Feature Story
'LEFTY' GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
Written by Frank Rosenthal on February 15, 2005
Frank's take on The Miami Herald Article
Click Here to read the Original Miami Herald Article
Back in the 1970s, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal ordered his security crew to crush the right hand of a card cheat he caught at the now-defunct Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas -- just as Robert DeNiro did in Casino, the 1995 film based on Rosenthal's life.
"NOW-DEFUNCT" - THAT'S NEWS TO ME, AND THE STARDUST. THE RIGHT HAND CRUSH. THEY (THE BANDITO'S) GOT LUCKY. SO DID WE. HAD HE AND HIS GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL THIEF'S BEEN LESS GREEDY (THEY WERE UP 50K AND COULD HAVE CASHED IN) AND MORE SELECTIVE, THEY COULD HAVE "MILKED" US ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. THEY WERE LOOKING TO TURN OUR LIGHTS OFF, AND THAT, PLUS A BIT OF LUCK FROM OUR SIDE WAS THEIR DOWNFALL. ADDITIONALLY, THEY WERE MEMBERS OF A VERY SOPHISTICATED GANG THAT PREYED ON WEAK DEALERS, AND CLUELESS MANAGEMENT. HAD THEY BEEN ORDINARY SUCKERS LOOKING FOR AN ADVANTAGE, WE WOULD HAVE SIMPLY GIVEN THEM A WARNING NOTICE, AND AN 86. "ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR."
"He was part of a crew of professional card cheats, and calling the cops would do nothing to stop them, so we used a rubber mallet -- metal hammers leave marks, you know -- and he became a lefty," Rosenthal admitted to The Herald last week while dining at the Blue Point Ocean Grill restaurant adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. "I didn't care if they tried to scam other houses, I just wanted to make it clear that they couldn't do it at mine."
THE MESSAGE THAT WE WERE SENDING WAS, DON'T COME BACK, AND CRIME DOESN'T PAY.
Back then, Rosenthal ran the Stardust, Freemont, Hacienda and Marina casinos in Las Vegas.
AS THE CEO, I SET POLICY, AND ASSURED OUR CHAIRMAN THAT SOUND CONCEPT, COMBINED WITH PRECISE EXECUTION, WAS MY PERSONAL GUARANTEE.
According to federal law enforcement agencies, those casinos were operated by the mob. But then the '80s arrived. Federal law enforcement chased the mob out of Las Vegas. Rosenthal survived a car bombing, an alleged mob hit. And the Las Vegas gaming commission banned him from ever running a casino again.
THE EXCLUSION WAS DIRTY POLITICS, A CORRUPT NEVADA GAMING COMMISSION, AND PAY BACK TIME FOR WHAT THE STATE COULDN'T DO OR PROVE LEGALLY. IN SIN CITY, THEY CALL IT "FRONTIER JUSTICE." ADDITIONALLY, THAT RULING CAME TO BE 8 YEARS AFTER I HAD VOLUNTARILY LEFT THE STATE.
Nowadays, the 75-year-old Rosenthal monitors gaming action through the computers at his Boca Raton home, where he has lived for 17 years.
RELATIVELY ACCURATE.
Besides running a gambling advice website, frankrosenthal.com, Rosenthal is a consultant to four offshore casinos based in Costa Rica and Antigua: betcris.com, betwwts.com, betjazzsports.com and www.bodog.com.
CORRECTION: I'M A FREE LANCE CONSULTANT WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED A VARIETY OF SERVICES FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED TOP SHOPS.
The man Sports Illustrated crowned "the greatest living expert on sports gambling," who created the sports betting-room concept in Las Vegas casinos, now determines for those casinos the betting lines on football, basketball, baseball and hockey games.
THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED COMPLIMENT WAS VERY GENEROUS, AND DOCUMENTED.
"Professional
gamblers look for value, players look for winners," said Rosenthal,
who, while talking about the old days, flirted with his waitress as
smoothly as his late friend, Frank Sinatra, once did. He said he still
does all right for a man his age.
RIGHT ON THE MONEY, ROBERTO, AND HAD YOU NOT LISTED MY AGE, I'D BE HEADING BACK TO HOLLYWOOD, FOR MORE OF THE SAME. YOU'VE REDUCED MY ACCESS AND ELIGIBILITY WITH THE FAIRER SEX. PS. I WOULDN'T BE A MATCH FOR MY GOOD BUDDY, OLE BLUE EYES. NOR WOULD ANYONE ELSE I'VE EVER MET. FRANK WAS ONE OF A KIND.
But what is doing even better is South Florida gambling, a business he says is "bigger than sex," with revenues that are impossible to calculate.
ANOTHER BULLS-EYE, ROBERTO.
Rosenthal sees Indian casinos as one of the biggest cash cows out there, offering gambling opportunities for states where full-fledged, class 3 casino gambling is illegal.
THAT'S THE "HAT TRICK" ROBERTO. THREE GOALS, AND COUNTING.
