Official Binion's (Horseshoe) Downtown Las Vegas Stories Thread

Not sure how I came across it but I enjoyed this episode of the "Heads Up with Remko" podcast in which Chris Moneymaker was interviewed. http://podcast.pokercentral.com/head...ris-moneymaker

It made me long for the days of the poker boom when it was new and exciting and 90% of the players were terrible. Fast forward to 45:23 for a cool story I've never heard before. Moneymaker talks about getting into a dick measuring contest (figuratively speaking) with Nick Binion at Binion's Horseshoe.

Binion's is a total shit hole but I love to stay downtown and drop in there to get a free photo in front of the milly and play a tournament or two during the summer. Got any good stories about Binion's?

Played my first vegas poker tournament there. I'll save you all from the bad beat story that befell me & just say that one of the Binion's tried to pick up my wife while I was playing.

I once found a lot of silver in the desert.

Looks like an interesting interview to listen to, but I'm not paying $$ to listen to a podcast. Is pokerGoNetwork same as the one the evil empire used to charge $$ to watch the live streams at WSOP this summer?

I first went to Binions in 1999 for my first WSOP. I was the typical hometown poker champ, and like most of them, I had no idea I had so much to learn still. I essentially blew my entire bankroll playing $300 single table satellites against likes Tony Ma and T.J. Cloutier. It wasn’t until 2007 that I went back, but in the meantime I studied up and improved my game, got more experience, and eventually broke through with a second place finish in limit hold’em in 2011.

No clue when, likely 2003. The place was on its last leg and lots of the casino had been shutdown by GC when they didn't have enough onsite reserves. The poker room was on its last days under Binion management. (I might have some of this wrong..) This was actually before the poker boom, or in the very early days of it. I was playing what was probably 4/8 killed to 6/12 with white chips, O8. The pot ended up being like 7 ways all-in due to all the shortstacks and a few of us pumping nut hands. I always found chaos funny and remember watching in amazement as the dealer calmly made a sidepot in front of every all-in player. There were probably 4 racks in all the pots, each person have many towers of white chips. It was before cellphone cameras, but I so wanted to take a picture of this. They stacked the chips too, being as it was O8. Dunno, if I saw such a thing now it might not even phase me... but thats sorta what poker is about, sitting around waiting for some rare occurance.

Friends kept telling me the single and double deck blackjack games were good there, so I finally went.

This was in 2001.

The dealer was an older white guy, and was a complete dickhead.

The count went high immediately and I kicked up my bets. I got off to a bad start and lost some big bets in a row. Then I started to come back and won some, then I started to lose again.

Rather than keep his mouth shut, the asshole started to say things like, "You look too stressed out. You need to relax. You shouldn't look so pissed off while playing. You need to calm down."

Keep in mind I wasn't cursing, wasn't slamming my fists down on the table, wasn't getting angry at the dealer, and wasn't exhibiting any kind of outward behavior of an angry gambler. Yes, I'm sure I looked stressed and frustrated, but so what? I was losing money and I had a right to feel annoyed with the situation, even if it was just annoyance at bad luck.

Anyway I tolerated it for a short time, then I finally couldn't stand it anymore.

I grabbed my chips and said, "You need to let people gamble in peace. Nobody wants to hear your editorlalizing. You need to deal cards and shut your mouth. Next time this happens, I'm going straight to your supervisor."

I walked away, down about $1200, and never played blackjack there again.

Ever think that he knew you were counting & was trying to disrupt & throw you off?

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Originally Posted by Hockey Guy

Ever think that he knew you were counting & was trying to disrupt & throw you off?

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He didn't. I don't think I was there long enough for that betting pattern to be clear, since the count went up so fast.

And even if he did, the dealer doesn't give a shit about it.

It is a myth that dealers care about counters. With rare exceptions, they don't.

I could also just tell that this guy was really speaking his mind and just felt like being an asshole to a young guy playing there, betting "big" (by 2001 Binion's standards), and looking unhappy.

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Originally Posted by anchordraw

Looks like an interesting interview to listen to, but I'm not paying $$ to listen to a podcast. Is pokerGoNetwork same as the one the evil empire used to charge $$ to watch the live streams at WSOP this summer?

