SPEAKING TO THE LADIES OF BRANDEIS U FUNDRAISER

March 6, 2016   Sunday

I had lunch today at the Brandeis University National Committee fundraiser hosted by the Las Vegas Chapter of women alumnus. After the meal, I spoke to these ladies about the history of the Las Vegas gambling industry, and then I autographed books. The invitation, the great response of these ladies to my speech, their many questions afterwards, and the number of books they had me autograph indicates the popular interest in the authentic history of organized crime and the Las Vegas gambling industry by women as well as men.

The following pictures include the invitation, appropriately titled "Hidden Lives" for the secret backgrounds of gangsters Moe Dalitz and Benny Binion, who were so instrumental in the building of the Las Vegas casino industry. In the picture at the speaker's podium after my presentation, I still had the microphone in my hand. With me is Evelyn Brunner who arranged my participation at this event and who was absolutely delightful to work with. Thank you for a wonderful experience, Evelyn!

A MORNING & AN AFTERNOON RADIO INTERVIEW

March 2, 2016   Wednesday

This morning I did a 15-minute interview with Ms. Frankie Boyer on her Boston radio show. It is my sixth appearance since 30 Illegal Years To The Strip came out. My first radio show for this book was also with her. We discussed the differences between Las Vegas when it was a gambling town versus the way it is now as a convention and retail-shop center, the great publicity generated about Las Vegas produced by Frank Sinatra both because of his musical talent and his sometimes bad behavior, and the fine quality and distinctive menu items of the early Las Vegas casino restaurants.

I just completed this afternoon a 30-minute interview with Ashley Adams on his nationally syndicated House of Cards radio show. It is a one-hour weekly show about poker and casinos, but for my first appearance, we discussed the major Prohibition gang leaders featured in my book 30 Illegal Years To The Strip, who later went on to build the Las Vegas Strip. In a future appearance, Ashley wants to discuss the two popular poker rooms I operated for so many years at the Castaways and Silver Slipper casinos in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, and my relationship with gambling-operator Benny Binion and the very positive impact he had on my career and life. Ashley also wants me to tell my bad-beat stories from playing in Benny's World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Club in downtown Las Vegas. It was in the Casino Owners' Competition that I went up against Benny's sons, Jack and Teddy. My nemesis, however, was the wife of Stratosphere builder Bob Stupak. Those contests were more than three decades ago, but the thought of going up against this woman still upsets me.