Things move quickly on the Las Vegas Strip, and Caesars Entertainment has wasted no time in taking the next big step toward making room for the Linq, the massive development project that will feature a shopping and dining promenade, as well as a 500-foot observation wheel. Let’s blow something up!

This would be the "before" photo.

At 2:30 a.m. on May 1, 2012, just hours after the closing of O’Sheas, the casino’s seven-story parking garage was imploded. Sin City loves its implosions! And while it was just a parking garage, we’ll take it.

The implosion was the result of weeks of planning, and involved very technical demolition techniques this blog does not have time to research, so let’s just call it “painting on things.”

Off the record, what's so tough about imploding something? This blog could paint that.

Read up on closing day at O’Sheas, and learn more about the Linq.

This sign at O'Sheas now qualifies as false advertising.

In related parking news, you’re in for a jolt if you try to approach the nearby Imperial Palace the way you always have. The hotel’s valet entrance has been closed.

Let's face it, this entryway was always kind of a cluster. Yay, Linq project!

We’ve heard that part of a hotel referred to as a “porte-cochère,” but this blog is not that fancy. It’s the place you drive up to the hotel entrance and leave your car and stuff. “Porte-cochère” is French, by the way, and is pronounced, “We have no damn idea how it’s pronounced.”

Now, guests need to drive around back, probably through Harrah’s Las Vegas (the parking entrance, not the hotel itself, that would be rude), to find the new valet area and self-park garage.

It ain't pretty, but it'll do in a pinch.

More Linq news to come, assuming this blog’s brain doesn’t implode like a parking garage while trying to keep track of it all.

It was loud. It was liquored up. It was a little bit sad. Kind of like O’Sheas casino itself, come to think of it.

At noon on April 30, 2012, O’Sheas casino on the Las Vegas Strip closed its doors, and boisterous fans showed up in droves to knock back one last shot, to place one last bet and to express their appreciation to Brian Thomas (below), the casino’s shot-dispensing mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun.

One last time around the bar for Lucky.

As the clock ticked down on O’Sheas closing, customers and staff said their farewells, and spontaneous chants along the lines of “O’Sheas! O’Sheas! O’Sheas!” broke out throughout the casino. Hey, O’Sheas has always been about fun, not about rhyming. And, technically, “O’Sheas” rhymes with “O’Sheas,” so let’s move on.

The last hand of poker to be played at O'Sheas.

It was a bittersweet gathering for the most ardent fans of O’Sheas, as well as for its diminutive mascot. The closing of O’Sheas marks the end of a 23-year run for the beloved watering hole known for its low table minimums, cheap hooch, quirky entertainment, cheap hooch, beer pong and, oh yeah, the occasional hooch.

Roulette chips are counted and boxed up.

A new O’Sheas will open as part of The Linq in 2013, of course, but that didn’t seem to matter to those who turned up for the original’s last fling. O’Sheas T-shirts and shot glasses were distributed liberally, and die-hard players wagered until the bitter end.

This was the last spin of the roulette wheel at O'Sheas. We kind of don't want it to stop, and thanks to animated .gif technology, it doesn't have to.

Everywhere one turned, there was a last something. A last spin of the roulette wheel. A last hand of blackjack. A last hand of Strip Poker. (Because it’s played near The Strip. Why, what were you thinking?) A last game of beer pong. A last roll of the dice. (It was a seven. Isn’t it always?)

This blog is going to miss you most, O'Sheas craps table.

Fans also signed a memory wall. This blog feared it would be ruined because some nimrod scrawled his name across it during the casino’s final weekend, but there were so many more signatures that followed it, the new ones obscured the irksome one almost entirely. A photo of the wall will be installed in the new O’Sheas, a wink to the past and all the guests that has made O’Sheas so utterly unforgettable.

That's a lot of O'Sheas love.

It was gratifying to see such a genuine outpouring of love for O’Sheas during its waning moments. At one point, we calculated Lucky was being hugged at a rate of eight times per minute.

This blog is a big fan, Lucky.

Lucky got a little weepy right about the time this blog did, just before the doors closed and the “Caution” tape went up.

"Remodeling" should probably be in quotation marks.

