Las Vegas Party Guide: How To Crush Sin City Without Going Broke Or Wife Divorcing You | David Hookstead

Do you want to drink beer, play blackjack, make dumb decisions and have a blast while in Las Vegas?

Congratulations, you've come to the right place. Las Vegas sees roughly 40 million visitors a year. It's the greatest tourism destination in America, and for good reason.

The options are absolutely limitless.

What are the best tips and tricks for Las Vegas? (Photo by Ethan Miller/WireImage)

If you can imagine it, odds are you can do it in Las Vegas. Want to drink a beer at a rocking bar at 3 a.m.? It can be done. Want to pay a month's mortgage at a fine steak establishment? It can be done. Interested in visiting a club that feels like you're in the 1920s partying with Jay Gatsby? I promise you it can be done.

Vegas veterans learn over the course of many trips just what it takes for the perfect vacation in Sin City. Fortunately for people reading this who might have never visited Las Vegas, I've gone many times, and with another trip in the coming days, I figured it was a good time to give you all the best tips and tricks to crush Sin City...while making sure your wife or girlfriend (or whoever) is still there when you get home.

Airport plan

Congratulations. You booked a trip to Las Vegas. You've already made a good decision. You might not know it yet, but the tone for the trip is already being set. Is it set for just the first day or is it set for the full trip? Gentlemen, we're about to find out.

Failure to plan is failure to execute. You know why Delta Force guys don't lose gunfights? Because they show up to every single one ready to rock and roll. They've planned for every single outcome or adjustment that could ever happen.

While this is not a gunfight (yet, at least), your preparation will determine how this trip gets started. Do not pack your bags an hour before heading to the airport. They should be packed the night before. Money, passport, credit cards, razor, toothbrush, clothes and whatever else you might need should be locked, cocked and ready to go before you even wake up on departure day.

Once you're at the airport, you have some immediate decisions to make. Are you trying to grab a quick cocktail at the bar to get the mind right before the flight? Grabbing a quick snack? Are we not doing anything? In this respect, I can't help you. Everyone prepares for this differently.

Personally, I like to have two margaritas at the bar that is near the gate I always leave from for Vegas and then I take a nice little supplement to pass the hell out. I have a five hour flight. It's hell but at least it's nonstop.

If you're not interested in sleeping, I have the perfect lineup of movies to crush your flight. In order, you need to watch "The Hangover," "Casino" and then the "Entourage" episode when they go to Vegas. Those three in order will get the dogs barking.

If you're not into any of that, enjoy a great book. I read "Chasing the Bear" a few years ago about Nick Saban on a flight to Vegas to prepare for the opening weekend of college football. Was the perfect way to get my mind right.

Vegas hotel choice

Lots of people make a big deal about what hotel to stay at. Do you stay center Strip? Is the south side a better option? Do you go to the north close to Wynn and Venetian? Should you venture off the Strip completely.

It's amazing how much thought people put into the hotel choice, when ultimately, in my opinion, it actually doesn't matter that much.

There's really only one choice to make when it comes to hotels: Fancy or regular?

The Wynn is one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

I've done both. I've gone to Vegas, done the whole penthouse thing, stayed at fancy places and I've gone and stayed at The Linq multiple times. To me, it makes no difference at all. The reason why is because a great Las Vegas trip should feature as little time in the room as possible. Yes, a penthouse that overlooks the city is fun, but if you're in the room for more than an hour after waking up, you're doing Las Vegas wrong.

Is the Wynn incredible? Yes. Is the Venetian awesome? Without a doubt, but you don't need to be staying there to visit. You can choose a cheaper hotel like Flamingo, Horseshoe, The Linq or maybe Caesars and then walk up to Venetian and Wynn if you want to try the restaurants there. You'll save yourself buckets of money.

In my opinion as someone who has been on both sides of the spectrum, go cheap and use the saved money elsewhere. Flamingo and The Linq aren't fancy, but they have warm showers, solid beds and are center Strip.

The Linq promenade, pictured below, also features a ton of cheap food options. More on that later.

The Linq is a cheap Las Vegas hotel that is still solid. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Center Strip, center Strip, center Strip. That's the name of the game at the end of the day once you've determined you're not going fancy. Pick one, throw your luggage in the room and move along. Do not waste time or resources worrying about hotels.

Do you have a locked in plan or not?

This is another point people love to debate and ask about. How much planning should you put into your daily schedule?

The answer is maybe more than you'd think, but definitely don't set a full schedule. Vegas needs flexibility. It requires it. However, you don't want it to be 2:00 pm and nobody is on the same page.

