When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder

by Steve Fischer

What is it about Las Vegas that captivates us? Is it how the skim worked at the Stardust and how millions of dollars walked out the door uncounted? Or what really happened when Frank Sinatra threw a chair at the casino boss of the Sands? Did you ever hear the story about how some very bad Vegas guys rigged the gin rummy games at the Friars Club and took a bunch of famous people to the cleaners? Howard Hughes had some weird notions about the Silver Slipper and put his money where his paranoia was. It's all Vegas, and it is fascinating history.Vegas in the '50s and '60s was indeed another world. Those were the days when small-time gamblers like me, in town with my wife for a weekend of shows and great food, could ride down the elevator at one of the Strip hotels with Lucille Ball, have an A table at the Versailles Room at the Riviera to see Rowan and Martin, with Edie Adams opening, and laugh until it hurt when Buddy Hackett played the old Congo Room at the Sahara.Behind the scenes, the Mob ran Vegas in those days. And stories abound. Through years of study and interviews and just talking to people from all strata of Las Vegas comes this book, a glimpse into the money, mayhem, and murders of early Vegas.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Crime, Biography

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2005

About the author

A retired executive, born c.1944.

Reviews

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really glad this is a book I did not pay my hard earned money for. Since I've set a goal of 20,000 pages in a year, I need all the books I can get my hands on so when my Dad gave me this one, I jumped in. When the Mob Ran Vegas starts off on the wrong foot when the author talks about wanting to write about Las Vegas because he is selling memorabilia on Ebay. As bad as that is, the actual stories are repetitive in two ways. Many people appear in three or four of the stories and are introduced in each as if the reader wouldn't know who they are and most of the actual stories follow the same exact structure. A mafia guy wants to open a casino, here's all the financial trouble he went through to open it, things went well for a while then he either gets killed, jailed, or reassigned by the mafia. That maybe the truth, but it isn't particularly exciting. The only interesting parts from this book are about how much of a scumbag Frank Sinatra and Jerry Louis were. These small tidbits don't make you want to buy this book for your friends like the author suggests at the end of the book either. While the self-promotion and schilling in the book are certainly in bad taste, the greater sin is that this book simply isn't particularly interesting or fun to read and that should never happen when talking about crime in Las Vegas.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very easy, very quick read, and that's what sucked about it. I didn't want it to end. It left me wanting more stories about Vegas in the good 'ol days. In fact every time my wife and I visit Vegas, it makes me wish we could hop in a time machine and visit the Vegas from the good 'ol days.

Attention Mr. Fisher! I'm anxiously awaiting your Vegas showgirls book! What's the hold up?!?!?!

[Still · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this book. Very short vignettes about mob figures of the early days of gambling Mecca Las Vegas, info on all of the schemes, would-be-scammers (schlemiels who dared double-cross their ruthless betters), and trashy broads from nowhere towns who made good by being very bad girls in Vegas.

My only complaints are that some of the tales are repetitive and some of the language has been sanitized in certain places while not in others.

For instance, the author paraphrases Mob capo di tuti capi Frank Costello's final kiss-off to Estes Kefauver, chair of the Senate Committee On Organized Crimes In Interstate Commerce, as "Go stick it in your hat". He then got up and with his attorney walked out of the hearings.
Hell- I wanted to know what he actually said -not an approximation.

But then again, there's this sequence involving an exchange between Senator Kefauver and Bugsy Siegel's lady friend, Virginia Hill:

Then Senator Estes Kefauver made a mistake. He began asking Virginia Hill about her income.

How come she was given so much money by so many men, he wanted to know.

There was the doctor in Chicago, and the two Mobsters in New York, and Ben Siegel, and the millionaire in Mexico, and the New York concert violinist -all giving her money over the years, for no apparent reason.

"How come that's the case, Miss Hill?" Kefauver asked. She demurred once. Kefauver pushed, and she replied.

HILL: Senator, are you SURE you want to know why these men gave me money?