That’s because O’Sheas was more than a casino. It had heart and character and an energy you can’t manufacture. And did we mention the cheap hooch?

Lucky will be fine! We just did this in black in white for dramatic effect.

Sure, change is good. But we get to grieve a little for a lost friend, too, right?

Here’s to the good times, the crazy times, the times we’re sort of glad we can’t quite remember. Here’s to O’Sheas.

This is it. The last hurrah for O’Sheas. The bawdy, boisterous casino closes at noon April 30, 2012.

In honor of O’Sheas closing, this blog thinks its mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, deserves his own meme.

We’ll get things started.

We're just floating an idea here.

Here’s the original version of the photo in case you’d like to muck with it. Not sure what a meme is? Immediately exit your cave and read this.

Yes, we know this isn’t how memes start. We don’t care. Just have some fun and play along.

Fact.

To help with your meme image, visit Quickmeme.com. Choose “Make a Meme,” then “Upload New Meme.” Upload the photo of Lucky, then just add the funny. Post it somewhere (on Facebook, Twitter, wherever) and let us know where it is so we can check it out.

The longer you wait to join this meme, the more dumb jokes this blog's going to make.

Show Lucky some love!

Bust out your Impact font and do your worst (or best). Keep it clean! Oh, wait, it’s O’Sheas. Nevermind. Do whatever you want.

Share a link to your altered photo in the Comments section and if you make the cut, we’ll share your work with the world. It’ll be like fame, just without the groupies.

The hours until the closing of O’Sheas may be growing fewer (the beloved casino closes at noon on April 30, 2012), but if you move quickly, even if O’Sheas is gone, it won’t be forgotten.

We just learned O’Sheas has issued limited-edition (just 3,000 were produced) gaming chips commemorating the end of an era on the Strip.

Chip collectors, like this blog, lose their gourd over stuff like this.

The $5 chips, “Celebrating 23 Great Years,” haven’t been put into circulation, so you’ll need to visit the casino’s cashier cage to get one. Collectible chips like this don’t tend to last long at face value, so you’d better move it!

In other news, the entirely awesome Lucky the Leprechaun (real name: Brian Thomas), the mascot of O’Sheas, had a live online chat with his fans today, and we were there!

O'Sheas fans love them some Lucky.

Lucky assured his legions of fans that he’s not going anywhere. The next iteration of O’Sheas will be part of the $550 million dollar Linq project, an entertainment, retail and dining corridor set to open in 2013. Read more.

When asked by a chat participant how you close a casino like O’Sheas, Lucky responded, “With lots of police.” Nice!

Of course, all work and no play makes Lucky a dull boy, so he took advantage of the Flamingo Go Room (O’Sheas doesn’t have rooms) where the online chat was held.

Please note: This blog is not liable for injuries sustained while jumping on Las Vegas hotel beds.

Lucky’s going to be busy as the final days of O’Sheas tick by. He’s going to be working noon to midnight each day during the casino’s final weekend.

The “Final Countdown” celebration begins in earnest on April 28, starting at noon. Guests will be able to get discounted memorabilia and drink specials galore, and live entertainment will also be on tap.

Guests can be a part of O’Sheas history by signing a memory wall which will be photographed with Lucky and placed in the new O’Sheas inside the Linq.

Construction on the Linq is in full swing, a fact we confirmed by grabbing this pic from atop the monorail platform behind Imperial Palace. Yes, we had to purchase a monorail ticket, so, technically, this photo cost us $5. You’re welcome.

Vegas doesn't do anything on a small scale. Except Lucky. Wait, that didn't come out right.

There is so much going on with the Linq project, we can’t even keep up!

For example, an entire poker room at Imperial Palace is gone as of today. Well, not gone, moved (to near the hotel’s sports book). Nevertheless, the new wall pictured below seemed to go up overnight.

What just happened? The site of the former Imperial Palace poker room. Linq, you'd better be awesome, because you're creating some havoc on the Strip.

We couldn’t resist strolling through O’Sheas again. Especially because April 26 is National Pretzel Day. And the food court at O’Sheas, you know, sells pretzels. Don’t try to make sense of it. We’re very emotional about O’Sheas closing at the moment.

Yes, we'll even miss you, giant, dusty pretzel replica.