In class 3 gaming -- what is found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City -- gamblers play against the house. In Indian gaming (class 2), gamblers play against themselves.
TRUE.
Back in the 1960s, when Rosenthal was living in North Bay Village in Miami-Dade -- and long before there were Indian casinos -- South Florida was considered a haven for gambling.
A "HAVEN" DURING THE 60'S WOULD BE A STRETCH. THAT WAS THE CASE DURING THE 40'S & 50'S. IN THE 60'S, VERY ACTIVE, YES.
Rosenthal was the king of South Florida sports handicapping and bookmaking.
"THE KING OF SOUTH FLORIDA." LETS SAY I WAS A PRINCIPAL, AND ONE OF SEVERAL.
NEVER CONVICTED
RIGHT-ON, MY FRIEND.
His first arrest in Miami, according to records, was in 1960 for "establish[ing] a gambling place," a charge that, like others before he ran Las Vegas casinos, was later dismissed or he was acquitted. He has never been convicted of a crime.
PERFECTO! YOU'RE ON A ROLL, ROBERTO.
He left Miami-Dade in 1967, moved briefly to Chicago and, according the feds, was recruited by the owners of the Stardust -- allegedly the mob -- to run their casinos.
INACCURATE. NOT A PROBLEM ROBERTO. NO ONES PERFECT.
Federal law enforcement agencies, Nevada gaming officials, true-crime books, and the film Casino claim that Rosenthal ran the casinos for the mob and that his boyhood pal, Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro, who Joe Pesci portrayed in the film, was his enforcer.
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR OR READ.
But Rosenthal insists none of that is true.
CORRECT.
"I ran my casinos. The mob had nothing to do with my casinos," said Rosenthal, who claims he got his start at the Stardust by filling out a job application.
EXACTLY. YOU COULD HAVE DELETED "CLAIMS" - REGARDLESS, YOU'RE STILL MY BUDDY.
"As the CEO for four casino properties, and with the consent of the chairman of the board, those properties maintained the very highest industry standards. My former friend, Spilotro, never, at any time, during my tenure did Tony openly or privately have any authority or say-so with regards to me, or the casino properties."
NOW YOU'RE COOKING.
When Rosenthal entered the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, his first visit ever to an Indian casino, he was recognized by a number of old-time gaming aficionados of his generation.
ROBERTO, THAT'S HAPPENS ON A FREQUENT IF NOT, DAILY OCCURRENCE, NOT JUST IN THE HOLLYWOOD AREA. A HIGH PROFILE, GENERATED BY A VARIETY OF INTERVIEWS, AND OF COURSE, THE MOVIE CASINO.
Stopping by an electronic gaming machine, Rosenthal, who spotted the best scams when he ruled Las Vegas, said he could easily calculate the machines' payoff rates after an hour of play.
YOU CAN BET ON IT!
His secret? Merging street smarts with advanced statistics and probability skills -- and knowing the inner mechanisms of the machines.
EXPERIENCE, AND SAVVY.
"You can make the odds work in your favor when you study gaming as a science," Rosenthal said.'
SOME OF TIME, YES.
Part of the secret to beating electronic machines is figuring out the rate of the so-called random spins and manipulating spins through the amount of money placed, Rosenthal said.
THERE'S A BIT MORE, BUT FOR NOW, ENOUGH SAID.
Standing near the Hard Rock's poker tables, Rosenthal, arms crossed and 4.3-carat diamond pinkie ring twinkling, shook his head sadly.
I'M A PRACTICING PERFECTIONIST, WITH ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANYTHING LESS.
'AMPLE OPPORTUNITY'
"Poor security. They depend too much on the surveillance cameras. And cameras are only as good as the people behind them. I would have four more trained floor men. Ample opportunity for scams," he said.
TRUE. GIVING THOSE DONKEY CONSULTANTS 30% OF THE TRIBES EARNINGS BORDERS ON USURY.
To test out the strength of one dealer, Rosenthal politely shouted out a few questions on the particulars of the game. The dealer answered and started chatting with Rosenthal, briefly ignoring the players around him.
NOT QUITE SO. GIVE THE DEALER A BREAK. HE WAS SIMPLY EXTENDING A COURTESY.
"Weak," Rosenthal commented afterward. "Seasoned card cheats could make an easy living there. But cheats generally get caught, even with weak dealers and floor men, because they get too greedy. All cheats do."
HOW ABOUT LIGHT, RATHER THAN WEAK? CARD CHEATS: THAT'S A KING-SIZE SUBJECT.
Rosenthal wondered why blackjack isn't played as a class 2 game, as it was recently approved in Oklahoma City, along with poker, for the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Comanche Nation, Miami Tribe and the Cherokee Nation.
21, THE WHEEL, AND A FEW MORE GAMES, COULD INCREASE THE CASINO WIN BY MANY MILLIONS, OR MORE.
"If they get blackjack and class 3 [Las Vegas-style] slots, it will be too crowded to come here even during lunch hour," said Rosenthal, who said the same rules applied to Seminole no-limit Texas Hold 'Em poker tournaments -- where entry fees and losing players' money are pooled into a jackpot -- could apply to blackjack.
