by Doug Swanson
“Ted [Binion] came running up to the table”: Interview, Joseph Yablonsky.
“When ol’ Reagan went in there”: HC, March 15, 1989.
“He is a man of his word”: U.S. Department of Justice, Binion pardon file.
“During his many years of poor health”: Ibid.
“Mr. Binion was very nice”: Ibid.
“I’m going to outlive that sumbitch”: HC, March 15, 1989.
“Everything to me is like you throwed three”: Ibid.
25. “THEY DO THINGS LIKE THAT”
“Fear will not keep ’em from stealing”: OH, Glass, 34.
The Binions almost never lodged such complaints: Interviews, multiple sources.
A Horseshoe waitress said she watched: LAT, Sept. 30, 1990.
A guard cuffed her: This account and some others are taken from interviews conducted by private investigators working for attorneys contemplating legal action against the Horseshoe.
“You didn’t cheat at the Horseshoe”: Interview, Oscar Goodman.
“They run their house”: Interview, confidential source.
“The most contemptible-looking human beings I’ve ever seen”: HC, March 14, 1989.
“The customer had suffered an unlucky streak”: WSJ, July 3, 1985.
A Horseshoe bartender said the incidents were so common: LAT, Sept. 30, 1990.
over the course of about ten years roughly a hundred patrons: LVRJ, Oct. 28, 1987.
“This is happening quite often down there”: Private investigator research from files of attorneys preparing legal action against the Horseshoe.
two friends, Barry Finn and Allan Brown, had a blackjack game: The account of the beating of Finn and Brown is drawn from contemporary press reports, a transcript of grand jury testimony, court pleadings, and a 2012 interview that I conducted with Finn. Steve Fechser, who still lives in Las Vegas, told me in 2013 that he would not talk about the case.
“For some time now . . . graveyard shift at the Horseshoe”: Winning Gamer.
“The prickly hair is up on the back”: LVRJ, Jan. 29, 1986.
including the Binions, who had given him $30,000: LVRJ, Oct. 22, 1986.
“He said, ‘We do not execute search warrants at hotels’”: Interview, John Redlein.
“Ingenious,” columnist Day observed: LVRJ, Feb. 2, 1986. Bob Miller, now a consultant in Las Vegas, told me in 2013 that he did not involve himself in the day-to-day operations of the case, but that his office conducted itself properly. It was up to the judge to decide if his office should prosecute the case, Miller said, adding, “We would have pursued it had we not been disqualified.”
“He fixed it in his mind”: Interview, John Redlein.
“Isn’t it wonderful,” Foley said from the bench: Quoted by Redlein.
“The day before the trial started”: Interview, Barry Finn.
“The trial atmosphere was so tainted”: LVS, March 2, 1988.
“The good-old-boy network in Las Vegas told me”: LVRJ, March 3, 1988.
“I walked by his courtroom and smelled the most awful odor”: LVRJ, March 13, 1988.
Finally, “after years of waiting for her”: Interview, John Redlein.
the owner “just whips the shit out of him”: HC, March 13, 1989. Witten and Fechser were never retried on state charges. Cofield, Witten, Fechser, Ted Binion, and several other Horseshoe employees were later indicted for racketeering by a federal grand jury. Those charges were dropped in 1992.
26. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BENNY
“I don’t worry about but one thing”: OH, Glass, 36.
In 1987 the Horseshoe had a net profit of more than $60 million: Johnston, Temples of Chance, 34.
“That old house was right over there”: Interview, Ronnie Campbell.
A video produced for the ceremony: From the collection of Brenda Binion Michael.
“He’s the best damn human being I ever knew”: HC, March 12, 1989.
Vegas feds proclaimed it to be “the top priority”: FBI, Oct. 22, 1989.
“They hypnotized me”: Interview, John Koval.
“The Binions are very cautious”: FBI, Oct. 13, 1989.
“a singular opportunity to strike at organized crime”: Ibid.
“Breathing’s hard, walking’s hard”: Vinson, Las Vegas Behind the Tables!, 131.
“I’d asked the doctors in gambler’s terms”: LVRJ, Dec. 26, 1989.
“Religion is too strong a mystery to doubt”: Texas Monthly, Oct. 1991.
“Revisionist historians will paint Binion as a sweet old man”: LVRJ, Dec. 28, 1989.
“One thing I’ve noticed in this town”: OH, Glass, 84.
“He was a man who never showed one shred of pretense”: LVRJ, Dec. 29, 1989.
“Thank you for coming”: Vinson, 133.
EPILOGUE: BACK IN THE SADDLE
“The sky’s my home”: OH, Glass, 84.
“the evidence we obtained didn’t stand up”: LVRJ, June 24, 2001.
“Ted had three loves in life”: Interview, Michael Gaughan.
“It’s a great piece of artwork”: Ibid.
Selected Bibliography
Books
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———. Lady Las Vegas: The Inside Story Behind America’s Neon Oasis. New York: A&E Network and TV Books, 1996.
Binkley, Christina. Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas. New York: Hyperion, 2008.
Bradshaw, Jon. Fast Company: How Six Master Gamblers Defy the Odds—And Always Win. London: High Stakes, 2003.
Brunson, Doyle, and Mike Cochran. The Godfather of Poker. Las Vegas: Cardoza, 2009.
Bryant, Vickie, and Camille Hess. Top O’Hill Terrace. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2012.
Burbank, Jeff. Historic Photos of Las Vegas. Nashville: Turner, 2007.
Caldwell, Erskine. With All My Might: An Autobiography. Atlanta: Peachtree, 1987.
Campbell, Elaine. My Friend Nick the Greek: Life in Las Vegas in the ’50s. Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press, 2010.
Cartwright, Gary. Dirty Dealing: A True Story of Smuggling, Murder, and the FBI’s Biggest Investigation. New York: Atheneum, 1984.
Crumpler, Jeanette Howeth. Street of Dreams: A History of Dallas’ Theatre Row. Dallas: Crumpler, 2003.
Dalla, Nolan, and Peter Alson. One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey “the Kid” Ungar, the World’s Greatest Poker Player. New York: Atria Books, 2005.
Demaris, Ovid. The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.
Denton, Sally, and Roger Morris. The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America. New York: Vintage Books, 2002.
Dickensheets, Scott, ed. Fade, Sag, Crumble: Ten Las Vegas Writers Confront Decay. Las Vegas: CityLife Books, 2011.
Dunar, Andrew J. The Truman Scandals and the Politics of Morality. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1984.
Dunne, John Gregory. Vegas: A Memoir of a Dark Season. New York: Random House, 1974.
Earley, Pete. The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison. New York: Bantam Books, 1992.
———. Super Casino: Inside the “New” Las Vegas. New York: Bantam Books, 2001.
Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Eig, Jonathan. Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.
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bsp; Fehrenbach, T. R. Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. New York: Collier Books, 1980.
Ferrari, Michelle, and Stephen Ives. Las Vegas: An Unconventional History. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.
Gallagher, Carole. American Ground Zero: The Secret Nuclear War. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1993.
German, Jeff. Murder in Sin City. New York: Avon Books, 2001.
Greene, A. C. Dallas: The Deciding Years—A Historical Portrait. Austin: Encino Press, 1973.
Greenspun, Hank, and Alex Pelle. Where I Stand: The Record of a Reckless Man. New York: David McKay, 1966.
Grotenstein, Jonathan, and Storms Reback. All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
Guinn, Jeff. Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.
Gwynne, S. C. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. New York: Scribner, 2010.
Holmes, Maxine, and Gerald D. Saxon, eds. The WPA Dallas Guide and History. Dallas: Dallas Public Library, Texas Center for the Book, University of North Texas Press, 1992.
Jenkins, Don. Champion of Champions: The Authorized Biography of Johnny Moss. Odessa, TX: JM, 1981.
Johnston, David. Temples of Chance: How America Inc. Bought Out Murder Inc. to Win Control of the Casino Business. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Kefauver, Estes. Crime in America. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1951.
King, Gary C. An Early Grave. New York: St. Martin’s, 2001.
Lacey, Robert. Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991.
LaMaster, Kenneth M. U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth (Images of America). Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2008.
Leslie, Warren. Dallas, Public and Private. New York: Grossman, 1964.
Levy, Shawn. Rat Pack Confidential. New York: Broadway Books, 2001.
Malsch, Brownson. “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas, Texas Ranger. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.
McCracken, Robert D. Las Vegas: The Great American Playground. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1997.
McKay, Seth S., and Odie B. Faulk. Texas After Spindletop. Austin: Steck-Vaughn, 1965.
McManus, James. Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.
———. Positively Fifth Street. New York: Picador, 2004.
Miller, Bob. Son of a Gambling Man: My Journey from a Casino Family to the Governor’s Mansion. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2013.
Moehring, Eugene P., and Michael S. Green. Las Vegas: A Centennial History. Reno and Las Vegas: University of Nevada Press, 2005.
Odessky, Dick. Fly on the Wall: Recollections of Las Vegas’ Good Old, Bad Old Days. Las Vegas: Huntington Press, 2000.
Payn, Graham, and Sheridan Morley, eds. The Noël Coward Diaries. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982.
Payne, Darwin. Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century. Dallas: Three Forks Press, 1994.
Powell, William S., ed. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vol. 2. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979.
Prince, Robert. A History of Dallas: From a Different Perspective. Dallas: Nortex Press, 1993.
Reid, Ed, and Ovid Demaris. The Green Felt Jungle. New York: Pocket Books, 1974.
Rumbley, Rose-Mary. The Unauthorized History of Dallas, Texas. Austin: Eakin Press, 1991.
Russo, Gus. The Outfit: The Role of Chicago’s Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003.
Scheim, David E. Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy. New York: Shapolsky, 1988.
Scoblete, Frank. Forever Craps: The Five-Step Advantage-Play Method. Chicago: Bonus Books, 2000.
Sheehan, Jack, ed. The Players: The Men Who Made Las Vegas. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1997.
Sleeper, Gary W. I’ll Do My Own Damn Killin’: Benny Binion, Herbert Noble, and the Texas Gambling War. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2006.
