Outside of Tacoma's Loose Wheel is a sign alerting passersby that the bar is "All the Sports ... all the Time." Underneath that proclamation is another sign, this one reading, "Pull tabs. Good Friends ... Spirits."

Interesting, I think to myself. Why would the Loose Wheel want to take up valuable sign space advertising pull tabs? 

When I enter the bar my question is immediately answered. The Loose Wheel dedicates an entire wall to bins full of little colored gambling tabs, each featuring a name like, "Super Big Casino," "Bounty Hunter" and "Money Card." The pull tab wall even has its own seating and waitress, and patrons order drinks in front of the lit-up wall; they sip beer while rifling through trays of the tiny tabs.

I ignore the urge to buy some tabs, purchase a strong whiskey sour and have a walk around the bar to inspect my surroundings. The bar smells of home-style cooking, and most tables are topped with pitchers of domestic beer. Seahawks banners and NASCAR flags decorate the walls. Flat screen televisions are visible from every seat in the house. A variety of games (pool, air hockey, quick-shoot basketball) occupy one corner. The Loose Wheel's interior appears recently redone, and polished tabletops and dark wood seating give the sports motif a classy touch.

I eventually grab a seat next to the pull tab wall. Since The Loose Wheel is a sports bar, there are more men than women. Young guys shoot pool. A gray haired group of men excitedly talk about a college football game. A fit, mustachioed man sitting next to me tells his buddy's "Trans-Ams kick butt." All around me: dudes. Yes, there are a couple groups of cute, single ladies, but the lack of dance floor and the heavy rock coming from the jukebox keep their numbers as low as Brett Favre's current quarterback rating.

Overall, my night at The Loose Wheel is like a basket of pull tabs. Inexpensive beer? Win the tab. Tasty food? Win the tab. Single ladies? Better luck next pull.

But hey, a mellow Saturday night watching sports? That's always a good tab to win.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday

LINK: Current entertainment schedule

LINK: Loose Wheel's happy hour

LINK: Our first visit to Loose Wheel

LINK: Wednesday & Thursday karaoke