YOU'RE BACK ON TRACK. GOOD.
"It makes no sense why they only comp [poker] players soft drinks and water," Rosenthal said. "Comp them alcohol to loosen them up and get them to play longer."
NOW THAT'S A NO-BRAINER.
When Rosenthal was told that the Hard Rock used to have lightning bingo -- it was discontinued late last year -- he shook his head.
CORRECT.
"There is nothing classy or sexy about [bingo], not when you can play machines and table games," he said, calling it a money loser for upscale casinos.
FOR CERTAIN PROPERTIES IT'S OKAY. BRINGS IN BODIES, AND THAT'S A PLUS.
In response, Jim Allen, CEO of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, told The Herald that the Hard Rock does not have blackjack because it is not "legally defined as a class 2 game."
MR. ALLEN SHOULD MAKE EVER ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE THE STATE, THAT IT WOULD BE IN EVERYONE'S BEST INTERESTS.
'A BETTER FIT'
Allen also said bingo was discontinued because it was "a better fit in the old Seminole casino, not because it was not profitable."
OKAY. I'LL ACCEPT THAT.
He said poker players are not comped alcoholic drinks as "a business decision, but can get drinks for free through earned points as members of the casino's Players Club."
I BEG TO DISAGREE. FREE-POUR. GET 'EM LOOSE AS A GOOSE, AND PROVIDE A DESIGNATED DRIVER, WHEN NECESSARY.
And he disputed Rosenthal's claim that card cheats could take advantage at the poker tables, saying that "the Hard Rock has the most advanced surveillance and security systems in gaming today."
ROBERTO, MR. ALLEN. SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY CAN NOT INSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAMES. POKER AND COLLUSION ARE SYNONYMOUS. UNSUSPECTING "SQUARE" POKER PLAYERS ARE, AND HAVE BEEN FAIR-GAME FOR PROS/GANGS THAT TAKE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE. THAT'S BEEN THE CASE FOR DECADES, INCLUDING 2005. THE SOLUTION IS QUITE SIMPLE, BUT THAT, TOO, IS AN ARDUOUS SUBJECT TO ARTICULATE CONSIDERING SPACE CONSTRAINTS.
Despite his tough-guy reputation, Rosenthal's arrests were only for gaming offenses -- and they were all early in his career.
YEP.
But others around him took hard, fatal falls.
INCLUDING, YOURS TRULY, BUT I CAUGHT A MINOR MIRACLE.
His wife, Geri, who Sharon Stone portrayed in Casino, abandoned him and his two children. The two had met in Miami Beach, eight years before he moved to Las Vegas.
YOU BLEW THAT ONE, ROBERTO. I FILED FOR DIVORCE. GERI DID NOT CONTEST THE DIVORCE, OR MY BEING AWARDED TOTAL CUSTODY OF MY CHILDREN.
"She was later found dead from a drug overdose," Rosenthal said.
SAD, BUT TRUE. LIKE THEY SAY, "NO ONE BEATS THE BOTTLE." COMBINE BOOZE WITH KNOCKOUT QUAALUDES, AND YOU'RE A DEAD-LOCK FOR A TRIP TO THE MORGUE.
And his mobster friend, Spilotro, whom Joe Pesci portrayed in the film, "destroyed his life."
NOT QUITE SO. LIFE IS FINE, TAKING IT ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Besides strong-arming casinos, Spilotro had an affair with Rosenthal's wife.
I'LL PASS ON THAT ONE.
Spilotro was later beaten and buried alive, allegedly by his own Chicago mob family.
BEATEN, AND BURIED ALIVE, IS WHAT THE RECORD STATES. WHO AND WHY, REMAINS UNSOLVED.
"Let's just say I'm glad I wasn't asked to be one of his pallbearers," Rosenthal said after learning of Spilotro's grisly death.
TRUE.
Despite how it all fell apart for him in Las Vegas, Rosenthal is happy with how his life has turned out.
IT HASN'T BEEN A JACK, DEUCE, 9. BUT I'LL ACCEPT THE HAND I WAS DEALT WITH.
A single father, he virtually raised his two children himself and lives comfortably in Boca Raton.
TRUE, BUT I DID HAVE A VERY FINE AND DEDICATED "AUNT JEMIMA" ASSISTING ME DURING THEIR FORMATIVE YEARS.
He has always made a successful living as a sports handicapper, which he said keeps his mind sharp.
I CAN HOLD MY OWN, AND THAT'S FOR SURE.
"There was a time when [Las Vegas] had to operate out of the desert, now it operates out of Indian reservations near shopping malls," mused Rosenthal about the South Florida gaming scene. "Times have changed. What was once considered wrong in the good old days, is now mainstream fun."
AND SO THE STORY GOES. NICE WORK, ROBERTO. FAR MUCH BETTER THAN MOST OF YOUR COLLEAGUES. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND THE MIAMI HERALD!
