The World Series of Poker, an internationally televised
event that put game Texas Hold ‘Em in the popularity spotlight and drove
millions to take up the game did just appear out of nowhere and create a new
celebrity class out of ordinary average guys and gals who became poker champs.
Binnion’s Horseshoe Casino, in Las Vegas became
synonymous with big bucks jackpot and the much sought after silver bracelets in
the early days of the World Series’ rise to national prominence. But most didn’t
know the story of the founder of the event, the casino that was its early home
and the infamous background from it evolved.
Until now. Blood
Aces – The Wild Ride of Benny Binion: The Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas
Poker by Doug J. Swanson, details the checkered past of the Texas cowboy
who would stop at nothing to succeed. While the creation of Las Vegas is the
stuff of gangster legend, Binion’s tale is a much grittier and darker story.
Swanson, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative
journalist for the Dallas Morning News, pulls no punches in detailing the often
blood soaked story of Binion’s rise from the rough and tumble dirt tracks of
Texas to becoming one of the most legendary figures in the Las Vegas story that
is chock a block with colorful, legendary characters. This one makes a great
read for poker fans, and fans of real life gangsters alike.
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