We’re also going to miss the lack of pretense at O’Sheas.

Which, given the photo below, may be the understatement of the last 23 years.

We're going to miss you, too, craps table duct tape.

So, yes, we have some mixed feelings about the demise of O’Sheas. If we can pull ourselves away from our gaming chip collection long enough, maybe we’ll add to our list of Things We’ll Miss When O’Sheas Closes.

Is this blog going to miss taking photos of little people in bath tubs? Oh, hell, yes.

Share your O’Sheas memories on the casino’s official Facebook page, and we’ll see you at O’Sheas. Actually, we’ll probably see three of you, but you know what we mean. It’s O’Sheas.

This just in: O’Sheas casino will knock back its last shot at noon on April 30, 2012.

A Las Vegas landmark takes one to the nads for progress.

If you and your miscreant friends were planning on being there for the end of O’Sheas casino, don’t wait until the evening of April 30, the beloved casino will have gone dark by then. O’Sheas is closing to make room for The Linq. Read more.

There are expected to be ample festivities surrounding the final countdown to the closing of O’Sheas (specifically, “lots of shots,” presumably to deaden the pain of the establishment’s untimely demise), so don’t miss out on the debauchery.

A must-have keepsake, courtesy of Vince Neil Ink at O'Sheas.

More details to come!

Share your O’Sheas memories, at least the ones you can remember, on Facebook.

Beer pong fans are about to hear some staggering news. See what we did there?

The era of beer pong at O’Sheas casino on the Las Vegas Strip (at least in its current form) has come to an end. In anticipation of the casino’s closing on April 30, as part of the massive Linq development project, beer pong has been discontinued inside the much-beloved watering hole.

The day the beer pong died: April 11, 2012.

The good news is that in Las Vegas, when one door closes, another opens. And in Sin City, that new door often has a ridiculous supply of frosty beverages and gambling nearby.

It appears another much-beloved casino, nearby Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon, will open a new beer pong area on April 13, 2012. Let the mostly-incoherent trash talk begin!

The next chapter in the Las Vegas beer pong saga may happen here. Or something.

The new beer pong area at Bill’s is adjacent to the also-new Slush Bar, so close, in fact, the beer pong tables will even be branded with “Slush Beer Pong” (see our exclusive, spectacularly clumsy tabletop rendering below).

The fact "Slush" contains the word "lush" is purely coincidental.

The Slush Beer Pong area is mere feet from the currently-being-revamped Bill’s Lounge, home of Big Elvis and other live entertainment.

Yes, we have a photo. A little demanding, aren’t you?

The reconfigured lounge at Bill's. There's even a kiosk for a 12-step program.

So, while we may have gotten a little weepy about the end of beer pong at O’Sheas, we’ll survive. We can take solace in the fact the new Linq will be entirely awesome, right? No pressure, The Linq.

Some good news: O’Sheas is offering $1 Miller Lite and Coors Lite drafts until the joint closes down. That should help soften the pain a little.

We breached security to capture the scene behind O’Sheas. This parking structure is coming down shortly following the closing of O’Sheas.

Progress never sleeps in Las Vegas.

Before the self-park garage closed, we took note of the demolition preparations, camerawise.

If this blog were going to demolish a parking structure, these are the markings we would make.

Yep, it’s getting all kinds of real up in here, as the kids say.

More news to come! There’s still time to knock one back at O’Sheas. Yeah, like anyone ever knocked just one back at O’Sheas.

Blondies Sports Bar & Grill, in The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, is a reliably good time, and Living Social is currently offering up a deal for $40 worth of food and drink for $20.

It’s likely O’Sheas casino will soon hand over the mantle of “Beer Pong Mecca” to Blondies, so you might as well give this deal a go to test the waters.

No apostrophe. Like Caesars Palace or Madame Tussauds.

The menu at Blondies features sandwiches and burgers, as well as the popular deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls, homemade chili, pizza, Famous Beer Can Chicken, New York Strip and other hearty fare. There are 12,400 (rough estimate) flat-screen TVs to choose from (the largest being 12 feet wide), and the cheerleader-inspired waitress outfits are always worth a return visit. You know, if you’re into that kind of thing.