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You don't have to pay. Just follow the link and stream it for free or download the podcast on your device's podcast app.

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

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Originally Posted by Hockey Guy

Ever think that he knew you were counting & was trying to disrupt & throw you off?

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He didn't. I don't think I was there long enough for that betting pattern to be clear, since the count went up so fast.

And even if he did, the dealer doesn't give a shit about it.

It is a myth that dealers care about counters. With rare exceptions, they don't.

I could also just tell that this guy was really speaking his mind and just felt like being an asshole to a young guy playing there, betting "big" (by 2001 Binion's standards), and looking unhappy.

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I always assumed that dealers were told to look for this & try to combat it or at least relay their suspicions to the floor.

I like Binion's summer poker series that they put on during the WSOP. I hate the Rio. About 5 years ago I played a few daily deepstack events and had literally the worst time I've ever had at a poker table. That's a story for another day but I've never been back since. Besides, I'm a low roller who doesn't play bracelet events so I have no need for it. Binion's is my scene. Low buy-in tournaments for all variants of poker. Great structures. Super fast cocktail servers. And I don't know why but I love how scummy it is. The Golden Nugget tournament across the street is fine but still feels a little too polished. I like to sidle up next to the dirtbags at Binion's and play some street poker.

One year I played a PLO8 tourney and a HORSE tournament the next day. I swear there is no other game where you will find worse players than a live PLO8 tournament. Not sure how many times I've seen hands where someone calls a raise in middle position with something like 77J2, flop a set on a 237 board with two to a suit, happily get it all in against someone who is freerolling with something like A456 double-suited and then shrug their shoulders on their way out lamenting, "What could I do?"

I didn't cash in the PLO8 tournament but final tabled the HORSE tournament the next day despite it being my first time playing HORSE live. One thing about Binion's is that the tournaments are populated by tons of local Old Man Coffees (OMCs). I had a run in with an OMC who I was beating in every Stud pot all day. He kind of looked like Jackie Mason.




The early levels of limit tournaments are often inconsequential so I was coming along with very speculative holdings and I seemed to always be calling this one guy's opening raises. I kept smashing straights against this guy and must have announced "Straight!" (somewhat obnoxiously perhaps) several times to beat him. He was losing his mind. At break I could hear him ranting and raving to his pals how this guy kept on sucking out on his rolled up hands in Stud. "Straight! Straight! Straight! This fucking guy!" After break he wouldn't let it go. He's one of these older guys who can never believe his bad luck. One of his buddies also final tabled so he was basically railing me the rest of the tournament and every time I was all in he rooted against me. Seriously. What a dick. His buddy and I busted on the same hand during a Razz hand. I think he had half his buddy's action so he was pretty happy with his cash and didn't seem to notice that I busted.

Fast forward a year later and I was back at Binion's with my friend The Gooch. We played the HORSE tournament even though Gooch didn't even know the rules of most of the games. That morning at the hotel pool I explained how Razz works. Lo and behold, I get to my starting table and who should be seated next to me? My Jackie-Mason-looking rival from the previous year. I asked him, "Hey do you remember me?" He takes one took at me and shouts...

"STRAIGHT!!!!"

Ha, he did remember. He claimed to have nightmares for weeks about me. We buried the hatchet and, in the end, he turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Said his name is Flip. Anyone know him?

I busted just short of the money but funnily enough, The Gooch made the final table. Lucky fuck.

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Originally Posted by Hockey Guy

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

He didn't. I don't think I was there long enough for that betting pattern to be clear, since the count went up so fast.

And even if he did, the dealer doesn't give a shit about it.

It is a myth that dealers care about counters. With rare exceptions, they don't.

I could also just tell that this guy was really speaking his mind and just felt like being an asshole to a young guy playing there, betting "big" (by 2001 Binion's standards), and looking unhappy.

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I always assumed that dealers were told to look for this & try to combat it or at least relay their suspicions to the floor.

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The reality is that dealers want you to win. They have zero company loyalty, and winning players tip more.

