As mentioned earlier in the week, I'll be blogging from Las Vegas during March Madness. There's no better place to be during March Madness than here -- it's the second biggest week of the year for Sin City, which must explain why checking into the MGM Grand Hotel was semi-difficult (the room wasn't ready and by the time it was it took another 25 minutes for the bags to get delivered).

A group of buddies and I have been coming here for the last few years for this weekend and like every other year we didn't waste any time getting our bets in. While my friend Gregg didn't like any of the games still on the board for today, three games immediately jumped out at me. A lot of people think parlays are sucker bets, but West Virginia, Texas A&M and USC were all laying just two points so I couldn't resist. And at $10 to win $60 the odds are in my favor (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

After that it was a quick stop at the blackjack table, where I must have been dealt an ace at least a dozen times only to hit blackjack on it once. The rest of the hands were either pushes or losses. After about 45 minutes we got bored -- and Gregg lost his stack. I walked away even after going up then back down then back to even. By the way, does anyone else get annoyed when other players play their hands as if no one else is at the table?

It's back to the casino for now. I'll be back later with more picks. In the meantime, if you have any games in particular you like in the tournament, let me know by email at bwacker@sun-sentinel.com. I'm also looking for your best Texas Hold 'Em tips. I've been playing it for years and it's virtually the only poker I play, but I'm curious to hear what your strategies are. Or how about your top 3 casinos in Vegas?

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com