Be sure to check out our brand new YouTube channel all about Las Vegas:

http://www.youtube.com/user/vegashipster?feature=mhee

Undefeated boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather will take on Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight boxing title at the MGM Grand tomorrow, and if you’re in the area or able to make it, this one will be worth the money. Mayweather hasn’t boxed in 16 months and is itching to prove his doubters wrong, while 24-year-old Ortiz has the opportunity to make the 34-year-old Mayweather feel his age and ruin his undefeated record. There has been plenty of controversy surrounding Mayweather–his legal issues, his tendency to defend and talk about his accomplishments constantly–and if Ortiz pulls off a victory, it will be a fight everyone refers to. If you’re near the MGM Grand this weekend, don’t miss it!

The Vegas iPhone App will give you everything you need for a weekend adventure to places like the Mayweather fight in Vegas. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Vegas Hipster, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

We get a lot of questions about “the rules” for drinking and alcohol in Las Vegas, and are here with the answer to all of your problems! Our new page on alcohol in Las Vegas is here:

Alcohol in Vegas

In it, we highlight all the tips and tricks for getting around Vegas without getting in trouble for taking a sip. Enjoy! The Vegas iPhone App will give you everything you need for a night on the town (or a full vacation) in Vegas. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Vegas Hipster, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Caesars owns both properties and plans to relaunch a different O’Sheas in summer 2013. We will miss the current O’Sheas. Where else can you be served beer by a leprechaun?

There are many Italian restaurants in Vegas, but Battista’s may just have the edge over the competition, in both authenticity and longevity. Battista’s has been family owned and operated and serving authentic Italian food in Vegas for more than 30 years. Veal, pasta, spaghetti, meatballs, and much more await you, all prepared with the finest ingredients. Wines are from all over the world, including (of course) Italy, California, and Germany. An accordion player adds to the atmosphere during your meal as well. You even get a cappuccino at the end of your meal!

We ate here last week and would recommend it to anyone that loves good food; it is simply phenomenal authentic Italian, and the portions are huge!

Battista’s is located being the Flamingo Hilton at 4041 Audrie Street, and it’s open nightly for dinner from 5-10:30pm. You can find more information on Battista’s at their web site HERE.

If we got a hotel bill in the sum of $642,144, we’d be a little concerned, regardless of how swanky the hotel we stayed at was. In this instance, however, the Venetian hotel owner Las Vegas Sands says the Tea Party Nation of Tennesee reserved 1,637 room nights in the hotel for the period of July 14-18, then postponed and later cancelled their event, which is where the bulk of the fee comes from. The Tea Party Nation of Tennesee cited a lack of people willing to pay for the $399 weekend pass ($125 per day). The bill also includes an 18% interest charge of $87,996. The Venetian includes a great variety of amenities and perks, and should you choose to stay there (and not cancel), we’ve got all the information for you HERE.

Sahara Las Vegas Closing May 16th 211

The Sahara Hotel and Casino is closing May 16th 2011. The Sahara opened in 1952 and starred in the original Oceans 11 now nearly 6 decades later, the 59 year old hotel has seen better days and will be closing its doors.

“The continued operation of the aging Sahara was no longer economically viable,” CEO Sam Nazarian of owner SBE Entertainment Group said.  He also stated: “With Las Vegas showing early signs of recovery, we are confident that we ultimately will find a creative and comprehensive new solution for this historic property,”

We have visited the Sahara many times over the years and in the end they had to succumb to the $1 Blackjack and the no frills casino.  The only saving grace was the visit from Man vs. Food who tried to eat their 6lb burrito.  The Sahara is on the north end of the strip and it is not located in the best of areas.  It was good for a cheap place to stay and gamble, but to get to the night life you either have to rent a car or hop on a bus.

