University of Nevada, Las Vegas
We’ve managed to put out 17 issues of Card Player College without ever having visited the school that resides in the same town as the Mecca of poker. How dare we! It was time to hit up the Rebels at the college scene in the world’s poker hub - Las Vegas, Nevada.
Vegas exudes its opulent flashy style and “please don’t tell my girlfriend” motto from the space-borne beam of light shot from the tip of the Luxor to the heavily perfumed hallways and romantic gondolas of the Venetian. And for every over-the-top resort hotel, there’s a correspondingly intense in-house nightclub teeming with incredibly hot girls and thumping bass.
Sin City is also host to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a school that’s only nine minutes walking distance from the flashing bulbs and collectible porno cards of the famous Las Vegas Strip. As a lucky coincidence, the months that school is in session almost completely miss the three months of the year when it’s hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, so walking is definitely a viable option. If you’re aching for poker, it’s certainly not hard to get near UNLV.
In fact, nothing is hard to get near UNLV (except snow, of course). Everything you could possibly want is within shouting distance of the campus, including hookah lounges, restaurants, nightclubs, gentlemen’s clubs - you name it. With an average temperature of close to 70 degrees and predominantly clear skies year-round, the open-air UNLV campus itself is a pleasure to traverse.
The openness of the campus also lends itself to some fantastic views (and we’re not just talking about the coeds). Shiny, modern architecture abounds and, contrary to the stereotype, lush greenery covers the desert landscape. Choice spots on the campus give a panoramic view of the Strip, which is especially impressive as a glowing beacon in the silence of the night.
In Vegas, it definitely pays to stop and take it all in. And take it in we did at Card Player. And we got paid, so the comment couldn’t be truer.
Endangered Species: Vegas Home Games
Let’s face it, home games aren’t very common in Las Vegas. They’re so rare, in fact, that we didn’t hear word one about a specific home game in all of our conversations with UNLV students. Of course, that doesn’t mean poker isn’t here; the dearth is likely the side effect of not being able to turn around without running face-first into a poker room. UNLV poker player Giovanni Lazzarotto explained why he loves the freedom he has to play here.
“Sure, it’s OK to have the occasional dorm poker game, but every casino here has a poker room,” said Lazzarotto. “Why play the same people over and over when you can go to a table three days straight and never see the same person twice?”
Lazzarotto’s definitely right about the diversity of opponents. With the number of rooms available to locals and the sheer volume of tourist players, you don’t have to see a familiar face if you don’t want to. Each room has its own unique draws, as well. The Bellagio serves high-stakes players, MGM Grand has a spacious room with tables that have inlaid marble for stacking chips, and the Venetian has one of the most affordable, well-structured nightly tournaments around.
“At the Wynn you can play against professional players like Dan Negreanu,” said Lazzarotto. “Yeah, I’m sure other colleges have a decent poker life, but that’s like being married with a 9-to-5 job and kids.” Comparatively, Lazzarotto said Las Vegas poker is like “being a celebrity; going out every night and bringing home the hot chick.”
Tumbleweed Tech No More
In 1964, seven years after UNLV was established, the university had graduated only 29 students. An extra 42 years can do a lot for a fledgling school’s population, as the school is now home to around 31,000 graduate students and undergrads who call themselves Rebels. Word on the street is the school’s commencement ceremonies are slightly larger, as well.
Greek Life
UNLV has 31 Greek societies, including fraternities, sororities and, heritage-exclusive Pan-Hellenic groups. There are more than twice as many frats as sororities, with a count of 13-to-6. The Greek societies house their members off campus since UNLV is a commuter school.
Leading the Rebellion
The nickname the Rebels dates back to when the school was still named University of Southern Nevada. UNLV’s successful basketball team takes on a variation of the nickname with the Runnin’ Rebels. The basketball team’s main claim to fame was defeating Duke University to take down the 1990 NCAA Division I championship and to be the first team to ever score over 100 points in a championship game. UNLV is also recognized for its first-rate golf team. The team took the NCAA title in 1998 and the program has been ranked No. 1 by college polls several different times.
Commuters Unite!
UNLV is widely regarded as a commuter school and one look at the main parking lot does much to confirm this fact. An onlooker could assume that all 31,000 students both drive to school and consider carpooling morally reprehensible.
Famous Grads
Las Vegas is known as a city built for entertainment. Hell, if you’re bored while grocery shopping, you can stop by an in-store slot machine and lose a few bucks. With such a dedication to amusing the masses, it should come as no surprise that UNLV has spit out a fair share of notable entertainers into the world.
Among the famous alumni are comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne, and drummer Ronnie Vannucci from the rock band The Killers.
