I'll Do My Own Damn Killin'

by Gary W. Sleeper

People know of the notorious Benny Binion for opening the Horseshoe and becoming the most successful casino owner in Las Vegas. But before he became the patron saint of World Series Poker, Binion lead the Texas underground in a vicious, nefarious gambling war that lasted over fifteen years. With electrifying details and piquant style, author Gary Sleeper presents the previously unseen details of Benny Binion's life leading up to his infamous Las Vegas days, when he became the owner of the most successful casino in the world.

Genres: True Crime, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2006

Reviews

[Frank]

Books on organized crime are an excellent means to better understand the cities in which the stories take place, but who would have thought that good old boys in Dallas, Texas would outdo the Mafia in terms of intrigue, vendetta and sheer explosiveness? If you're stuck on Mafia books, you'll want to broaden your horizons with Gary Sleeper's shocking tale of the Texas gambling war. If you're from Dallas, you owe it to yourself to read this, even if you're not necessarily interested in organized crime. Sleeper understands that good books on the underworld are portals into the history, geography, culture and local color of American cities. Dallas is as much a character as Benny Binion and Herbert Noble in the eye-popping power struggle depicted in this book. And no understanding of Las Vegas is complete without this backstory either. Hang on to your cowboy hat!

[Aaron Lester]

Interesting read on the mob, Dallas, gambling & all things gambling. Gets a little dull at times & can get too far in the weeds.

[Doug Haskin]

Interesting to learn about the Dallas history of Benny Binion, before he became a Las Vegas legend. However, the book is poorly written and difficult to follow. A maze of names, dates, and events piled up in short chapters, with the same kind of "foretelling" statement at the end of each chapter.

[Jim]

Interesting read on a chapter of Dallas history I knew nothing about.