A nationwide battle of the bars

A great bar is even more essential to March Madness than a great team to root for -- because even if UT gets the boot, you'll still need someplace awesome to watch OH MY GOD BUTLER'S GOING TO BEAT...well, someplace to at least hope Duke loses. Show your favorite locals some love -- and possibly win some cash money -- by voting in Thrillist's Bar Madness.

Bar Madness is a bracket-style showdown between sports-watching, beer-chugging, occasionally-Martini-chugging bars in 16 different cities, with each round's winners determined by the man who knows more about local drinking than Rece Davis knows about missing an "e": you. For starters, you'll vote which ATX stalwarts should advance into the later rounds, be it The Tavern, Posse East, Rainey Street newcomer Bar 96, or the N'awlins-rooted Shoal Creek Saloon, where they hate Aggies so much they refuse to acknowledge knowing who Dat Nguyen is. Then -- regardless of whether or not your city's bars make it -- you'll vote on a National Champion, be it from Austin, Dallas, New York, LA, or even Atlanta, aka "Dallas With Trees", though in today's run 'n gun NBA, it'd be hard for the Mavs to play multiple 7'1" centers.

The smoothest part: every round you vote in (six total), you'll be entered to win a $2011 bar tab, which should cover most of your March Madness boozing, or help you buy your own damn Butler.