The Jeff Does Vegas Podcast

As anyone who's a regular listener knows, I absolutely LOVE food!  In fact, sharing my restaurant experiences from my Vegas vacations is one of my favorite parts of putting together my trip report episodes, so anytime I have the opportunity to have a guest on the show to talk about food, I jump at that chance. This time around, I'm joined by Las Vegas restaurant & food critic,  John Cu...

This time on Vegas Book Club, we're going ALLLLL the way back to Episode #25 of the podcast and my conversation with Steve Cyr, the subject of the book Whale Hunt In The Desert by Deke Castleman. Steve is a Casino Host in Las Vegas - but he's not just any host.  Steve is one of the elite hosts who deal almost exclusively with "whales". What is a "whale", you ask?  "Whal...

On this instalment of Vegas Book Club, we're taking a trip back to   and my chat with Dennis Blair, author of the book, Touring With Legends. A Las Vegas-based comedian & musician, Dennis's career has spanned almost 40 years and over that time, he's worked with some of the biggest names in comedy and music.  He co-wrote a feature film, he's worked on numerous TV specials, and h...

This time around on Vegas Book Club, we're heading back to Episode #78 of the podcast and my conversation with David G. Schwartz, UNLV Professor, Las Vegas Historian, and author of the book At The Sands. December 15, 1952 saw the opening of one of the most iconic hotels in the history of Las Vegas - The Sands Hotel & Casino. During its heyday, it hosted some of the biggest names in enterta...

For this episode of Vegas Book Club, we're taking a trip back to Episode #116 of the podcast and my chat with Eric Sherwood, aka "Annoyed Pit Boss" on Twitter, and author of the book Dealt: Stories From My Life On The Felt. Eric entered the gaming industry following what I like to call a "forced career change", first as a dealer and eventually moving up to the position of pit b...

This time around on Vegas Book Club, we're headed back to Episode #93 of the podcast and my conversation with Matthew O'Brien, author of the books Beneath The Neon and Dark Days, Bright Nights: Surviving The Las Vegas Storm Drains. Underneath the glitz & glamour of the Las Vegas Strip lies a massive network of tunnels which serve the practical purpose of protecting the big casinos &amp...

For this instalment of Vegas Book Club, we're heading back to Episode #42 of the podcast and my conversation with Richard Zoglin, the author of Elvis In Vegas: How The King Reinvented The Las Vegas Show. July 31, 1969 was a day that changed Las Vegas forever; on that date, the King of Rock N' Roll stepped on stage at the newly-opened International Hotel to kick off what would eventually tu...

So, you may have noticed this episode of the podcast is titled NOT The May Trip Report...and there's a very good reason it's called that. Quite simply, there wasn't all that much to report from my most recent trip to Las Vegas. As you may be aware, I had a trip planned to head to Vegas from May 29th to June 1st.  I had a lot of big ideas of what I wanted to do while I was down in Vegas...

When you think "music" and "Las Vegas" there's likely a few names that come to mind almost instantly like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Liberace or Wayne Newton. But I'm willing to bet that "Punk Rock" isn't even on your radar.  However, a new attraction, sandwiched between the growing Arts District and the World-Famous Las Vegas Strip is hoping to change that....

It's been a busy couple of months around JDV-land and, as we head into the summer, things are shaping up to get even busier! I thought it would be a good idea to jump on and give you a few updates on what's been happening in case you've missed out on some of the latest episodes, what I've got planned for my upcoming Vegas trip - happening as this episode is released, and share some...

The history of Las Vegas is jammed full of so many great stories about the mob and their involvement in the city but for this episode of the podcast, we're going in-depth on one that you might be be very familiar with. Originally hailing from a small town in Texas that doesn't even exist anymore, Benny Binion rose to become a kingpin of the Las Vegas casino scene, creating a legacy that&#3...

I generally try to keep things pretty light on the podcast and stay away from topics that some might consider "serious" or "controversial", but if I spot an issue that I think my listeners need to know about, I go for it.  So, heads up...this might not be the Jeff Does Vegas that you're used to. Human Trafficking is a massive problem around the world, and especially in Las Vega...