KEFAUVER: Of course I want to know, Miss Hill.

HILL: Senator, they give me money because I'm the best damn cock sucker in the United States!"

Supposedly, that's an actual quote. I have no other Mob books I can use to check the veracity of this quote.
It's a funny story.
If it's true.

[Edward Champion · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is shockingly bad, with a "command" of prose that is akin to a coked-out attorney drafting a PowerPoint slide or a basement dweller futilely collecting "facts" for a badly written Wikipedia page. It takes one of the most alluring subjects of the 20th century -- Bugsy Seigel, the Kefauver trials, the Havana Mafia Conference, Las Vegas -- and turns it into a spectacular bore. I had hoped to get some insight, but this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know or anything I couldn't find through a Google search. Avoid this book at all costs.

[Leah K · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder by Steven Fischer

★★

The author of this book started writing its stories after he posted some of his early Las Vegas memorabilia on eBay. He quickly found out that people were more interested in the background information of the item than the item itself. Thus, a book was born on random history from the early years of Las Vegas, back when the mob was in charge.

I found this to be a difficult read. Besides the print being far too small (proving I need to get my eyes checked) there just seemed to be little cohesion to the stories within it. Often times a story would start, a dozen different names would be dropped that one had never heard of, and the story would end somewhere completely different leaving me thinking “Wait…what just happened? What does this have to do with anything”? It literally hurt my head to read this. Also, the author often puts in his opinions where facts are unknown. On one annoying case he stated “This is how I think it happened…” and at the end of said snippet said “and that’s the truth of what happened.” So which one was it? After that I read most of this book with a grain of salt. A better editor would have done some good as well.

There were some interesting facts but as stated, I was unsure what was really true and what wasn’t. I think there was a lot of potential in this book but it missed the mark for me. Better research and writing could have saved this.

[KJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. There were some editing errors and repetitiveness (such as the story about Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes - Yes yes, we get it, the boys were having a sword fight over the girl) but the author did a pretty good job of helping the reader keep track of so many people. There were a lot of 'players' in the story of Las Vegas and the mob so it was a bit of a brain drain to read through all the names and try to keep track of who did what; but the author did as well as anyone could have in my opinion. I never knew Frank Sinatra was such a brat in so many ways. Interesting little stories.

[Hlsmlane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less than a history, and not a memoir, this book traces mob-related activities in Las Vegas, mostly in the 40s and 50s. It also gives a sort of a resume of some of the principal operators in the gaming business. And Fischer provides some anecdotes about famous people and a few instances of personal encounters with them. The Vegas portion mainly concerns money; the mayhem and murder that relate to Vegas mostly take place elsewhere (the mob was very concerned not to scare off the marks.) Not terribly well-written nor well-organized, the book is nonetheless of value to anyone who has a connection or interest in the Vegas scene.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this one in an airport book shop at McCarran in LV. Read it on the plane. A collection of stories (true with citations) giving much of the history of Las Vegas from 1931-1975 when the mafia influence was considerable.

Some fun stories about Sinatra, Monroe, Kennedy. A few fun photos of the old hotels. Not a great book, but good for somebody who likes Las Vegas history.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read about the hey day of Vegas when the mob ran things. The book is basically a series of short essays packed with information. The author could have done a better job of stringing these various essays together into a more cohesive volume.

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like listening to grandpa tell a story... Very repetitive (it was built out of a set of background stories for memorabilia sales) but told with great affection for the subject. You can't help but feel the Vegas mystique.

[Bmj2k · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting at times, but when you finish you have read the same stories about the same people over and over in nearly every chapter.

[Kieran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really entertaining light read! The stories were fun for what it was, if you like hearing about mob guys getting popped casually I'd reccomend it

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really interesting stories in this book.

But it would have been significantly better with a good editor. You can tell this is a collection of essays rather haphazardly put together.

I read the Johnny Roselli story three times in three different chapters -- each mention apparently oblivious of the prior ones. With a little more editing, this book would have had a bit more cohesion. On the other hand, a better blurb would have emphasized that this was a collection of essays and my expectations would have been different.