Jimmy Kimmel: Jimmy Kimmel got his start as the wisecracking cohost of Win Ben Stein’s Money in 1997. His growing popularity and unbridled desire to pay women to jump on trampolines prompted Kimmel to pick up a gig as cohost of The Man Show with Adam Corolla in 1999. Kimmel stuck around with Stein for three years before leaving in 2000, causing the show’s ratings to sink. Kimmel eventually left The Man Show as well, in 2003, in favor of his own talk show on ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live. Kimmel is set to host a new ABC game show Set For Life, which is still in production.
Ronnie Vannucci: The final star UNLV alum is Ronnie Vannucci. With a multi-platinum debut CD and a very recent sophomore album rocking the charts, Vannucci is sitting pretty on his throne as The Killers’ drummer. Sure, the new album isn’t as good as their first, but that likely won’t make a huge difference in terms of sales. It’s also a widely publicized fact that they all have facial hair now, which gives the band - credibility?
Kenny Mayne: nother notable alumnus, Kenny Mayne, undoubtedly wants to be remembered for anchoring the 11 p.m. SportsCenter rather than his anemic cha-cha on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. One judge compared his “dancing” to “Pinocchio chasing Jiminy Cricket across the room.” He was the first celebrity voted off the show. Arguably, his real mistake was not dancing like a marionette, but rather agreeing to be on a program showcasing B-list stars. Mayne has since worked his way up to Progressive Insurance spokesman. Yahtzee!
Nightlife
It’d be hard to find a city with more of a nightlife than Las Vegas. The city is open 24/7, which basically punishes residents who don’t have plans every night. Options for UNLV students are virtually unlimited, but there are a few hangouts in particular that students frequent.
Where Monosyllabic Club Names Are King
Like poker rooms, swanky nightclubs are plentiful in Vegas. Some of the biggest clubs are Tao, Tryst, Jet, Light, Mist, and Pure, proving that clubgoers don’t much enjoy having to pronounce more than one syllable. The clubs are meant to drop your jaw, and they accomplish this task with atmospheric visuals like the cryogenic effects of Jet to the waterfall of Tryst. It’s not hyperbole to say that you feel the music, as much as hear it, as it travels through your body via some of the most insane sound systems imaginable.
Gravity’s effect on your lower jaw is even more pronounced when you mix in any good nightclub’s magic ingredient: smoking hot women. A quick-and-dirty gauge of how gorgeous the girls are inside of a club is to take a look at the leftovers still waiting to get in. Considering the girls queued up for entry are easily 10s, a Spinal Tapian 11-point scale is necessary to accommodate the girls the bouncers already let inside.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino: Where Else Would You Get the Shirt?
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is another popular hangout for UNLV students, mainly because it’s less than 500 feet from the edge of campus. On the hotel’s front lawn sits one of its biggest attractions, the Las Vegas Hard Rock Café. Like the other Hard Rock Cafés scattered across the country, within the eatery’s walls casual diners can find rock relics of yore. The word relics, of course, refers predominantly to guitars. Hanging on the walls are aged axes from the likes of Elvis Presley and Brian Setzer all the way to Daisy Berkowitz of the band Marilyn Manson. Non-guitar memorabilia include a flamboyant blue feather outfit from Elton John and Roy Orbison’s hand-written lyrics to “Oh Pretty Woman.
Café Hookah: Who Are YOU?
Sorry about the title, but we couldn’t resist a thinly veiled reference to the world’s most recognizable hookah puffer, the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. His glazed-over look and relaxed attitude are much akin to the denizens of Café Hookah, a hookah lounge just across the street from campus. Patrons eat, drink, and smoke while lounging in the café’s padded couches and enjoying each others’ company.
Many college-aged bohemians gather in the café to enjoy some free live music and squelch a case of the Mondays. Recently singer and pianist Grace Sims, an attractive 20-something, tickled the ivories of her keyboard as she softly sang to original compositions. Two other acts were slated to appear that night, including another soloist, Nick Caparso, and an electric guitar-wielding group, Fundamental Follicle.
If you’re really into hookah, after you’re done with Café Hookah you could finish yourself off 0.3 miles north (thanks, GoogleMaps!) at Paymon’s Mediterranean Café and Hookah Lounge. Either the UNLV Rebels like them some hookah or someone got their supply-and-demand numbers flip-flopped. Based on our empirical evidence, the former conclusion is the safest bet. spade
At a Glance
Students: 31,000
Campus: 337 acres
Frats: 13
Sororities: 6
Pan-Hellenic: 12
Nearest poker room: You’re kidding, right? This is Vegas! The Strip is barely a mile away.
Best place to watch sports near UNLV: Moose’s Beach House
Las Vegas Population: > 1.7 million
Average age of residents: 34.5 (Younger than national average)
Average temperature: 67.1
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