Remembering Day One
Casinos have been Atlantic City for thirty years, and there are still some people who remember Day One. From the AC Press:
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atlantic city
My neighbor’s beanbag
Maybe someday I’ll write a children’s story with that title. It doesn’t have the fanciful longing of My Father’s Dragon, but maybe it’s appropriate for today’s lowered horizons. I just thought I’d fool around with WordPress’s photo uploading and provide some commentary on life in Vegas. You’ve really got to see this–a sociologist could spin
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life in vegasPsychics amid the slots
Las Vegas entertainment is usually pretty predictable. You might see a comic, a singer, a revue show, a big production extravaganza, or a headline entertainer, which could mix any of these. But as the Las Vegas Sun reports, a new, seemingly anomalous presence is taking over Strip showrooms: psychics bent on exploiting grief. It seems
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news about gamblingBook review: The Fortune Machine
This is another paperback I discovered in the catacombs of the UNLV Special Collections stacks. The tagline is what sold me: “The most beautiful girls in Las Vegas couldn’t stop Eddie from winning.” Also, Library Journal called it “a groovy novel.” So, I figured, it’s about a card-counting Greg Brady. This might make for an
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book reviewsResponsible gaming monitors redux
I’ve got a more in-depth look at the Canadian responsible gaming monitors in the LVBP. Here’s a snippet: Recently, the British Columbia government announced plans to hire nine “responsible gambling information officers.” These new deputies of safe gaming will spend their working hours hanging out in casinos throughout the Canadian province, looking for “distressed gamblers”
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news about gamblingBook review: The Spirit Cabinet
I’m back with a brand-new review of a nine year-old book. This is another example of a book jumping off the shelves of UNLV Libraries and into my hands based on little more than a hunch and a quick judge of the book’s cover. Figuring that any book that’s about magicians and features the erstwhile
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book reviewsNew background
I’ve done one last thing before putting site work away for the weekend: I’ve changed the background graphic. If you don’t believe me, hit F5, and you’ll see. Originally, the background just featured elements from the Bellagio carpet, but it now features bits and pieces of at least a half-dozen. Can you guess any of
Book review: Eyeing the Flash
I’ve always been fascinated by carnivals, carnies, and con-artists. Two of my favorite books, the novel Nightmare Alley and Julian Prosauker’s Suckers All!, the story of honest John Kelly, are set in this milieu. So how does a more recent memoir of life on the carnival pitch fair? Let’s see.
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book reviewsBook review: This Man’s Army
Back in 2004, my editor at Gotham gave me an advance copy of this to read on one of my trips to New York. I started reading it in the Port Authority bus terminal while waiting for the trusty NJ Transit 312 to take me back to Atlantic City, and didn’t put it down until
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book reviewsTrek beaming out of Vegas?
It looks like Star Trek: The Experience might be leaving the Las Vegas Hilton. From the LVRJ: The lease on the biggest nerd magnet since the International Consumer Electronics Show expires at the end of the year, and a spokesperson for owners Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. told the Web site TrekMovie.com “there are currently no
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news about gamblingBook review: Something for Nothing
I originally reviewed this for the Pennsylvania Review of History. As you’ll see, it’s a provocative book that might make you rethink just how lucky you are.
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book reviewsLost & found & arrested
When I worked casino security, I used to enjoy seeing all sorts of strange items turn up in the lost and found. But I never got anyone arrested, like these folks did. From foxnews: A man has been charged in Kitsap County for possession of a controlled substance after he made the mistake of attempting
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haphazard world, news about gamblingNew bidder for Trop?
With much, but not all of the site work done, I’m taking a bold leap back into the gaming news blogosphere today. I haven’t heard much about this possible bidder for the Columbia Sussex casino empire, but that might just be because I’ve spent more time poring over css style sheets than reading the news.
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life in vegas, news about gamblingBook review: Super Casino
Re-reading after seven years, I’m struck by two things: I’m not entirely comfortable reviewing books that I don’t like, and the general quality of writing about Las Vegas has not much improved. Let me explain: as a writer, I absolutely hate saying negative things about other writers. I know how hard it is to find
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book reviews, life in vegas, news about gamblingBook review: The Hand I Played
I originally reviewed this for the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. Written three years before Positively Fifth Street, this book pioneered the literary take on the World Series of Poker genre.
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book reviewsBook review: The Flea Palace
I read Elif Shafak’s The Flea Palace almost four years ago. I haven’t re-read it since, and don’t own a copy. But it’s still one of my favorite books, and I can still vividly recall much of the writing. Here’s what I had to say about it when I first reviewed it: I saw this
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book reviewsBook review: The Blackjack Hijack
My reposting of reviews continues. This one is a real gem. If you don’t believe me, look at the cover: Click through to look at the big version of that if you don’t believe me, but yes, that is JFK and, yes, he does figure into the plot. Is he the BP on the count
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book reviewsBook review: Loaded Dice
James Swain. Loaded Dice. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. 310 pp, $22.95 (hardcover) When I started this site back in 2005, I posted many reviews as static pages. Now, instead of reformatting them all, I’m reposting them as posts. If you’re a longtime reader, enjoy the nostalgia, and if you’ve just found this site, it’s
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book reviewsWork continues
I’m still hustling through the site redesign. As you see, I’ve spiffed up the background a little. Can you guess where I got the inspiration for the new pattern? Without looking at a certain part of this site? Comment if you can. I’ve also converted the books section, so check that out, too.
A new look
If you don’t see something really different from the old look, bash the F5 key repeatedly. Or just click on the “browser refresh” icon. I haven’t tested the new look in Netscape, IE, or Safari, so if you are using one of those and see something totally goofy, drop me a line. It will be