Omar T in LAS VEGAS GlossaryFiction & Reality
Somewhat Alphabetical (R)=Real (F)=Fiction
Kirk Kerkorian and Mo Dalitz (R) Las Vegas real estate and movie studio mogul Kirk Kerkorian died on June 15. He was 98 years old, making him the world's second oldest billionaire - Las Vegas real estate and movie studio mogul Kirk Kerkorian died on June 15. He was 98 years old, making him the world's second oldest billionaireMorris Barney Dalitz (December 25, 1899 – August 31, 1989) was an American gangster,[1][2] businessman, casino owner and philanthropist. He was one of the major figures who shaped Las Vegas, in the 20th century. He was often referred to as "Mr. Las Vegas" His investments in Las Vegas began in the late 1940s with the Desert Inn. When the original builder of the resort, Wilbur Clark, ran out of money, Dalitz and the Cleveland Mayfield Road Gang bailed him out.[10] The casino opened in 1950. Clark remained the public face and frontman of the resort; Dalitz quietly remained in the background as the real owner. He also ran the Stardust Resort & Casino for a time after the death of Tony Cornero. Dalitz owned the Desert Inn until 1967, when he sold it to businessman Howard Hughes. The last casino that Dalitz owned was the Sundance Hotel Casino, later renamed Fitzgerald's,[9] and most recently, The D Las Vegas.
Terms - Vegas LingoDouble down – doubling your bet
Let it ride – adding your winnings to your original bet for the next deal, roll
A Chipy, chiper, chip hustler – a usually sexy dressed woman who hangs around gamblers, hoping for “chipping”
Lefty Rosenhals wife, Geri (think Sharon Stone in the movie Casino) was a well known chipper before they met - a type of courtesan who look to hang around high rollers, give them luck and get tipped and/or sell other services off some of these men’s slip chips into their purse.
Greased palm - giving some cash to someone in hopes of a returned favor
Claimer – a front person, who is sent in to collect jackpots and payouts for cheaters
Skim – skimming off cash to keep it off the books, and thus pay no taxes
On the take – Vegas was built on the take, people tipping people for service and information. “To succeed in this town you had to take care of those who can help you – looking for someone to assist you out of the goodness of their heart used to be an oxymoron in this town but this system is at odds with the new corporate culture that wants everything to go through their computer systems”
Shills – they play with house money to attract other players to a table, generate action
A Cooler – “old school” men of bad luck whose job is to seek out a hot table and join in to cool it, as in the movie “The Cooler” starring William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello
Crossroader – card manipulator (cheat)
Tokes = tips, though with marijuana legalization, this term seems certain to go up in smoke
Color up/out = table attendants trading fewer, larger amount chips, for your smaller amount, more numerous chips
And:
Royce’s restaurant, Monterey CA (F) Omar’s family restaurant is fictional but has resemblance to the author’s former restaurant, Royce’s name was penned to honor a great Utah restaurateur, Royce Rosendaal. Who gave the author his first restaurant job.
Pajaro Street Grill (R) Deamer’s former dinner only restaurant. Founded in 1999, enjoying a twenty-year run, two blocks from “Oldtown,” Main Street, Salinas. The birthplace of Chef Omar, who has taken over the web site,
psgrill.net, to keep you informed of his adventures and share a passion for food and hospitality