In the hottest months of the year, Vegas isn’t the first vacation destination that comes to mind. Most people think about heading to the beach this time of year, not the desert. Temperatures climb past 110 degrees in July and August in Las Vegas, but there’s so much to do in the city that the weather is an occasional nuisance at worst.

Las Vegas is currently offering just about everything at a discount. Early gaming revenues were down this year, prompting the industry to cut costs in an attempt to attract more players to town. Room rates are slashed, and package deals for the resorts can save you hundreds of dollars in services and complementary promotional items.

So if you want to hang out at the pool, where there’s just about anything your heart desires within easy access, it’s never been a better time to head to Sin City for a few days of hot times.

The best bars in Vegas can change from time to time. Casinos pride themselves on having a top-rated bar under the same roof, and the city has most of the hottest nightclubs in the entire country. The Palms has Rain in the Desert. It has private cabanas that get hired out by high rollers and Hollywood celebrities alike.

Rum Jungle is still one of hottest stops in town. Located in the Mandalay Bay, it’s mainly a Latino/Caribbean vibe, with funky décor that includes fire walls and waterfall walls to volcanic mountains of rum and go-go dancers who perform above the huge bar area.

The MGM Grand has the hot remake of New York’s Studio 54. It’s a huge club on four levels, each with a separate dance floor and bar. The wait is usually manageable, but there is a cover charge every night. Drink prices are a bit better too.

It can get so hot in Vegas that you have to be careful where you walk. If you attempt to walk a distance that’s too far, you could get into physical trouble in the sweltering heat. Even walkways have air conditioning or mist sprays to cool down patrons of the casinos. I’ve been there in July, and the temperatures average around 110 degrees. It doesn’t get much hotter than that in North America.

The only thing hotter than the weather in Vegas is the women. Most beauties in search of fame and fortune either head to Hollywood or Vegas to make their mark. With all the money in the city, it also attracts women that are just interested in cash, if you know what I mean. Not to mention that the town is a playground teeming with actresses, debutantes, show girls and gold-diggers out for a weekend of debauchery and sin.

With real estate at such a premium in Vegas, it’s my opinion that the older casinos should all be levelled. There are numerous groups lobbying to save the older buildings for historical reasons, but this is Vegas. We’re not talking about 200-year-old government buildings. Vegas is make-believe land; level whatever is outdated for the next best thing. That’s what has made Vegas great.

The Sahara is only 55 years old – take some pictures and get rid of it. Same goes for the Tropicana, the Flamingo, the Riviera and the Golden Nugget. All of Fremont St. should be levelled with the exception of the Golden Gate.

These lobby groups are just trying to protect their era of Vegas. Set up a vintage Vegas museum and document the old casinos. Then implode them all for the next great attraction. That’s what Vegas is baby.

According to the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, Nevada made $108M in profit from the game of baccarat in the month of October. That means there are a lot of people playing the game. So has baccarat taken the gambling world by storm? Not quite. Don’t expect to be seeing the World Series of Baccarat just yet. Just because the State had a good month on the baccarat tables doesn’t mean that everyone is playing.

This game is for the elite gamer, and will never be as mainstream as a game like poker or blackjack. Baccarat is the type of game that can periodically hit the house hard. The right kind of high roller can come into town and take huge amounts of money from the house, greatly changing normal profit margins. It’s still slots that drive casino revenues, and table games are nowhere near changing that yet.

The month of December has a few good events in Vegas. To start the month the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic WPT events run from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18. The main event is a $15,000 buy-in and should have a real big prize pool. At the Venetian there will be a $15,000 buy-in NPL World Championship Event from Dec. 3 to 5.

Other annual events this month include the National Championship Rodeo Finals. Competitors from all over the world will gather at the Thomas Mack Center for all the bucking. Van Halen will be playing live in concert on Dec. 28th and 30th, and Larry the Cable Guy will perform on Dec. 15th at the Orleans Arena.

UFC 79 is set to go down on the 29th of Dec. That card will feature a rematch of Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre plus Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell.