Daniel Negreanu won the prestigious Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker, defeating Bryce Yockey in heads-up play to take the $1.2 million first prize. It was Negreanu’s 7th WSOP bracelet and his first since 2013. The win also made him the leader in lifetime WSOP prize money at $22.4 million and counting. Participation was down for the second year in a row for the $50K-buy-in event, with 89 players compared to 99 last year.
The happy face displayed on the exosphere of Sphere broke a sweat in the recent heat wave. Poor thing was also panting and seemed to have a sunburned nose. But the animation had a happy ending, when blue sunglasses put a smile on its face. USAToday has the video, which you can see here.
The second-annual All-MLB Weekend will take place in Las Vegas Wednesday Nov. 13 through Sunday Nov. 17. This offseason event honors baseball’s best and fans can interact with baseball legends, current stars, broadcasters, and industry leaders. The winners of the Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Players of the Year, Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year, and selections for the All-MLB First and Second Teams will all be announced live from The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan Thursday Nov. 14 on MLB Network. The pre-sale starts Wednesday June 26 at 10 a.m. PT and general tickets go on sale Friday June 28, also at 10 a.m. PT.
Alex Pereira is a -175 favorite over Jiri Prochazka in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Diego Lopes is -175 over Brian Ortega.
Forbes.com's Advisor took a look at U.S. cities to determine which have experienced the most significant cost increases in recent years, based on hotel prices, domestic airfares, food expenses, and car-rental rates. One of the key takeways was, "Las Vegas stands out as the city with the most substantial rise in travel costs within the last five years. Sin City experienced its greatest price increases in hotel accommodations (47.5%) and car rentals (61.4%). Meals also went up by nearly 15%, 10th highest in the survey, while airfares dropped by nearly 6%. Still, Vegas led the pack of the 10 cities that cost more now than five years ago, followed by Tucson, Sacramento, New Orleans, and San Antonio. Proving that more media than just us are recognizing the change in status.
The TV sitcom "Friends" ran for 10 seasons and was one of the most successful and popular television shows of all time. The ensemble cast of six reportedly earned $1 million each for every episode in the last few seasons and the show hit number one in the TV season ratings in its eighth year. Friends Experience is an interactive and immersive attraction that allows fans of the show, which went off the air in 2004, to take selfies on recreated sets; the Experience opened in New York City, where the show took place (though filmed in Burbank) and has one other location in Boston. Two new venues are in the works, one in London that opens later this summer, the other in Las Vegas that opens sometime this fall at the District at the MGM Grand. No word on hours or ticket prices; we'll report them when they're announced.
This week's LVA YouTube features another special guest who'll be hard to top or even match for fast-talking walk-the-walking straight-shooting razzle-dazzle. Yes, folks, it's Steve Cyr, casino high-roller host extraordinaire and subject of our bestselling book Whale Hunt in the Desert. Tune in for a roller-coaster hour and seven of Steve's unique presentation, as he reminisces about his long and varied career in the Las Vegas casino business, starting all the way back with his internship for Michael Gaughan, who was just about to open the Gold Coast (yes, that far back), then fast-forwards to the inside dope about F1 and the Super Bowl, hosting the likes of Larry Flynt and Michael Jordan, how Whale Hunt changed his life, the latest on the book being turned into a TV series, even the answer to the Big Question: Do casinos set up players with prostitutes? Your head will be spinning -- in a good way -- by the time you're done watching this show and you'll get an unexpurgated inside view of a world very few people are privileged to see.
Station Casinos has applied to the county to expand Durango, its newest property that opened in December. The application is for a parking garage and more casino floor. The parking garage will have 2,500 spaces on five levels; the additional casino space will be adjacent to the garage and include a new restaurant with an outdoor patio. No timetable or budget were included in the paperwork, but in the latest earnings call, Station executives hinted that construction could begin by the end of the year.
The 50 Top Pizza, considered by many to be the most influential pizza ranking in the world, was founded in 2017 by three Italian food journalists. Anonymous inspectors evaluate pizzerias based quality and service; of course, they pay for their meals. The Top 50 pizzerias in the U.S. have just been announced and Las Vegas claims two: Pizza Rock (28), across from the Downtown Grand, and Double Zero (45) in Chinatown. New York City is without a doubt the pizza capital of the country, with 17 in the top 50 and the same pizza place winning the number-one spot for the third year in a row (Una Pizza Napoletana). Chicago has seven and Portland, Oregon, six of the top 50. The top 12 are in the running to be among the 100 Best Pizzerias in the World, which will be announced in Naples on September 10.
Do you need a little incentive to watch tonight’s presidential debate? You could make a friendly wager. Debate wagers aren’t allowed in U.S. sports books, but there’s no shortage of them offshore. Trump is the -150 favorite to win the debate (as determined by a post-event CNN poll), and there are dozens of props. Among them are these. Candidates will shake hands, No -330. First to mispronounce a politician’s name, Biden -200. Number of times Trump says “fantastic,” O/1.5 -150. Get more in our pre-debate YouTube video that will post today at 7 p.m. EST.
The Eagles have added a second round of four more dates at Sphere for a total of 16 shows between September and now December. The new shows will be performed December 6, 7, 13, and 14. Tickets for the December dates go on sale Friday July 12 at 10 a.m.
