Story time from the book:

Some of my favorite places to be are places or venues where people are just people..

Ballgames, the beach & yes, the sportsbook..

People can be just people..

Famous, rich, smart, sexy, doesn’t matter..

Today, I woke up & heard that Larry King died..

and it reminded me of a story..

Back about 14 or 15 years ago, I was working an opening shift in the book downtown at the Golden Nugget..

It was a Wednesday and it was me and Marissa, my Filipino co-worker who was a Keno writer turned sportsbook writer..

Marissa didn’t like..

sports, mornings or people, so she wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine when you worked with her..

There were times I know she was asleep sitting up, and she perfected the art of not speaking English like Sammy Sosa did at the steroid senate hearings..

It was an art form to watch..

her tell a horse player “I don’t understand you” and watch their frustration before they came to my window for their ticket..

“Aqueduct, $2 exacta key 5 slash 2, 4, 7, 8, 9. $1 tri 5 slash 2,4,7,8,9 slash all. $10 across 5.”

Tickets would come out and the guy would look at..

her and go “see, he can do it.”

“Then go to him then,” she would say back.

Genius. Pure genius.

She did it with the horse guys all the time. Or when she was tired or didn’t feel like working.

It was a masterful plan, but I didn’t mind because it kept me busy. And she did..

help if I got too busy. She really was a good person. She just lived that Vegas life too hard sometimes.

Nevertheless, Marissa’s mug got me most of the horse guys on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Now, keep in mind, Downtown Vegas is not the Strip. It is the home of the OG’s..

who just keep showing up and keep grinding..

Not alotta celebrities or famous faces popping in to play the late double at Santa Anita, let alone fire on a game on the regular..

But, sometimes, they did..and when they did, I was the only person to recognize them..

Marissa and..

my other day shift writers were all the “grown ups“ who showed up on time, did their shift and left. They were not interested in who the people on the other side of the counter were at all.

Me, different story. I liked bullshitting with them because I didn’t get much out..

of my co workers..

Whether it was Downtown Benny, Hungry Hal, the Crab or a famous person, it didn’t matter. And the money most definitely didn’t matter.

All the cash was green & the bankroll relative.

Come up, call out your bet, pay, check your ticket. Same for everybody..

In between races and games, the rap sessions began..

“You believe that?” “He can’t coach.” “That was a terrible call.” “Use the whip” “Wire!”

You heard it all. Sometimes, you engage. Sometimes, you let them go on their soliloquy..

The best was when a guy would come in to..

play or bet and NOT want to be recognized..

Back to that Wednesday..Marissa is sitting with her head down and looking off customers like Aaron Rodgers looks off safeties..

Guy comes up to my window to bet the first race at Aqueduct..he is older, has a New York accent and..

a cap on his head..

He calls out his bets perfectly, spends $90 on the first race, gives me a c-note, checks his tickets and takes his change without saying a word as it’s right at post..

I remember thinking “who is this guy? 1-He knows what he is doing as far as calling out..

the bets and 2-He just spent $90 on the first race. That was a lot per the usual crowd!

Race 2, he comes up, same thing. Hat is pulled down low, glasses, bets called out perfectly, another $100 bill.

But this time, when he checked his tickets, he looked at my name tag..

then looked me right in the eye..

“Dave from Pittsburgh, huh? You a Pirate fan?

And there he was. Larry King. I watched him ask so many people so many questions on his show over the years. And here he is asking me a question.

“I am. Even though they make it tough sometimes...”

He laughed.

Then he said “Clemente was one of the best ball players I ever saw. I really enjoyed watching him play. You are too young to have seen him, huh?”

Only in highlights, but he was great.

“My name is Larry, Dave. I’m going to be here all morning betting Aqueduct..

Would you mind if I just came to your window?”

Another question from Larry King!!

“No, Larry, I don’t mind at all. I’ll be here all day.”

“Great kid. And don’t take it personal, but I am going to check my tickets every time.”

And he gave me that look and smirk as he walked..

back to his seat..

I turned to Marissa and said “Did you hear that? Do you know who that is?”

She didn’t even flinch. “Da-veed, I don’t know and I don’t care. Why?”

I said “It’s Larry King. He is a very famous talk show host.”

She was less than impressed.

She looked at me..

and goes “what did he bet?”

Horses. Aqueduct.

“Oh, Da-veed, if he is a horse player, he is all yours. I am not doing horses today.”

And she was serious. So Larry King and I had an interaction every 15 minutes for about the next two hours..

We talked about baseball mostly..

because he asked me in either the 4th or the 5th race what I liked and I answered “I don’t know, I didn’t even look.”

I couldn’t say I’m not a horse guy at this point to Larry King, as we were on a first name basis and all..

“Just look at the board and give me a couple a..

numbers, Dave from Pittsburgh.”

First glance.

“2 and 9, Larry.”

I didn’t have a clue, I just threw out two numbers.

He goes “Gimme a $10 2-9 exacta box and put em in the last leg of the tri key just in case. I can’t cash anything so far. Maybe you have a winner.”

Oh man..

Felt a little pressure, but, I mean, Larry from Brooklyn hasn’t cashed a ticket yet either so this could be a score..

Race goes off..

By the quarter pole, you knew. We all knew. We had donkeys not horses. I am not even sure either one finished the race.

Before the next..

race, he came to the window and said “Dave from Pittsburgh, maybe you should stick to baseball.”

Pause.

“HELLO! Larry from Brooklyn, how many tickets you cash today?”

He paused. Then smirked.

“Fair point, Dave from Pittsburgh.”

And that’s how it went the rest of the day..

and the next day..

Larry King leafing through the Form, making plays at the window and talking baseball between races..

And calling me “Dave from Pittsburgh” every time..

He didn’t have too much luck that day, but he was kind, gracious and personable like he won the Pick 6..

I give the horse guys a tough time, but they usually are the best characters..

Rest In Peace, Larry from Brooklyn

I hope you catch that late double..

Not just another day in the book..

@threadreaderapp unroll