Las Vegas Connection

BY BART TORRES 
 

March 8, 2010

Vegas Goes all out for St. Patrick’s Day

You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially in Sin City where the town will be packed. RHUMBAR, the place to be seen at The Mirage goes all green on March 17 with sexy emcee, Elissa and her adorable Leprechaun co-host making this a night to remember. A pair of Irish DJs will be spinning traditional Irish tunes. Flowing from the bar will be $5 green Coors Light drafts with other specialty libations available. McFadden’s Restaurant, the hip nightspot inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel jumps the gun a little bit with their annual “St. Practice Day” celebration on Saturday, March 13. The fun kicks off at 11 a.m. with an Irish breakfast, available throughout the day for $10. For some serious celebrating, $4 green beers and $5 Irish Car Bombs will be served from 11 p.m. until 1 a.m. An open bar will be provided with the purchase of a wristband ($10 for ladies and $20 for men). McFadden’s will feature the sounds of Desert Skyy Pipe Band, Irish dancers and live music from the local Irish band Celtic Rockers from 9 p.m. to midnight. One lucky party animal will take home a great prize package courtesy of Gibson Guitar. Other parties will continue nightly at McFadden’s including on St. Patrick’s Day where they will host an all-you-can-eat and drink special from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. for just $20 per person. Along with beer specials throughout the day, the club will hold its annual “Make Your Own Green Bikini” contest with the most creative lady using anything green coming out with a cash prize of $1,000. A new addition to the annual St. Paddy’s Day bash will be the “Last Man Standing Blarney Stone Contest” that involves 10 contestants trying to keep one hand on McFadden’s blarney stone for as long as they can. The last man standing with his or her and on the stone will win a grand prize. For the last 44 years, a family St. Patrick’s Day Parade hosted by the city of Henderson and the Sons of Erin, will run from March 11-14 in the Henderson Events Plaza (200 S. Water St.) and well-worth the trip out there. Featured will be a carnival, car show, and live entertainment. Over 100 festive floats, Celtic dancers, bagpipers and marching bands will parade down the mile-long route beginning at 10 a.m. on March 13. The car show will start at noon. Admission is free, but carnival rides and food are extra. For additional information, hours, etc. call (702) 267-2171.      

Las Vegas Ready for March Madness

Excitement is building for the 2010 NCAA March Madness tipping off March 16 and going through April 5 No matter where you are in Vegas during the college basketball championship games you can be assured that all resorts will carry the action. At the Las Vegas Hilton, March 18-19 (8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.), March 20 (9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), and March 21(9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) there is no admission being charged to watch the televised games inside the smoke-free Hilton Theater where 1,500 seats are available. 5 giant high-definition (HD) screens will be tuned to the games, food and drink specials will be available and Satellite betting stations will be onsite. The Stratosphere is also one of the best places in town for the playoffs. Starting Thursday, March 18 and going through Sunday, March 21 it will be four days of excitement with nine 8 X 12 big screens tuned to the games. Stadium food will be served and to take your wagers there will be 4 live betting stations available. For some more gaming options while you are watching the game there will be 2 blackjack tables set up and a cash bar. It’s March Mayhem at the Rockhouse Bar & Nightclub March 16-April 5 with 28 big screen televisions set up. THE Rockhouse’s signature guitar souvenir cups are filled to the brim with 80 oz. of draft beer or frozen daiquiris for $35. Rockhouse will also offer two-for-one domestic bottled beers for the duration of the tournament and on-going beer pong competitions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rockhouse, the cities only ultra dive bar is centrally located on Las Vegas Blvd. in front of Imperial Palace. The daiquiri and main bar are open daily from 10 a.m. For bottle and table reservations, call (702) 731-9683. Another popular place to watch the top 64 college teams battle it out is at Lagasse’s Stadium, the ultimate  sports bar, restaurant and sports book inside The Palazzo. On Thursday, March 18 from 9-11 a.m., legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian will be on hand for autograph signing and photos.

