Anyone here remember a place in Vegas called

RIOSHILL · Jan 25, 2004

They used to pretty much have no limit on any sport. I heard a great story about Bob stupak who beat Mayday for one million on a super bowl bet, and Mayday paid it without even a flinch. Mayday must have had some serious guys behind him.

Railbird · Jan 25, 2004

Yes, Mayday put up 6.5 and 7.5 for the Skins-Bills superbowl. He put up 20-1 for Wash to win by 7, he had that up for about a day and a half and then had second thoughts and made people put up the whole money on both sides.

SaltyBrine · Jan 25, 2004

Gene Maday was one of a number of outstanding books back when this town actually took a bet. That $1 million bet was on the 49ers-Bengals Super Bowl, where Cincy plus the pts was the spread winner (lost outright). Believe me when I tell ya Maday didn't need anyone backing him.

Gene also used to have a very solid opinion, especially on college football. On Friday nights, about 9 PM, he would write three or four teams he liked Saturday on a little chalkboard right near the front door (it was a very small casino in a small strip mall between Bally's and the Aladdin). He definitely gave out more winners than losers. Just a nice perk for the customers.

When Stupak won the million, he bought Gene some kind of a little car that looked like a rocket ship. You'd see it parked right outside Little Caesar all the time.

Definitely a bookmaker's bookmaker, of which there are now zero in this city.

Sidelight story from the same little casino. They dealt $1 "21" and a friend of mine got on a roll there one time the likes of which I've never seen. We were just hanging out waiting for his wife to get off work at Bally's, and decided to pass the time playing a buck a shot. Started with $10 each. I lost mine in about three minutes, which is about normal for me at that friggin' game. My friend did slightly better. Playing $1 per hand, he just took off. By the time the run ended about 45 minutes later (when his wife arrived), he had turned the $10 initial investment into about $2000, and this was with frequent tokes. Unreal but true.

Fishhead · Jan 25, 2004

I actually used to be a RUNNER for Gene Mayday in the late 80's.

Have spent countless hours in the joint and was very familar with most of the regular customers.

Some great characters and stories from that little joint that I could ramble on for hours about.

Dont get me started.

G.MONEY · Jan 25, 2004

LOVED THAT PLACE WHEN I LIVED OUT THERE IT WAS LIKE WATCHING THE MOVIE THE STING, AS THE CHARACTERS WOULD COME AND GO....THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS..........G......

Wrigley · Jan 25, 2004

Try going to Leroys sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas some real characters there that remind you of the good old days.

Fishhead · Jan 25, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Wrigley:
Try going to Leroys sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas some real characters there that remind you of the good old days.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wrigley- That placed closed their doors years ago.

Quite frankly, Little Ceasers had a better brand of characters.

Wrigley · Jan 25, 2004

They were open 2 years ago , last time I was in Vegas never had the chance to go to little cesars.

Wrigley · Jan 25, 2004

I think they operate out of the riviera now on the strip not the same as when they were downtown

Dante · Jan 25, 2004

Fishhead · Jan 25, 2004

Dante-
The Little Ceasers were talking about had the best food on the strip........bar none!

I loved the 8 day old popcorn riddiculed with smoke especially.

Made the beer go down faster too.

CharlieMaxwell · Jan 25, 2004

I remember going into Little Caesars in 1981 and seeing a 250-pound long-haired bearded guy with a drink in his hand playing the horses. His name was Michael Roxborough, yes the same "Roxy" that turned into a 160-pound clean-shaven oddsmaker for most of the Nevada sports books.

Only in America!

Charlie

soccerbob · Jan 25, 2004

Fish- Those were the days. Little Caesar's was a classic bookie joint. Gene Mayday would take huge bets and I'm sure as you know, many of them were taken in his office. Screw those pesky gaming regs. LOL. I always remember guys walking in with briefcases and going into Gene's office and coming out with the bet written on a piece of paper. Literally. Gene Mayday was the definition of a bookie.