4 stars for the insider knowledge, but 2 for editing -- so a 3 overall. :)

[Jennilee Autry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so many things…not any of them good. This book would have some hope with a good editor. This sounds like the ramblings of a grandpa telling stories as they come to mind with no rhyme or reason to the order or continuity. The book jumps around, repeats stories and backgrounds, and doesn’t even explain other characters in the book. Many times it was hard to stay awake reading this one.

It gets 2 stars because there are a few good (albeit poorly written) stories in the beginning. Don’t waste your money or your time

[Patrick Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very difficult to follow. Sure some of the stories are great, however it just doesn't flow. It bounces around from hotel to hotel and then back again. Most mob books I find difficult to put down, this one I found dificult to keep picking up. The author can't provide any inside accounts or secrets about the orgainization at all. He is just a person who loves the city of Las Vegas and used the book to look back upon the golden years and give a little history with it.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting! The author has collected tons of behind-the-scenes stories of the creation and ownership of the big hotels in Las Vegas in the 1950's and 1960's. We encounter stories of the different big Mob families at that time. I learned many ways to skim money from the house. *laughs*

Different stars are presented as they work in Las Vegas, especially Frank Sinatra.

Like "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos," this book is filled with fascinating tidbits of the Mob at that time.

[Gerald Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really, this was sort of fun! Clearly written by an amateur, and probably self-published, but the author clearly does know a bit about old Vegas, and the anecdotes are entertaining. Perhaps it isn't proper to say this, but from personal experience I can state that Vegas was friendlier, and a much better deal, when the mob was in charge. The present day bean counters have made Vegas a colder place.

[Shawn Koca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting history of Las Vegas. The most interesting fact I found was the HUGE relationship between Omaha and Las Vegas! Lots of interesting stories about the mob guys. Although I thought the cook was a bit choppy in its story telling and I found myself going back to re-read certain things but overall it was fun to read.

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collector of all things Mafia in Las Vegas, Steve Fisher began selling his collection on eBay with accompanying short stories. This is a collection of these stories. This book reads poorly and feels like exactly what it is, a collection of poorly written eBay advertisements. Stay away from this book.

[Sandy Chilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Somewhat confusing at times, as the author does not move you along chronologically. Book is comprised of more "short stories" about Las Vegas / mob history. Supposedly all true; references are good, I believe the guy!

[Jennifer Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book with little vignette-style stories of the mob in Vegas. It's like you sat down with Grandpa for dinner and he started rattling off stories of the old days - no real rhyme or reason, no liner plot to how they are told.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was somewhat of an insiders view of the salad days of the mobbed up Las Vegas. The stories are short and to the point. It seemed to be aimed at the local people rather than a wide audience. It drops all the right names, both celebrity and wise guys.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about organized crime, and there are plenty of stories within this book. Only problem is the flow. It's not exactly a story with a plot. It's a bunch of little personal stories,rumors about people,places and activities of Vegas and the Mob. Hard to keep reading for me.

[Ashley Hobgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this book out of curiosity. I enjoyed reading this book because I learned more about the history of Las Vegas. I loved the personal stories that were added. I thought the book was well written. It is a must

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even thoough the books jumps around a bit, double tracking so to speak, if you have a history of going to vegas, or just an interest in the history of Las Vegas...this was a quick, fun read...

[cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a transcript from a long conversation with a chatty uncle.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting if you live in Vegas or love Vegas. A little dry if you aren't particularly interested in knowing all of the gory details about the history of Sin City.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, though unverified, anecdotal history. Put in the guilty pleasure category and leave it at that.

[Wildwomble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised at how dry a book on mob run Vegas was at the beginning but it got a bit more interesting as it went along.

[Joe Sukeforth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read... very conversational in tone. Some of the stories were boring, but most of them were interesting. I love mob stories and I love Vegas, so I enjoyed it.