Shin Lim, the world-class sleight-of-hand artist at the Mirage, has found a new home. His show Limitless will open at the Palazzo Theatre sometime in October after three months off between the closing of the Mirage on July 17 and his debut across the Strip. We recently reviewed Limitless and we can say with some confidence that Shin Lim will have a good long run in his new venue. According to the press release, Lim's team "has been hard at work on an all-new show," which will be without co-star Colin Cloud, the Scottish mentalist, who's moving to Harrah's to headline his own act. Tickets for the show at the Venetian go on sale sometime in July.
The Life Is Beautiful music and art festival, such as it is this year, has announced its lineup of, well, we hesitate to call them headliners, since we've never heard of a single act. That doesn't mean they're not worth seeing or won't put on a hell of a show, but compared to the household names of years past, this list is ... unknown, at least to the likes of us: Peggy Gou, Badbadnotgood, LCD Soundsystem, Jamie xx, Jungle, Justice, James Blake, John Talabot, Thundercat, Toro y Moi, Neil Frances, LP Giobbi, Empress Of, and Fifi. (We've heard of Fifi, but probably not in this context.) The event is being held September 27-28 in a vacant lot next to the Plaza and has room for 25,000; we'll take the under. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, starting at $199 and rising to $499 for VIP Tier 3.
If you’re looking for a good soccer bar to watch the UEFA European Championship, either of the Crown & Anchors is a good option. Both Big Crown (Tropicana) and Little Crown (Spring Mountain) show the games and draw good crowds, especially for England games. They’re also showing the Copa America Championship, though that doesn’t draw as well, except for USA games. Both Crowns have excellent food and you can get anything on the menu comped when you play $200 coin-in on the bar games with our Member Rewards coupon. Another good soccer bar is McMullan’s Irish Pub (Tropicana).
Sir Tom Jones, legendary crooner, model for Elvis' comeback, and knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2006, will perform for two nights at Encore Theater on Sept. 28 and 29, as part of his “Ages & Stages Tour." The 83-year-old Welsh singer and sex symbol (married for 51 years until his wife Linda died in 2016, though his infidelities are estimated in the thousands) first appeared in Las Vegas in 1967 and played here up until 2011. This will be his second appearance in 13 years; he last played in October 2022, also at Encore. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
ESPN has issued its rankings for the best starting lineups among the National Football League's 32 teams in the upcoming season and the Raiders earned a #26 placement, sixth from the bottom. ESPN likes the Las Vegas team's defense, doesn't like the quarterback prospects, and lists the cornerbacks as the big X factor. The rankings place the San Francisco 49ers first, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs; KC, of course, beat the 49ers in last year's Super Bowl.
With temperatures around 10 degrees above normal over the past few days and predicted for today, the June heat wave continues. June is threatening to be the hottest in nearly 100 years, since records have been recorded. For the first 24 days of the month, the average temperature has been 93.2 degrees, compared to the historical average of 90; last year's June average was barely 82 degrees. The normal highs are just into the 100s, but today it will be around 110 and tomorrow 108 before "cooling off" all the way down to 106 or so for the rest of the week.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are pick ’em in tonight's Game 7 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
PokerNews.com reports that Caesars Palace is closing its 18-table poker room sometime in the middle of next month, presumably soon after the WSOP ends (July 17). It sounds like the closure is temporary, but Caesars is also hedging on the room's future. "The nearby high-limit slot machine area will be undergoing remodeling. As such, the high-limit slots will temporarily move to where the poker room is currently located. The construction period is expected to take 60-90 days, but nothing has been set in stone," the news site writes. A source tells PokerNews that Caesars is looking for a temporary home for the poker room, but nothing has been decided -- except that poker-room dealers and staff will be out of work if no new location is "found."
The ever-alert folks at VegasChanges.com report that the short (1,000-foot, 90-second) free tram between the Mirage and Treasure Island ran its last cars, forever, on Thursday and the station at the Mirage is now boarded up. The tram began running in 1993 when TI opened; at the time, both it and the Mirage were owned by Steve Wynn and company. It survived ownership changes at Mirage (MGM) and TI (Phil Ruffin), but its days were numbered when Hard Rock took over operations at the Mirage and announced a complete makeover.
Our correspondent Carol B tried to buy tickets for the Eagles mini-residency at Sphere at the advertised price of $175 all-inclusive (no fees tacked on) and not only couldn't she find that price anywhere, but when she inquired via multiple emails, she received a run-around from Ticketmaster customer service that was so ridiculous, it reminded us of the Abbot and Costello "Who's on first?" routine. (She sent us the emails.) This morning, John Katsilometes, the entertainment columnist for the Review-Journal, wrote about Eagles' ticket prices being especially steep: from $491 up to $12,600 apiece for the Sept. 20 opener and $400-$5,700 for the Nov. 9 closing night. He also notes that none of the shows has sold out, even though the Eagles added four more dates to the original eight. One thing does seem clear: The ticket prices are, indeed, all inclusive; other than the state entertainment tax, buyers aren't hit with a raft of add-on fees at the end of the checkout process.
