Because paying $24 for a vodka-soda is a hate-crime against your bank account.
1. Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
(One block behind the Horseshoe, Koval & E. Flamingo)
Karaoke that slaps, seedy locals who look like they run an underground pawn shop, and house-brewed beer that’s still cheaper than your airport Starbucks. Current damage check: well drinks around $5, craft cocktails $8, half-off wine during happy hour, plus you can still snag a comp beer if you’re fluttering a $5 blackjack shoe.
Last trip I watched a group of unassuming dudes gloriously belt “Don’t Stop Believin’” while a guy who definitely has a lengthy RAP Sheet tried to dance with my wife’s girlfriend. Nothing happened but bring situational awareness (and maybe pepper spray in addition to you karaoke courage).
2. Stage Door Casino
(½ block east of the Flamingo)
The spiritual home of the $1 Bud Light and the $9.99 liter of Smirnoff. The décor is 1987 Marlboro Man, the bartenders are pleasantly salty, and you can buy a hot dog for $1.50 if you hate your colon. If you need booze to go, the attached liquor store sells the same Smirnoff for less than what the Cosmopolitan charges for garnish.
3. Casino Royale Bar
(Between Harrah’s & Venetian—yes, the Best Western)
Domestics are $3 a bottle and call drinks hover in the mid-single digits. Grab your cut-rate beer, step ten feet onto Las Vegas Blvd., and marvel at the suckers paying Fremont Street prices with Strip views.
4. Fuel Bar
(Bazaar Shops frontage, Horseshoe)
Every drink is permanently BOGO, so your effective price per margarita is about $6-7. Flair bartenders flip bottles like they’re auditioning for Cocktail while tourists brick mini-basketball shots to win the whole bar a round. Loud, chaotic, gloriously trashy.
5. Blondies Sports Bar
(Miracle Mile Shops, Planet Hollywood)
Monday–Friday, 3-6 p.m.: $20 all-you-can-drink domestics & wells; add $5 if you need something that isn’t the color of motor oil. It’s essentially a climate-controlled frat basement with 60 TVs, beer-pong tables, and cheer-squad servers who high-five you for questionable life choices.
Honorable (Dis)Mention
O’Sheas @ LINQ: $5 green beers & $3 shots during graveyard hours if you need beer-pong nostalgia.
Guerrilla-Savings Sidebar: The Costco Hack
If your hotel room has a mini-fridge (or you’ve perfected the sink-ice-bucket technique), snag a 1.75 L handle of Kirkland American Vodka for about $16 at the Henderson or Summerlin Costco and pre-game like a fiscally responsible degenerate.
Sneaky Survival Gear (Amazon-able)
- Slide an 8-oz collapsible silicone flask into a cargo pocket—security rarely bothers with silicone.
- Stash Liquid IV packets in the room safe so you wake up with just existential dread, not dehydration.
Final Pro Tips
- Prices can swing fast so be sure to check each bar’s socials before you march over.
- Tip your bartender like you’re paying normal Strip prices; the karma comes back in heavy pours.
- If you want some other Vegas related content or are planning a golf trip around Las Vegas, check out my Mesquite Golf Trip Guide post!
- Drop your own cheap-bar wins (or fails) in the comments so the rest of us can stay hydrated without taking out a payday loan.
Raise a bottom-shelf whiskey to responsible budgeting, and remember: in Vegas, the only thing that should stay in your wallet is the ID you keep flashing for those glorious dirt-cheap beers.
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