http://www.dieiscast.com Writing about history, chance, and life from David G. Schwartz Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:40:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It's my last book review repost, and it's one that I've regretted inflicting on the wrold. Sheesh, this one brings back memories that might have been better buried. Just look at the cover: Looking through the shelves of fiction in UNLV Special Collections for pulp crime/gambling novels to read, ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/07/03/book-review-50-a-night/ My latest Business Press column is out, in which I turn an offhand comment by an LA Times movie reviewer into grist for 550 words about Fake Vegas. From the LVBP: Casinos, certainly, have taken their place as legitimate businesses, and a former Harvard business professor runs the world's biggest ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/07/02/fake-vegas-explored/ The new issue of LAB magazine is out (its motto: A wunderkabinet of creative culture. With a cherry on top.), and I've got an article in it about my virtual collection of casino carpet. I knew that if I kept this up long enough, I'd end up in the ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/07/01/casino-carpet-culture/ It's two days old, but better late than never. This is a well-written article about how big-time poker players make outrageous proposition bets for more than most of us make in a year. From the NY Times: Over the years, so-called proposition betting — the sometimes absurd, usually spur-of-the-moment ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/07/01/poker-prop-betting-in-nyt/ In a story that has only one obvious typo--nice work, editors!--we learn that, if you give people something besides warmed-over singers and comics in your showrooms, you can actually attract new people to Atlantic City casinos. Outstanding! From the AC Press: Casino shows used to feature aging crooners and ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/30/lifestyle-celebs-in-ac/ Most everyone knows that gaming revenues have dipped a bit, but it's not every day that the Economist covers Las Vegas, so here it is: THE media had a field day recently when Charles Barkley, a retired basketball player, was forced to pay a gambling debt of $400,000 owed to Wynn ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/27/the-economist-on-vegas/ There's a great contest happening over at VegasTripping. Win, and you could get a very rare and obscenely valuable signed copy of Roll the Bones, plus and unsigned copy of the mostly-overlooked Rush CD, Roll the Bones. It's a good deal, even if Alice in Chains' Dirt is ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/26/win-rtb-and-rush/ Guess what, it's the 21st century, and one of the guys running for president collects good luck charms. From The Swamp: The Obama campaign plays Las Vegas today, staging another "Change That Works for You" rally. En route, the presidential candidate was asked what lucky charms work for him. Curious about ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/24/lucky-chips-on-campaign-trail/ Reading this article by Virginia Postrel, I started thinking about how "inconspicuous consumption" might translate on the Las Vegas Strip. Then I got back to work. But then I figured I should share some thoughts with the rest of you. Here's just the most relevant part of ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/23/inconspicuous-luxury/ Under no circumstances am I encouraging anyone to see what seems, from the reviews, to be an abysmal attempt at a movie. But I'm perplexed by the throwaway reference to a Las Vegas Strip icon. From the LA Times: BEHOLD Mike Myers. As Guru Pitka, a self-styled Deepak Chopra wannabe ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/20/tribute-or-taunt/ Hey, they've finally posted my latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press. Here's a taste: The economy, as the blurb that crawls across your television screen says, is bad. Really bad. And don't you forget it. For those dealing in luxury goods and services, the perception of an economic decline ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/19/the-economy-and-room-rates/ This is certainly one of the more unusual conversations I've had in a while. The setting? The world-famous Peppermill coffee shop on the Strip, about 8 this morning, as I had breakfast with Sheldon Smith of the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club in preparation for my ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/18/accent-on-weirdness/ And the phones? What kind of office is this? Ah, it's OK. Shelly Levine just closed a big deal. None of that will make anything approaching sense if you've never seen Glengary Glen Ross, but trust me, it does. All of this is my lead-in to what is surely ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/17/they-took-the-leads/ I and pretty much anyone else who's ever seriously studied gambling have often said that people will bet on anything. Some proof to support that contention? I offer into evidence the $1.2 billion Indians reportedly bet on monsoons each year. From Online Casino Advisory: Itinerant traders spread the ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/16/monsoon-wagering/ At least that's what they tell me. I was interviewed for an episode of THS Investigates called "Vegas Winners and Losers." I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to represent. We did the interview in front of a blue screen, so they could put me in front ... http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/06/13/im-on-e-tonight/