A story in this morning's Las Vegas Sun reports that Otonomus Hotel, a hybrid apartment-hotel property, is scheduled to open in February 2025 on 13 acres at the corner of Russell Road and Decatur Boulevard, not far from Allegiant Stadium, after being featured at next year's CES in January. The company behind the project is a developer of real estate and technology, so Otonomus will be "the first-ever AI-powered hotel." The units will comprise 60% hotel rooms and 40% apartments and all the rooms will feature pass-through doors; one AI function will unlock connecting doors, so guests or renters can customize the size of their units, from a single room to a six-room suite. Guests will also choose the amenities they want to pay for (which sounds to us like there won't be an automatic resort fee). Via the app, a virtual assistant will handle all preferences (room temperature, wake-up calls, etc.) and requests, prepared and delivered by staff to an "e-butler," a two-way cabinet at the unit door, so you don't have to be in the room to receive anything. The assistant will also "create a special guest experience" based on preferences, such as how you like your coffee and food and how often -- and when -- you want your room cleaned; it will also store all your information, so when you return, everything will be exactly as you like it. No word on room rates. The developer is launching the brand in Las Vegas, with another property opening in Tulum, Mexico, around the same time. We'll keep an eye on this one.
Mexican airline Volaris will commence direct flights between Las Vegas and Tijuana on October 29. It appears that the one-hour non-stop service will operate three days a week and while you can travel between the two cities on other days, the journey balloons to eight to ten hours with at least one stop. You can already buy tickets at volaris.com, starting at $79 one way. And it's not just Baja residents heading here for a Vegas holiday; Nevada is Baja's third-largest source of visitors, after California and Arizona.
The Federal Trade Commission is alleging that MGM Resorts has been stonewalling its investigation into the cyberattack that shut down the company last September. The FTC has issued a "petition" to MGM, a precursor to a lawsuit, accusing the company of refusing to comply with its investigative requests. The feds gave the company an April 15 deadline, which the FTC claims MGM has ignored, insisting that the investigation is "burdensome" and that they don't have to abide by safeguard and red-flag rules required of financial institutions. We'd like to be a fly on the wall in the backroom meetings of both the company and the Commission.
Robert Whittaker is a -150 favorite over Ikram Aliskerov in today’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Sergei Pavlovich is -240 over Alexander Volkov.
Celebrating its first anniversary on July 4, Sphere has announced plans to present an extravagant Independence Day show on the exosphere, consisting of different segments: fireworks, Nevada history, features from the arena's first year, and the winning artwork from competitions involving southern Nevada university and college students; a soundtrack, dubbed XO Audio, will be synced with the visuals. Also on the Fourth, Sphere will launch XO Stream, a livestream of the exosphere available day and night on the website. Two performances will take place on the Fourth, one at 9:30, the other at 11:40 p.m.
Scott Roeben of the VitalVegas blog often posts rumors and innuendo that we don't repeat, even though more often than not, they turn out to be true. But in a recent post about the Lexi Hotel being for sale, he published both a screenshot of the listing and a link to the listing page on ParamountLodging.com, a hotels-for-sale site. If you recall, the Lexi used to be the Artisan, a boutique lodging on West Sahara at I-15 that was purchased a couple of years ago by Pro Hospitality Group out of Phoenix and touted widely as Las Vegas' first cannabis-friendly hotel -- non-gaming, of course. PHG spent nearly $12 million to buy the place, then another $3 million to $4 million to renovate it for pot purposes, but it seems that they, along with many others before them, can't make a go of it. There's no listing price, but we wouldn't be surprised if it's a lot less than what they've shelled out. At the end of the Lexi post, Roeben also throws in an interesting nugget: The Downtown Grand is for sale for $180 million. We looked around and found a listing for it on Berkadia.com.
As we wrote in a Question of the Day last month, the Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival has been held in an 18-block area downtown since 2013, but this year big changes are afoot. In 2023, the festival was acquired in full by Penske Media Corporation via its subsidiary Rolling Stone, which has now shrunk LiB to a single 10-acre outdoor venue next to the Plaza. Rather than a multitude of presentations and acts in numerous locations all over downtown and hosting hundreds of thousands throughout the traditional three days of the festival, this year, “Life Is Beautiful Presents: A Big Beautiful Block Party” will be confined to two stages and two nights, with artists performing September 27-28 from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to a maximum crowd of 25,000. The headliners will be announced on Tuesday and tickets go on sale Thursday, with two-day passes starting at $199.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are pick ’em in tonight's Game 6 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
Today is "Beer Friday"! Join Anthony and Andrew for a YouTube livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact, and drink along to start the weekend. Log on at LVA YouTube live channel.
Due to "overwhelming demand," the Eagles have added two more weekends' worth of shows to the residency in September and October. The new shows will take place on the Friday and Saturday nights of the first two weekends of November: 1, 2, 8, and 9. Tickets go on sale this morning at eagles.com, starting at $175.
"Sin City Tow" is a new reality TV show on the Discovery Channel that, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "digs for the absolute worst of Las Vegas." The show follows tow-truck drivers from two rival companies as they roam the streets and "hustle to collect their bounties," not infrequently finding themselves in dangerous positions. "Close-ups of scantily clad women — one woman on the Strip flashes the camera — sound bites from random sketchy-looking people, a 10 a.m. stripper fight," and bribes galore fill up the first 41-minute show that premiered on Tuesday. You can see that whole episode here.
