I've been a gambler my whole life, ever since I started pitching pennies and shooting marbles. I hate to lose, so most of my education came on the cheap, and I've stayed with games I could beat, and steered away from people and games I couldn't. Near the beginning, I was a nine-year-old kid playing... Continue Reading →
The Christmas Tree Casino
In 1946, John and Alice Ross built the Christmas Tree casino way up near the top of Mount Rose with spectacular views leading down to Washoe Valley. In 1947 the couple added a restaurant with the help of a hand-shake $10,000 loan from Nick Abelman who drove past their joint every morning and every evening... Continue Reading →
Bert Riddick – Nevada Gaming Pioneer
The Tahoe Village at South Shore Lake Tahoe circa the 1940s Authoral - Al W Moe Bert Riddick Bert Riddick was a Native Nevadan, born in the tiny mining town of Carlin. His wife, Vivian's family, was from Ely, Nevada, and Bert and Vivian spent their lives in Northern Nevada, traveling between Tonopah, Ely, and... Continue Reading →
Las Vegas Sports Wagering and Viewing
Betting on your favorite team wasn’t legal in Nevada until the 1940s, but you could always find a local bookie who would lay a line for you. At the Country Club in Lake Tahoe, you could talk to Doc at the bar, any night after 9 pm and get a bet down. Nickle lines were... Continue Reading →
Bill Harrah – Nevada Gaming Pioneer
Bill Harrah came to Nevada to open casinos in the 1930s.
Nick Abelman – A Gambling Man
Reno gaming pioneer Nick Abelman's life in casinos
Lake Tahoe’s Cal-Neva Lodge
It's been nearly 100 years since Robert Sherman gave his Cal-Neva cabin at Lake Tahoe's North Shore to Norman Biltz, who leased it to Bill Doyle, who opened a little casino, who did well enough to convince Biltz to sell it to Bill Graham and James McKay. Yeah, that's not even the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
Nevada Pioneer Steve Pavlovich
Steve Pavlovich was born in Yugoslavia in 1889. He came to America armed with dreams and a promise of a good life. What he found were rough-and-tumble characters who would rather beat you for your pennies than give you the time of day. He traveled from New York to New Jersey to Wyoming before arriving... Continue Reading →
The Lure of Casino Chips
What is it exactly that makes people collect casino chips? Is it the round shape? After all, who hasn't taken a coin of some type and flipped it - heads, tails, heads, tails............that's got to be a universal urge. But chips, I'm not sure. The fact that you can hold a chip in your hand... Continue Reading →
Reno’s Town House Casino
Reno became the Divorce Capital of the World in the 1930s. Open-gaming was legalized in 1931 and the state lowered residency requirements to six-weeks for divorces. So, people arrived in droves, ready to "take the cure" as they called it, and hotels were available for those on the rich side. Those with more adventurous souls... Continue Reading →