Six great places to take in the NCAA Tournament

By Sarah Feldberg

Thursday, March 15, 2012 | midnight

Station Casinos sports books:

If you live in Las Vegas and watch sports, chances are you’ve caught a game at one of Stations’ sports books, and for good reason. The beer is cheap ($1 Bud and Bud Light); the food is cheap ($1 hot dogs), and the crowd follows the action with plenty of emotion. Cash in on March Madness pricing inside any book during every tournament game March 13-April 12. Various locations.

Rhumbar

Everyone knows the early rounds of the tournament are the most exciting, with bracket-busters coming fast and furious and underdogs showing promise as they push toward the Final Four. Rhumbar celebrates the tourney’s opening weekend with an indoor/outdoor tailgate party that boasts drink specials, fresh barbecue fare and HD TVs to catch all the action. Come early, tailgate late. March 15-18, doors open 30 minutes before tip-off of the day’s first game. At Mirage, 792-7615.

South Point

While the Rebels begin their march to the championship, South Point hosts its own. The casino turns its Grand Ballroom into 22,000 square feet of “hoops heaven,” with drink and food specials, lots of tourney swag and free mini-massages to relieve the stress of seeing your bracket go down in flames. Best of all, the Findlay Free Throw Court welcomes 16 guests on Thursday and Friday to compete for prizes against former pro and college ballers Jerome Williams and Ed O’Bannon. March 15-18, 8 a.m. 796-7111.

Fremont Street Experience

When you’ve put love, care and $10 into filling out your bracket, it can feel like a big deal, but Fremont Street’s bracket? It’s huge. Literally. The Downtown attraction will be showing the world’s largest NCAA bracket on its 1,500-foot rooftop screen, updated daily to reflect the winners and losers of each game. The March Hoops festival continues through March 28 with free entertainment and an interactive zone where you can test your hops on 20-, 25- and 30-foot hoops.

Sapphire

Like your basketball with a side of boobs? Sapphire hosts a mega tournament party March 15-April 2, showing games live on 12-foot HD screens and offering private skyboxes for those who want to bring a crew. The party comes to a head April 2 for the National Championship game with food and drink specials, Fox Sports Radio broadcasting live and the Sapphire Stripper Shootout, a basketball contest with $1,000 in cash and prizes on the line. March 15-April 2, times vary. 3025 S. Industrial Road, 812-7472.

LBS

Drown your March Madness betting woes in free beer at the Red Rock burger joint, where a “dead” sports book ticket will get you a free draft through April 2. Pair it with the Bracket Burger—topped with American cheese, a fried egg, firecracker onions, avocado, spicy mustard and BBQ sauce—and losing the office pool might not feel quite so bad. At Red Rock, 835-9393.

Want more options? Click here for our complete March Madness bar guide.