Vegas in late October for 3 nights

I'm visiting Vegas in late Oct for the metallica show with a friend. I've never visited before, I'm really looking forward to it! We haven't confirmed hotel yet. I have a few questions:

1. I'm an F1 fan - will there be any F1-related stuff open? It's the COTA race that weekend, but it looks like the F1 hub and other bits will have been taken down by then in preparation for the vegas GP.
2. I play a bit of poker in a pub league here in the UK, and fancy some cheap and friendly cash poker. Nothing mad though, I'm well aware I'll be basically donating my buy-in to the regulars! Any suggestions? Pref easy for breweries and/or steak/bbq nearby.
3. Leaving the sphere after the show, we won't want to stand about forever waiting for cab/uber. Where's a good place to walk to nearby for beers and maybe a bit of blackjack first?

I know Qs 2 & 3 are pretty open-ended with a thousand possibilities. So personal recommendations on those, please.