Swimmers can press their faces against the glass to come face-to-face with six species of sharks, rays and tropical fish. One of the Golden Nugget's claims to fame is the Tank, an outdoor pool featuring a three-story waterslide through a 200,000-gallon shark tank. The duo catapulted the Nugget into the national limelight on the Fox reality TV series Casino, but then sold it off to Landry's Inc. Wunderkind entrepreneurs Tim Poster and Thomas Breitling bought this vintage Vegas casino hotel, which was once owned by none other than casino impresario Steve Wynn, in 2003.

The nonsmoking poker room hosts daily tournaments. With eateries and a swimming pool famous for its shark tank, the Golden Nugget draws a moneyed crowd with a 38,000-sq-ft casino populated by table games and slot machines with the same odds as at Strip megaresorts. Check out the polished brass and white leather seats in the casino: day or night, the Golden Nugget is downtown's poshest address (not that there's a dress code or anything).

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