Smith, John L. Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman’s Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas. Las Vegas: Huntington Press, 2003.
Sonnichsen, C. L. I’ll Die Before I’ll Run: The Story of the Great Feuds of Texas. New York: Devin-Adair, 1962.
Tereba, Tere. Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.’s Notorious Mobster. Toronto: ECW Press, 2012.
Tronnes, Mike, ed. Literary Las Vegas. New York: Henry Holt, 1995.
Vernetti, Michael. Lies Within Lies: The Betrayal of Nevada Judge Harry Claiborne. Las Vegas: Stephens Press, 2011.
Vinson, Barney. Las Vegas Behind the Tables! Part 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Gollehon Press, 1991.
Welsch, Roger L., ed. Mister, You Got Yourself a Horse: Tales of Old-Time Horse Trading. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.
Oral Histories
Coles, Kathleen M. Arthur Bernard: Nevada Mine Inspector and Prison Warden. University of Nevada, Reno, 2003.
Glass, Mary Ellen. Lester Ben “Benny” Binion: Some Recollections of a Texas and Las Vegas Gaming Operator. University of Nevada, Reno, 1976.
————. Robbins E. Cahill: Recollections of Work in State Politics, Government, Taxation, Gaming Control, Clark County Administration, and the Nevada Resort Association. University of Nevada, Reno, 1977.
King, R. T. Fighting Back: A Life in the Struggle for Civil Rights. University of Nevada, Reno, 1997.
Olney, Warren III. Law Enforcement and Judicial Administration in the Earl Warren Era. University of California, Berkeley, 1981.
Academic Papers
Alverson, J. Bruce. Country Lawyer in a Maverick Boom Town: The Legal Career of Harry Claiborne. Graduate College, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2008.
Gragg, Larry. The Powerful Mythology Surrounding Bugsy Siegel. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Center for Gaming Research, 2010.
Hannum, Robert C. A Guide to Casino Mathematics. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Center for Gaming Research, 2003.
Kenna, Laura Cook. The Promise of Gangster Glamour: Sinatra, Vegas and Alluring, Ethnicized Excess. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Center for Gaming Research, 2010.
Online Resources
www.maryferrell.org
The Handbook of Texas Online. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
The Nevada Observer. www.nevadaobserver.com
Online Nevada Encyclopedia. www.onlinenevada.org
www.pokerpages.com
Newspapers
Amarillo Globe-Times
Dallas Morning News
Dallas Times Herald (originally the Daily Times Herald)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Houston Chronicle
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Sun
Los Angeles Times
Nevada State Journal
New York Times
Reno Evening Gazette
San Antonio Express
Valley Times (Las Vegas)
Wall Street Journal
Periodicals
Casino Chip and Token News, Fall 2006.
Fabulous Las Vegas, Aug. 18, 1951, and Dec. 8, 1951.
GQ, December 1999.
Grantland, May 1, 2012.
Legacies, Spring 2006.
Sports Illustrated, Jan. 25, 1971.
Texas Monthly, Oct. 1991, Nov. 1999, and Feb. 2001.
Winning Gamer, Pi Yee Press, La Jolla, CA, Jan. 1986.
Government Documents
City of Dallas: Report of Dallas Police Department Survey, City of Dallas, Texas. Written by August Vollmer, 1944.
Dallas Police Department: Internal investigative files of Lieutenant George Butler. Archived at the Texas Ranger Museum.
F
ederal Bureau of Investigation: Investigative files for L. B. Binion, Ted Binion, Harry Claiborne, R. D. Matthews, Paul Roland Jones, William Coulthard, Bill Decker, Henry Wade, and others. Also, a comprehensive 1964 report titled Nevada Gambling Industry. Parts of these files were released after requests to the bureau under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Others are among the documents collected by the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations and later assembled by the Mary Ferrell Foundation.
Texas Rangers: Papers of Captain R. A. (Bob) Crowder. Archived at the Texas Ranger Museum.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons: Binion’s inmate file, released after a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
U.S. Department of Energy: Nevada National Security Site History, January 2011. www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1024.pdf.
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Pardon Attorney: After a Freedom of Information Act request, the pardon attorney’s office released Binion’s files from 1975 forward. Those previous to that were apparently destroyed as a matter of office routine.
U.S. Federal Census, 1910.
U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce: Kefauver committee transcripts. Many of these are available at www.nevadaobserver.com/ReadingRoom.htm.
U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 623, October Term, 1952, L. B. Binion v. United States of America.
Index
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.
Accardo, Tony, 144
Acheson, Dean, 193
Addington, Crandell, 264
Agee, Cole, 171
Airmen’s Club, 74, 75, 77, 122, 160
Aladdin, 245
Alderman, “Ice Pick Willie,” 101
Alexander, Bill, 187–89
Alo, Vincent “Jimmy Blue Eyes,” 239
Alvarez, Al, 278
Ameche, Don, 54
Anastasia, Albert, 229
Apache Hotel, 156, 170, 181
Appleman, Mickey, 277
Atlantic City, N.J., 262
Atomic Energy Commission, 175
atomic weapons testing, 174, 175–76