You're not wrong about it being tough to keep up with things in this town (just ask our tireless research department), so it's our pleasure to throw a few suggestions your way.
Super Bowl weekend is one of the busiest of the year for Las Vegas, and this year coincides with Chinese New Year, so we're expecting even heavier traffic than normal. There will literally be Big Game parties all over town, from bars and restaurants to strip clubs and swingers clubs, so whatever your predilections, you should find something to suit your taste, just as long as you can get in the door. Here's our ever-growing guide to Las Vegas Big Game parties, 2011.
More specifically, if you're either a Steelers or a Packers fan, click the links for a list of local team-affiliated bars where you'll be among friends, courtesy of LVASports.com. We also have comprehensive listings of Las Vegas sports bars in our Nightlife section.
If you're looking for something bigger or fancier than a neighborhood bar, two of our top picks for cool places to catch the Big Game with a group of friends would be Lagasse's Stadium at Palazzo and Sporting House Bar & Grill at New York-New York (which occupies the space that formerly housed the ESPN Zone), both of which come highly recommended by Anthony Curtis. These are both really big, comfortable venues with a gazillion TV screens, good food, and a great atmosphere, but they'll get packed, so you're advised to make a reservation (if that's even possible at this juncture).
If you're bemoaning the unpredecented lack of cheerleaders at this year's Big Game (the Packers and Steelers are two of the six teams in the NFL that don't have them), you might want to compensate by catching the game at one of the city's many gentlemen's clubs. All the big ones will certainly be partying hard, with food and drink specials, prize giveaways, raffles, half-time entertaiment, and, well, lots of strippers. (Check out our Topless Vegas Pocket Guide if you're not sure which club might best suit your tastes.)
Race and sports book-wise, we'll refer you to a couple of previous Reader Polls we've run, concerning Best Place to Catch the Super Bowl and Favorite Race & Sports Books, which should give you some good ideas.
