Summary of Nicholas Pileggi's Casino

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Lefty Rosenthal, a baseball player, was raised on Chicago’s West Side and became involved in gambling. He was a professional player, and he believed that games were fixed. He knew some basketball players who practiced the art of missing basketball rim shots for hours every day.

#2 I was a kid who was interested in betting on sports. I would listen to the play-by-play of out-of-town teams, and I would read every newspaper I could get my hands on. I was getting chesty, and I was doing well.

#3 I had been waiting for this game. I had been watching it. I had bet Northwestern to beat Michigan State. I had missed the black ineligible player Johnny Green, who went on to be an All-American and professional player. I learned a lesson: I could not trust people to make up my decisions for me.

#4 I had spotters working for me who would watch specific players. I would take their notes, and then fly to the next town where the team played and watch them again. I knew everything there was to know about a certain limited number of games.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822523029

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Nicholas Pileggi's Casino

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Lefty Rosenthal, a baseball player, was raised on Chicago’s West Side and became involved in gambling. He was a professional player, and he believed that games were fixed. He knew some basketball players who practiced the art of missing basketball rim shots for hours every day.

#2

I was a kid who was interested in betting on sports. I would listen to the play-by-play of out-of-town teams, and I would read every newspaper I could get my hands on. I was getting chesty, and I was doing well.

#3

I had been waiting for this game. I had been watching it. I had bet Northwestern to beat Michigan State. I had missed the black ineligible player Johnny Green, who went on to be an All-American and professional player. I learned a lesson: I could not trust people to make up my decisions for me.

#4

I had spotters working for me who would watch specific players. I would take their notes, and then fly to the next town where the team played and watch them again. I knew everything there was to know about a certain limited number of games.

#5

Gil Beckley was the main industry in Newport, Rhode Island. He had thirty clerks working for him, and he ran the biggest layoff operation in the country. He could not tell you how many men were on a baseball team, but he was a bookmaker and layoff man who made millions.

#6

I met with Sidney, who confirmed that Benny didn't follow the games, but the price. Benny was the biggest bookie in Chicago because he paid on Monday. No matter what he owed you after the weekend, he would pay on Monday.

#7

Tony the Ant Spilotro grew up in an Italian neighborhood just a few blocks from Lefty’s home. He and his five brothers – Vincent, Victor, Patrick, Johnny, and Michael – slept in one room in three sets of bunk beds. Tony’s father, Patsy, owned a restaurant that attracted customers from all over town.

#8

Tony became a racketeer, or a member of a organized crime syndicate. He