I’m recovering slowly, but must be getting better, cuz I’m writing this blog.
Our good friends at Rainbow/ Emerald Isle have a sweet promotion for February: two premium tickets to the Eagles at Sphere, eight winners, four each at Emerald and Rainbow. Drawings last two days of the month. Each ticket earned with 200 base points or $200 coin-in. Same for video poker. Not too shabby.
These casinos are a stacking gold mine, with so many opportunities I can’t even list them all. Gifts, food giveaways, wheel spins, etc. Frankly it’s HARD to play there when several promotions aren’t happening at once. Stack! Pick up the lists at either promo booth.
Check your new MRB free wheel spin at Emerald. Just 100 points. $1 per point. That’s just $100 in.
Also, BOGO or 50%-off MRBs at both Emerald’s Grille and Rainbow’s Triple B Diner. And if, like me, you’re chasing the fantastic middle-of-the-night super multipliers (50X! 75X!), Emerald’s Grille is open 24/7.
Multipliers aren’t available on their highest multiline VP games, like 10/6 DDB, but plenty of games (9/6 JoB at the Rainbow bar or 8/5 Bonus Poker) when combined with multipliers are positive expectation.
Multipliers start at 25x and go up to 100x. Points are normally .067, so you’re adding 1.7% up to an incredible 5+% for 75 X. I’m not even including the two 100x periods as they only last 30 minutes. 25X-earning periods last up to 2 hours and there are LOTS of these.
You can play both casinos back to back for 50X an hour each, then 75X if you’re willing, like me, to play all night (2-5 a.m.). Then “eat your points” at Emerald Grille.
Summarizing: You’re earning wheel spins, gifts, and freebies, while earning tickets for the Eagles on base points, then multplier points can be used for dining combined with your MRB coupons. Sweet!
Anthony raves about Emerald Grille’s super breakfast special, while I really love Triple B meals and handmade milkshakes.
Here’s the kind of deals they have. Friday night at Emerald Grill: lobster AND filet mignon with a shrimp cocktail and salad. $25. That’s high end for them. Most entrées are low to mid-teens, breakfast specials less. With your MRB? Half-price. On points, free.
Oh, and the monthly mailer gives you a free meal every week at either diner.
Next!
Down on Fremont, Downtown Grand is slowly re opening Freedom Beat. Yay!
There’s a breakfast special you can get with one of their room deals and a double-burger deal on Thursday (now open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to Sunday). Or hop over to Magnolia at Four Queens with your MRB.
At the Plaza there’s been a rare downgrade to the Max Bingo prize, which is now $30,000 (was $50K). The bingo-and-room deal is still fantastic.
The Member Rewards Book is a $50 coupon book filled with exclusive, easy-to-use Vegas deals for singles, couples, groups, and out-of-town guests. This travel-friendly book helps you save on all the experiences that make your trip unforgettable.
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With Super Bowl week approaching, all eyes are on game-day viewing (and betting) across Las Vegas. But before Super Bowl Sunday pricing, crowds, and limited menus take over, there’s still time to take advantage of weekday happy hours at sports bars and sportsbooks around town.
Curated by the team at Happy Hour Vegas, these five sports bar happy hours offer solid food and drink deals any day of the week except Super Bowl Sunday, when most venues suspend happy hour in favor of special event pricing.
If you want a deal on food, drink and sports, here’s where to go…
1) The Front Yard at Ellis Island
Where: Off Strip — 4178 Koval Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89109 Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 4:00 PM–7:00 PM (no weekends)
What is The Front Yard? Front Yard is a two-story indoor/outdoor sports bar featuring an 18-foot big screen, multiple HD TVs, and a second-floor atrium with Strip views. The venue serves craft beer from its on-site Ellis Island Brewery and offers bar-top gaming with clear sightlines from nearly every seat.
What is Happy Hour At The Front Yard? Happy Hour Drinks
$5 Ellis Island Brewery draft beers
$7 Cocktails & Wine
Happy Hour Food
$7 Bites Menu (examples include Bacon Mac & Cheese and Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich)
Super Bowl Sunday note
Super Bowl packages with open bar, bites, and reserved seating start at $175 per person (happy hour not available that day)
Why it’s worth it Portion sizes on the bites menu are generous, making this one of the few places where you can eat and drink well for under $15 during happy hour. $5 craft drafts paired with $7 food options make it a strong pre–Super Bowl week value play.