Nazarian said his company is considering options of a remodel, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.  It will be almost impossible to get financing in Las Vegas right now.  All you have to do is look next door to Echelon which has been just a skeleton for years and the Fontainbleau hotel which will be unfinished for years to come.  Let alone the empty lots all around.  Vegas has taken a beating and it will be a while before it recovers.

Here is the review of my latest stay at the Rio Las Vegas.

I made my reservation over the phone and the prices were in the $300 range for the weekend, but as a frugal shopper I checked the web the day I was supposed to arrive and the prices had dropped to $145 a night. They tried to say that we could not switch because of the cancellation policy within 72 hours. I had to argue a bit but finally got them to give me the new rate and not treat it as a cancellation. This is pretty much rule #1 check the rates periodically before you leave to see if there is a better deal. During my reservation I specifically asked for the Masquerade Tower on a high floor, strip view and a king bed. I even made sure the reservationist had all that information in my record, by calling back to make sure the first agent had put this in.

When I arrived at the Rio and checked in, I did the $20 trick (if you don’t know what this is just ask us). The lady behind the counter was oblivious on what the $20 meant, which is another story all together. So we started to complete our transaction and she had us down for the wrong tower and I asked her to check for any notes in our reservation, she found them and fixed the reservation and I was off to my room, The room ended up being the wrong side of the building giving me a mountain view, so I traversed back to the front desk to get the room I requested, but they only had a room with two queen beds and the front desk lady said she would put us in the queue for a room change the next morning. Rule #2: Always get what you asked for and complain if you do not or the New Vegas will take advantage of you.

As a side note:
I personally like the Masquerade Tower. The Masquerade Tower is shaped like a crescent moon and I like staying on the outside curve of the building facing the Las Vegas Strip because of the view and the rooms are bigger.

When I finally got in my room here is what I found:
The TV didn’t work
The phone didn’t work, it only had the old pulse dial (There was no way to fix it)
Many lights were burnt out in the bathroom
The bathroom was in need of a good cleaning
The door-jam near the shower was rusting very badly
The Bathtub grout needed a good cleaning also
The sectional couch had no support, the cushions were flat.
They have an advertisement for Jim Beam on the side of the building, like they really need any more money. This helps for privacy but takes away from a clear view out the window. It felt like I was looking out a very thick window screen

Right away I called maintenance, wait the phone doesn’t work, but the phone by the elevator did. So I called about the TV and a maintenance person was dispatched and showed up an hour later only to come in my room and literally bang on the front a/v ports on the TV until the message “please insert the a/v device” went away. So I turned the TV off and back on and the same message appeared, so he proceeded to beat on it some more, yes he was hitting it with his palm. The message went away again, I turned it off and on, and viola it was fixed. I said to the maintenance person, “I would never of thought of beating on the TV to get it work, but at least I know how to fix it in the future”

The other two items, the phone and burnt out lights, I addressed with the front desk. They said they would get a maintenance person up there to fix it, it was never fixed but we found a new toothbrush on our counter, go figure…

We did receive a message from the front desk about our room upgrade, but the phone didn’t work so we couldn’t get to the message without some assistance, but it was all for not since the Rio was now sold out, yea right!

Another Side Note:
Earlier this year I stayed in the newly renovated rooms in the Ipanema after the front desk guy said the rooms were much better since they were renovated, I still wasn’t impressed. For those of you that have stayed at the Rio: They upgraded the TV from a standard tube TV to a 42 flat panel which now hangs on the wall on the opposite side of the room over the table, the picture quality was horrible because they were sending standard def to a high-def screen. They upgraded the Beds and Bedding, which are really nice. They also spruced up the bathroom and I think they changed out the sectional couch. Other than that I didn’t see much difference. One really bad thing was the shower was stopped up and wouldn’t drain, so a call to maintenance was required.

