Over the past few years, the casinos have scaled back their football parties. But even as options disappear, there are still plenty of good parties to choose from.

The best in town is at South Point, where on Monday and Thursday nights a big crowd gathers in the showroom for $1 hot dogs, $3 pizza slices, and all-you-can drink draft beer for $15.

Other good Monday-night parties convenient to the Strip are held at Ellis Island, Gold Coast, and Orleans, while the action downtown is in the Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station. If you can travel, you’ll find good football shindigs at Aliante and Suncoast. And on Sundays, the biggest gatherings are at the Westgate and the Stratosphere.

Dogs and beers: On the football-party bargain front, Station Casinos’ sports books (except GVR, Red Rock, and Santa Fe) serve good $1 hot dogs with onions and kraut, and Ellis Island, Rampart and El Cortez also have dollar dogs. For beers, Sam’s Town is still handing out the first draft free on Monday nights. Ellis Island has 20-ounce drafts for $1. Eastside Cannery has $1.50 drafts. And $2 brews are available from Station casinos Gold Coast, Orleans, Aliante, Rampart, Silverton and Silver Sevens.

Powerhouse prime: The Downtown Grand serves an excellent $9.99 prime rib in S+O from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.

It’s served with a vegetable and mashed potatoes — no salad and no rolls. But what makes it so good is that it comes fresh from the roaster.

QUESTION: I’ve played the "Pick the Pros" football contest at the Boyd casinos that you’ve written about. Are there any others that are free to play?

ANSWER: Free contests with weekly cash and slot free-play prizes run at Aliante, Rampart, Hard Rock, Silver Sevens, Ellis Island and the PT’s bars. Join the players’ clubs and swipe your card at a kiosk to play all except PT’s, where you fill out an entry and hand it to a bartender.

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