Sportico, the sports news and information platform, interviewed more than 30 sources, including team owners and executives and financial experts, to valuate the WNBA's 12 teams and the Las Vegas Aces came out on top, worth $140 million. The Aces, who won the league championship in 2023 and 2022, beat out the league average of $97 million by 36.3%; the next most valuable team, the Seattle Storm, is worth $135 million. The Atlanta Dream are the least valuable at $55 million. The Aces have experienced a rocky start this season and are now 7-6, in third place in the Western Conference.
The longest day of the year will happen today, rather than tomorrow, the official first day of summer, when the solstice usually takes place. In Las Vegas, sunrise was at 5:23 this morning and sunset will take place at 8:01, for a total of 14 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. The sun will be at its highest point at 1:50 p.m. The solstice varies from year to year due to the Earth's orbit around the sun not aligning exactly with the solar calendar. The last time the solstice arrived this early was in 1796, 228 years ago. It arrived on June 22 more recently, 1975.
UpgradedPoints.com spotlighted U.S. diners, "real pieces of Americana that transport you back in time," based on Yelp reviews and not only was a Las Vegas diner named best in the nation, but Las Vegas was ranked number one in terms of diner ratings. Our town garnered an aggregate 4.29 out of 5 for diner ratings; the next best was Des Moines, Iowa, with a 4.15. (New York City, which has more diners per capita than any other major city, didn't even place in the top 10.) The best diner was the Meat Wagon, located on W. Sahara near Buffalo, which tied with four others with a 4.9 rating, but received 184 reviews, compared to the number-two diner that accrued only 39. We've never reviewed the Meat Wagon, but the menu looks intriguing; we'll check it out in the next month or two.
Once using its reputation as a bargain travel destination as a major marketing tool, Las Vegas has been cited as one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. to visit by Forbes Advisor. Worse, the ranking is a result of costs rising more than any other city in the past five years, including a 41% increase for hotel rooms ($252 average), a 61% increase for car rentals ($77 per day), and a 14% increase in meal costs ($98 for three). Of course, these are averages based on the total market and value seekers can avoid many of the high prices, but it’s more evidence of the effects of the Vegas gouge being perpetrated primarily by the biggest Strip casinos.
The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay will debut Haunted Brunch on Sunday, July 28. The brunch will feature roving characters and specialty acts from horror movies, along with a buffet, the description of which sounds a lot like the spread for the Gospel Brunch. It’s running on a day that the Gospel Brunch isn’t, and sounds like it’s being tested to be in a Sunday rotation. The price is $59 GA and $79 VIP.
The Sundry Food Hall at Uncommons, the mixed-used development in the southwest valley directly across Durango Drive from Station's Casino's Durango Hotel-Casino, will close on Saturday. We're not too surprised; the 20,000-square-foot food hall never impressed us. It was hard to find (the signage sucks), difficult to use (cashless, with QR-code menus and ordering), and expensive; Durango stole much of its culinary thunder and the turnover was ferocious, so you couldn't count on what you'd find there. The good news is, All'Antico Vinaio, the great sandwich shop at the Uncommons that we reviewed in LVA 4/24, remains. Luckily, it isn't part of the Sundry, but across the street in a separate building.
The Florida Panthers are -160 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers in tonight's Game 5 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
Whoops. We kinda thought this one might not last. The Tuscany $150 new-member bonus has been altered. It's still good for $50 in free-play, but the $100 additional bonus has some new conditions. Get the details in our Changes as They Happen blog.
On Tuesdays in Balla Italian Soul at Sahara, show Nevada ID to get 50%-off steaks. There are only two on the menu, but they’re $74 and $88, so the saving is substantial. On Wednesdays, locals get 50%-off bottles of wine in Balla. When you go, you’ll also be given their Local VIP card, making you eligible for additional perks and discounts.
In 2020 we posted a “Vegas News” item about a mysterious “monolith” that appeared out of nowhere at the Fremont Street Experience. Apparently, no one was seen placing it there and its origin was never determined. Subsequently, similar, but not exact, mirrored metal sculptures have appeared in other parts of the country and in Romania (?). Now another has been found in Nevada at Gass Peak, about 20 miles north of Las Vegas. Still, no one knows where they come from nor what they’re for. There’s a good story about the phenomenon in the Reno Gazette Journal, with photos, including the eerie FSE appearance.
The Boston Celtics are -7 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 210.5.
An announcement from the Downtown Grand boasting that all new machines were on the way to the Furnace Bar was cause for trepidation from those who’ve seen this movie before. And sure enough, the new machines came loaded with new, downgraded, schedules. Formerly one of the best low-stakes video poker bars in town, the games there have taken a serious hit, as described in our Changes as They Happen blog. What’s next, the $2 dog & beer?
Today’s USA Today has an in-depth review of Sphere, gushingly calling it “the next frontier in live entertainment through design and technology.” The superlatives come fast and furiously – “dizzying, jaw-dropping, trippy” – but there’s also a list of “pain points,” including ferocious lines at the bathrooms. This one’s worth reading if you’re considering a visit. Oh, and USA Today didn’t adhere to the name protocol they’re trying so hard to enforce, referring to “THE Sphere” (not just “Sphere”) throughout.
