The March Madness bug has bitten and you're thinking about hitting your favorite playground, Vegas. Before you do, take in a few insider tips from Vegas veteran and high roller Ben Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House, the infamous story of the MIT kids who sacked the town for millions.

You can do Vegas like the regular folks, or you can blow the doors off—and no one would know better than a guy who blew through almost two million dollars in six months. Below, UD presents the highest rolling writer we've ever met, and his musings on Sin City, New York, the Benjamins, and, of course, Lady Luck.

UD: Why the love for Vegas?
BM: I think it's a great, great town. Vegas is basically the ultimate American city. Anything you want is there. And basically all that matters is your willingness to spend money. Nothing else really is important.

UD: A stupid bet you love to make?
BM: I would always bet on the Red Sox making the World Series, although that's not a good bet to make this year. Or any bet involving the Yankees losing. Wait, is your audience all New York?

UD: We're assuming you've seen some stuff that epitomizes "What happens in Vegas..."?
BM: There've been so many crazy nights in Vegas. I have this buddy, Neil. We call him Big Red. One night I remember, I actually lost him at the Spearmint Rhino, a strip club. I had left, didn't hear from him and at around 4 p.m. the next day I get a call from him. Turns out he had passed out on the loading dock of the place and was still there, in the VIP room, at four the next day. Another night in Vegas, it was two in the morning, and a friend and I see one of our buddies sitting at the cafe at the Hard Rock. We said, "How's your night going?" and he said, "Pretty good, it's a pretty strange night." And we said, "Why?" and he said, "You should go up and check my room." So we went up and opened the door, and there's a completely naked dwarf passed out on the couch in the living room.

UD: What's the best itinerary for a weekend in Vegas?
BM: If you're with a group of friends and you want to party, then stay at the Hard Rock. It's young, everyone's good looking, they've done a good job of capturing the LA crowd. Have dinner somewhere like N9 Steak House at the Palms. Then go to Body English. Tryst at the Wynnis also excellent. Tao at the Venetian is pretty good. For after-hours clubs there's Drai's at Barbary Coast, which is still pretty good. Or you can go to strip clubs. At the moment there's no comparison to Spearmint Rhino. Sundays at the Hard Rock pool there's a party called Rehab, and it goes on from three in the afternoon all night. So that's where everyone hangs out during the day. Sunday night there's a pool party at Light at the Bellagio.

UD: Where you do you go out in New York?
BM: I went through a period last year, I was hitting Marquee, Happy Valley, Home, Cain and Bungalow, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I never go out on Friday and Saturday nights in New York, I hate it. Now, I just stay at the W and go and hang out at the Soho House. I love New York, but the clubs are too much.

UD: What's the difference between going out in Vegas and in New York?
BM: The greatest thing about Vegas is that nothing matters except for money, not even how much you have, but how much you're willing to spend. Anywhere else, celebrity trumps money. But in Vegas, the willingess to spend money trumps everything. That's what's cool about it, it's very equalizing in a weird way. Where else in the world can a group of nine guys get into a club while girls are waiting on line?

UD: OK, how did you blow 2 million in six months?
BM: It was difficult considering I didn't buy anything that cost more than five thousand dollars, or do anything that could be considered an investment, and I don't do any drugs. I would do things like get up at noon on a Wednesday, go to the airport, with no bags, nothing, and I would book a first class ticket to Paris.

UD: Any regrets on blowing it all?
BM: I don't regret anything I did. I do regret not buying an apartment though.

UD: True or false: Money can't buy happiness.
BM: What I've learned is that money is great, and anybody who says it's not is just absolutely wrong. In terms of freedom, your life's freedom is based entirely upon how much money you have.

UD: Underground casinos in New York. Where can you find them?
BM: There are a lot of them. They're kind of like speakeasies—you have to know somebody at the door, and you have to have a password. Inside there are blackjack tables, poker rooms, slot machines, full-scale casinos. They're careful about who comes in and who comes out. They move around, too. The best way to find one is to find a serious poker player, or look on Craigslist. Also, it's all interlinked, these worlds—if you were to go to Scores, and ask the doorman about an underground casino, he would probably know.

UD: How much do women love high rollers?
BM: Oh god, if you walk into Vegas and you're betting big, you have women all over you. Like these MIT kids, they were the dorkiest guys. And you go out with these guys in Vegas, and they are surrounded by the hottest girls. Girls there just know who the high rollers are.

UD: So Vegas is a losing bet?
BM: Oh absolutely, over time. If you're not a professional card counter, you will always eventually lose. The only way to win is to walk in for five minutes, get lucky, and then walk out. And never come back. It's what the city is built on. It's all losers. And they know it. But it's fun.

For the full Mezrich interview, click here