What it is Located inside the new Durango Resort, The George blends vintage Vegas energy with a modern sports-lounge setup. Indoor dining is paired with a lively outdoor patio featuring wrap-around LED screens, and it sits right next to the sportsbook.
What you get Happy Hour Food — $7 each
Truffle Fries
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Shishito Peppers
Hummus Duo
Happy Hour Drinks
$6 well cocktails
$5 beers (Coors Light, Pacifico, Modelo)
Why it’s worth it Upscale food, big screens, free parking, and sportsbook proximity make this an easy win. With $7 food and $5–$6 drinks, you can comfortably keep your tab under $20 in a polished, high-energy setting.
Where: Park MGM — The Strip Happy Hour: Daily, 7:00 PM to close
What it is A more relaxed sportsbook bar on the Strip, BetMGM offers comfortable seating, large screens, and a late-night happy hour that’s easy to time with evening games.
What you get Bar Bites — $7.77
Stadium Hot Dog
Cheesy Nachos
Cheesy Quesadilla
French Fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Beers — $7.77
Bud Light, Coors Light, Heineken
Miller Lite, Dos Equis Amber, Pacifico
Upgrade option
$20 combo: full-size burger, fries, and a beer
Why it’s worth it A 7 PM daily happy hour is rare on the Strip. The $7.77 pricing is easy to remember, and the $20 burger-and-beer combo delivers clear value compared to standard Strip pricing.
Where: Ahern Hotel — The Strip Happy Hour: Daily, 2:00 PM–5:00 PM
What it is A straightforward sports bar focused on classic American comfort food with wall-to-wall TVs. Expect jumbo wings, loaded nachos, and casual game-day energy without Strip pricing.
What you get Happy Hour Food
$3 fries
$10 loaded nachos
Eight additional items priced between $3–$10
Drinks
Drink pricing not currently published
Why it’s worth it While drink pricing isn’t clearly listed, the low-cost food menu makes this a solid early-afternoon option. It’s an easy place to post up, grab inexpensive bites, and watch multiple games without committing to premium packages.
Where: 1508 South Main Street — Arts District Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
What it is With 23 giant screens and a true neighborhood sports-bar vibe, The Stadium delivers big-game energy outside the Strip. The menu leans into elevated ballpark-style food with strong drink pricing.
What you get Happy Hour Food
BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza — $10
Pepperoni or Cheese Flatbread — $10
Ballpark Nachos — $9
Mini Pretzels with queso — $6
Happy Hour Drinks
Specialty cocktails — 50% off
Wines — $2 off
Well drinks — $4
Select beers — $3
Why it’s worth it A $3 beer paired with a $10 flatbread makes this one of the best under-$15 happy hours for sports fans. It’s casual, affordable, and built for watching games without Strip crowds.
Most sports bars suspend happy hour pricing on Super Bowl Sunday and move to fixed packages or premium menus. These five sportsbars offer a consistent happy hour when it’s not Super Bowl:
Weekday value
Clear food and drink deals
Plenty of screens
Lower commitment than game-day specials
If you want to know the deal before you walk in, these happy hours are the smart play. Also, check out the full line up of Happy Hour Sports Bars in Vegas….There are 43 of them listed at Happy Hour Vegas.
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Happy Hour Vegas sends verified Las Vegas happy hour deals and event alerts when they’re actually worth your time and money.
Naughty Patty’s is an original eatery from the feverish imagination of the the food and beverage department at Cosmopolitan; it’s an addition to Las Vegas’ first food hall, Block 16, in Cosmo’s second floor.
It’s high smashburger concept: Patty’s a pinup, “bold and not here to behave.” She “breaks the rules, a little sinful and unapologetically indulgent, making mouths water and pulses race, with buns that won’t quit and sauces worth spilling.” Slogans around the old-diner-style joint include “Cookin’ up Heaven While Raisin’ Hell,” “Let’s Meat Up,” and “You Can’t Spell Juicy without ‘You’ and ‘I.’”
It’s cute and all and the Naughty smashburger is pretty good — well seared, fresh toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, special sauce, crinkle dills, slice of American cheese), served on a potato roll. The big flat burger spills way out from the smallish bun; we had to use the (plastic) knife and fork to trim it, so we could pick it up.