The Rio still needs help and here is why
Customer service. The staff on the casino floor are an unforgiving lot. While cruising the casino, this includes the casino floor, the buffet, shops etc… I was always being cut off by the Rio staff. They were very unapologetic, they would just cut you off or make you get out of their way. If this only happened once I would not gripe but every time I would venture out they seemed to have the right of way. This is total CRAP, what happened to customer service and the customer is always right? I am not sure who is training these people but get a grip. Vegas was founded on customer service and thank you, and yes sir, no sir.

The Rio is faltering and has been since Harrah’s took over. They have made it just another “Hotel in Vegas”. I am sure Harrah’s is making money with their template but the Rio Hotel in Vegas used to be a great place to have a great time and enjoy the experience.

The World Carnival Buffet used to be one of those experiences until Harrah’s changed that also. Though it has gotten better the quality is not back to where once was. When Harrah’s bought the Rio the first thing they did was remove the sushi, got rid of the quality and went with easier food to prepare. The Rio World Carnival Buffet was about quality and quantity, now it is quantity and a little quality. Every time I have eaten here the same food always tastes different. How can you have multiple batches of eggs benedict, ribs, mashed potatoes taste so different, this goes for anything they prepare by hand and not “store bought”. I am also really disappointed in the size and preparation of the crab legs. The crab legs have gotten way smaller than they once were. (Yes, I know the seafood buffet is better but lets stick with the Carnival World Buffet, and the Seafood Buffet is closed for renovations. Back to the crab legs, I would not give these things to my worst enemy, they are so watered down you have to squeeze them so they will drain and I they are soaking in regular water and not brine. Also they are over-cooked so badly you cannot get any meat because it sticks to the inside of the shell. This tells me the person cooking them doesn’t know what they are doing. The Rio also used to have steamed crab in the World Carnival Buffet but now it is only iced. I have done my homework on this and have eaten at the Rio Carnival World Buffet for a decade and more times than I care to let on, trust me I am a card carrying member. One redeeming quality for the Rio is our waiter, he has been there for twelve years and I try and make sure we sit in his section, because he will make sure everything is right, there is only one waiter who has been there longer and only by two years.

The Wynn has it to the nines:
The customer service training is very apparent here. After you get up from either the tables or the slots there is a customer service agent to push in your chair and to clean up the mess you left behind. They hold the door for you anytime they can, they are always very friendly and will make sure you are taken care of. Not to leave out the Bellagio but they are a close second.

My Observations: Brynn kissed a girl and was a go go dancer but what else did she do that was so wild? She found her boyfriend and the second half of of season one she disapeared. I feel that MTV Hyped up the fact she was a party girl, just like they hyped Trishelle as a good girl. They are total polar opposites now from the way they were portraid. Brynn has settled down and has two children, Trishelle on the other hand is still carrying the torch of a single party girl. I do not discount the fact that Vegas may have changed Trishelle, I know it did me, but how much do you think she actually changed or was she already that way. In no way am I faulting either of the two for who they are or who they have become, they both have goals and I hope they acheive them, but the trailer for season one was better than the movie.

Also, I should stop counting all the product placements for The Palms and other things.

Let me mention that I am luckier gambler during the daytime hours. At night I am good on quick in and out games.

After the buffet we meandered about the Rio Hotel, dropping in some loose change into our favorite slot machines and could not find a $5.00 Blackjack table or even get near a $10.00 table. It was a peak time, so we do not fault the Rio for making money it is called supply and demand. We never found an open $5 Blackjack table, but we did however find $10 – $25 and up tables, waiting for us after all the short-timers lost their bankroll for the evening. We did find in the evening on Sunday and weekdays the Rio, had one table of $5 Blackjack open. Even during the day we were hard pressed to find any $5 tables at the Rio. Alas, we never did play the $5 tables at the Rio Hotel, for many reasons. Most of the higher end casinos or Mega Resorts are about the same as the Rio, some casinos are bigger than others and have the crowd to fill in any open slots at the table. These include: The Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Wynn, Venetian, Paris, Bellagio, Monte Carlo, Mirage and the MGM Grand. The other Casinos that had their fair amount of $5 and sometimes $2 and $3 Blackjack tables include: Excalibur (we had a long session here this trip), Stratosphere, Sahara, Riviera, Circus Circus, Casino Royale, Imperial Palace and Slots-A-Fun. Harrahs, Ballys and the Flamingo had a decent showing.

