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Comped
The price you pay when living it up and doubling down in Atlantic City. This book is a must read for anyone who has a family member or friend being "comped" in the casinos. The author, in his main character Richie V., will take you on a roller coaster ride of a lifetime as he reveals his short-lived High Roller adventures in the casinos of Atlantic City. From his first room being "comped" to the limos, helicopters, and lavish penthouse suite's that the casinos provide as they cultivate their mark.
447 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2012
This was a petty engaging auto biography of an addicted, high roller in Atlantic city. it's entertaining, and provides a good insight into the industry, but the book still lack a lot. The author is a poor writer, and the story has no resolution. There were so many time while reading that I just couldn't believe his actions, and the story certainly ropes you into his ups and downs. I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a movie version in the coming years.
In the end, the book lacks a lot but still has enough to keep the pages turning.
In the end, the book lacks a lot but still has enough to keep the pages turning.
July 18, 2012
What can I say? It's a pageturner! And full of unabashed offensiveness, like "Oh shit, look at this, just what I needed, an Asian dealer."
Rife with comma splices, derogatory language (chinks, wops, whores, fags, etc.), and glaring double-standards, it's the kind of story only a white dude who hit the upper-middle class in the 70's and 80's could tell without stopping for a single breath or to ask if you need a break from his bullshit to go to the bathroom.
Presented as fiction (with casino names changed, etc.), but it's not (12-step anonymity & forever non-professional stuff?) and maybe because of that he slips in some unbelievably great stories of crooks and mobsters. But don't worry, 12-step haters - he doesn't even mention Gam Anon until the very very end, and he never buys into it in the book. If you've ever been to a speaker's meeting, though, this guy is like a lot of classic dudes you've heard. You groan at their sense of entitlement, crazy-ass egos and lack of political-correctness, but they tell stories better than almost anyone. It's interesting to google this guy and see how much of an anti-casino (and apparently anti-stripper and who-knows-what-else) activist he is; part of what is interesting to me personally about him and this book is seeing how an author and activist and 12-stepper balances and presents.
Anyway, the book is totally entertaining and full of tension and excitement. I kind of wish there were enough books like this to make a whole genre (like Harlequin Romance: Casinos and Corvettes but for men and without much romance, just lots of getting rich then poor then rich then poor because I'd read them UP! Please let me know in comments if there ARE lots of books like this and if so, where I can find them.
Rife with comma splices, derogatory language (chinks, wops, whores, fags, etc.), and glaring double-standards, it's the kind of story only a white dude who hit the upper-middle class in the 70's and 80's could tell without stopping for a single breath or to ask if you need a break from his bullshit to go to the bathroom.
Presented as fiction (with casino names changed, etc.), but it's not (12-step anonymity & forever non-professional stuff?) and maybe because of that he slips in some unbelievably great stories of crooks and mobsters. But don't worry, 12-step haters - he doesn't even mention Gam Anon until the very very end, and he never buys into it in the book. If you've ever been to a speaker's meeting, though, this guy is like a lot of classic dudes you've heard. You groan at their sense of entitlement, crazy-ass egos and lack of political-correctness, but they tell stories better than almost anyone. It's interesting to google this guy and see how much of an anti-casino (and apparently anti-stripper and who-knows-what-else) activist he is; part of what is interesting to me personally about him and this book is seeing how an author and activist and 12-stepper balances and presents.
Anyway, the book is totally entertaining and full of tension and excitement. I kind of wish there were enough books like this to make a whole genre (like Harlequin Romance: Casinos and Corvettes but for men and without much romance, just lots of getting rich then poor then rich then poor because I'd read them UP! Please let me know in comments if there ARE lots of books like this and if so, where I can find them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews