MARK WAITE / PVT The bar at the Saddle West Hotel and Casino holds a new bank of flat-screen plasma televisions for the upcoming football season. Advertisement

It's that time of year again.

Football widows can be resigned to having their husbands watching that game on television every week, hearing the drone of the crowd, the hype of the announcer and the thuds and grunts on the gridiron.

A poster at the entrance to Wulfy's Restaurant and Lounge, advertising the NFL Sunday Ticket offered by Direct TV, probably sums up the mood this fall for many people during the busiest sports season of all: "Live, eat, drink football."

Football fans in Pahrump who can't catch the game at home or want to watch it at a public venue can find ample opportunities to munch on cheap food, drink cheap beer and watch enough gridiron action to get a case of jock itch from now until the Super Bowl.

The first party gets under way tomorrow when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night football. It's the perfect way for the Mountain View Casino, run by the McCaw family, to open the season.

"They will want to come here if they're Pittsburgh Steeler fans. We're committed to the Sunday ticket, and every Sunday we'll have a Steelers game and several others," said Jim McCaw, shift supervisor.

A sign above the bar proclaims it's Steeler country. Last year when the Steelers played during the Super Bowl, the restaurant was shut down and four 52-inch televisions were mounted for fans to watch as the Steelers emerged as world champions, after which the TVs were raffled off.

"It was a real thrill and we waited a long time for it. It was good to see that fifth Super Bowl victory," McCaw said.

The McCaw family will serve up a $3 all-you-can-eat buffet for Monday Night Football along with 50-cent Miller draught and $1 bottles. The cheap draught beer will also be flowing on Sundays.

It's only a few miles from the Mountain View Casino on Calvada Boulevard to the Last Chance Saloon and Steak House on Loop Road, but psychologically it's like driving the 650 miles from Pittsburgh to Green Bay.

The Green Bay Packers had their poorest season in years in 2005-2006 with only four wins, but the Last Chance still proudly hosts quarterback Brett Favre and the Packers every Sunday. Packer memorabilia is abundant around the bar with dolls, photographs and footballs in the Packer green and gold.

Owner Dale Malquist was born in Southern California, but his parents returned to their home state of Wisconsin, where he became a diehard Packer fan in the Vince Lombardi era.

"I went back to Wisconsin when I was about 10 years old. My mother, the people she worked for, were instrumental in running the Shrine game between the Packers and the Bears every year. So she had season tickets from the early '60s," he said.

Malquist moved to Pahrump in 1995 and remodeled the old Pahrump post office into the Last Chance Saloon three years later.

Malquist has the NFL Sunday Ticket so he can pick up all the Packer games. He'll be traveling to Lambeau Field in Green Bay to see the Packers' open their 2006 season against the Chicago Bears.

The Saddle West Hotel and Casino is under new ownership, after Aces High Management took over June 1. The new owners replaced all the televisions around the bar with brand-new flat screen plasma TVs, while even more TVs were set up for viewing while gamblers play blackjack or relax outside the restaurant.

Marketing Manager Kevin Simpson said the Saddle West has the NFL ticket to show all the games on all those TV screens. Football fans will have the chance to enter a free football parlay pick every week, where the top 10 prognosticators of the games will be eligible for prizes like free slot play and an annual prize.

"The person with the best picks of the year is going to get five grand," Simpson said.

He added Mondays will be prime rib Mondays with a dinner special.

Terrible's Town Casino and Terrible's Lakeside Casino will both have buffets served up for Monday night football, General Manager Bill Ladd said.

Terrible's may just take the cake for the most NFL memorabilia to hand out.

"We spent $12,000 on prizes this year. I'm about to kill the guy who bought them, but we got them," Ladd said.

A portable keg will be set up at the sports book at Terrible's Town for those who don't want to walk over to the bar while watching the game, he said.

Football fans can enjoy the games on the NFL Ticket while nursing $1 draught domestic beer.

While football is a much hyped season at local lounges, Ladd said it's not the biggest money maker at the casino.

"People who watch football don't play the games, but it gets people in and it's a fun thing," he said.

Lori Doller, director of marketing at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Gambling Hall, predicted, "The Nugget is going to have the best Monday night football in town."

The Nugget will have TV screens in the sports book, obviously, the bar and four screens in the pit area. ESPN Fox Radio will be doing live remote broadcasts from the casino on Monday nights, Doller said.

The casino will serve up food specials, like $1.50 foot-long hot dogs and beer specials like dollar Coors draught.

Pahrump Nugget General Manager Jeremy Jenson admitted the casino doesn't have the NFL ticket yet, to show all the games on Sundays, but the new owners, Golden Gaming Inc., are working on that. The changeover to Golden Gaming is expected to take place in November.

Wulfy's Restaurant and Lounge is decorated in a NASCAR motif, with a race car in the lobby, displays of NASCAR suits and cars on the walls and even a NASCAR lamp shade over the pool table. But the restaurant and bar has the NFL Sunday ticket and will give away NFL memorabilia as well as offer beer and food specials with a new bar manager.

On the west side of Pahrump, Champion's Sports Bar on Linda Street boasts 33 TV screens, what may be the most televisions in a regular bar. The owner wasn't available for comment, but a bartender who will be on duty Sundays was excited about seeing all those football games on all those screens. The bar is advertising $1 Coors Light draught and $2 Coors bottles during the games.

On the south end of town, the Valley Inn and Sports Bar, attached to The Resort at Sheri's Ranch, may be the most convenient for residents in that area, as well as offering the occasional eye candy for male patrons.