Week of March Madness 3/17-3/21

What will the atmosphere by like during the 1st weekend of March Madness? I%26#39;ve been to Vegas many times, but never when it seems every hotel is sold out. Will I be able to get on the tables, or will it be a lot of college kids spending Dad%26#39;s money in the clubs / sports book? Staying at the Rio and can%26#39;t wait. Any feedback about this weekend and the hotel (haven%26#39;t stayed here yet) is most appreciated.

Week of March Madness 3/17-3/21

Don%26#39;t know what to expect with crowds (our first time during this time - and had we known, we wouldn%26#39;t be coming!).

We have stayed at the Rio many times and love the accomodations there. Rooms are great - large, and great views of the strip (if you are facing it, of course). Casino gets crowded (even on just ';normal'; weekend days), so don%26#39;t know what to expect this weekend. Fantastic buffet.

We are going to hit the local casinos (Cannery, Sunset Station, Fiesta Henderson, Arizona Charlies, etc) to try and avoid some of the Strip and Downtown crowds.

Good luck and have fun.

Week of March Madness 3/17-3/21

Thanks for the feedback on the Rio- went there once back in August for about 1 hour and did well on the roulette tables, so they sent me all kinds of %26#39;freebie%26#39; stuff, including 5 free nights, which we%26#39;re using on this trip. That leads to another ??

Will the Rio expect me to drop major $$ since they%26#39;re putting me up- can they charge me for the room if I don%26#39;t spend a lot there? (I will, but just asking...)

Thanks again for the help.

We have always stayed at the Rio on free nights - and we don%26#39;t drop major $$ there - we usually just use the Rio as a place to stay and play either downtown or at the casinos that the locals frequent. We have never been charged back our rooms for ';lack of play'; or anything like that. We do try to play some there when we stay just to keep the freebies coming however, we have continued to get freebies from them and used one in January for two nights at the Rio and didn%26#39;t play at all there this time. No charge back on the room either. So I wouldn%26#39;t worry about not dropping major $$$ there (hey, maybe you%26#39;ll take major $$$ from them!)

Have fun!

ChicagoKid,

I haven%26#39;t been to LV during the 1st and 2nd rounds, only the 3rd and 4th rounds. However, my husband and his friends went to LV last year during the 1st and 2nd rounds, and he said that every sports book was packed. I can tell you that the atmosphere at the Caesars sports book was great during the 3rd and 4th rounds, so I can only imagine how much more intense it will be during the 1st and 2nd rounds. I%26#39;m so jealous that you get to be out there for it! Have fun!

expect it to be very busy mainly because of a construction expo that is going on. Its about the largest conventions of the year. its every 3 years I have been going for 12 years now and been there other times when the convention was not going on and its a very big difference although it is not too bad from 800am to 300pm

Always very crowded during this time, especially in the sports books. Also, there WILL be a lot of college guys totally drunk all day (they haven%26#39;t grown up yet- or learned how to drink %26amp; not be a sloppy drunk - they thinks it%26#39;s one big frat party!). The casinos tend to raise their table limits during this time, so it is hard to play at lower tables because there aren%26#39;t any or they are filled! But it is also a fun time - the Rio is nice. Once they have given you the freebies, they can%26#39;t take them back. Just gamble there a little %26amp; they%26#39;ll invite you back again!

I have been going to Vegas during the first weekend of March Madness for the last 15 years. I say at the Golden Nugget due to the crowds being smaller and tables looser. All of Vegas will be going ';full tilt Boogie'; all weekend. I am flying in from Chattanooga on Wednesday............Happy trails

I love this weekend in Las Vegas, though it is very different than low peak dates because of hotel prices, crowds, and table limits.

But I love March Madness and there is nothing better than betting and watching every freaking basketball game. If you want to go clubbing I would recommend getting VIP tickets before you go b/c the lines are simply too long. If you want to go to the strip clubs go during the day and not on the weekend b/c even the Saphire gets so packed full of dudes that it is simply not enjoyable.

As for tables - I like to go around the Imperial Palace or downtown if I want to sit and gamble b/c you can still find low limit tables.

As for the drunks - Vegas is definitely filled with college drunks this weekend...but if you can handle their insanity and find yourself sitting across from them at a poker table thank your lucky stars and wait for them to give you their money!

Kmeek- what do you consider a %26#39;high limit%26#39; table? Just curious, as we%26#39;re not opposed to $25 or $50 BJ tables at all- if the min. goes up to $100, we might be a bit more nervous...

However, point well taken about the clubs and bars- not really our cup of tea, so to speak, so we%26#39;re just looking to bet on a game or two, take in the crowd, and play the tables.

Guess I%26#39;ll %26#39;see%26#39; you there...taking of Wed from Chicago.