The 50%-off deal is good for a week (expires April 4, 2012). Go to Living Social for the details.

While you're at The Miracle Mile Shops, make sure to check out this giant model of the human gastrointestinal tract. Or something.

Need another reason to visit Blondies? Now through April 30, 2012, you could win an actual diamond when you order a cocktail from a special “Diamond Menu.” When guests order a cocktail, they get to choose a diamond out of a glass that also contains 5,000 decoy stones. If the chosen diamond is the real one, it’s a keeper, and a jewelry store, Designs by Zulema, will set the diamond free of charge.

The Diamond Menu includes the Carrot Cake Martini, Silhouette Martini, Sex in the City cocktail, Bubble Martini and Dulche Leche cocktail. All the drinks are $15.

There was a lot going on at O’Sheas casino on St. Patrick’s Day.

There was the rain that drove the block party inside. There was the revelry. There was the bittersweet reality this would perhaps be the last O’Sheas block party. There were the shamrock tattoos. And there was the debauchery. Yes, there was lots and lots of unbridled bauching.

When it comes to throwing a party, O'Sheas knows what it's doing.

As for the bittersweet part, O’Sheas will close on April 30, 2012 as part of the Linq development project. Casino officials did, however, take the opportunity to confirm O’Sheas won’t be going away forever, but rather, will have a spot of its own in the new Linq. Read more.

Thanks, guy who let us take a photo of his back.

O’Sheas devotees, including this blog, can take some comfort in the fact the new O’Sheas space in the Linq will stay true to the current O’Sheas feel, with a casual, unpretentious vibe, live music and, of course, beer pong.

See? Unpretentious.

Even torrential rain couldn’t moisten the spirits of St. Paddy’s day celebrants. Oh, just see for yourself. Warning: Repeated viewings of this video may cause pregnancy or other side effects.

The Dublin Up bar at O’Sheas, as well as the casino and beer pong area, were filled to capacity on St. Patrick’s Day, and Vince Neil Ink was doing brisk business as party-goers got shamrock tattoos to commemorate the occasion.

Nothing says, "I vaguely remember St. Patrick's Day at O'Sheas," like fresh ink.

We bumped into O’Sheas spokesperson Lucky the leprechaun, Brian Thomas, who seemed relieved his further employment is assured as part of the Linq. Lucky gets the rock star treatment when he roams the casino at O’Sheas, and always knows how to keep the party lively. (Hint: Free shots.)

Everybody wants to get Lucky in Vegas, but only O'Sheas has him.

Still, there’s no getting past the fact O’Sheas, as we know it, will be no more after April 30. We loved hearing from O’Sheas fans, many wearing “Save O’Sheas” T-shirts, about the things they’ll miss, most involving beer. Here are our 10 Things We’ll Miss When O’Sheas Closes.

You can share your O’Sheas memories on the O’Sheas Facebook page.

Green, check. Fuzzy, check. Hooch, check.

Enjoy more photos, which we, too, are surprised are even remotely in focus, from St. Patrick’s Day at O’Sheas in our exclusive gallery.

All good things must come to an end, and this time, that good thing is O’Sheas casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The beloved casino will officially close its doors on April 30, 2012, to make way for The Linq, a development project that will change the face, and cleavage, of the Las Vegas Strip in a big way. (Yes, cleavage. It’s Las Vegas, after all.)

We heart you O'Sheas. In a fairly inappropriate way, if we're being completely honest.

Now, you’re allowed to have a sad face about O’Sheas closing. This blog certainly does. We spent many days and nights having a blast at O’Sheas, many of which we actually remember. Change can be rough. We got a little misty-eyed when the Stardust and Sahara closed their doors, too. Visiting the O’Sheas Facebook page, it’s clear a lot of people feel the way this blog does. We’re going to miss O’Sheas a lot.

Here, then, are our hastily-slapped-together “10 Things We’ll Miss About O’Sheas.”

1. Strip Poker

Where else can you play poker 12 feet from the Las Vegas Strip?

Poker while you people watch? Vegas heaven.

2. New Games

We love the way new casino games, like the craps hybrid Three Dice Football (below), have often been given their debut and trial run at O’Sheas. Soon, they’ll have to find a new testing ground.

