World series of poker 2006
Benny Binion
From: Las Vegas, Nevada
The world of big time gambling - and the city most closely associated with it, Las Vegas - has been known to produce more than a few individuals who have achieved the status of legend in our popular culture. Included in this colorful (sometimes criminal) crew, no name is more prominent then Benny Binion. He, as much as anyone else in the history of Vegas, was a critical linchpin in bringing the game of poker to a universal audience.
Like his best friend Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston, World Series of Poker hailed from the state of Texas. His earliest job was as a moonshiner, but he ran into trouble with the law more than once in this endeavor. Deciding it was a little too risky, he turned his focus to gambling. The lottery which he started in the late 1920s was also an illegal activity but Benny Binion always seemed to thrive in a world of risk. In 1931, he shot a man to death and was convicted of murder, but the victim was considered to be such a low life that Binion only served a two-year suspended sentence. Years later, another man would be sent to an early grave by Benny Binion but this was deemed a case of justifiable self-defense.
In late 1946 Benny Binion decided the state of Texas was a little too hot for him, so he moved to Vegas and became a partner of the Las Vegas Club Casino. In 1951 he opened the establishment with which he’d forever be associated, Binion’s Horseshoe casino. Instantly earning a reputation as a place where high stakes games were actively encouraged, it drew the most seasoned gamblers from all around the country. Benny was always on the cutting edge of the Las Vegas resort experience, being the first casino owner ever to offer free drinks to the players, among other perks. His ultimate priority was that gamblers had a good time in his joint, whether they won or lost.
The unbelievable - but true anecdotes associated with this man are enough to fill a book (indeed, they have on more than one occasion) but few are more memorable than the five-month poker tournament he sponsored between two bitter rivals. And while most people cannot begin to understand how or why any human being could be involved in such an endeavor, to men like Benny Binion it was as natural as breathing. He truly lived for gambling, whiskey and good times. He died in 1989 in the city which he defined in so many ways. And as a parting gift, he left in his will his beloved horse to his best friend "Amarillo Slim." You can be sure that, somewhere across the country, on any given night where people are gambling, someone is telling a Benny Binion story.
Author: Mark