Phil Ivey won the $10K Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship Six-Handed event (yes, that’s what it’s called) to give him his 11th World Series of Poker bracelet. It breaks a tie with Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Eric Seidel to put Ivey alone in second place in all-time bracelet wins, still well behind Phil Hellmuth’s 17. It was Ivey’s first WSOP win since 2014. Amazingly, all of Ivey’s wins have been in non-hold ’em events.
Going into today's final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament, Bryson DeChambeau with a 3-stroke lead is the -125 favorite to win. He’s followed by Rory McIlroy at +325 and Patrick Cantlay at +825.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are pick ’em in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
A visitor from Hawaii hit for $1.6 million at the Fremont, when he lined up the jackpot symbols on a Wheel of Fortune machine. In town to celebrate his son’s 21st birthday, he attributed the win to a red envelope he was carrying that symbolizes good luck, prosperity, and happiness. Indeed.
We’ve received a report that all table games have been removed at Railroad Pass. The Las Vegas area’s oldest casino is now a slot house. Hard to fathom.
The Boston Celtics are -1 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 211.5.
Originally scheduled to end tomorrow, Las Vegas Restaurant Week has been extended to June 21. Not all, but many restaurants, are honoring the extension, offering special three- and four-course prix fixe menus ranging in price from $20 to $120 and donating a portion of proceeds to Three Square Food Bank. Go to restaurantweek.org for a list of the participating restaurants.
Z Athlete Factory (say it with a French accent and it'll make more sense) is a "ground-breaking technology" employing Motion DNA testing and its proprietary RunRite AI system, "created to help athletes run 20% faster and eliminate the root cause of injuries in less than 10 weeks!" So reads the description for the clinic in Henderson. This little kinesiology operation has announced plans for -- are you sitting down? -- a $1.2 billion "sports performance and technology center" to be built on one of two unidentified sites they're working to buy somewhere in the valley that will be announced in the next 30 days (we'll take the over). The "campus" would comprise the world’s largest indoor track and field arena, a 2,600-seat aquatics center, an Olympics-caliber gymnastics center, 1,000 “condotel” units, and more pipe dreams that glitter in words, but if they actually manifest, we'll live in one of the condos. Cross our hearts and hope (not) to buy. You can see the renderings and plea for investors here.
The Edmonton Oilers are -140 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
Long rumored and now confirmed, the Eagles will play a mini-residency at Sphere in September and October. “Eagles — Live In Concert at Sphere” will run for eight shows over four weekends; the dates are: Sept. 20, 21, 27, and 28; and Oct. 11, 12, 18, and 19. Not that they need a bio, but these guys are the biggest-selling American rock band in all of history, 150 million albums and six Grammys to their credit, in their 53 years of existence. Tickets start at $175 and that includes all fees and taxes; all kinds of presales launch next Tuesday at 10 a.m.; so far, the sale of public tickets hasn't been announced.
Scottie Scheffler is the +300 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by Xander Schauffele at +1000 and Rory McIlroy at +1200. Tiger Woods is +20000 (200-1).
The Dallas Mavericks are -3 favorites over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 214.
A story in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal is the worst kind of publicity for Atomic Golf: how uncomfortable the place is. We haven't visited yet, but apparently, the driving ranges face west, the air-conditioning is minimal to non-existent in them, the misting system has been broken for nearly two weeks, and it gets to be very very hot where customers are engaging in golf activities. Reviews indicate the technology is faulty, the service is slow, especially after the venue laid off 33% of its workforce, and the place is now closed weekdays until four p.m. (opening at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays). Most of these issues are probably resolvable with time and we'll be checking out the place in the next month or so, but it's hard to see how a driving range that faces west, so you're looking into the sun the better part of the day with soaring heat for half the year, can be ameliorated.
We fully admit that we don't understand this deal, but we're reporting it as news, even if it's also an oddity. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has approved the sale of a vacant 10-acre parcel next to the new West Hall of the Convention Center for $125 million. This lot, part of the former Riviera site, has been under contract to local developers for over a year, but now, Fontainebleau is involved in the deal. The developers will buy the front five acres along the Strip for $12.5 million, while Fontainebleau will buy the back five acres, contiguous to its existing property, for $112.5 million. As we say, it's a headscratcher: Fbleau is paying $22.5 million per acre for the lesser property, while the developers are paying $2.5 million for the same-sized piece with lots of Strip frontage. Another thing we don't understand is Fbleau's claiming it will expand on the new acreage, after "seeing positive and encouraging results." Perhaps, though from what we've heard, seen, and can tell, the place remains a ghost town.
The back-to-back WNBA world champion Las Vegas Aces are struggling at the start of this season. Compared to last year when they were 9-1, so far they've lost five and won five this year. They dropped their third straight game last night, losing decisively to the Minnesota Lynx 100-86. It was the first time since the 2020 WNBA Finals that the Aces have lost three in a row and it's the first time since 2019 that they've had a .500 record with eight or more games played. The team's next game is tomorrow night at Phoenix at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on Amazon Prime.