We love dice newness.

3. Free Shows

The free entertainment on the stage near the Dublin Up bar has always been a big draw at O’Sheas. Whether it was the band Acoustic Soul, or the wacky “Rock and Roll Game Show,” free is always good, and good-free is even better.

Steve Brooks and Matt Phillips of the "Rock and Roll Game Show" will have to find a new place to make us do embarrassing things in public.

4. The Hooch

You hear the word “epic” used a lot these days. Sometimes, it fits. O’Sheas has always been known as a great place to get a cheap drink, including atmosphere galore. Show ‘em how to throw a party, Lucky!

Granted, the whistle we won’t miss. Moving on.

5. The Tats

One of the most popular tattoo shops in Vegas is Vince Neil Ink at O’Sheas. The shop will be closing along with the rest of O’Sheas, and folks at the shop haven’t heard anything about re-opening somewhere else any time soon. Ah, the slings and arrows and needles of outrageous fortune. Check out the tat our friend Max got at O’Sheas, and keep track of the Vince Neil Ink gang on Facebook.

Ow. But we're still sorry to see you go.

6. Soft Serve

Seriously, that soft serve at the Burger King inside O’Sheas was surprisingly awesome.

You miss what you want to miss, we'll miss what we want to miss.

7. Beer Pong

The suds. The competition. The trash talk. O’Sheas has always been the center of the beer pong universe. We’ll have to see where beer pong turns up next. Sin City is full of surprises.

Look at all the ball-handling jokes we're not making.

8. Dirk Arthur’s Cats

We’ve known some of magician Dirk Arthur’s cats since they were tykes. We trust they’ll find a new home soon.

Get a new gig soon, guys! All the raw meat isn't going to pay for itself.

9. Block Parties

Did we already use the word epic? The good news is The Linq is going to be a promenade likely to feel like a block party all day and night, every day and night. With a huge observation wheel in the mix, too.

The Linq probably won't have as much green.

10. Holly Madison Playing Beer Pong

Yeah, that was kind of a one-time thing, but like we said, you miss what you want to miss, and we’ll miss what we want to miss.

There are just so many things to love about O’Sheas, but there are great things on the horizon with The Linq, too. Read more about The Linq, a retail and entertainment complex set to open in 2013. See all our O’Sheas posts here.

Oh, and not to be a buzzkill, but there are 285 folks who will be laid off when O’Sheas closes. They knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it suck any less, we suspect. Caesars Entertainment, the company that owns O’Sheas and a slew of other Las Vegas hotels, is working with the affected employees to hopefully find positions at other casinos in town. Ultimately, The Linq project will create 3,000 construction jobs and add 1,500 permanent, full-time jobs when it opens in 2013.

Further consolation: Brian Thomas, the aforementioned Lucky the Leprechaun, isn’t going anywhere from what we hear. He’ll be staying with Caesars Entertainment in some capacity, and we’ll bring you an update when we know what’s up.

Can we keep a brick or something?

Happier news? O’Sheas will host its last hurrah in the form of a St. Patrick’s Day block party on March 17, starting at noon and going until everyone’s livers are sufficiently tested. You haven’t partied in Vegas until you’ve done St. Patrick’s Day at O’Sheas.

So, let’s have one last blow-out, and see what’s next for the Las Vegas Strip. We’ll miss you, O’Sheas, but there are more great times ahead in Sin City. Share your favorite O’Sheas memories in the Comments section.

O’Sheas Las Vegas magician Dirk Arthur has welcomed a new member to his family of big cats, Shikira, a five-month old snow white Bengal tiger.

This blog just went from cute to ridiculously cute.

The tiger, which may actually break our adorable meter (they probably exist, just play along), was donated to Arthur’s breeding and education program from another program in the U.S.

Shikira was born in captivity, and will join Arthur’s show sometime in April after she’s acclimated to her new home.

Playtime at Dirk Arthur's place.

“Dirk Arthur’s Wild Magic” show at O’Sheas boasts some of the world’s rarest cats, and every show features an educational segment to raise awareness about the importance of preserving endangered species.

Arthur also makes himself available after his shows to answer questions about the cats.