The best way to set a basic schedule is around lunch or dinner. Pick a place every single day you KNOW you want to eat at, put it on the books and let everything else fall into place. Understand there's more to do in Vegas than you could ever accomplish in a dozen trips.

Don't overplan. Nobody wants a guy in their Vegas crew who thinks he's running a sports practice. One lunch or dinner spot per day, perhaps one casino or sight you know you want to check out and then play it by ear. The best Vegas stories are often the ones you never planned.

Simply put: Have a basic outline. Let it roll from there.

Food, food, food and more food in Las Vegas.

Welcome to the section I think many people will enjoy.

Food.

The food scene in Las Vegas is absolutely nuts, and you can get great food at just about any hour of the day.

Want a steak at 6 a.m.? It's definitely doable. Definitely. The best part about Vegas is there is also great food at all price ranges.

You can get a great steak for under $15 (do yourself a favor and check out Ellis Island), or you can spend $1,000 on dinner without blinking if you're at a very high end place.

Below is a great example of a morning steak and eggs at Ellis Island. It's right behind Horseshoe one block behind the Strip. It's literally right where Tupac was shot. Worth a visit.

Ellis Island offers great cheap food options. (Credit: David Hookstead)

The basic understanding of food in Vegas is the nicer the hotel, the more expensive the food will be. Wynn has some of the best dining options in the world. Not just in Vegas. In the world. There's not a single restaurant in that place that's not incredible, but you better be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of money on food and drinks if you want to eat there.

On the flipside, you can go to a place like The Linq's promenade, the restaurants by Horseshoe or some lower end properties and find plenty of cheap eats, including your standard fast food restaurants.

Some hotels, such as Resorts World, offer super fine dining but also have more traditional options like sports bar dining.

Below is a spread from Redtail at Resorts World. Pretty standard food, reasonable price and the bloody Mary's there are HUGE.

Food options are limitless in Las Vegas. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Redtail at Resorts World features massive bloody Marys. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Set your price range and go from there. There's literally limitless options when it comes to food in Las Vegas.

One piece of advice for anyone who does want to dine at a very expensive place. Book a couple months in advance. You're going to be stuck out in the cold if you show up to a top tier steakhouse and just expect to be seated. Not going to happen. The nicer the place, the more likely it is you'll need reservations.

Buffets: worth it or not?

Let me touch on this very briefly. There are only three buffets in Las Vegas worth visiting. Cosmo's Wicked Spoon, Caesars' Bacchanal Buffet and the buffet at the Wynn.

Pass on any other buffets you might see. None of them are any good other than the three listed above. If you do go, get a drink package. It's worth it to get a nice little afternoon buzz going with the boys while getting plate after plate.

Alcohol in Vegas

Speaking of alcohol and buzzing with the boys, let's be honest that one of the main activities in Las Vegas is drinking.

It just is, and I'm certainly not complaining. As you all know, I fully endorse shower beers on Saturday mornings in the fall to set the tone.

Same applies in Vegas. Stock your room with a case of beer or liquor in the minifridge (get a cooler if there's no minifridge) and definitely enjoy a nice shower beer to get things going.

From there, you can go anywhere and drink. You can even drink outside as long as it's not in glass. Take advantage of this. Nothing beats walking the Strip with a cold beer on a hot summer Vegas day.

If you're looking for super fancy cocktails, Cosmo, Wynn, Venetian, Resorts World and Mandalay Bay are your best bets.

However, if you're a working class guy like myself trying to stretch a dollar, you're probably looking for cheap booze options.

You're in luck. I have some hits. Ellis Island's Front Yard and Stage Door are going to be your best friends. Ellis Island has its own brewery and sells drinks for as little as $4.

Below is a fellow Vegas operator enjoying a cold one at Front Yard.

Always make time to drink with the boys in Las Vegas. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Stage Door is the most underrated place in Las Vegas. It's directly behind Cromwell and is quickly accessible from The Linq Promenade.

This place is absurdly cheap. You can purchase a beer for as little as $1. No, that's not a typo. Beer in Vegas at Stage Door is $1. Cocktails, while more expensive, are still cheap by Vegas standards.

Plus, the cheaper the place, the better the crowd. Last year, we got lit up at Stage Door and then started doing toasts with the whole bar over characters who died in "Red Dawn." RIP Robert. Everyone who entered the bar was immediately asked their thoughts on the 1984 hit. A lot of patriots in Las Vegas that day.

Another great cheap drinking option is the Arts District. You can find a bunch of really cool breweries that won't break the bank. Find one and you've found them all because they're literally all right next to each other.

Fremont vs. the Las Vegas Strip

Another classic question. Which is better: Fremont or the Strip? The answer is it depends on the person. The Strip is way fancier and WAY more expensive. Everything on the Strip feels like it's overpriced (a lot of it is, but that's Vegas).