In 2004, after MoneyMaker's amazing win Binion's Horseshoe was overwhelmed by players.

Unfortunately, Becky Binion had no idea how to manage it.

She ran the place into the ground and sold Binion's Horseshoe and the World Series of Poker brand for next to nothing to Harrah's Entertainment.

Why didn't Jack Binion take over?

At the time, he was running casinos in Mississippi that eventually would be sold to Harrah's.

Benny Binion is rolling over in his grave at his family's incompetence.

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Originally Posted by TheXFactor

In 2004, after MoneyMaker's amazing win Binion's Horseshoe was overwhelmed by players.

Unfortunately, Becky Binion had no idea how to manage it.

She ran the place into the ground and sold Binion's Horseshoe and the World Series of Poker brand for next to nothing to Harrah's Entertainment.

Why didn't Jack Binion take over?

At the time, he was running casinos in Mississippi that eventually would be sold to Harrah's.

Benny Binion is rolling over in his grave at his family's incompetence.

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Who was the next generation Binion that fed/played a lot of high stakes limit games? I can't remember his name, but you used to hear about him. I assume it was Becky's kid, but I don't know.. Druff, do you remember?

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Originally Posted by donkdowndonedied

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Originally Posted by TheXFactor

In 2004, after MoneyMaker's amazing win Binion's Horseshoe was overwhelmed by players.

Unfortunately, Becky Binion had no idea how to manage it.

She ran the place into the ground and sold Binion's Horseshoe and the World Series of Poker brand for next to nothing to Harrah's Entertainment.

Why didn't Jack Binion take over?

At the time, he was running casinos in Mississippi that eventually would be sold to Harrah's.

Benny Binion is rolling over in his grave at his family's incompetence.

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Who was the next generation Binion that fed/played a lot of high stakes limit games? I can't remember his name, but you used to hear about him. I assume it was Becky's kid, but I don't know.. Druff, do you remember?

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Benny Benhen

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Originally Posted by SetofKs

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Originally Posted by donkdowndonedied

Who was the next generation Binion that fed/played a lot of high stakes limit games? I can't remember his name, but you used to hear about him. I assume it was Becky's kid, but I don't know.. Druff, do you remember?

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Benny Benhen

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I wanted to say Benny but I knew it wasn't Benny Binion. Was there a Nick? Benny Benhen sounds right though. Is the name just coincidence or is there a story behind it?

[edit] Yes there was a Nick too. (fuck I have a good memory) These guys were colorful. Stories of them beating up Sandy Murphy and shit at Pieros. lol google. I'd forgot all this shit...

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Originally Posted by donkdowndonedied

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Originally Posted by SetofKs

Benny Benhen

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I wanted to say Benny but I knew it wasn't Benny Binion. Was there a Nick? Benny Benhen sounds right though. Is the name just coincidence or is there a story behind it?

[edit] Yes there was a Nick too. (fuck I have a good memory) These guys were colorful. Stories of them beating up Sandy Murphy and shit at Pieros. lol google. I'd forgot all this shit...

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Benhen roughed up Stupak (RIP) there or at a similar restaurant once too. Stupak didn't talk to the cops though cause he aint no snitch.

dustin used to hang out with Benhen if I remember correctly

Behnen was shit. Benny Binion was quite brilliant, but the rest of that family was (is) trash for the most part.

Seems most everybody really liked Benny Binion too except for his enemies, and it was very stupid to become his enemy. He turned into an evil icon if you fucked with his money.

Can't really go around being a gangster outside of snapchat. Which one roughed up stupak and which stupak? I had a friend who caught a limo somehow with stupak jr. I forget who it was though.

I need to go to pieros if it's still open. Once I was staying in the Riviera and completely pickled. I'd been pickpocketed at strip club earlier in the night and hadn't even realized it yet. I went to 24 hr cafe and There were these two obvious Italian dudes talking about how all that Mafia s*** doesn't exist anymore and you cant get jobs anywhere. I forget the words they were using but they looked over me and saw that I was drunk as f*** and sort of talked freely. Only time I felt near that world.