Another picture-perfect member of Dirk Arthur's "Wild Magic" cast. Hello, Pinterest!

The theater at O’Sheas is what’s called “intimate” in the business, so audiences have the rare opportunity to be within 10 feet of leopards, tigers and lions. “Oh, my!” is right.

The Linq development project, set to transform the center of the Strip, could very well result in Dirk Arthur changing to a different, larger venue soon, so the opportunity to be this close to these amazing animals might not last. Our advice: Don’t wait.

Bonus: The show also happens to be one of the best ticket values in town, with prices at just $34.95 (and $44.95, VIP). Learn more about Dirk Arthur’s Wild Magic at O’Sheas Las Vegas.

It was the largest margarita in the history of planet Earth, and the record-breaking “Lucky Rita” made her debut at Flamingo Las Vegas, outside Margaritaville and the new Margaritaville Casino on Oct. 14, 2011.

We hate heights. We love parties. Parties win.

Singer Jimmy Buffet (below) was on hand to toast the landmark occasion to the delight of hundreds of fans, many of whom may even recall participating in the event, if you know what we’re saying. (It was a really big margarita.)

The man, the legend, the encourager of our ongoing distaste for all things work: Jimmy Buffett.

Thanks to our bud, Dave Proctor, for the Jimmy Buffett pic. We can’t be everywhere at once, you know. We actually risked life and limb to bring you some parrot’s-eye-view photos and video of the record-smashing festivities outside Flamingo Las Vegas and O’Sheas.

The new record for largest margarita ever made was verified by the folks from Guinness World Records. We even got this exclusive photo of the certificate thingy just to prove it.

The Guinness World Records people have a certificate on their wall that says, "World Record for Giving Out the Most World Records."

Perhaps not surprisingly, while entertained no-end by the giant margarita and festivities marking the official opening of the Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo, this blog was even more intrigued by the epic undertaking that made the big day possible.

We had to find out more about the process of making a two-story, 8,500 gallon margarita, so we went behind the scenes during the build-up to the World Record. What we found was eye-opening! It took six months of planning, and about 300 person hours (like “man hours,” but less 1935) to get Lucky Rita into shape for her Las Vegas debut.

Here’s a exclusive peek at how Rita got her record on.

What we’d envisioned turned out to be just plain wrong. The process of making the giant drink was a manual, hands-on process that involved dozens of people. After all, Lucky Rita consisted of 2,125 gallons of Margaritaville Gold Tequila, 708 gallons of Triple Sec, 5,667 gallons of Margaritaville Margarita Mix and Lemon-X sour mix, not to mention 22,667 lime wedges. Each ingredient had to be lifted, pallet by pallet, by crane onto the roof of the Flamingo and manually poured into the giant, custom-built tank via a large tube.

Imagine doing this, times thousands.

Of course, the margarita in question isn’t just for show. It’s meant to be consumed, and had we not been working at the time, we would have tried the margarita and insisted it was one of the most delicious we’ve ever had. You know, hypothetically.

This was not done in Photoshop. About 16,000 caps resulted from the World Record.

So, how does one mix and cool a two-story margarita? We’re all over it! We tracked down one of the masterminds involved in making the world’s largest margarita more than just a publicity stunt.

John Silvey of Lemon-X is a 10-year vet of Lemon-X, a juice and cocktail mix company (they provide the sour mix for Margaritaville restaurants and also juice for the Caesars Entertainment resorts), and he’s been in the food and beverage biz for close to 30 years.

Silvey says, “The mix in Lucky Rita is being cooled using a 60-ton water-cooled chiller powered by a 480 volt, three phase, 200 amp diesel generator. The margarita is pumped through a specially-designed heat exchanger that can cool the liquid to 45 degrees if needed but will be held at about 60 degrees for optimum quality and safety. The mix is pumped with a food-grade double-baffle air pump that has capabilities of moving the liquis at 178 gallon per minute which circulates the product to keep it mixed.”

This blog just had what could be described as a “metaphorical brain freeze.” In a good way.

We have no idea which machine this is, but we're fairly sure this photo is going to break the world record for "Most Swooning Mechanics."

Bonus Lucky Rita trivia: At its fullest, Lucky Rita weighed 70,000 pounds. She broke the previous record by 873 gallons.

