Harper Collins has posted the full text of Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos, by Tom Breitling with Cal Fussman. It’s available until April 14th. It sounds like a good story.
Their unlikely friendship began in college over an $(removed) veal parmigiana sandwich that led to a partnership in a hotel reservation business. Starting with a desk, a chair, a pillow, and a telephone, Tim and Tom grew a company that they sold during the dot.com boom for $(removed) million. This allows Tim to pursue his childhood dream of owning a casino and bringing back the glory days of Vegas.When Tim ups the odds and raises the limits to give gamblers the best game in town, a craps player nicknamed “Mr. Royalty,” who’s on one of the hottest winning streaks in history, heads for The Nugget. When he begins to take Tom and Tim for millions, the partnership is put to the test. But Tim refuses to back off on the odds or the high limits, telling his partner, “It’s a ballsy proposition here. It’s gonna be a roller coaster ride. But we don’t have a public company to answer to. It’s just you and me.”
When Mr. Royalty rolls twenty-two consecutive passes and rakes in a mountain of chips, he takes Tim and Tom to the brink. They must figure out a way to hold up The House.
Just as they do, the roller coaster ride really gets rolling–and the ride becomes crazier than they’d ever imagined.