I make no secret about the fact that I absolutely LOVE food. In fact, as anyone who listens to the podcast on a regular basis knows, when I put together my "Trip Report" episodes, I always mention that that being able to tell people about the meals I've enjoyed in Las Vegas is probably my favorite part of the trip. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to chat with a Las Vegas-...

Las Vegas bills itself as "the Entertainment Capital of the World" and it's easy to see why with all the big names performing up & down the Strip on a nightly basis...and it's been that way for decades.  But how did that all come to be...and what role did the world of organized crime play in making it happen? My guest for this episode of the podcast is here to help clear things...

After becoming the first ever magician to win America's Got Talent back in 2014, Mat Franco hit the Vegas strip with his show,  Magic Reinvented Nightly at The Linq where he's been performing for almost 8 years. On my last trip to Las Vegas, I had a chance to sit down backstage with Mat for a conversation.  We talked about what got him into magic & his family's support through his...

In years past, the Las Vegas Strip was jammed full of a combination of large-scale production shows and mid-level headliners with the odd big-time residency tossed into the mix.  And of course, there were also the casino lounges, packed full of people while Vegas's finest singers & musicians performed live. But as you may have heard me talk about in past episodes - or even noticed on your...

It's time for another World Famous Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report! This time around, we're re-capping my most recent trip to Vegas, from March 4-11, 2023.  This was trip #2 of 2023 and was easily one of the busiest trips to Las Vegas that I've ever had! I combined work and play for this trip; my wife joined me for a mini-vacation for the first few days of the trip, then I attended the Pod...

The very first ever WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 31st, 1985.  The brainchild of WWF owner Vince McMahon, WrestleMania played host to roughly 19,000 people at the Garden and was seen across the United States by over 1 million people via closed-circuit television.  At the time, it was the largest pay-per-view wrestling event ever. In the years following, W...

One of the most serene spots along Las Vegas Boulevard also happens to be home to one of the biggest spectacles in the city's history: That would be the fountains at Caesars Palace - and the attempt to jump over those fountains on a motorcycle by the legendary Evel Knievel! During my last trip to Las Vegas, I caught up with Joe Friday from the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas.   Joe was a...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Spiegelworld's Atomic Saloon Show is easily one of the best shows - if not THE BEST show - currently running on the Vegas Strip...and I'm very happy to be joined for this episode of the podcast by one of the incredibly talented cast members. On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I headed out to the super-secret Spiegelworld HQ for a chat wi...

Hey Everyone! It's going to be a busy couple of weeks around the world of Jeff Does Vegas! I'm not going to be releasing any new episodes for a couple of weeks, but I didn't want to leave you hanging! So, I thought I'd put together a little update/bonus episode to tell you what's going to be happening over the next while including upcoming interviews & episodes I'm work...

I've had a few listeners reach out and ask me about doing an episode covering the topic of casino comps, tier statuses & loyalty programs, so I thought it was about time I actually got to it.  And, even though I'm a member of several different Vegas casino loyalty programs, I really have no idea how they work. So, I'm turning to an expert to help me out! Shawn Coomer is the founder...

I always LOVE having other Vegas fanatics on the podcast to chat about the latest happenings in "Sin City".  Back in Spring of 2021, I was joined on the show by  Adam Bauer aka "Travel Fanboy" to talk about some of the big changes coming to Las Vegas.  We discussed the sale of the Cosmopolitan to MGM, the sale of the Mirage to Hard Rock, and the impending re-branding of Bally's...

Roughly 85 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, you'll find what might be the most famous classified military installation in the world: Area 51 If you believe what you see in pop culture, Area 51 - or "Homey Airport" as it's officially known - is the secret base where the U.S. Government stores dead alien beings & their spacecraft, and works on advanced technology like weat...

Here comes another World Famous Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report!  This time around, it's a recap of my most recent trip to Vegas from January 23-26, 2023. I've got reviews of my stay at  Planet Hollywood plus meals at  Flight Club in the Venetian,   Ramsay's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at Harrah's , and the famous  Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge at the north end of the Strip . ...