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From Publishers Weekly
In the 1970s, a young Marcus was introduced to the art of "pastposting," a form of casino cheating that involves switching bets at roulette, craps or blackjack after the outcome has been determined. For the next 25 years, he and his team-a "mechanic," a "claimer" and a "frontman" (who cases the place for security)-traveled the casino world, cheating their way to millions in profits. Considering that this account is often a rodomontade to Marcus's felony theft, it is entertaining- assuming, that is, that readers are comfortable with his depiction of casino cheating as a war between the amoral gambling industry and the noble albeit equally amoral author and his team. Even allowing for hyperbole and dramatic license, the serendipitous escapes, harrowing backroom interrogations and a Billy the Kid/Pat Garrett-like rivalry with a relentless security chief feel like plot devices. Marcus (never caught and now retired) is likable and creates suspense as he takes on casino after casino. His habit of vilifying casino personnel who challenge him (suspicious women dealers are "bitchy," and male dealers who thwart him are "paranoid") is amusing if unintentionally so. Readers who find vicarious thrills sharing the rush of risking thousands of dollars against years in a Nevada prison will appreciate this title.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Today you can hardly turn on television without seeing a behind-the-scenes show on exposing gambling cheats. Here you can learn it from a real pro. Marcus was a career cheater for 20 years. His most creative invention, dubbed the Savannah (named after a stripper), involves hiding a large-denomination chip under a five-dollar chip on a roulette layout and then removing (or raking) the big chip just when you know your number didn't win. Sounds easy enough, but what about the ever-present "eye in the sky" or even the dealer? No problem, says Marcus; you just act dumb and pretend you didn't know the ball had fallen. And believe it or not, he prospered in the world's greatest casinos by employing this simple system. Although getting into the cheaters' heads is extremely entertaining, it is certainly a guilty pleasure, for it's hard to cheer for a common thief, even if he is an underdog. A fun read, but don't try these tricks on your next trip to Las Vegas. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Praise for American Roulette :
"In this memoir, a grafter with a predator's understanding of human frailty recounts his true adventures swindling casinos the world over. Marcus's prose is so detail-rich it's as if you're fattening your pockets and running from the "steam" [i.e., angry casino muscle] right alongside him." - Details magazine (October 2003)
" American Roulette provides the titillating thrill of being welcomed inside a forbidden world. As fun as it is revealing."--Michael Konik, author of Telling Lies and Getting Paid and The Man with the $100,000 Breasts and other Gambling Stories
"Richard Marcus is that rarest of tour guides: a real insider who offers an unvarnished account of how he cheated casinos out of tidy little piles of money....a rare tell-all."--Timothy L. O'Brien, author of Bad Bet: The Inside Story of the Glamour, Glitz, and Danger of America's Gambling Industry
"So much fun to read that this book deserves to be in two sections of every bookstore - Crime and Magic. One of the most original books on gambling and Las Vegas that I've ever read."--Bert Randolph Sugar, author of The Caesars Palace Sports Book of Betting
Book Description
In American Roulette , Richard Marcus tells his never-before-heard story, of ripping off casinos. The book follows Marcus, along with several of the world's great professional casino cheaters, as he travels from Las Vegas to London and Monte Carlo, pilfering large sums of money from casinos by performing sleight of hand magic tricks with gaming chips. As skilled cheaters, they back up their moves with psychological setups to convince pit bosses that they're watching legitimate high rollers getting lucky, while in fact they're being ripped off blind.
With the exploding growth of casino gambling, heightened by Indian reservation and riverboat expansion, more and more elaborate casino cheaters are illegally assaulting the green-felt, getting rich off of novice casino personnel. Richard Marcus's insider story is a window into the hidden world of intriguing personalities and tense situations he encounters as a member of expert casino-cheating teams who use their wits to turn the odds upside down and "earn" millions. American Roulette is a fascinating story not only for those who occasionally casino-gamble, but for everyone with a little larceny in their heart.
Back Cover Copy
Praise for American Roulette :
" American Roulette provides the titillating thrill of being welcomed inside a forbidden world. As fun as it is revealing."--Michael Konik, author of Telling Lies and Getting Paid and The Man with the $100,000 Breasts and other Gambling Stories
"Richard Marcus is that rarest of tour guides: a real insider who offers an unvarnished account of how he cheated casinos out of tidy little piles of money....a rare tell-all."--Timothy L. O'Brien, author of Bad Bet: The Inside Story of the Glamour, Glitz, and Danger of America's Gambling Industry
"So much fun to read that this book deserves to be in two sections of every bookstore - Crime and Magic. One of the most original books on gambling and Las Vegas that I've ever read."--Bert Randolph Sugar, author of The Caesars Palace Sports Book of Betting
About the Author
Richard Marcus has done nothing but cheat gambling casinos since he was twenty-one. He was born in New York and has lived all over the world.
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