The Casino Chip and Collectibles Show, the world’s largest casino-collectibles exhibition, will take place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Exhibit Hall C at South Point. The annual show is mostly open to the public (some events are restricted to members of the Casino Collectibles Association) and more than 50 dealers will display casino memorabilia: gaming chips and tokens of all denominations, dice, playing cards, players club cards, matchbooks, ashtrays, menus, dinnerware, swizzle sticks, photos, postcards, signs, table felt – just about anything a casino could put its name on. In conjunction with the show, every year the CCA hosts four educational seminars related to gaming history, which are offered to the public at no charge. Registration opens Thursday at 10 a.m. and admission is $10; Friday 9 a.m. and $5; Saturday 9 a.m. and free.
Review site Yelp ranked sushi restaurants nationwide based on total volume and ratings of reviews and placed eight Las Vegas sushi restaurants in its recent top 100. The highest ranked was Ari Sushi & Sake, in the southwest on S. Rainbow near Warm Springs, which came in at number six; Ari also has 104 Google reviews with a 4.8 ranking out of 5. The other seven were ITs IZAKAYA (19), Sushi Hiroyoshi (23), TARU (25), Kabuto (39), Kame Omakase (45), Toro Sushi (64), and Smile Shota (77).
To celebrate its 48th anniversary (it opened in Delaware in 1976), all 40 Capriotti's Sandwich Shop locations around the valley will be selling small subs on Thursday for $4.80 (normally $9.44 to $13.44). You must be a member of the CAPAddicts loyalty club by the end of tomorrow to get that price. Sign up at Capriottis.com.
The Florida Panthers are -120 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers in tonight's Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
We reviewed Play Playhouse, the new dedicated non-digital playground at Luxor, in this month's LVA. The opposite is opening on Saturday June 22 at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Electric Playhouse is a 10,000-square-foot social-gaming destination that "merges the digital and physical worlds into one through dozens of motion-activated games and experiences, where bodies become the controllers, encouraging active play and healthy movement." There's no need for headsets or gadgets, as the walls and floors respond to players' actions in seven different play areas. Unlike Play Playground, kids are welcome at Electric Playhouse. Admission prices are $20 local kids, $25 other kids and local adults, $30 for non-local adults.
After cooling off slightly over the weekend following two days of record-high temperatures late last week, Las Vegas is bracing for another sizzling stretch tomorrow and Wednesday. The thermometer could hit 108 on Tuesday and 111 on Wednesday. So far, counting today's forecast of 101, southern Nevada has experienced consecutive days of temperatures 100 or higher since May 30, 12 days in a row. It's the hottest start to June on record.
The Boston Celtics are -7 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 215.
The annual iHeartRadio Music Festival, scheduled for Sept. 20-21 at T-Mobile, has announced its headliner lineup, including but not limited to Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block, The Black Crowes, Hozier, Paramore, Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Thomas Rhett, Victoria Monét, and Shaboozey. Ryan Seacrest hosts, as usual. Tickets will be available to the general public on AXS.com beginning Friday June 14; the presale begins June 12 at 10 a.m. PT.
Carlos Alcarez is a -300 favorite over Alexander Zverev in today’s French Open men's tennis final. Alcarez is seeking his 3rd Grand Slam championship, Zverev his first.
Nassourdine Imavov is a -130 favorite over Jared Cannonier in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Dustin Jacoby is -250 over Dominick Reyes.
The Florida Panthers are -140 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers in tonight's Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
The current odds for today’s Belmont Stakes make Sierra Leon the favorite at 2-1, followed by Seize the Grey at 9-2, and Mindframe at 5-1. The long shot is Protective at 17-1.
This week's YouTube starts off hot! Anthony and Andrew launch right into the heat wave gripping Las Vegas over the last couple of days. Then they reveal a fabulous casino pool you can get into just by showing a player's card, discuss the new parking fee at Resorts World, and pinpoint an under-the-radar casino just east of the Strip offering a fantastic sign-up bonus of $150 in free play. Find out where! The WSOP gets a segment, as does stickman jargon at the crap table, and the Jackpot of the Week is a cool $5,000 with four credits left on the meter. Great story! See it all here.
For the second day in a row, the high temperature here set a new record. The high of 110 degrees yesterday broke the old record of 109 set in 2013. That followed Thursday’s record high of 111. Temperatures are predicted to be five to six degrees cooler today and another few lower on Sunday and Monday.
Iga Swiatek is a prohibitive -1425 favorite over Jasmine Paolini in today's French Open women’s tennis final. Swiatek is going for her fifth Grand Slam title and fourth French Open Championship. Paolini is playing in her first Grand Slam final.
If Southwest Airlines is any indication, swamped! According to ThePointsGuy.com, SWA is adding 42 one-off flights over the course of the 17-week regular season. There are four new routes, but most flights will supplement existing connections. Las Vegas gets flights from Cleveland for Week 4, Pittsburgh Week 6, Kansas City Week 8, and Atlanta Week 14 when the Browns, Steelers, Chiefs, and Falcons play the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
New York-based Cote Korean Steakhouse, the best steakhouse in the country according to some reports and the only Korean steakhouse ever to earn a Michelin star, will open sometime next year at the Venetian. It's part of the billion-dollar investment the owners are making to upgrade the 25-year-old property. The 10,000-square-foot Vegas location will be the fourth for the brand after New York, Miami, and Singapore. The restaurant's owner attended UNLV and worked in Las Vegas right out of college, so opening here has been a long-held dream. Cote merges Korean BBQ with the American steakhouse; the New York menu offers salads for $22-$24, steak and eggs (filet mignon tartare with caviar) for $62, the Butcher's Feast (soup, salad, souffle, steak, stew, and soft-serve) for $74 per person, and a la carte steaks from $44 (hanger) to $92 (ribeye). The wine list is long: 1,200 bottles. All the grilling will take place at the tables. Also announced for the Venetian later this year is Gjelina, since 2008 serving wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes in L.A.'s Venice Beach.
