I've been lucky(or unlucky in some cases), to not only know some of the great characters of sportsbetting, but also machine players.
Quite a few of these characters rival or surpass the legendary sports figures of days gone by............and then some.
To this day it still amazes me how so many sports players ignore machines, today and in the past............................I was just speaking about this yesterday with a longtime legendary RX poster that only lurks these days.
Quite a few of these characters rival or surpass the legendary sports figures of days gone by............and then some.
To this day it still amazes me how so many sports players ignore machines, today and in the past............................I was just speaking about this yesterday with a longtime legendary RX poster that only lurks these days.
VD
Speedy had a beach craft plane and we used to fly from Vegas to Reno and back - speedy showed me how to fly and one day 2 guys came with us from Vegas and to Reno and speedy told me to take over the controls and the 2 guys said we didn't know u had a pilots license also - when I said I didn't have a pilots license speedy just taught me the both of them turned white and were in a panic until we got to Reno and speedy landed the plane. Lol lol
He, also Tiger, BW, Chinaman,etc..was one of the main men that made the Mirage, Binions,etc..morning numbers move, and the DB screen to pop in the mid 1990s.
Bob 'Blackie' Black smartmarks cashed at a very high clip! Hated to need spell his whole nickname on a sheet's small boxes, but the initials BB were already taken(Billy Baxter).
) - Thailand sounds like the place for pleasure and from what I heard a dollar goes a long wayNewcomer bumping an old but awesome thread because I may know those two guys -- Wayne and Kevin. I was a Little Caesar's regular for many years, primarily because I liked to sweat out the ticker instead of watching my bankroll decided by missed free throws followed by a "meaningless" three pointer.
I would sit in front of the first row of slot machines every night, watching that ticker while accompanied by a bottle of ginger ale from the small convenience store in the middle of the mall. Very friendly white haired guy was always behind the counter of that store.
Let's see, Harry O would be at Little Caesar's every night. He was formerly a ticket writer at the Vegas Club. Larry from Tucson was always there. He made the most pronounced immediate shift of philosophy of any bettor I've ever seen, from almost exclusively favorites to nothing but underdogs overnight.
Harry O was later hanging at Orleans while Larry got a job with some audio visual guy. I saw Larry occasionally at the Wynn sportsbook during my infrequent returns to Las Vegas after moving back to Miami in 2008 when my mom had a terminal condition.
Montana Mel would also be there, making sure his beer was loaded with salt. Every step Mel took corresponded with one salt shake into the beer. It was more breathtaking than any Olympic synchronized swimming. Mel tagged along with Sam Angel.
My favorite Sam Angel moment at Little Caesar's was when he followed the Russian basketball team into the little gift shop late one night and berated them for losing an exhibition game at Thomas and Mack to UNLV. We had seen the score on the ticker and an hour or so later I pointed out to Sam when the players walked into the casino. He sprung from his seat immediately. "You lost to college kids, do you realize that? What, were you all on drugs? That's a disgrace. I never heard of such a thing. Just wait until you get back home, baby. I can only imagine what's waiting for you guys. The Kremlin isn't going to stand for crap like this."
We were in hysterics. The Russian players were sampling trinkets and harmlessly wandering around in silence while this little old guy in a rumpled grey suit was tagging them with insults for several minutes. Some of the Russians grinned and listened but they never got noticeably irritated.
However, a day later I heard they complained. Sam was briefly thrown out. That happened occasionally. It never really amounted to anything except when it occurred during Midnight Madness. At that point he'd be squinting through the sliding glass door, trying to decipher the split line as Buddy wrote it on the board. That was always a huge deal. We could guess the split based on each game and which way the money was going, but you never knew for sure until Buddy finalized with that marker. I'd go out there and give Sam the numbers. Then he'd hand me some cash for a few plays.
***
Anyway, the Kevin I'm thinking about was a good looking guy from Texas and about the same age as me so he'd be near 60 now. Kevin was one of the few fellow Democrats in the sports betting scene but unlike me he tried to keep it quiet. Kevin had a girlfriend named Keeley and they had a baby together. Kevin would often be holding the stroller while walking into Little Caesar's and making his wagers.
They were having financial problems. I don't know this for sure but the rumor was that Keeley had a fling with Mayday. Kevin was really devastated. I remember the tears in his eyes when the topic came up. "He got what he wanted and she got what he wanted."
I always hoped it wasn't true but that sentence seemed to confirm it. Keeley worked behind the counter at Little Caesar's for a while.
Years later I saw Kevin at Palace Station and once at Arizona Charlie's. Keeley wasn't there, nor the baby. I never felt comfortable enough to ask what happened. But someone told me she moved out of state and got married to someone else.
Kevin is indeed a great guy. If it's him I hope he is doing well in Hawaii.
Wayne was from Detroit and such an accomplished bowler he had something like twenty 300 games and once finished 12th in the US Open. He told me a story that he once got into a pot bowling game in Detroit but didn't have the cash in case he lost. So he pulled his wife aside and told her to get into the car and park it just outside the side exit, making sure to keep it running.
Wayne lost the bet and dashed outside to the waiting car.
Maybe that jumpstarted his move to Las Vegas. I would think so.
I really like Wayne. I saw him three years ago at the Riviera sportsbook during March Madness and not long before the Riviera closed for good. Wayne had a son who mostly was under custody of the mom but once in a while Wayne had him.
During the late '80s or early '90s at Little Caesar's I was standing near the counter at far right, not far from where the gate lifted up from the counter so employees could go in or out. It was roughly five feet right of the last betting window. This was during baseball season, a sleepy weeknight nearing 5:30 PM. All my bets were in so I wasn't doing much of anything. Next thing I know, Wayne walks up to my left and owns a very distressed facial expression. He tells me his utilities are on the verge of being turned off due to lack of payment, and he can't afford for that to happen when his kid is with him. He says they might be out on the street. He fears he might lose further visitation rights with the kid if the authorities learn about a situation like this.
Wayne asks for a $40 loan. No problem. I've loaned Wayne small amounts previously and he's always good for it, even if it takes a while. But I continue to talk about something else and I notice Wayne is increasingly impatient, which I can't understand. I've already agreed to that $40. Finally he blurts it out: "Gary, I really need that 40 dollars."
Fine. I pull out my wallet and hand him a pair of 20s.
And the following ten seconds are etched into my memory as much as any event during my 24 years in Las Vegas. Wayne snatched the 20s and did an immediate 2-step soft shoe to his left. It was perfectly executed, like something from my cotillion days. Wayne steps to the betting window. "Give me a parlay," he says, while looking at the board and two baseball games remaining on the docket that day, and set to begin within seconds. It was barely shy of 5:35 PM, when those games would be locked out.
Wayne took that $40 utility money and bet it all on a parlay, with myself still standing right there, seeing and hearing everything.
That is indeed the KEVIN...……….was really good friends with him for a long time, and like you, the last I seen of him was at the ARIZ CHARLIES WEST.
Wayne, Kevin, Mel, and SamAngel..........knew them all very, very well.
I undoubtedly know you, you hinted your name is Gary, where are you from originally???
Poster Kyhawk here was one of Sams best friends in his later years, taking Sam on many errands he had to take care of.