Every freeloader in town knew you could get a free glass of beer at Little Caesar's and the hot dogs were pretty good too. But you had to pay for those. I think they were a quarter. There was a little motel between Little Caesar's and Ballys and a lot of hookers kept rooms there and were always hanging around the strip mall that had Little Caesar's at one end and Churchill Downs Race and Sportsbook at the other end. They always gave a "locals" discount.

As one poster mentioned above, Bob Stupak bought Gene Mayday a rocket shaped car and Gene parked it right in front of Little Caesar's. It had written on the side of it something like Little Caesar's- Home of the World's Fastest Bookmaker. I miss that place. Some good memories though.

LouDiamond+ · Jan 25, 2004

The easiest way to win back in th mid-late eighties was to slip the writer $20 bucks and ask him what sides Gene was heavy on. Than you would just look at the numbers and see.

A few times the writer would say he's a million heavy on so and so and just moved the line to invite more one-sided action.

In 1989 his Monday Night moves were 15-1.

Btw, probably the strongest connected guy in Vegas since Bugsy.

sportsadvisory · Jan 25, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Wrigley:
Try going to Leroys sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas some real characters there that remind you of the good old days.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have to admit I spent quite a bit of time at Leroys. I used to bet the horses and could also get whatever I "ahem" needed for the head there.

It was raided and shut down at least twice for raketeering issues.

The employees were quite friendly. I didn't know they closed.

Guest · Jan 25, 2004

Leroys now runs satellite books for the casinos that don't have their own operations. I think that they run the one at the Riv, etc.

Incidently - I was in the "Rose Bowl" sports book once in the morning. Their special was oatmeal. There were all these old guys walking around with little bowls of oatmeal. It was surreal.

-Zip

wilheim · Jan 25, 2004

Fish, tell us more about that 8 day old somke riddiculed popcorn. Sounds yummy. I remember one night I was in Little Ceasars waiting to meet someone, and decided to play craps. Mayday took big bets, but the casino table games had low limits, anyway the craps maximum bet was $50. I started with 3 or 4 hundred in my pocket, and made a $5 pass line bet, well I don't know who the shooter was, but he proceeds to roll a monster hand, I am up to the $50 maximum in a few minutes, unfortunately that was as high as I could go. I have to catch the best craps hand of my life at a low minimum table. I win around $800 or so. At the old Horsehoe the same hand wins $8000 maybe more. I don't mean to criticize the place, I knew the limits when I made the first laydown, it was just my luck to catch an elusive big hand at the wrong casino. I actually liked the place, and Gene as grumpy as he was, never gave me reason to not respect him. I have a lot of fond memories of the place like many others who have posted in the thread.

wil.

WEEKENDALKI · Jan 25, 2004

The most hilarious thing about that place was that they booked 25 cent craps, and no limits on sports.

Unreal.

Fishhead · Jan 25, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote">quote:<HR>Originally posted by WEEKENDALKI:
The most hilarious thing about that place was that they booked 25 cent craps, and no limits on sports.

Unreal.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Those 25 cent chips now bring a hefty amount more in the chip market!!!

Should have bought a $100 or so worth.

Wil- I would only eat a handful just to salivate my glands.

The greatest thing was I always had MONTANA MEL handing me beers so I never had to move very far from the game I was sweating out.

BAGIANT · Jan 25, 2004

Going back to that Super Bowl that Stupak bet, it was on Cinn., and since he was a hotel owner, Stupak got a discount on his one million dollar bet. He only had to lay 105 on his bet. That rockeet ship car that was out in front of Caesers was a "gift' Stupak gave to Mayday after he won the bet. It was one of the first electric cars that were commercially available.

L'il Caesers was known for taking the largest action on the strip. Big hotels would never take the action Mayday took, so they would walk or drive over from the big hotels to get their big bets down with someone who wasn't afraid of their action.

Mayday used to own a cab company in Los Angeles, and when he sold that he opened up L'il Caesers. He wasn't mob involved.

I remember one year, maybe 12 years ago that some guy bet a four teamer on the Wild Card games, and won something like 60,000 $, and came back the next week and bet $40,000 on another 4 teamer and won again. He got paid right then and there! I'm sure guys that useed to hang around there will remember that one!