Benny Binion at the 1979 World Series of Poker

Lester Ben "Benny" Binion (November 20, 1904 - December 25, 1989) was a well known American casino owner and poker enthusiast. Download high resolution version (600x917, 39 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Download high resolution version (600x917, 39 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The 1979 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. ... Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey Poker is a card game, the most popular of a class of games called vying games, in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot, which is awarded to the player or players...

Early history

Binion was born and raised in Grayson County, Texas, north of Dallas, but moved to El Paso when he was 17. There, he began moonshining where he was twice convicted for it. In 1928, under fear of legal consequences, he gave up moonshining and opened a numbers game, or lottery, which was also illegal. While he was in El Paso he learned to gamble, a skill that would become important in his later life. Grayson County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 660 miles (1,065 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... ·· Flag Seal Nickname: Big D Location Location in the state of Texas Government Counties Dallas County Collin County Denton County Kaufman County Rockwall County Mayor Laura Miller Geographical characteristics Area     City 997. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Star of the Southwest and Land of the Sun Location Location in the state of Texas Coordinates , Government County El Paso County Mayor John Cook Geographical characteristics Area     City 250. ... Shine Road The name tells the history of this back road in Hemingway, South Carolina Revenue men at the site of moonshine stills, Kentucky, 1911 or before Moonshining is the making of whiskey surreptitiously and illegally; this name came about because the activity of distilling whiskey unlawfully was usually done... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1931 he was convicted of murder after shooting Frank Bolding who moved as if to attack Binion in a back yard where they were arguing. Because the reputation of Bolding was so poor, Binion only got a two-year suspended sentence. He would later kill a fellow numbers operator who first drew a gun on him. Binion was found innocent on the grounds of self-defense. 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

Family

Binion and his wife Teddy Jane produced 5 children: 2 sons, Jack and Ted, and 3 daughters, Barbara, Brenda and Becky. Jack Binion (b1937) is an American casino operator. ... Ted Binion ( -September 17, 1998) (aka Lonnie Binion) was a wealthy gambling executive and one of the sons of famed Las Vegas casino magnate Lester Ben Benny Binion, owner of Binions Horseshoe. ...

Largely due to their wealth and environment, both Barbara and Ted ended up having drug problems. Barbara attempted to shoot herself and was left with a badly disfigured face, and eventually succeeded in committing suicide in 1977. Ted, banned by the Nevada Gaming Commission for his involvement in drugs, was later murdered in 1998.

Casino years

Because of his own notoriety, in 1946 he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He became a partner of the Las Vegas Club casino, but left after a year because of disagreements about limits on bets. In 1951, Benny purchased the building which had previouslly housed the Las Vegas Club and opened it as the Westerner Gambling House and Saloon. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Entertainment Capital of the World Location Location of Las Vegas in Nevada Coordinates , Government County Clark Mayor Oscar B. Goodman Geographical characteristics Area     City 113. ... Official language(s) None Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  Ranked 7th  - Total 110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²)  - Width 322 miles (519 km)  - Length 490 miles (788 km)  - % water 0. ...

In 1951 he purchased the Eldorado Club and Apache Hotel opening them as Binion's Horseshoe casino. It immediately became popular because of the high limits on bets. Because of the competition, Binion sometimes received death threats, although eventually casinos raised their limits to keep up with him. Additionally, the Horseshoe would honor a bet of any monetary value as long as it was the first bet made. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Johnny Moss, Chris Wills, Amarillo Slim, Jack Binion, and Puggy Pearson outside the Horseshoe at the 1974 World Series of Poker Binions Horseshoe (now the Binions Gambling Hall & Hotel) is a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. ...

Binion was in the vanguard of Las Vegas casinos, being the first to install carpets, the first to have limousines pick up customers, and the first to give free drinks to players. Although comps were normal for high rollers, Binion opened the door for all players.

Binion said he followed a simple philosophy when serving his customers- Good food, good whiskey, good gamble. He was more generous to gamblers than any other casino owner on the Strip. The south end of The Strip. ...

Despite physically getting away from Texas, he still had legal troubles. He served time in Leavenworth Penitentiary from 1953 to 1957 for tax evasion related to his operations in Texas. He had to sell his share of the casino to pay around $5 million for legal costs, but in 1964 his family regained control. Benny, however, was never allowed to hold a gambling license afterwards, although he was on the payroll as a consultant. Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 660 miles (1,065 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... The United States Penitentiary (USP), Leavenworth is located in Leavenworth, Kansas on 1,583 acres (6. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

His sons Jack and Ted would become president and manager, respectively, and his wife Teddy Jane managed the casino cage. In 1998, Binion's daughter, Becky, took over the presidency after a legal battle, and Jack moved on to other gambling interests. Becky's presidency would not turn out well: in 2004, the casino was raided by the IRS and closed for non-payment of taxes, eventually passing into the hands of Harrah's Entertainment. It now operates as Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel under the ownership of MTR Gaming Group. Ted Binion ( -September 17, 1998) (aka Lonnie Binion) was a wealthy gambling executive and one of the sons of famed Las Vegas casino magnate Lester Ben Benny Binion, owner of Binions Horseshoe. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Seal of the Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ... Harrahs Entertainment, Inc. ... Binions Gambling Hall & Hotel is a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. ... MTR Gaming Group Inc. ...

Legends and legacy

In January of 1949, Binion arranged for Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek to play a head-to-head poker tournament which ended up being five months long, which Nick the Greek ultimately ended up losing. 42-year-old Moss had to take breaks to sleep occasionally, during which the Greek, then 57, went over to the craps table and played. After the final hand, and losing millions of dollars, Nick The Greek uttered one of the most famous poker quotes of all time, "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go." Johnny Moss (1907-1997) was a professional poker player. ... Nicholas Andreas Nick the Greek Dandolos (born in Rethymnon, Crete 1883-December 25, 1966) was a professional gambler and high roller. ...

After years of arranging heads-up matches between high-stakes players, this seed of an idea grew. Binion invited six high-rollers he knew to play in a tournament in 1970. They would compete for cash at the table, after which they would vote on a winner. Johnny Moss, then 63, was voted champion by his younger competition and received a small trophy. The next year, a freeze-out format with a $10,000 buy-in was introduced, and the World Series of Poker was born. The WSOP logo. ...

Binion's creation of the World Series helped the game of poker spread and become popular. He actually underestimated how popular it would become: in 1973, he dared to speculate that someday the tournament may have 50 or more entrants; the 2005 main event alone had 5619 entrants. He died of heart failure at the age of 85 on December 25, 1989 in Las Vegas. His friend and poker great "Amarillo Slim" Preston suggested as an epitaph, "He was either the gentlest bad guy or the baddest good guy you'd ever seen." He was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1990. Amarillo Slim at the 1974 World Series of Poker Thomas Austin Amarillo Slim Preston, Jr. ... The Poker Hall of Fame is a group of poker players who have played poker well against top competition for high stakes over a long period of time. ...

Benny never forgot his Texas roots and was a key player in getting the National Finals Rodeo to move to Las Vegas. He never forgot the cowboys after they arrived as he always paid all of the entry fees for all of the cowboys for their championship event. When the casino closed, Boyd Gaming took up the tradition that Binion started by continuing to pay all the entry fees. The National Finals Rodeo is the premier rodeo event in the United States. ... Boyd Gaming Logo Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) is a Las Vegas, Nevada based business engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels and casinos throughout the United States. ...

External links

• Article about Binion being one of the first 100 people to shape Las Vegas
• Interview in 1973
• PokerPlayer magazine profile