In the midst of a sizzling heat wave across the entire Southwest U.S., Las Vegas' high temperature reached 111 degrees yesterday, setting a record for the day. It tied the previous record of 110 from 2010, then crept up another point to beat it. Thus, it was also the earliest date on which the high surpassed 110 degrees. Death Valley hit 122, beating the previous record set in 1996 by a degree. Today's high is forecast to rise to 108 and temperatures remain in the mid-100s for the next week, when a cooling trend is supposed to arrive.
The Boston Celtics are -6.5 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 216.5.
Esquire magazine's annual list of the top bars in the U.S. includes two in Las Vegas. The magazine lists 42 bars nationwide and one of the two here is the Collins at the Fontainebleau, which it describes as "a bit of Miami-meets-Vegas glam." The other bar is Liquid Diet, located in the Arts District on Commerce Street. Esquire calls it an "impromptu garage party" at, according to the LD owners' description, "a house owned by a group of fun witches."
Steven Patrick Morrissey, known mononymously as just his last name, is a highly acclaimed and controversial English singer, songwriter, and author who earned his fame as the frontman of the indie rock band the Smiths (1982-1987). Since the Smiths, he's had a successful solo career and is considered one of the greatest lyricists in British history. He's appeared in Las Vegas several times over the past few years, including two five-show mini-residencies at the Colosseum at Caesars in 2020 and 2021. The 65-year-old Morrissey had to cancel shows earlier this year as he was treated for exhaustion, but claims he's in tip-top shape to go back on the road. The House of Blues shows at Mandalay Bay will be on July 26 and 27. The pre-sale started at 10 a.m. today (code word CHORD); general-public tickets start tomorrow, also at 10 a.m.
Will the Oakland Athletics actually move to Las Vegas? Who knows? But we can say this, that was never a question that was asked about the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, news arrives via the Nevada Independent that the team is requesting permission to play up to seven home games per season in locations other than the phantom stadium on the site of the Tropicana. The Independent obtained the A's 30-year non-relocation agreement submitted to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which contains the request for nearly double the number of home games played elsewhere that Major League Baseball allows. That's 10% of home games and, according to the story, it could threaten their "bonding capacity" (the amount of revenue that can raised through public bond offerings), which is linked to the number of home games. Oh, and the A's are seeking minority investors to raise $500 million toward the cost of the $1.5 billion stadium.
The Golden Gate is holding a “Golden Giveaway: Golden Gate Ticket” promotion for 122 days this summer. Starting yesterday and running through October 4, guests who stay at the GG might find a Golden Gate ticket in their room; if they do, they can spin for prizes redeemable there and at Circa and the D, such as a two-night stay in Golden Gate penthouse, cabanas at Circa’s Stadium Swim, Sunset Packages at Circa’s rooftop Legacy Club, comps at the various restaurants and bars, and a $75 matchplay.
Happy Leaf will open on Monday at the Aria food hall, Proper Eats, in the space formerly occupied by Shalom Y'all. Like the other nine outlets at Aria, Happy Leaf's menu will be limited: four salads from $14 for the classic Caesar to $22 for Asian with salmon. There will also be a salad bar, a first for the new breed of Vegas food halls, though it doesn't look like it's a self-serve A.Y.C.E. option; for $15, diners select one green, six toppings, and one dressing; hard-boiled egg ($3), turkey ($5), and chicken or tuna ($6) can be added. Happy Leaf will be open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
A piece on FoxWeather.com reminds us that the last time Las Vegas experienced a record low temperature was 25 years ago yesterday, June 4, 1999. On that day, the thermometer plunged to 50 degrees, breaking the old record low of 54 degrees set in 1951, a full 48 years earlier. Thus, as the story points out, we haven't broken a record-low-temperature record in this century (or millennium, for that matter), though we've tied the record low twice, once in April 2009 and once in August 2014. "In fact, the low temperature has yet to drop to 50 degrees at any date in meteorological summer (June 1-Aug. 31) since that record was broken and it hasn’t even been close. Since 2000, the coldest night during those dates has been 59 degrees, on June 12, 2017. Every other low has been 60 degrees or warmer," according to FoxWeather. Now, compare that to record highs: "Half of the current daily record-high temperatures throughout the year have been set since 2000." Which brings us to the excessive heat warning in effect for the rest of the week, as temperatures rise to 110 and, perhaps, higher. If the thermometer hits 110 today, it will be the earliest on record; the usual first 110-degree day is July 1.
A story in yesterday's Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the percentage of unemployed people in Las Vegas is not only the highest in the U.S., but hasn't completely recovered from the pandemic and remains elevated from pre-COVID levels. Out of the 51 largest metropolitan areas, Las Vegas' 5.2% was well more than double the lowest rate, Nashville's 2.2%. Still, Las Vegas had a long way to go to return to normal; during the early-pandemic shutdown, if you recall, nearly one out of three Las Vegans was out of work.