Fremont has a much more casual and laid back atmosphere. Plus, the gambling is much better. The Strip features a lot of 6:5 blackjack, which should be a crime, and very high minimums. Seriously, who the hell is playing 6:5 blackjack? Stand up, put one foot in front of the other and walk the hell away from any 6:5 table you find.

There is plentiful cheap 3:2 blackjack on Fremont. There's no better blackjack game in the entire city than the single deck game at El Cortez.

El Cortez is a classic Las Vegas location. (Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Going into the El Cortez is like walking into a time machine. It's a must-go for anyone visiting Vegas for the first time. I never miss it when I'm in town.

There's a literal beer cart in the pit, it draws an incredibly interesting crowd and is an absolute blast. Last year, a guy from Germany sat down at our table as the crew was cooking, and I told him I had some family that visited Germany in the 1940s. He had absolutely no idea what I was referencing, but we all had a good time with him.

El Cortez is a top three gambling place in Las Vegas. Don't miss it.

It has to be all guys or all couples. No in-between.

Now, this is going to probably piss some people off, but I'm going to say it anyway. You can't have some single guys and some couples in a Las Vegas crew.

It is a recipe for disaster. It has to be all single guys looking to cut it loose or just couples. I've done both. Both can be a lot of fun, BUT there can't be a mix.

Dudes when they're with their buddies love to push the limits. Things are always more relaxed when the significant other is there. When there's a mix, you have some people trying to drink a case of beer - will only cost you $24 at Stage Door - and you have couples trying to relax. Do those vibes mix? Most certainly not.

I'll be in Vegas with just the guys this year, and we all can't wait. Also been there with the GF. Still a ton of fun, but very different. Very different, and I wouldn't ever mix the two.

You don't want to return home with relationship problems because you were shotgunning beers instead of sitting poolside with your wife/girlfriend. The goal here is to have fun. Not draw up divorce papers on the ride home.

Common mistakes

Let's hit on a couple mistakes I've seen people make or know of people who have made.

Cash and tipping:

Bring a ton of cash. ATM fees in Vegas are insane. Vegas is a tipping city and you need to have cash on you. Yes, the drinks are "free" while gambling, but service will be brutal if you don't tip.

I once saw a guy at my table not tip for a single drink. Was unbelievably uncomfortable.

Not enjoying Las Vegas in the morning:

Another super common mistake I see people make is they don't wake up until noon. I think some of the best Las Vegas exploring is at the crack of dawn.

I always make a point of it to walk the Strip around 5:30 a.m. It's a ghost town and incredible. Don't make the mistake of thinking Vegas is only fun at night.

Don't make the mistake of not walking the Strip early in the morning. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Strip clubs

As noted above, the goal here is to return home without major issues with the significant other. Admittedly, I've never been to a Las Vegas strip club, and strip clubs aren't really my thing. Having said that, I know of some horror stories.

DO NOT EVER ENTER A LAS VEGAS STRIP CLUB WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD.

If you decide to hit up a Las Vegas strip club, bring only cash and no cards. If you were dumb enough to bring a card, do not let strippers or anyone else handle it or charge anything unless you're directly watching. The goal of strip clubs is to separate as much money from you as possible. Hand them a card, and you could have huge problems.

Not drinking enough water

Water, water, water! Vegas is insanely hot. It's in the desert, after all. Drink a ton of water and then drink some more. Unfortunately, I've seen what happens when people get liquored up and then don't drink enough water in Las Vegas. It never ends well. You will thank yourself the next morning.

It's okay to not stick with your group

Look, people are going to want to do different things. It's fine. It happens. Don't take it in a bad way if the group wants to split up. I would say the whole group for me is together less than 30% of the time in Las Vegas, and all that time is usually before lunch ends. Once it's the afternoon, all bets are off and people have plans.

For example, some guys might hit the bar while you hit up Fremont to blow a paycheck. More power to you. Just stay in contact and meet back up later. It's a fool's errand trying to keep everyone together. People aren't interested in the same stuff. Just roll with it.

See one major attraction.

The last mistake I see people make is they go to Las Vegas and don't do anything other than drink and party.

There are some incredible museums and exhibits. The two best ones by far in my opinion are Titanic at Luxor and the Mob Museum.

I've done the Mob Museum many times and the Titanic exhibit is incredible. Don't make the mistake of going to Las Vegas and not seeing at least one thing.

The Mob Museum in Las Vegas is incredible. (Credit: David Hookstead)

Well, there you go, folks. Those are my best tips and tricks for Las Vegas. Did I forget something? Let me know in the comments below, and happy adventures in Sin City!