Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker

by Paul McGuire

Lost The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker. . . Las Vegas lures you to shed moral responsibility and piss away your money on indulgences like decadent food, entertainment, gambling, and sex. If you don't enjoy these pastimes, then what's the point of visiting the land of compromised values? Where else can you get a cheap steak, crash a Mexican wedding, get cold-decked in blackjack by a dealer named Dong, play video poker for thirteen straight hours, drink pina coladas out of a plastic coconut, bum a cigarette from an 85-year-old woman with an oxygen tank, speed away to the Spearmint Rhino in a free limo, get rubbed by a former Miss Teen USA, puke in the back of a cab driven by a retired Navy SEAL, snort cheap cocaine in the bathroom at O'Sheas, and then catch a lucky card on the river to crack pocket aces and win a poker tournament? Only in Las Vegas.

Genres: Nonfiction

249 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2010

About the author

Paul 'Dr. Pauly' McGuire is a writer originally from New York City. He has lived in Las Vegas, NV on and off since 2005, yet currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

McGuire covered the World Series of Poker and numerous other major poker tournaments for Tao of Poker, Fox Sports, MSN, High Roller Magazine, Bluff Magazine, Poker Player Newspaper, LasVegasVegas.com, Vegas Seven, Poker Stars Blog, and PokerNews. His poker travels have taken him to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Connecticut, Spain, Denmark, Monte Carlo, Australia, New Zealand, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, Mexico, the Bahamas, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Peru and the UK.

McGuire has also written for the UK Racing Post, Sportsbetting News, the OnGame Zone, the Borgata Casino, Las Vegas Business and Politics, Poker Pro Europe, PokerNews Magazine, Online Poker Pro, Poker From the Rail,Rise Poker, Wicked Chops Insider, Coventry Music, and Tao of Fear.

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright, not poorly written. But it felt like just a random collection of stories to give the writer an opportunity to name drop, denigrate those he felt were beneath him, and gloat about how many different drugs he got to party with. Maybe he sees himself as a modern personification of Hunter Thompson, but it's a weak and ineffective imitation at best.

[April Kyle Nassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. http://lostvegasbook.com/

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most fantastic stories ever told about Las Vegas and told in a way the brings them to life on an almost primal level. Brutally honest and amazing.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me want to create a guilty pleasure shelf just to put this book on it. What happens in Vegas is on display here, and even if a lot of it is basically self-indulgent repurposing of McGuire's blogs, the descriptions of the poker tournaments and all the personalities involved made it hard to put this one down. He lays it out there though and doesn't shirk from unflattering revelations. Fascinating train-wreck of a book.

[Andrew Haataja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pauly has a great voice and these stories are well written and funny. Really enjoyed reading this and look forward to more of his works.

[Eddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the author, but have to admit that the book was a bit of a let down for me. The writing overall was average and reads more like a series of magazine articles than an actual book - I don't know maybe that was the point perhaps. The plot was weak, but the behind the scenes info and background into Las Vegas was amazing. For the most part, the book didn't grab me and whilst I really enjoyed some parts which were very well researched, I found the vast majority pretty average and flat. I'm pretty sure that most of the good ratings came from people who have actually been there, unlike me, and know 'exactly' what the author is talking about having experienced it first hand. The fact that I haven't, left me desiring a lot more, and this is where the writing/story/plot was supposed to be enough to pull me through, but wasn't. Overall, I liked it, but it was an average read.

[W. Frazier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book smacks the reader with a hard-hitting look at the Las Vegas lifestyle. The narrative is written from a down and dirty, raw point-of-view -- a little coarse, a little tilted to the free-spirited-man-without-a-purpose perspective of things, and a little on the depressing side. With that said, the author has a talent for this type of writing, and a great understanding of the lifestyle. The WSOP play-by-play recaps were a highlight, as were the descriptions of the poker participants, and the year-to-year tournament action summaries. In the end, though, the book was just a little too "raw" for me.

[Dave Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex, drugs, and flopping the nuts. An honest write up of the "real" Las Vegas from an embedded reporter during several tours of duty covering the World Series of Poker.

Highly recommended for those enthralled with Vegas and poker. Or for those just interested in stories about the depravity of human beings. If you can't stand poker or continual talk about it, the personalities, and the heyday of the post Chris Moneymaker era, then stay clear. Otherwise it's a fast fun, and oftentimes hilarious read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to know what really goes on at, around, and behind the scenes of the greatest stage of Poker that is the World Series Of Poker ... Then read this book. There are humorous tangents and side stories to complement the general Vegas craziness as well.

[Dylan McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never really got into the whole World Series of Poker, but it was a good book to get a feel for it. The book constantly reminds me that I need to stay away from Las Vegas so I don't fall into the addiction traps.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poker boom might be over but the stories live on. Especially in Paul McGuire's Lost Vegas.

http://www.weberseite.at/buecher/lost...

[Chris Hiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great author who knows how to tell a degenerate story with intelligent undertones.

[Brian May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to know the real Vegas story, read this book.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. A modern Hunter S T.