Rum Runner: Where Packers Fans Pack the Bar


I do so much internet searching over the course of time that I can’t remember the source of a lot of “stuff” that I’ve read.  For example, I’d give my kingdom to remember where I saw the article which indicated that Draft Kings employees playing on Fan Duel – and vice versa – was actually encouraged in the olden days as a way to drive entry counts higher, thereby making it more appealing for the common fan to play.

But it was this searching back in 2009 which led me to find Rum Runner.

Every football fan knows that your team’s scheduled game on Sunday is appointment viewing.  From going to the early Mass to figuring out when to attack the Honey Do list that you ignored the day before, watching your NFL team is the centerpiece of a football fan’s Sunday.  When it comes to travel, though, it can be a bit tricky.  If your favorite team is the Kansas City Chiefs, and you are spending time in Atlanta, the odds are that you’ll miss the game.

In theory, one would think that if you are in Las Vegas on a football Sunday, you could watch your team’s game from the sportsbook at your favorite casino.  However, in theory, communism works… in theory.  So much for theory.  Sportsbooks may have multiple games on the TVs however for the most part there is only sound for one game. And it’s usually Dallas and the New York Giants (Side note; doesn’t it seem like those two teams play each other every week?)

And that is where I found myself in November 2009.  The Green Bay Packers were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the early game.  I knew that the odds of any individual sportsbook having that game featured, while I was there, with the sound on, would be incredibly small. So before we left, I set out to find a place to watch –and hear– the Packers play. I searched the vast interwebs and saw lots of pieces about Rum Runner.

I do kind of remember that day: my buddy and I pulling into the parking lot on Tropicana and Spencer and seeing Rum Runner tucked into a strip mall.  Being from Milwaukee, I know what bars look like, and they certainly aren’t in a shopping mall.  Resigned to our fate, we parked the car and went in anyway.

As soon as we walked in, however, our spirits lightened as we had been transported home.  There were Packers jerseys on practically everyone, Packers stuff on the wall, and even a Packer-Backer fan club to join.  Seats were a precious commodity (another great sign), so we started by standing against the wall.

Before long, we were invited to join a group at a table marked as “reserved” and were warmly welcomed.  The gentleman who was the king of the table told us how he was a former executive at a Wisconsin packaging company and decide to retire to Las Vegas and that Rum Runner was “his place.”  We started watching the game and when the Packers scored, the bar erupted… in song!

Who’s the leader of the club / that’s made for you and me?
G-O-R / D-I-E / H-I-double L

Gordie Hill! Gordie Hill!  Forever let us hold our glasses high!

And with that toast, everyone took a drink.  They had 25-ounce taps of Pabst Blue Ribbon with wings and burgers on the menu.  Rum Runner even offered bratwurst and potato salad for purchase for those homesick locals.  Even though the Packers gacked the game away, we had such a great time that it became an instant tradition.

True to that 2009 promise, our poker group has been to Rum Runner each year that we’ve made our pilgrimage.

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Fast forward to 2015, and little has changed.  The TVs have improved, 25 oz PBRs are $3.50, 1/2-pound bacon cheeseburgers are $7.77 and the bratwurst is $3.00 each.  The $50 Packer Backers club gets you a T-shirt, two free drinks at each Packers event at Rum Runner, and a bunch of other tchotchkes.

You may not be a Packers fan (and if you’re not, shame on you).  But there are many other bars in the Las Vegas Valley that cater to one particular NFL team.  Check out this and this, and do some additional searching to find the perfect bar for that four-hour block of your Vegas vacation.  You’d be surprised with how much fun you can have while NOT in a casino!

[Photos: Michael James]


This is Michael James’ third in a series of posts related to his mid-September trip to Paradise.

2 thoughts on “Rum Runner: Where Packers Fans Pack the Bar

  1. Thanks Michael – just transplanted to Las Vegas earlier this year (originally from WI) and have read about Rum Runners – your great article has convinced me to check it out! I’ve been lucky to have the first four (and tomorrow’s too) games on TV so haven’t had to check out the bar yet.

  2. I am glad you mentioned games televised in Las Vegas.

    Two years ago, we scheduled our trip around the Monday Night Bears/Packers game (the one in which Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone). We arrived about two hours before the game, expecting a madhouse for this rivalry game. Then the game started, there was still seating available. We mentioned this to Gordie Hill (the owner) and he said that when the game is televised locally, many people stay home because they don’t need to go out and spend money to watch the game.

    That had never occurred to me.

    The lesson learned is that if the game is NOT being televised in Las Vegas, get to Rum Runner even earlier because it may fill up quickly.

    Thanks for reminding ME of a very important detail!

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