A post on UltimateClassicRock.com lists its idea of the 10 musical acts that have had the biggest impact on the Vegas entertainment scene. The story gets it right with, "Las Vegas is a city unlike any other and for decades now, playing there has become a rite of passage for musicians. Whether headlining at one of its famed casino venues or paying their dues at one of the town's smaller clubs, virtually every artist has a stop in Las Vegas on their resume." The top 10 is better than what we routinely see from non-Vegas writers and it's worth a click and a three-minute read to peruse the biggest and brightest. But we'll give you a hint. Having the Grateful Dead among the top 10 acts shows that the writer knows what he's talking about and the band (the remnants of which are currently in the middle of a Sphere residency) is a big part of our book Rock Vegas.
We're not talking about the police, but unseasonably hot temperatures. A heat wave is heading this way that might be record breaking. By Thursday or Friday, the temperature is forecast to hit 112 degrees in Las Vegas. If the thermometer rises above 110 degrees on Thursday, it'll be the earliest in June the city has ever gotten that hot. The forecast is for right around 100 today, 106 tomorrow, and we'll see how high on Thursday.
Restaurateur Buddy Valastro will open Buddy V’s Pizzeria later this summer at the food hall at Caesars in the space formerly occupied by DiFara Pizza. Along with New York-style pizza, the menu will include breakfast, sandwiches, and desserts. Valastro's Vegas eateries include PizzaCake at Harrah’s, Buddy’s Jersey Eats food truck and the Boss Café at the LINQ, and Buddy V's Ristorante at the Venetian.
According to Billboard.com, between October and March, U2 ranked as the top-grossing tour in the U.S., bringing in more than $230 million from the band’s residency at Sphere. In addition, Sphere was Billboard's number-one large venue (more than 15,000 capacity) for gross revenue from tours, beating out Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena. U2 was followed by Pink and Madonna, both grossing nearly $200 million during the six-month period. Not included in the calculations was Taylor Swift's Eras Tour; Swift doesn't report numbers to Billboard.
The Florida Panthers are -140 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers to win the NHL's Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Saturday in Miami.
Get those cones out. According to an article in the LV Review-Journal, starting tonight at 9 pm and running through Thursday at 3 pm, northbound Las Vegas Blvd. from Harmon to Park MGM will be reduced to a single lane. It’s a short distance, but it’s sure to create nasty traffic snarls on the south end of the Strip. Can’t blame F1 for this one, it’s part of the seemingly never-ending Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project.
Time magazine has issued its list of the "100 Most Influential Companies 2024" and Brightline high-speed-rail company is among them. Time writes, "Against the odds, Brightline is betting that fast trains traveling between Miami and Orlando, and Los Angeles and Las Vegas, can find plenty of passengers" and the magazine seems to believe that it's a winning proposition. It quotes the founder as saying that the all-electric L.A. to L.V. train "marks the beginning of the construction of the first true high-speed train in America,” which could launch the start of a new era of European-like rail travel.
Jennifer Lopez has canceled her summer tour, which was scheduled to kick off later this month and included a stop at T-Mobile in July. In the most original, creative, and fictitious explanation we've ever heard, she claimed she wants to spend more time with her family. That, reportedly, doesn't include her husband Ben Affleck; current gossip is they've separated after less than two years of marriage. It's been widely circulating that tickets for Jenny from the Block's "This Is Me ... Now" tour have been abysmal and, in fact, her announced Las Vegas residency is in jeopardy as well. Ticket purchases will be refunded at the point of sale.
Islam Makhachev is a -625 favorite over Dustin Poirier in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Sean Strickland is -250 over Paulo Costa.
This week's video initially focuses on Andrew: a new theme song for the video, "Going to Las Vegas," and appearing at the downtown Wiseguys on Wednesday June 12. Then he and Anthony discuss the end of the only single-deck 3-2 blackjack table in Las Vegas, this year's Circa football contests, dinner at Wing Lei at the Wynn, and where to find a happy hour with 55-cent cocktails (plus a triple-dip LVA coupon opportunity). The Question of the Week concerns the interesting story of the cover image on our book Flop, Turn, River and the Jackpot of the Week is the ultimate example of beginner's luck -- it's worth the whole price of admission (free!) for this video. Don't miss it.
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant closed at the Flamingo on Thursday. The shutdown was announced in March, now it's gone, and it won't be missed, at least by us. We loved Jimmy and his "Tampico Trauma" is in our top 10 of the best rock 'n' roll songs ever, but the one time we ate at Margaritaville was also memorable and not in a good way; bottom 10 is generous. No word on what will replace it, but the rumor is that another celebrity-licensed eatery is on the way.
Normally in June, high temperatures creep up from 95 on the first to 100 on the 14th and don't go back down to double digits until fall. The record high for the month is 117 (June 20, 2017, and June 30, 2011), with 116 achieved twice and 115 six times. Normal lows range from 71 on the first to 80 on the 30th, with records dropping into the 40s (48 in 1993, 49 in 1955 and 1938). June is the driest month of the year, with a scant eight-hundredths of an inch on average, as southern Nevada awaits the summer monsoons.