I just finished a book (after having just received it yesterday) that I can highly recommend: "24/7: Living It Up and Doubling Down in the New Las Vegas," by Andres Martinez.
The concept behind Mr. Martinez's non-fiction work is this: He was given a $50,000 advance on his book, with the understanding that he would use that money on a 30-day gambling binge in Las Vegas, and then would chronicle his experiences.
I believe Mr. Martinez carries it off VERY well. He, in my view, hits much of Las Vegas on the head. For example, Mr. Martinez, clearly a novice gambler, does a nice job describing the feel of the two games he spends most of his time playing: blackjack and, of all things, baccarat.
In fact, some of the finest passages in the book are when he describes playing in the high-limit baccarat areas, a game I have never played. After describing the rules of the game (as they had been described to him), he notes that there are no decisions to make other than whether you will bet "Player" or "Banker" at the beginning of the hand. He goes on to remark: "It's that simple. So simple I felt cheated. Despite all the hype surrounding baccarat -- its separation from the rest of the casino, the James Bond associations, the phenomenal sums of money involved -- this was like betting on a coin toss. In the case of the people around us, betting a lot of money on a coin toss." Yet, in his description of his baccarat play, he makes the game seem so intriguing that I now want to give it a shot.
The book also had some solid humor that I think most of us LV regulars would enjoy. At one point, he sits at a table he thinks is a blackjack table. He writes, "the dealer looked me in the eye as I fubmled with my chips and asked, 'You realize this is war?' 'Fine, but let's try and have some fun while we're at it, dear,' I quipped, being the debonair guy that I am. But no, turns out she wasn't being philosophical. This really was a gimmicky new game called war, which was nothing other than the game -- and that does seem like too good a name for it -- we played as kids on long trips. Highest card wins. . . . Talk about betting on a coin toss!"
Mr. Martinez also does a nice job of describing the various hotels he stayed in, a few of the restraunts, but mostly he tries to portray the feel of the town and the various characters he meets while there.
In short, I think the book was as even-handed a treatment as I've seen given Las Vegas, and a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.
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Mark L. in NJ
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Mark L. in NJ
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