I did not drop out of college till the end of the first semester of my JR year
in 1990 which would have been Christmas time. I had worked an internship that summer at the Tropicana and while college interns can not be seen to making bets for themselves my bosses sent me to get there tickets in so I became familiar with the book there that way and is how I wound up there. This story picks up 1.5 years in but encompasses my general wide eyed mindset at the time. I will go back at some point and pick up from the begining as well as dip into my time at UNLV where going to college at from 87-91 was very diffrent than what going to college like anywhere else in the world was like and of course includes stories from the strip.
This story I wrote on MW Dec 6th. I was brand spanking new to fourms period and had never participated in anything offshore until the stroy that sparked this memory appeared there on the 5th. I also had no clue at the time that the very people I had always most wanted to know about, be around and then later where they had dissapreaed to were sitting in that fourm. Man was I ever happy to find the VOG. Scotty S. being chief among them by far.
OK. Before this thread dissapears let me tell you about a baby Sugar Bear who was working at the the Tropicana during the football season of 92 the day Billy Baxter and his wife come walking in 1 Sun I did not know it at that moment but then manager Bobby Davis now
long time manager at Leroys and his assistant the shoe box wise guy himself the fabulos Donny D, did. They stood on either side of me as he walked to my window and introduced him to me. I was like wide eyed and stunned at the same time as a legendary betting figure stood before me looking to make some bets. Now just a little background here. First before I ever came to Vegas I had absoutly no betting background at all and new nothing of point spreads and games. By 92 I did and also believed that the wise guys I had heard about and tried to read eveything about were about in there 40,s tops. Not the mid 60's or so he and the very first one I met and thought I wanted to be just like in Herbie Hoops. Man was I naive. So staying with the naive thing here now I am thinking man whats this going to bet and how much. Let me tell you, not as much as I thought and it showed on my face. So after making his bets and asking Bobby about my story he suddendly focuses in on me and says "son do not believe everything you hear and think about wise guys,
not every bet we make is on the grand scale the books and papers would have you believe." He goes on to say:" as it were my RV is parked out in the circle and me and my wife are going camping I just stopped in for a little action for the ride on down. He also told me
"son you are to smart for all this and this is not the life you want to live. Go back to school get your education and make something of yourself. Just remember to thank me later." Should have listened. In any event I sit there awed as he is walking away saying hello to his runner as he walks out the door. Later after my shift the Faboulos One sat me down and gave me a continuing education
on my ever expanding big time adjustment to the realities of the sports betting world. In short he told me when you get out into the real sports book world, do not believe everything you see and hear. With guys like Billy you never know there is so much they do. He said in that instance he was just stopping in for some action, (pause) Today. Now that does not mean it will not be buisness as usual Tommorow
and that he wont send Jerry over there to the counter to take advantage of us, but today he was after personal action and came to where he knew he can get it and at what prices without all the new books in town bullshit. The type of transaction you were involved in is how things used to be in another time and place when men could come to the bookie openly and talk out the transactions in speakeasy
voice thus comeing to a mutually satisfying situation for both parties on a given situation at the time.
I told that story because I was surprised to see Billys name in the paper that included Robert Walker in it. The reason why is upon seeing Billys name I was instantly whisked back to that day as well as others when he would come in and I was reminded of how far I have come since those days. I am Bobby Davis and Donny D trained in old school bookmaking principles and got to see first hand what the old
independent houses did to survive as we had no race book as well as he started as a writer at churchill I believe and worked under true
legends himself as well as along side a few that are directing books today and living in thailand in one persons case. I am also Robert Walker trained to the hilt as he spent a lot of time teaching me real world ways of running books as well as Joe Lupo and Bob Scuuci to boot. In the end I could see the the direct line of 13 yrs past in an instant as I am doing better than I ever have professionaly and a direct line can be drawn to the teachings of those 2 and my successes today.
I often wonder for those who have gone thru the process of getting to a place like this if they remember fondly there early wide eyed days when being on the very inside and current with the moves was life itself and is all you ever wanted to do and know about.