Hard Rock Adds Mobile Handheld Gaming Devices

Cantor Gaming, creator of e-deck, handheld gaming devices, a small, PDA-like system, is supplying the Hard Rock with the new betting option for their players to wager while away from the casino floor. Now sports bettors can gamble while they enjoy the amenities in all public areas such as the pool and beach club, dining and taking in some of the nightlife.  Cantor Gaming also provides the high-tech mobile concept for betting at the Venetian/Palazzo and M Resort. 

Donnie & Marie Return to Flamingo Las Vegas

The Donny & Marie show will be back on stage at Flamingo Las Vegas starting March 9 with five extra shows dates scheduled April 13-17. Following the recent family tragedy in the Osmond family, Donny and Marie took some time off. All tickets may be purchased at the Flamingo Box Office, calling (800) 221-7299 or logging on to www.flamingolasvegas.com 

Big Jackpots Awarded at Hard Rock and Hooters

It’s all about timing, picking out the right machine and luck when it comes to hitting a big jackpot. Just ask the two players who did just that at a couple of Las Vegas casinos. First to have a life changing experience was a visitor who invested a $100 bill into a quarter progressive Wheel of Fortune slot machine at the Hard Rock. After lining up the right symbols he took home a healthy $877,061. It was truly a happy 60^th birthday for a gal trying her luck at Hooters Casino Hotel. Her present from the casino was $108,060.33 after tapping the progressive jackpot on a Monopoly game.

Disney’s the Lion King’s Rafiki Unveiled at Madame Tussauds

Rafiki, the baboon character from DISNEY’S THE LION KING playing at Mandalay Bay has been added to the outstanding wax figures at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas located in front of the Venetian. To celebrate the newest collection, Madame Tussauds and THE LION KING are offering an outstanding value suitable for the entire family to enjoy called the “Best of Vegas” package.  Guests will get a seat at the award-winning show plus admission to the wax museum for $90 per person. For show tickets call (877) 632-7400 or (702) 632-7580 and mention code: CL18898.

Cash in on March Promotions

Players have three shots at winning a brand new car at the Palms. On March 12, 19 and 26, the resort will be holding a special drawing for a Honda Hybrid Insight LX and nine $500 cash prizes. Players can start earning electronic entries for slot and video poker machine play beginning on March 12. Entries can be easily activated by swiping your cards at kiosks in the food court by 6:50 p.m. on the day of the drawing. Winners must be present to claim their prizes. In lieu of the car, the winner can opt to take home a cash prize of $16, 408.  Almost everyday throughout March the Eastside Cannery is offering one sort of promotion for their player’s club members. Earn 199 same-day points on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the month and you will receive a logo T-shirt and cap or $5 in free play or a complimentary buffet. Rack up 249 same-day points and the gift is a long-sleeved dri-fit shirt or $10 in free play or a free buffet. On Thursdays and Fridays, the casino is giving away $10 in cash or free play to the first 1,000 members earning 99 same-day points who swipe their club cards at a kiosk. One of the lucky thousand people has a shot at winning a $1,000 cash prize. On Saturdays, players earning 300 same-day points will receive a mini-wallet containing anywhere from $10 in free play to as much as $500. On Sundays, earn 1,500 same-day points and you will be dining in style at Carve. There is a limit of two vouchers per person per day. Taking a jaunt out to Sam’s Town could be worthwhile because twice every Friday and Saturday through April 3, the property will draw five winners who will receive various amounts of cash. Throughout the promotion, 100 winners will end up splitting $220,000. Entries are based on your slot play with 2X entries going to players on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Check with resorts for all current offers published. Hotels have all rights and may cancel or modify at anytime. On your drive up to Vegas tune your radio to the Highway Stations FM 98 & 99 for my up-to-date Las Vegas reports. GOOD LUCK!