Original photo of dealers and bosses at Cal-Neva casino in Lake Tahoe, 1942.
Cal-Neva Pit Crew 1942
Reno’s Last 7-Card Stud Game
I learned to play poker in West Springfield, Virginia after my friend Barry Wilson invited me to play. We were high school freshmen, and the guys we ended up playing against were juniors and seniors. We both lost. In the coming weeks, we improved, but we were still dorks. To finance poker, Barry got a... Continue Reading →
Was there really Mob Muscle in Las Vegas?
If anything is certain in life besides Death and Taxes, it's that the Mob kept plenty of muscle in Las Vegas to protect its interests. In this case, the New York Mob started first, with a friendly visit from Meyer Lansky to the first club along what became the Las Vegas strip a dozen years... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles Crime Boss Jack Dragna
Jack Dragna from a Los Angeles Police Department Mug Shot - 1946 Jack Dragna, born Giacomo Tommaso or Ignazio Dragna in Corleone, Sicily, in 1891, was a notorious American mobster who rose to power in the early 20th century, leading one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Southern California. After immigrating to the United... Continue Reading →
The Chicago Outfit and Skimming Las Vegas
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’ve finished another book that deals with Las Vegas casinos and the impact organized crime had on the city and its eventual financial health as the 1980s rolled around. However, Vegas and the Chicago Outfit is primarily about how the Outfit came to power, how its early... Continue Reading →
Nevada Casino Poker Going Online
The Nevada legislature passed the first Internet gambling bill in the US on Monday, June 3, 2001, but it took until 2012 to grant approval to South Point Poker LLC as Nevada's first interactive gaming operator for intra-state gaming. The state's operators will have a tough time competing with established company's like William Hill, which... Continue Reading →
Harrah’s 30-years Ago
Next door to Barney’s at Lake Tahoe was Harrah’s Sports Casino. I walked in and was surprised by how small it was. There were about a dozen chairs for a keno game, several TV’s by the bar, a craps game, and half-a-dozen blackjack tables. They had little yellow signs with $1 to $100 on them.... Continue Reading →
My Early Poker Games and Chips
I saved my first casino chip in 1978. Although I wasn’t old enough to legally play poker at the Pacheco Inn (now the California Grand), I managed to get away with a few hours of Low ball to start my playing career. I lost. I didn’t go home completely empty-handed, because, from the $20 in... Continue Reading →
Al W Moe's Nevada Gaming History 