Margaritas from Lucky Rita will be served through Oct. 23, 2011. The small runs $8 and the bathtub-sized model runs $32, with a solid portion of the purchases going to charity.

Good news: You only need one. Trust us.

Here’s our look inside the Margaritaville Casino. If you want to get the full Margaritaville Experience, you might want to check out this special deal at Flamingo Las Vegas.

Still haven’t had your fill of the world’s largest margarita? Skinny dip in our exclusive photo gallery, an unholy mix of photos from the Lucky Rita preparation to the celebratory street party with Jimmy Buffett and friends, several of whom wore grass skirts. Hypothetically.

We aren’t completely sure we know what fanfare is, but we are sure there was a good bit of it as the much-anticipated Margaritaville Casino opened its doors at Flamingo Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2011.

Yay, Vegas newness.

What kind of Las Vegas blog would we be if we didn’t amble on over to the new casino to spend upwards of four hours taking photos of just about everything we could lay our hands on. (Complaints pending with Human Resources.)

Just the right amount of sarong.

The first thing one notices at the new Margaritaville Casino is the energy. The laughter, the enthusiasm of the dealers, the boisterous revelry.

The energy could result from the casino being brand-spanking new, or it could just be it resides on the Las Vegas Strip (built-in boister). Perhaps it’s that the fun-filled atmosphere of the adjoining Margaritaville restaurant naturally flows into the new casino and 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar.

But no matter what the reason, the Margaritaville Casino has a great vibe, and you feel right at home the second you step through the door.

Yes, that security guy wrestled us to the ground. We're fairly sure he meant it in a playful way.

The Margaritaville Casino is teeming with references to what’s commonly called the “Buffett Lifestyle,” including clever winks to Jimmy Buffett songs on custom banks of slot machines.

Next time, we go with a "Parrothead," so they can explain all the song references.

The new casino features 22 table games and 220 slot machines.

Of course, we made a beeline to the craps table. We love the smell of fresh casino felt! Even the craps table works in a reference to the Jimmy Buffet hit, “Come Monday.”

We played craps and got lucky at Margaritaville Casino! (That line's on the house, T-shirt department.)

The centerpiece of the Margaritaville Casino is the aforementioned 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar. Kind of like a shoreside shack, but with better hooch.

See? Who says there aren't clocks in Vegas casinos?

Flair bartenders get their flair on (see below), entertaining guests enjoying a variety of signature cocktails.

Beer is always top-of-mind at the Margaritaville Casino.

The drink menu has no prices on it, which is always a great sign, but they run in the $12 range, so not bad for a bar that has to be one of the best people-watching spots on the Strip. Cocktails include the Bahama Mama, Incommunicado, Shark Bite, Who’s to Blame, Woman to Blame and the Uptown Top Shelf Margarita (see below).

The Uptown Top Shelf Margarita. Photographers can do flair, too, you know.

Gambling nerds like us will enjoy stumbling (literally, in some cases) upon some high-tech aspects of the table games, including the whiz-bang chip separator machine at the roulette table (below).

We're adding this chip sorter to our list of great shows in Las Vegas.

Technically, the opening on Oct. 1 was what Vegas casinos refer to as a “soft opening.” We didn’t see any kinks to get out, but the official Grand Opening is slated for Oct. 14, 2011. Including, we assume, even more fanfare. We should probably look that word up at this point.

The Grand Opening will feature an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest margarita in history. That’s 2,125 gallons of tequila, by the way. This blog is so there. Read more.

Insert this blog's stunning, yet gratuitous, photo of the Flamingo here.

Stay in the loop about all the Margaritaville Casino Las Vegas news, including street parties on Oct. 15 and 22 between O’Sheas and Flamingo, by following Flamingo on Twitter or by liking Flamingo on Facebook.

Of course, you’ll want to skinny dip in our exclusive photo gallery of the Margaritaville Casino’s opening weekend.

At last, a Las Vegas publicity stunt we can really get behind!

In honor of the Grand Opening of the new Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo Vegas, Margaritaville will attempt to break the world record for the largest margarita ever made.

