Will the realWizard of Odds please stand up!!
Also, for those of you that played in Vegas in the 70s; Did you know about all of this back then or was it a revelation years later when the internet came out? I would love to hear how you feel about the whole situation and if you ever had any dealings with these types of people.
It's in that giveaway TV thing. You're not missing much, by the way.Quote: 1BBAtlantic City had it's own Wizard of Odds for years. He may still be there but I haven't picked up the magazine that he writes for in a while.
Quote: SanchoPanzaIt's in that giveaway TV thing. You're not missing much, by the way.
Some of the ads for escort services were pretty funny.
Quote: GWAEWhile reading it I stumbled upon this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Angelini whom had the nickname of The Wizard of Odds. Mr. Wizard is that where you got the name or is it just a coincidence?
Yes, I got the idea of the moniker from Don Angelini. Fortunately, he isn't alive any longer to whack me for it.
Quote: GWAE
if you ever had any dealings with these types of people.
I was in Vegas for the first time in 75 or 76.
The mob types were around, but they were
just regular guys. Not like the movies at
all. Lots of expensive suits, lots of short
stocky Italian looking guys, but it was all
business, nobody thought anything about
it. The Mob didn't even know how to act
like the Mob till the Godfather came out,
they even admit it.
The biggest difference between now and then
is everybody in the casino was friendlier in
the 70's especially the dealers. Not like now.
Quote: GWAEThis afternoon I watched one of my favorites movies, Casino. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy this movie. After the movie I went on Wikipedia to read about what was real and not real about the movie.
I was still on the street when they were filming Casino in Las Vegas. I have the movie on DVD. I recognized many places where the scenes were filmed. The entire movie was filmed in Las Vegas. Even the scenes that were supposed to be in Chicago were filmed in Vegas. They used special effects to make it look like Chicago, putting snow on the ground and tall industrial buildings in the background. The gas station/garage that was supposed to be the drop off for the skimmed money in Chicago was actually Joe Sobchic's old closed down gas station next to Atomic Liquors on 10th and Fremont.
Atomic Liquors, my old watering hole, made a few appearances in the movie. The scene where Pesci sticks the guy with the pen then stomps the hell out of the guy was filmed inside Atomic Liquors. Some of the outside scenes were filmed outside of Atomic Liquors. I could tell by the carpet that the casino scenes were filmed inside the Riviera. One of the scenes where De Niro and Stone are arguing in a restaurant was filmed at the Center Stage Restaurant in the Plaza. The scene where DeNiro catches Stone with her boyfriend was at the Mexican restaurant on North Main that's sitting in the parking lot of a hotel. The opening scene with the exploding car was filmed in the parking lot of Main Street Station.
I knew Joe and Stella Sobchic well, they were very nice people, devout Catholics. They both lived to be about ninety and died just a few months apart. Joe told me that some of his customers in the old days were Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, and even Barbara Streisand would come in and shoot pool.
I followed the fate of the Atomic online after Joe and Stella died. It was shuddered for a few years but is back open now. Pawn Stars recently filmed a scene at the Atomic.
Quote: mickeycrimmI was still on the street when they were filming Casino in Las Vegas. I have the movie on DVD. I recognized many places where the scenes were filmed. The entire movie was filmed in Las Vegas. Even the scenes that were supposed to be in Chicago were filmed in Vegas. They used special effects to make it look like Chicago, putting snow on the ground and tall industrial buildings in the background. The gas station/garage that was supposed to be the drop off for the skimmed money in Chicago was actually Joe Sobchic's old closed down gas station next to Atomic Liquors on 10th and Fremont.
Atomic Liquors, my old watering hole, made a few appearances in the movie. The scene where Pesci sticks the guy with the pen then stomps the hell out of the guy was filmed inside Atomic Liquors. Some of the outside scenes were filmed outside of Atomic Liquors. I could tell by the carpet that the casino scenes were filmed inside the Riviera. One of the scenes where De Niro and Stone are arguing in a restaurant was filmed at the Center Stage Restaurant in the Plaza. The scene where DeNiro catches Stone with her boyfriend was at the Mexican restaurant on North Main that's sitting in the parking lot of a hotel. The opening scene with the exploding car was filmed in the parking lot of Main Street Station.
I knew Joe and Stella Sobchic well, they were very nice people, devout Catholics. They both lived to be about ninety and died just a few months apart. Joe told me that some of his customers in the old days were Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, and even Barbara Streisand would come in and shoot pool.
I followed the fate of the Atomic online after Joe and Stella died. It was shuddered for a few years but is back open now. Pawn Stars recently filmed a scene at the Atomic.
that is very interesting. I am not sure how old you are but I assume you were around in the 70s when all of the original stuff was happening. Did you know of the mob status in Vegas? or was it an eye opener, years later when books and movies started to be made?
I live in Pittsburgh and I just read this morning that there is a mob outfit right here. I have never had a clue that the mob had an outfit here and still does. At the local casino I see some people usually in the VIP room on their phones and I can hear them talking about the lines of games. They are usually older and now it makes me wonder if I was sitting next to a mobster.
Quote: GWAEthat is very interesting. I am not sure how old you are but I assume you were around in the 70s when all of the original stuff was happening. Did you know of the mob status in Vegas? or was it an eye opener, years later when books and movies started to be made?.
My first time in Las Vegas was 1980. I had worked for a few months cleaning carpets for Coit out of Santa Barbara, Calfornia. We covered an area from Santa Ynez all the way down to Oxnard and Camarillo. I drug up on the job in January 1980 and thumbed to Las Vegas. I was almost 27 years old. I got dropped off on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara. That big gift shop on the northwest corner had a casino back then. There was a sign that said free beef stew. I went over and had a bowl. Then I bought a newpaper and went through the classifieds looking for a cheap weekly hotel. I found one for $50 a week. But it was it was on North Main Street close to St. Vincents. It was a real dive. And the neighborhood sucked.
I got a job selling ad space to local business's over the phone for the Casino Employee News. The first downtown casino I went into was the Union Plaza....and I also hit the Golden Nugget. The Nugget was much different then than what it looks like today. I got paid on commission everyday for whatever ad space I sold. I was blowing the money every night in the casinos. I was broke every morning when I went to work. I was telling myself "I'll never have any money in this stupid ass town." Two weeks later I thumbed out of town headed for parts unknown.
(The Wizard of Odds was, IIRC, Trebek's first game show in the USA; it was on NBC from mid-1973 through mid-1974.)
