Benny Binion’s colorful life story slated for television series
Years ago in Las Vegas, a friend of professional poker player Doyle Brunson relayed an alarming message: If Brunson didn’t work with mobster Tony “The Ant” Spilotro on a poker-room cheating scheme, the card player known as “Texas Dolly” would end up with 12 ice picks in his “big fat belly.” Doug J. Swanson tells the story of this threat in his 2014 biography Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker. Spilotro, the Chicago Outfit’s street enforcer in Las Vegas during the 1970s and early 1980s, was known to demand a cut from illegal ...
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Netflix crime drama ‘Griselda’ highlights story of ‘Godmother of Cocaine’
The Netflix limited series Griselda, inspired by the true story of the Colombian “Godmother of Cocaine,” tells the story of…
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The Top 5 Mob myths: Hollywood’s creative license drives misinformation
From The Godfather to Griselda, the Mob is firmly embedded in pop culture, which comes with a few drawbacks. In…
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The 1863 draft riots and the birth of the New York City Police
On July 13, 1863, during the Civil War, New York City burst into flames when the federal government started a…
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Artifact Spotlight: Frank Calabrese Sr.’s handmade dictionary
“PRISON: IS WARE I AM AT,” reads an entry in the handmade dictionary of Frank Calabrese Sr., former boss of…
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Classic Mob drama ‘The Sopranos’ first aired 25 years ago
When the groundbreaking HBO series The Sopranos debuted in 1999, it was an instant hit and a critical success. It…
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They don’t just kill each other
Innocent victims of Mob violence are one of the most underreported aspects of organized crime. This is due in part…
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The Buffalo Mafia’s ill-advised art thefts
“Art Collection Is Looted; Loss Put at $1.3 million,” read a headline in the August 22, 1968, edition of the…
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