During the day all the low-rolling you want, but just around dinner time the prices go up. If you are planning on playing $5 Blackjack find a table early and sit there, because when day rolls into night those tables are quickly saturated. We found this to be true at the Flamingo and Harrahs. Mark and I went to the Pink Pit at the Flamingo and were hard pressed to find a seat together, so we opted to play at a $10 table. We found a dealer that would fit our bill and began to play, rather well I might add then it hit “Dealer change. What a blow to the bankroll, this lady was like a stone. I finally made her laugh, with the phrase “Are you sure you shuffled these cards, after four 2s were dealt in the same set. We should have gotten up a lot sooner!

We did find the Excalibur enjoyable and at $5 a hand with a 6 deck shoe, who is complaining. One of our rules is the dealer has to be fun or entertaining. If we cannot make them laugh or have a good time we will not play, no matter what denomination. We have been known to follow dealers around or sulk when they leave.  One of the only reasons we play at the Circus Circus is because of George a 7 foot tall dry humored fellow and Grandpa Harvey a oriental man who had us crying we were laughing so hard. I believe we all came out ahead except DV8R who Harvey after stopping all play at the table made him go buy a basic Blackjack strategy card before he would let him play again at his table. It is times like these you will remember a lifetime.

Ellis Island, before you say anything, we know it is not on the strip but only one street behind Bally’s. They had single deck $5 Blackjack and pretty entertaining dealers. I put a $100 on the table and almost immediately I was comped with free full size drinks from the bar, not bad and I was not going to play the full $100, we were passing time before dinner. The pit boss was courteous and not intimidating the dealer we had was an good guy and was easy to get along with. I cannot remember his name, but he is around 6′ and skinny with black hair. (Sorry for forgetting your name). Ellis Island has very lenient Blackjack rules, letting you split until you hearts content and doubling down after your third card, I was amazed to say the least. The single deck was shuffled a little too quickly sometimes, but over-all not a bad time. The main reason we went to Ellis Island was the BBQ. Some of the best tasting Baby Backs we have had in a while and yes we know our Ribs. For $9.95 you got a full slab, two small ears of corn, baked beans and coleslaw. The sides were adequate tasting but you are there for the ribs. While you are there get the Homemade Root Beer it is great! They brew their own beer their, which we did not sample, so making Root Beer would come naturally and it was inexpensive too. Ellis Island is a locals place and it is a locals hangout. The dealers and workers know everyone’s names. Be prepared the bathrooms are not spectacular. I will have a separate article about Ellis Island later.

Most often during the latter part of Sunday and through Thursday afternoon you are more likely to find the ever elusive $5 Blackjack table. Something to remember about Blackjack in Vegas, stay away from any table that has an auto shuffler. It is a big black box that sits next to the dealer and it counts cards! It knows when the table is leaning towards being favorable for the player and then reshuffles. Never sit at one of these tables unless you have money to burn.

A word to the wise always set your daily limits of spending that way you can have enough money to get back to the hotel room to lick your wounds. I would suggest putting the bulk of your money into the hotel safe in you room and only take a little bit above your limit with you, in case you get a little crazy or you accidentally lose your money.

Many veterans of Las Vegas will be scoffing at this article, saying you should know better and that there are no great places to play Blackjack for $5 on the Vegas Strip, which in turn they are mostly right. But, if you know where to go and do not mind the crowds or sometimes smoke, you can find that needle in the haystack.

Let me just remind everyone a cold weekday in January, there are not a lot of people in Vegas, so if you are looking for some action, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are not your nights. The casinos are somewhat busy but the strip could be closed off for a drag race, but this could be a whole other article.