Richard Marcus (1)

Assuming this book is to be believed in its entirety, Richard Marcus and his buddies made a living by stealing millions from casinos around the world over a span of 25 years. They used variations of a single method that relied on audacity and dexterity, not intelligence (no card counting or calculations of probability for them). At the roulette and blackjack tables, they would switch bets (laying in highly expensive chips) after the outcome -- commonly by diverting attention of the dealer. Their chief modification of this method (designed to outwit the ceiling cameras) was to place an expensive bet (with a high-end chip concealed under cheap ones) and only switch it out if it did not win. They usually succeeded because the casinos operated in good faith, because dealers were commonly tired and overworked, and because fellow players seldom told on them. They also routinely stole money from other casino patrons, and in one particularly shameful episode framed an innocent patron, who was led away in handcuffs.

Marcus' story has a certain vicarious attraction, and there were a few tense moments when they were suspected and even caught in the act; in the latter situation, they had to make a run for it. Indeed, I enjoyed reading the story. However, although Marcus rationalizes their activities on the grounds that casinos deserved to be stolen from, such a claim does not extend to their theft from other patrons. The fact is that he and his cronies were criminal felons who deserved very long prison sentences, no less so than if they had been robbing banks or stealing purses from old ladies. Further, there appears to be little honor among these thieves. Upon retiring from his life of crime, Marcus wrote this book, thereby endangering his cronies by revealing the methods they were still using. He has since written a few other books on similar topics, and established a website full of self-promotion and braggadacio.

This book is entertaining, but since it is intended as a memoir, the reader will want to know if it can be believed. Who knows -- the author is a self-confessed liar and cheat, and for all we know this book is his latest scam. It certainly reports highly unusual coincidences, and his supposed long-term rivalry with a chief of security at one casino (as an Amazon summary notes) reads like a plot device.

Although their lifestyle might appear glamorous and exciting, on close consideration, it must have been anything but. Aside from being constantly at risk of capture, prosecution, and imprisonment, Marcus and his male buddies lived for years in hotel rooms, ate nothing but restaurant food, and had with them only the possessions they could carry during travel from city to city. They had no homes they could call their own; never raised a child or trained a dog; never had an aquarium, a garden or a hobby; never climbed a mountain or went backpacking in the wilderness; never had a long term loving relationship; and never had the satisfaction that comes from doing a job well, or doing any actual good in the world. The irony no doubt escapes the author, but for 25 years, his was a pathetic and wasted life, and the person he cheated most was none other than himself.… (més)

American Roulette by Richard Marcus is not what I would call a good book, but it is a good story.
Let's face it, the guy is a casino pastposter (one who swaps a larger bet in after it wins), not an author. The book is entertaining, but frankly gets a little old after a while. There's only so much "Then we went to this other casino, put in a few moves, they didn't have a clue, ha, ha, and then we went to another one..." you can take before it gets repetitive. His brushes with "the steam" in the back rooms of casino are probably the most interesting parts. He also tells some good stories about pastposting history as he knows it. If you can pick it up at a library, it's worth a read just to get a glimpse of life on the dark side. But I wouldn't pay money for it (unless I was a casino owner!).… (més)