Here’s my conversation with Doug Swanson about his book, “Blood Aces: The Wild Ride Of Benny Binion, The Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas.” We discussed Benny’s origins in the Lone Star State and why he had to leave, how he set up Binion’s Horseshoe as a place to gamble — not to see shows, and how he and other gangsters ran that town for decades. I also asked him about the myth of the high-stakes heads-up poker match that Nick The Greek and Johnny Moss supposedly played over five grueling days, how Benny created the World Series Of Poker, and how his legacy changed from bad guy to beloved citizen of Las Vegas.
Watch the conversation above, or listen to the audio-only version.