Las Vegas News and Events

Bellagio MID-STRIP The fancy-pants casino in town. It's just a tiny bit intimidating for some and sophisticated and grown-up for others. It does get points for the high ceilings and the grid layout, which makes navigating this place less of a chaotic experience.

New York, New York SOUTH STRIP The N.Y. theming here has been toned down to a more generic look, which means that this massive gaming place now doesn't have as much of a fun factor to offset its too hectic, crowded, and distracting atmosphere.

Main Street Station DOWNTOWN It's got high ceilings and a delightfully realised theme (turn-of-the-last-century San Francisco, with old-fashioned fans dropping down from a Victorian tin ceiling). The atmosphere, combined with lower-than-Strip limits, makes it a winner.

Red Rock Resort WEST OF STRIP For sheer, non-theme design, this is the best-looking casino in town, utilizing natural woods, glass ornaments, and stone. Like the rest of the resort, it's a stunner. It's also a convivial place to play.

Mandalay Bay SOUTH STRIP Thanks to the higher-than-average ceiling, spacious layout, and an attempt to create an elegant atmosphere, this is an appealing place to play. Its southern location means it's often not overwhelmingly crowded, but if there is an event at the hotel's arena or the House of Blues, expect a massive influx of additional players.

Wynn Las Vegas NORTH STRIP A large but simple layout and the overall classy gestalt are pluses, but on the minus side, table limits are expensive and it's not all that exciting either. No matter; the machines (tight as they may be) run from nickels on up, so park yourself in the most comfortable slot seats in town and save the tables for Downtown.

Luxor Las Vegas SOUTH STRIP The tallest casino ceiling on the Strip makes for a low-claustrophobia gambling situation, though I can't forgive them for de-Egyptifying it and making gambling here way less fun.

MGM Grand SOUTH STRIP The biggest of the big-171,500 square feet (15,933 sq. m) of gaming space is divided into four areas in an attempt to reduce it to a manageable size. It doesn't help (getting lost here is a badge of honor). But big doesn't mean impersonal, and some of the friendliest poker tables are found here.

The Mirage MID-STRIP The old-school tortuous layout makes navigating here a little difficult (as do the crowds), but the vibe is good and the sleek Asian decor is almost relaxing.

Paris Las Vegas MID-STRIP One of the few casinos that's still revelling in its theme (a fact I applaud): It's set beneath a ceiling painted like an April day in Paris and is partly under the feet of the hotel's Eiffel Tower re-creation. The 83,000-square-foot (7,710-sq.-m) gaming area is ringed by Disney-esque European facades.

Caesars Palace MID-STRIP It's a great big rambling mess of a casino (getting lost is a Vegas rite of passage), but despite the sprawl this is still an oh-so-Vegas place to gamble, with glitzy chandeliers, toga-clad waitresses, and ginormous "Roman" statues. Weekend nights bring the Pussycat Dolls Pit, where go-go girls gyrate above burlesque-clad dealer girls at pink-coloured tables with very high limits.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino EAST OF STRIP An admirable work of Boomer marketing, where rock music blares, and gamers play on tables designed like piano keyboards with chips emblazoned with musicians' faces. You drop change into Jimi Hendrix-brand slots or kick back in the sports book's reclining leather chairs. Too loud for some, it's the only place to gamble for others.

Circus Circus NORTH STRIP Surely the most gimmick-laden casino in town, where the main action is covered by a Big Top in which various highflying circus performers do their thing virtually around the clock. Obviously, this is meant as a way to entertain the kids-many of whom pass through the area, making it exceedingly noisy and crowded-while adults spend their college tuition funds.

Gold Coast WEST OF STRIP I like this locals' favourite because it's one of the few in Vegas that has windows! It also has high ceilings, and a relatively high number of video-poker machines (and some of those may actually have odds favourable to you... the wonders never cease).