You can pile your whole crew into a single room at THEhotel and then watch the games next door at the sister property, the Mandalay Bay Resort.

THEhotel is mostly on this list because of the madness it enables after the games - to wit, the pimped-out 725-square-foot suites (and that’s the most basic room). Oh, and bet the under on West Coast teams playing Thursday morning games in the East Region - the time zone change always throws off underclassmen. So plan accordingly: Either reserve a table (not always possible) or arrive early in the morning. The one thing you can count on: mad-crazy crowds. Keep in mind that rates can fluctuate literally minute to minute, and that some casinos are still deciding what special arrangements or packages, if any, to incorporate this year. Yet again, we are at your service.īelow are our ten favorite hotels for experiencing the madness/Madness. But just as all hotels are not created equal, so each casino - each sports book, in particular - offers its own advantages and drawbacks. Those four days in mid-March now rival Super Bowl weekend as the busiest days of the year in Vegas it’s a safe bet (the only safe bet, to be sure) that it’ll be nuts no matter where you watch the games. Yes, you - and by “you,” I mean everyone who considers, as I do, the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament the most wonderful four days of every year - have exactly one month to book your (possibly annual) pilgrimage to Las Vegas to experience, first-hand, the only thing crazier than the brackets themselves: a Vegas sports book on the opening weekend of March Madness.

Now that Valentine’s Day is finally over, it’s time we get back to the important things.

Orleans hotel and casino march madness