrance. Mod couches line the right, between the lanes and a glass wall.

Beyond that is the master bedroom. A glass-encased shower is open to the full-length windows. Nothing to hide here.

Tom played music on the DVD player — he couldn’t get the CD player to work — and the sound system was exceptional.

His girlfriend’s son and his three buddies ate, drank and were merry. No doubt they’ll be the envy of their UNLV classmates for months.

The better half came back to beat me at billiards, then showed why they nicknamed her “Boom Boom” at Northern Illinois — that’s the first two sounds you hear when she tosses a bowling ball.

I picked up two spares in my socks; of all those pairs of bowling shoes in that big closet, not one was a size 12.

Three hours later, I put on my black loafers and glanced up at those two poles. Time to go home.

THIS WEEK’S BEST BET

MWC men’s basketball tournament,

Wednesday through Saturday,

Thomas & Mack Center

Can UNLV repeat its tournament championship from last season? The victor gets to advance to the NCAA tournament, and Brigham Young is the favorite by virtue of winning the Mountain West regular season. Friday’s semifinals are at 6 and 8:30 p.m., and the title game Saturday tips off at 4 p.m.

TICKETS: $10-$45 per session, $135 and $165 for all-session balcony and lower-bowl, respectively

ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao,

4 p.m. Saturday, Mandalay Bay Events Center

The super featherweights gather for round 2 of their duel. The first ended in a draw in March 2004 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Marquez (48-3-1) has won four in a row since losing to Chris John in Indonesia in March 2006. Pacquiao (45-3-2) has won six consecutive bouts since losing to Erik Morales at the MGM Grand in March 2005.

TICKETS: $189 and up

ON THE WEB: www.mandalaybay.com and various ticket agencies