They also serve two hot dogs, plain ($11) and dirty with “not-quite chili” ($15), grilled cheese ($11), and fries, naked or seasoned ($6) and with chili ($11). Concretes, super-thick frozen custard blended with milk n’ cookies or strawberry shortie, are $10 and draft root beer is $7, regular draft beer $12.
We also tried the root beer, which is made from scratch: several pumps of syrup, then soda, then ice. It turned out exactly how we like it, more beery than rooty, not too sweet and nicely flavorful.
Then … you look at the bill. For the Patty Meal (smashburger, fries, root beer, and tax), we shelled out $28.15. A fast-food price? Hardly. Remember, this is the center Strip, where the meal might be fine (it was), but the tab will give you indigestion. And that was without paying for parking, since we walked in. Add the $20 fee and you’re talking about about nearly $50 for a fast-food burger, fries, and drink. Urp.
Let’s make one thing clear: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) isn’t a bad guy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, he stood firm for science at a time when quackery and superstition dominated the public discourse. However, when it comes to sports betting, he’s got some odd policy ideas. Right now, DeWine is taking his final bows before leaving office and the farewell tour has one recurring theme. Namely, that where OSB is concerned, DeWine is in serious danger of becoming DeWhine.
There’s nothing like a good smashburger — thin patties pressed hard onto a hot griddle to create a deep, crispy sear and plenty of texture. The classic toppings haven’t changed much over the years: onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard. No foie gras, no balsamic drizzles — just the fundamentals.
For decades, smashburgers were largely the domain of burger stands, drive-ins, and fast-food chains, while “serious” restaurants leaned into thick steakhouse-style burgers built from premium cuts and luxury add-ons. But in recent years, the smashburger has made a full comeback, becoming one of the defining burger styles of the 2020s.
Las Vegas has always been a great burger town, and today the city offers standout examples in every style. Increasingly, though, smashburgers are showing up on best-of lists — including ours — coming from everywhere from fine-dining kitchens and casino food halls to neighborhood bars and late-night hangouts, with chefs of all stripes embracing their nostalgic appeal.
So if you’re craving thin, juicy patties with crispy edges and the flavors you grew up loving, start with these spots.
Ada’s
Ada’s has always been the most playful and free-form of Chef James Trees’ Arts District restaurants, and its burger fits that spirit perfectly. Created by a cook in the kitchen rather than designed as a signature showpiece, the Royale with Cheese takes its name from a famous Pulp Fiction exchange and wears its influences lightly. Two thin patties are stacked with melted cheese, crispy onions, shredded lettuce, and classic burger toppings, delivering plenty of crust and balance without unnecessary flourishes. It’s a smashburger in attitude as much as technique — unfussy, indulgent, and deeply satisfying.
Hard Hat Lounge / Stay Tuned Burgers
Screenshot
The Hard Hat Lounge is a true blue-collar dive bar with decades of history, open 24 hours a day since 1962 and proudly catering to a working-class crowd. Since musician Frank Sidoris took over in 2023, the bar has kept its gritty charm while staying current — and it’s now also home to Stay Tuned Burgers, a smashburger concept that built its reputation at the former Vegas Test Kitchen. The burgers have earned praise from chefs and local food insiders alike, thanks to their crisp-edged patties and no-frills execution. Cheap drinks, daily happy hour, and standout smashburgers make this a rare spot where great food and true dive-bar energy coexist.
In Limbo
In Limbo is the roaming smashburger project from Chef Steve Lee, which began as a low-profile ghost kitchen before finding a wider audience through pop-ups around the valley. These days, the most reliable place to catch it is Durango Social Club, where In Limbo runs a regular weekday lunch pop-up, as well as every Tuesday night at Petite Boheme in the Arts District. The menu is intentionally stripped down, focusing on double smashburgers built for crisp edges and bold flavor, including a pickle-and-grilled-onion version and a jalapeño bacon option with onion jam. It’s a straightforward, affordable approach that lets the smashburger speak for itself — wherever it happens to land next.