The mixing of the 8,500-gallon cocktail, named “Lucky Rita,” will begin Oct. 11, 2011. It’s expected it will take more than 300 hours, around the clock, to mix the giant drink. A “topping off” ceremony is set for Oct. 14.

Imagine this, times, oh, infinity.

The new record is expected to beat the standing record by 873 gallons. The record-breaking margarita will have 2,125 gallons of Margaritaville Gold Tequila, 708 gallons of Triple Sec, 5,667 gallons of Margaritaville Margarita Mix and Lemon-X sour mix and 22,667 lime wedges.

Lucky Rita will be 30 feet tall and will result in more than 181,000 margaritas being served from Oct. 14-23.

The record-setting event will kick off a week of Margaritaville-inspired festivities, including street parties on Oct. 15 and 22. The street parties begin at 11:00 a.m. and run all day. Admission is free.

One for the Parrotheads.

The Lucky Rita event will take place on the street between Flamingo and O’Sheas.

If you can’t make it to the event, you can still enjoy the hooch-a-ganza (probably not a real word) by checking out a live feed. See it here, starting Oct. 7. The Margaritaville Casino has its “soft opening” on Oct. 1, 2011.

It’s closer than you think! The new, much frothed-over (especially by “Parrotheads,” but also by Las Vegas blogs who enjoy some Vegas newness) Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino is coming to Flamingo Las Vegas.

We’ve got an exclusive first look at renderings of the interior of the new casino. And by “exclusive first look,” of course, we mean “assuming you didn’t see them on the USA Today Web site first.”

The "5 O'Clock Somewhere" bar will be the centerpiece of the new casino.

If you’re currently squinting, click here to get a larger look of the above rendering.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino is set to officially salt its first rim (not a euphemism) on Oct. 1, 2011.

This is the first casino gaming area to bear the Margaritaville name. We know this because it said so quite clearly in the news release we copied and pasted it from.

The Margaritaville Casino will be directly accessible from the Strip sidewalk outside Flamingo Las Vegas and will feature 15,000-square-feet of gaming space. Because who doesn’t measure their fun by the number of square feet it takes up, baby?

Oh, the new casino will feature 22 gaming tables and 220 slot machines. Now, we’re getting somewhere.

We. Like. Play. And possibly drink. Here.

Get the larger version of the rendering right here.

Grand opening bashes (in the form of street parties) are scheduled for Oct. 15 and 22 at Flamingo Vegas, dates that align with full-blown concerts by Jimmy Buffett at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Read more of our deeply inadequate coverage of the coming opening of the Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo, or find out more at the official Margaritaville site.

Follow the Vegas outpost of Margaritaville on Twitter, too, or find them on Facebook.

The organization that hosts the World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP), held in all its sudsy glory each year at Flamingo Las Vegas, has announced its ranking of U.S. states with the most beer pong players, and Nevada sits in the fourth spot.

Topping the list with the most beer pong players were California, New York and Texas. Arizona rounds out the top five, just below Nevada.

Many consider O'Sheas on the Strip to be the Mecca of beer pong.

The list of top beer pong player states was based on an analysis of about 2,000 World Series of Beer Pong registrations over the past two years. So, while not an all-encompassing count of beer pong players (since many play for recreation without entering competitions), it seems a reasonably good measurement of beer pong enthusiasm across the country.

The World Series of Beer Pong is the largest and longest-running beer pong tournament in the world.

We were there for the most recent WSOBP (in January, 2011), so take a look.

Trash talk is a big part of beer pong success.

The states with the fewest beer pong players? Idaho, Rhode Island and Vermont. They’re the only states to have never had a player in the World Series of Beer Pong.

Ontario, British Columbia ranks tops as the international region to send the most players to the WSOBP.

KGB restaurant at Harrah's Las Vegas recently added beer pong to its offerings.

All six World Series of Beer Pong events have been held in Nevada, with the past four events taking place on the Las Vegas Strip. Last year’s WSOBP event drew more than 1,000 participants, several of whom actually remember being at the event. We kid. Probably.

The next World Series of Beer Pong (VII) will be held Jan. 1-5, 2012, again at Flamingo Las Vegas. The event is expected to pay $65,000 in prize money, with $50,000 going to the winning team.

Find out more at the official WSOBP site.