This is one of my favorite times of the year - NCAA conference basketball tournaments followed next week with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I plan to be in a sports bar watching many of the games going on at the same time in the next couple of weeks. It's been a while since I've talked about sports bars. I've been to a lot of them in my day and this is one category that I've been somewhat neglecting. Today, I want to tell you about the Superbook sports book and bar at the Las Vegas Hilton.
The first time I went to Las Vegas in 1987, I was walking through the Riviera one evening after finishing with appointments at CES. I happened to spot a 40" big screen television with six 25" televisions in a row above the big screen TV, each had a college basketball game on them. I sat down and started watching all the games, my head literally spinning watching one game and trying to keep up with two others.
Soon, a cocktail waitress came up to me and asked if I'd like something to drink. I thought, "Whoa! You're going to bring me a drink while I get to sit here and watch all these games? No way!"
I was just introduced to the concept of the Las Vegas Sports Book - an area that most hotels/casinos have where you can go and bet on the horses or on games, and - hey! - courtesy of satellite feeds from all over the nation, they've got them on TV for you right there!
I don't think I moved for 45 minutes. I was in sport junkie la-la land. I would have stayed there all night had we not had to attend an event for Monster Cable at Caesar's Palace. I reluctantly downed my beer and headed to Caesar's.
That evening, we finished up with the event and I wanted to walk around Caesar's Palace. I wandered around toward the back side of the casino and I found an even LARGER sports book. The Caesar's Palace Race and Sports Book had three 10' projection screens with a host of smaller 40" screens - all tuned to different sporting events. It made the sports book at the Riviera seem like a corner beer joint in comparison. I was just mesmerized watching west coast basketball games, both collegiate and professional. And I had pretty cocktail waitresses bringing me beer. I was in heaven.
The next year, on a Sunday, I was at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the Consumer Electronics Show and I had some time to kill so I wanted to watch a little of the NFL football play-offs. The Las Vegas Hilton is connected to the Convention Center and I walked over there to see if I could find a television that had the game on.
I found a little circular bar area that was next to the casino floor that had three televisions, each of them had the game on. I thought, "Man, if this is all the Hilton has, this is pretty disappointing." Even the Riviera had it beat.
I was standing there watching for a moment and I kept hearing this cheering coming from another area toward the back of the casino. I slowly wandered back there and came into this absolutely huge room with BIG projection screen televisions that were showing the NFL game, college basketball and horse races, filled with people seated in dozens of chairs and at tables. I had found the Las Vegas Hilton Sports and Race Superbook. It was like finding the Holy Grail of sports bars, which back then was a pretty new concept. But even today, the Superbook dwarfs other sports books in the Vegas area.
It turned out, the Superbook had just opened a few months before. I was told that it replaced a sports book that was a fraction the size of the Superbook. It was pretty damn impressive. And it still is today.
The Las Vegas Hilton Superbook boasts the largest floor area of any sports book in Las Vegas at over 30,000 square feet. It seats over 300 people and has the most televisions of any other sports book. It also has a huge 12' by 15' screen surrounded by smaller projection screens and a number of plasma televisions. Even years ago, it was one of the first places to have the huge 55" rear projection televisions. It was always on the cutting edge of sports book technology.
There used to be a great little snack bar that served great burgers and hot sandwiches. During CES, I'd always sneak away to the Superbook to have lunch. It was always the highlight of my day. But about six years ago, they closed down the little snack bar and remodeled it into the Superbook Deli. It's nothing more than a downsized version of Subway. I was pretty disappointed, and I still am. The used to have very good food at the old place.
The other thing that has changed over the years is the price of beer in the place. It used to be that a beer would cost a buck or $1.50, tops. But, if you were betting on a game and had your betting slip, you drank for free. There were times I'd just throw $20 bucks on a game and sit there and drink for free.
This year after having dinner at Casa Nicola, I was a little wound up from having an espresso after dinner. I decided to wander over to the Superbook just to look at the betting lines on upcoming games, and catch a little sports on the televisions. Most of my colleagues, save for one guy, are not that much into sports. So, getting a chance to watch a few games is kind of a treat for me when I'm in Vegas.
I sat at the bar and ordered up a beer. It wasn't anything special, just a Bud Light. The bartender handed me my beer and said, "That will be four and a quarter."
I said, "Excuse me, how much?"
He said, "$4.25."
I about crapped as I pulled a 10 dollar bill out of my pocket and handed it to him. I usually tip the bartender on the first beer, but this time I took my change and pocketed it. I knew I wouldn't be drinking here for long.
(As an aside, one thing that has changed drastically over the years that I've been coming to Vegas is the price of beer and mixed drinks. There used to be a time when .99 cent Heineken was prevalent all over town. Today, even Bud Lights are going for over $4 bucks. I bought a margarita for one of my colleagues and a premium Mexican beer - on tap - for myself at one of the restaurant/bars at the Hilton. The bill came to $17.00. SEVENTEEN BUCKS!! Holy shit!)
But what they're wanting you to do, at least in the casino and sports book, is to bet. Then you'll get free drinks. I'll tell you, if I were to put $20 bucks down on a game just to drink free, at $4.25 a beer they'd lose money on me, EVEN if I lost the $20 buck bet.
Whereas many of the other sports books in casinos throughout Las Vegas make you walk directly through the casino to get to the book area, the Superbook is so big that it has its own entrance and parking lot. This allows the really degenerate gamblers easy access to come in and place bets on events. Seriously, I can't think of any other sports book in a Vegas hotel/casino that allows outside access to the sports book. Possibly Caesar's, but I haven't been there in a while.
My big dream in life is to someday fly to Las Vegas with a couple of friends for the first weekend of the NCAA men's basketball tournament and sit in the Superbook and do nothing but watch games. I understand that the Superbook is usually crammed full of people during the big sporting events - Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, New Year's Day bowl games, etc. I'm sure the NCAA tournaments would be similar. But, man, would it be fun.
I've been to a number of other sports books in Vegas over the years. I do like the sports book over at the Mirage, but nothing compares to the Superbook at the Hilton. Even with $4.25 beers, it's still the biggest and best there is.
Uncle Will -- I'm headed to Vegas this weekend with friends for the first weekend of the tournament, wish you could be there! I'll have a $17 beer for you. xoK
Posted by: Kristin | March 18, 2008 at 05:26 PM