Naughty Patty’s
Created specifically for Block 16 Urban Food Hall at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Naughty Patty’s fills a long-standing burger gap with a smashburger designed from the ground up. The patties are a custom blend of ground chuck and brisket, smashed hard on the griddle for crisp edges and a juicy center. Every element — from the bun and sauces to the fries — was carefully dialed in through extensive testing. Burgers are the main attraction, but crispy fries with dipping sauces and rich frozen custard concretes round out the menu, making this a satisfying option whether you’re fueling up late at night or grabbing a quick Strip-side indulgence.
Stubborn Seed
At a restaurant best known for ambitious tasting menus, a smashburger might seem like an unlikely standout — but at Stubborn Seed in Resorts World Las Vegas, it’s one of the most quietly satisfying things you can order. JJ’s Guilty Pleasure Burger appears on the à la carte menu at this Michelin-starred concept from Miami, where precision and restraint carry over even into comfort food. Two 3-ounce onion-smashed patties develop deeply crisp edges while staying juicy, layered with smoked beef bacon, American cheese, crispy onions, and a rich, beefy crave sauce. Everything is anchored by a Martin’s potato bun that lets the burger shine. It’s a reminder that even in a fine-dining kitchen, a properly executed smashburger can hold its own.
With Love, Always
Expect long lines at With Love, Always, which built its following in Centennial Hills and has since added a second location in the Southwest Valley at the Bend, one of the city’s newest mixed-use developments. The menu is intentionally tight, with three burgers that are nearly identical at their core: two thin, smashed Black Angus patties on a Martin’s potato roll. The real choices come down to Love Sauce or ketchup and mustard, and whether you prefer raw onions or onions smashed directly into the griddle with the beef. Fries are cooked in beef tallow, dessert comes in the form of soft-serve cones dipped in hard candy shells, and beer and bubbles round out the experience.
The Prime Rib Room at the Riverside in Laughlin is a long-standing, casual, and popular steakhouse-style restaurant specializing in slow-cooked, tableside-carved, prime rib dinners. You also have a choice of two other entrees, chicken cordon bleu and fish of the day, but so few diners opt for either that the wait people generally don’t even bother asking about them. “And how would you like your prime rib cooked?” is the standard query from the order taker.
From the minute the room opens at 4 p.m. nightly, this restaurant is packed and the setup is so efficient that the service is perfectly timed. In fact, the vibe is relaxed and comfortable, making it a first choice for visitors and locals looking for a hearty dinner without overly formal surroundings (like the Riverside’s Gourmet Room next door). The big picture windows overlooking the Colorado help that cause, especially if you eat before dark, though later, the lights from Bullhead City across the river also add to the ambience.
After you’re seated, a member of the staff suggests you help yourself to the buffet; you’re told that when they see you’re almost finished with those plates, they’ll come and take your entree order.
The buffet features a fairly extensive lineup of salads, potatoes, vegetables, breads, and desserts; the two serving lines are identical on both sides and move hungry diners through quickly.
When it’s prime time, you tell your wait person how you want it, from rare to well-done. Serving carts, complete with scales, plates, knifes, warmers, and to-go boxes, are scattered around the room, so the staff doesn’t have to go far; your dinner comes quickly, covered with sauteed mushrooms, swimming in jus, and accompanied by a delicious horseradish (from mild to hot).
We couldn’t believe how much meat we were served, enough for lunch and another dinner the next day. Also, we wanted an end cut and that’s not only exactly what we got, but it was as tender as rare would’ve been. Fantastic!
Then you go back to the buffet for dessert, with pies, brownies, cookies, soft-serve, and sugar-free selections — icing, as it were, on the cake.
Oh, and did we mention the price? One size fits all, baby: $27.99. With tax it came to $30.34. In Vegas or anywhere else, that’s half-price for the quantity and quality of the food.
You gotta gotta gotta make reservations. When we called and asked what times were available, we were told, “Any time. We’re wide open.” When we got there right at 5:30, the line in front of the hostess stand was out the door and people without reservations filled the entryway.
Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This weekend’s Breakfast Brunch is Sat & Sun, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. for $29.95 and there is no dinner buffet.
Rampart – Market Place Buffet: No changes to the buffet. They are offering 2 for 1 Buffet every Monday in February for Rampart Rewards Members. Click the link here to read more details.
Charlie is a sports bettor, slot player, and influencer. Charlie got scammed while making bets at a DraftKings kiosk at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi. It’s a crazy story, not just the scam, but the way the casino, and Gaming Enforcement reacted.