I also wonder if you had a chance to do it all over would you take the advice of someone like a Billy Baxter and go make something of yourself or would you do it all again?
in 1990 which would have been Christmas time. I had worked an internship that summer at the Tropicana and while college interns can not be seen to making bets for themselves my bosses sent me to get there tickets in so I became familiar with the book there that way and is how I wound up there. This story picks up 1.5 years in but encompasses my general wide eyed mindset at the time. I will go back at some point and pick up from the begining as well as dip into my time at UNLV where going to college at from 87-91 was very diffrent than what going to college like anywhere else in the world was like and of course includes stories from the strip.
This story I wrote on MW Dec 6th. I was brand spanking new to fourms period and had never participated in anything offshore until the stroy that sparked this memory appeared there on the 5th. I also had no clue at the time that the very people I had always most wanted to know about, be around and then later where they had dissapreaed to were sitting in that fourm. Man was I ever happy to find the VOG. Scotty S. being chief among them by far.
OK. Before this thread dissapears let me tell you about a baby Sugar Bear who was working at the the Tropicana during the football season of 92 the day Billy Baxter and his wife come walking in 1 Sun I did not know it at that moment but then manager Bobby Davis now
long time manager at Leroys and his assistant the shoe box wise guy himself the fabulos Donny D, did. They stood on either side of me as he walked to my window and introduced him to me. I was like wide eyed and stunned at the same time as a legendary betting figure stood before me looking to make some bets. Now just a little background here. First before I ever came to Vegas I had absoutly no betting background at all and new nothing of point spreads and games. By 92 I did and also believed that the wise guys I had heard about and tried to read eveything about were about in there 40,s tops. Not the mid 60's or so he and the very first one I met and thought I wanted to be just like in Herbie Hoops. Man was I naive. So staying with the naive thing here now I am thinking man whats this going to bet and how much. Let me tell you, not as much as I thought and it showed on my face. So after making his bets and asking Bobby about my story he suddendly focuses in on me and says "son do not believe everything you hear and think about wise guys,
not every bet we make is on the grand scale the books and papers would have you believe." He goes on to say:" as it were my RV is parked out in the circle and me and my wife are going camping I just stopped in for a little action for the ride on down. He also told me
"son you are to smart for all this and this is not the life you want to live. Go back to school get your education and make something of yourself. Just remember to thank me later." Should have listened. In any event I sit there awed as he is walking away saying hello to his runner as he walks out the door. Later after my shift the Faboulos One sat me down and gave me a continuing education
on my ever expanding big time adjustment to the realities of the sports betting world. In short he told me when you get out into the real sports book world, do not believe everything you see and hear. With guys like Billy you never know there is so much they do. He said in that instance he was just stopping in for some action, (pause) Today. Now that does not mean it will not be buisness as usual Tommorow
and that he wont send Jerry over there to the counter to take advantage of us, but today he was after personal action and came to where he knew he can get it and at what prices without all the new books in town bullshit. The type of transaction you were involved in is how things used to be in another time and place when men could come to the bookie openly and talk out the transactions in speakeasy
voice thus comeing to a mutually satisfying situation for both parties on a given situation at the time.
I told that story because I was surprised to see Billys name in the paper that included Robert Walker in it. The reason why is upon seeing Billys name I was instantly whisked back to that day as well as others when he would come in and I was reminded of how far I have come since those days. I am Bobby Davis and Donny D trained in old school bookmaking principles and got to see first hand what the old
independent houses did to survive as we had no race book as well as he started as a writer at churchill I believe and worked under true
legends himself as well as along side a few that are directing books today and living in thailand in one persons case. I am also Robert Walker trained to the hilt as he spent a lot of time teaching me real world ways of running books as well as Joe Lupo and Bob Scuuci to boot. In the end I could see the the direct line of 13 yrs past in an instant as I am doing better than I ever have professionaly and a direct line can be drawn to the teachings of those 2 and my successes today.
I often wonder for those who have gone thru the process of getting to a place like this if they remember fondly there early wide eyed days when being on the very inside and current with the moves was life itself and is all you ever wanted to do and know about.
I also wonder if you had a chance to do it all over would you take the advice of someone like a Billy Baxter and go make something of yourself or would you do it all again?
LMFAO. Big Time. :lolBIG: Shhh. Keep it a secret.
