First time going to Vegas. Hook me up with some recommendations/ tips / critiques

I'll be staying at the MGM grand. Im there wed morning until saturday morning. I was originally supposed to be going with this girl I've been dating on and off but she had to bail and I decided I'm going anyway.Blessing in disguise. I'll be able to gamble and booze like a maniac now. I have been putting off this trip for years. It's just so easy to just bet on sites like heritage and 5dimes that its never been on the top of my travel list. 

I picked the MGM because I heard they have the most active poker room. I'm going to try and avoid table games like Blackjack that always fack me and stick to the poker rooms 1-2 cash games. Maybe a cool tournament if there are any and the top prize is worth the grind / time spent when I could be exploring. What poker room is the best? Any Good tournaments? 

Supposedly the MGM Sportbook isn't the best. Which ones do you recommend watching the games at / placing the bets? I heard the Legazze stadium and the Palazzo is good and the Aria.

So besides the countless hours in the poker room and sports books I'm going to try and tackle these activities as well. The roller coaster at NY NY, the indoor sky diving, and the stratosphere big shot ride. I was also pondering going to The Gun Store to try out guns and do a litle target practice on some zombie posters. The red rock canyon hike horse ride were also recommended but idk if I'll have time to get those in. I've never shot a gun or rode a horse before. Both seem like a good time or mb thats my inner broke back mountain talking.

I hear weed is now legal and will be hitting a dispensary called Essence on the strip. That will make all the activites listed below much more enjoyable. Starting with cirque de soleil. Debating going to O or Ka versiong of that as well as Blue man Group. Joe Rogan is also tperforming at the MGM and I'm a big fan of his humor so I'll probably check that out. I also heard the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef acquarium is awesome and worth strolling thru. The other two touristy things I'm going to do is watch the volcano at the mirage blow at some point and watch the fountains at the Bellagio one night for a bit. The fountains being synced up to different music seems too cool.

Not huge into the club scene. Waste of money imo. Can pick up girls at planet hollywood/ harrahs/ hardrock lower end casinos or random bars that younger girls goto party. If it happens, it happens. I'll just be doing my own thing chatting it up with whoever I come across. I hear I need to check out the spearmint rhino at some point so I'll be seeing a pair of tits one way or another. 

Food/ Alcohol. Easy to get free drinks in the casinos. Will probably buy a 30 rack and some booze for my room as well. I've heard a lot of talk about the various buffets. I think I'm going to checkout ellis island and get some ribs/ beers. Earl of Sandwich, mon ami gabi, and the pepper mill all were recomended on sites I checked out.

Do I goto Fremont street? Zipline?

I wish the Golden Knights were in town. Bummer.

OK that is all of it I think. Glad I have some adderall and a large tolerance to alcohol to keep me going through that three day gauntlet.

Thanks in advance guys for any tips, critiques, suggestions, etc. 

Trip sounds like a blast, went to vegas over christmas holidays fours yrs running back in the 90s. Check cardplayerdotcom for list of poker tourneys in vegas.

Guns sound like a blast, be sure to hit dispensary before that trip. 

Maybe you will run into durant or whoever that was a few yrs back. 

Merry christmas and Good luck. 

A tip from a Vegas visitor last 17 years or so.Throw half those plans out the window as they are not happening.Then cut those plans in half and you may have enough time to handle it all.It sounds great on paper but once you get there stuff happens.You really want to see a show? Waste of 3 hours poker play..Aquarium? people get comped for that and say they would never pay for it..Lagesees overrated as hell and they say the sportsbook at Mirage is good now..Forget the Strat..You may want to check out Downtown though just to see the craziness..

Once you are there in real life plans go out the window..you may end up getting laid,eating in food courts,too hungover/stoned any given day etc.

After many years I avoid the Strip and touristy crap altogether now.I play and stay comped off-strip (Rio GoldCoast,Orleans) more locals mixed in there..just a slower pace..

Have a great trip man..nothing like seeing the Welcome to Las Vegas sign going to baggage claim.

Don't know your means of transport from airport but if by taxi and the driver takes you through a tunnel he is bumping up your fare going to MGM.Just take a pix of his ID Badge on the dashboard either way.If he does 'tunnel' you (As they do with obvious first-timers) get your bag out of the car and then say you tunneled me and give him a few bucks or you will call the taxi-authority.He'll be gone in a minute.

He'll protest about surface traffic but it is BS.

Post how the trip played out!