Watching Baseball In Las Vegas

We’re heading into the heart of baseball season. The dog days of summer begin as school lets out and the temperatures hit the 90’s across the country. The temperatures are well into the triple digits in Las Vegas already. Watching and wagering on baseball in Las Vegas is a great way to spend a hot summer morning, afternoon and night in a casino. When the temperatures are 110 degrees or more in the shade, the comfort of air conditioning in a sports book on of the best ways to escape the heat.

There’s no such thing as a bad sports book but there are things that can help make the experience better. Here are some things to look for when watching baseball in a sports book with a few recommendations on specific locations.

Comfortable Seats

Baseball is a slow moving sport so you’re going to want to find a comfortable place to watch the games. You want to find a sports book with ample and comfortable seats. While the comfort of the actual seat matters, so do your surroundings. If you’re in for a long session of baseball you’re going to want to sit in a sports book that has space on either side of your seat. Baseball isn’t the most popular sport for bettors so having room shouldn’t be too touch to find.

Recommendation: The Mirage sports book has lots of cushy seating that is usually very available during baseball season. The sports book has a lot of room to relax and many chairs have room for drinks and snacks.

Video Screens

The most important thing when picking a sports book to watch baseball is that they have enough screens to show the game(s) you want to watch. Some smaller sports books may not have enough screens to cover every event on TV that day or night so the game you want to watch may be bumped. Placing a wager may help get your game on TV but that isn’t a guarantee. While the quality of the screens matters more for some sports, the number of screens matters for baseball. There’s nothing worse than selecting a sports book only to find out the game you want to watch isn’t on TV and the sports book manager won’t change the channel.

Recommendation: The renovated sports book at the Westgate (formerly Hilton) has both quantity and quality when it comes to video screens. They also have ample and comfortable seating.

Tech

This used to be lower on the priority list but it’s more important since everyone has at least one mobile device. Many sports books today offer free wifi but the speed isn’t equal at all properties. If wifi speed matter, you might want to run a speed test while scouting sports books. Charging outlets are more important than ever if you’re using a mobile device while watching the games. Not all sports books have access to an outlet to keep your device charged so it’s a nice perk when you can find one.

Recommendation: The Venetian sports book has comfortable office style chairs and workstations with outlets by most seats. The casino offers free property-wide wifi which is usually among the fastest on the Vegas Strip.

Drinks

Drinks are important to me when watching baseball. What better way than a nice cold beer when escaping the heat and watching the games? There’s usually a sports bar by the sports book but I’d rather not step away from my seat if I’m watching multiple games. Cocktail waitress service isn’t the most important thing when watching baseball but it’s a nice amenity. Some sports books will offer complimentary drink tickets with your wagers and others won’t. These are usually good for well (cheap) drinks, domestic beer (Bud, Coors), soft drinks, coffee and water. Each sports book operator, casino and ticket writer may deal with this differently so you’ll have to do some research if this matters to you.

Recommendation: Red Rock Casino has the best cocktail waitress service. There’s also a good view from the bar if the server isn’t quick enough. This is also one of the casinos that still offers drink tickets when you place a wager.

Temperature

Las Vegas in the summer can be just brutal. When the temperature in the shade is 115 degrees, it’s probably closer to 135 in direct sunlight. Air conditioning is a big deal to having a comfortable session in the sports book. The older the casino, the better the odds that they have an older air conditioning system. There’s always a chance that an older air conditioning system can become overwhelmed when the temperature is peaking in Las Vegas. This is rarely a problem but it’s happened to me and it’s miserable. Stick to a newer property so this isn’t a concern.

Recommendation: Keep in mind that a sports book near doors to the outside may let hot air into the casino. The sports book at Aria and Bellagio are both perfectly located away from the doors and very comfortable.

Food

You’re going to be in the sports book for a while if you’re a watching at least one baseball game. Chances are that you’re going to want to grab food at some point during the day. Food that’s prepared quickly and eating back at your seat is usually the preferred option for most people. Most sports books have a nearby deli with serviceable food for a quick bite. Smaller casinos might lack in dining options so if food is important to your baseball experience you might want to do some scouting.

Recommendations: The Mirage has multiple full-serve restaurants where you can call and order food in advance and just bring it back to your seat. There’s almost no wait. You can even see the sports book from the right seat at California Pizza Kitchen if you want to step away from the action. The Venetian is another good option as it has a food court and multiple restaurants near the sports book.

Lines

Finding the best lines should be paramount to a baseball bettor. This is where the money is made. Lines are created by the sports book operator but dictated by how the customers wager. The more touristy areas may see less advantageous lines for teams in large markets since they have more people visiting. Locals casinos may have a west coast bias since Las Vegas is on the west coast. A 20 cent (+130 instead of +110) difference on the lines may not make much difference if you’re wagering $20 on a game but when you get into $100 and $1000 wagers, this difference stands out.

Recommendation: South Point has some of the fairest lines in all sports and baseball is no different. They offer dime lines up to -160 which you won’t find in many other casinos. This year they’ve been aggressive creating unique prop bets based on current trends in baseball. These wagers are different and might spice up your time betting on the games.

If you want to give betting on baseball a try: These Are The Basics Of Betting On Baseball