Don Eammelli

Late fifties, I went to work at The Primm in Reno. It was somewhat of a "step up" from where I had worked before. I was hired by one of the finest gentlemen I had ever known, Mr. Alan Roberts, and it was owned by another gentlemen, Mr. Ernie Primm.

I was put on the "graveyard" shift, 3 AM till 11 AM. I had worked a lot of graveyard and really liked those hours. You could either do your partying in the morning after work, or the time before you went on shift. I must admit I don't remember my first day, pretty nervous entering into this new, different way of dealing craps. Each club has its own way of dealing, and that was how it was done, and, they got bigger "action" at the Primm, and that made me nervous.

My graveyard boss turned out  to be Don Eammelli. He put me at ease right away. I eventually learned some of his background. He was from Steubenville, Ohio, a starting place for a number of casino employees. Don had also been a band leader in his younger days.

My first night, break time, Don challenged me to call a heads or tails on a silver dollar, to determine who bought the coffee. Don won. Don always won. His "flip" was so practiced that he could determine whether heads or tails by where he caught the coin. He sometimes would come over to the table and make a bet of one kind or another, he always won.

Early on, Don took me to a casino and introduced me to to the shift manager, Joe Hill. While we were talking, he opened a new pack of cards for a change on a 21 table. He rippled them a few times, fanned them, and said, "Uh Oh, a factory marked deck," and proceeded to turn over cards, naming them. Then he explained how sometimes, when they are trimming the deck that a blade gets a nick or something in it, and marks the deck. "Can't use those."

Don had him give them to me, good training for the future, check out the deck and learn for yourself. I took the deck home, used a magnifying glass, spent hours, looking for the mark. Don made me labor over that deck for a week or so. Then one morning, he laughed, said that Joe had marked them during the few short manipulations he had done while he had the cards. My lesson, don't trust anyone, don't believe what you see, and don't doubt what someone says they can do.

Don owned a number of houses and apartments around town. We rented one from him. I occasionally went with him to do maintenance on them and check things out. Don limped, had lost a leg in a car accident, he had done some work for the bank, and was driving back to Reno in a "repo" and had a wreck.

Don trained me, and helped me out, and eventually, I was given the opportunity to "sit box," next step up the ladder from a dealer, sit in the middle of the table, keep an eye on the customers, keep an eye on the dealers, hand out meal tickets, be nice to the customers, and try to look the part. I bought some Louie Roth suits, with cuffs on the sleeves, white on white monogrammed shirts, a Gensler Lee watch, with 33 diamonds on the face, alligator shoes, with tassels, tried really hard to look the part.

Don could leave the pit, sit at the bar, drinking water, check things out in the mirror on the back bar, and know everything that was going on in the pit.

One morning, there was an oriental playing 21, and Don was sitting at the bar watching him in the mirror. He was betting in a familiar pattern, like a "card marker" and I strolled over to Don to mention it to him. "I know, let him bet a few more hands." Then he casually strolled into the pit, got a few new decks out of the drawer, changed cards on one table, then casually changed them on the one where the oriental was playing. He said nothing, let him get another deck marked, Don changed them again. We took him for quite a bit of money before he caught on to what Don was doing.

Don was a "marker" and a "counter" and knew what to do when they sat down to play. That is how and why he so many properties around town. Don's problem, when gambling, he would get ahead, they would buy him drinks, then he would start losing, not all the time.

One evening, Don needed some extra money to make payments. Payed one of our security guards to follow him around, and when he got so much ahead, make him leave, and go home. They went to Harrah's Club, Don was "counting" .... a count system he had originated. He wanted to teach it to me, but I was afraid to learn, and, he was much smarter and had a much better mind than I did. His count system was simple, as cards were shown, he remembered three numbers, and those numbers let him know what his odds of winner were.

Don started winning, drinks started flowing his way, they all knew him, he got to his amount to leave, his guard came to the table, "Come on Don, time to leave." Don called security over, said the man was bothering him, them escorted him out, Don lost his money, and went home.

I could write a book about Don, and what he did, and what we did to him, pin wheel watches, a product that cleaned drains, having a picnic and eating chicken, in the median area, on South Virginia, cars whizzing by, the Cattysark and Milk Fund, Joe Conforte, Del Ray, the magician, so many stories.

I hope Don is still in Reno, and perhaps reads this. I think his two children still live there, not sure about Don. It would be nice to let him know what an important part he played in my life. If things had unfolded differently, who knows, I had some great people on my side.

Thanks, Don.

The Arrogance of Authority

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher says, "Okay , but don't go in that field over there," as he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, " Mister, I have the authority of the Federal government with me." Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher. "See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish.... On any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand? "

The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull......

With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....

" Your badge. Show him your BADGE!"

PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM THIEVES

VIN NUMBER - WARNING


Here is INFO worth the price of your car....

WHAT WILL the car thieves THINK OF NEXT?

The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or vehicle, write down the VIN # from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN #.

I didn't believe this e-mail, so I called Chrysler-Dodge and pretended I had lost my keys. They told me to just bring in the VIN #, and they would cut me one on the spot, and I could order the keyless device if I wanted.
The Car Dealer's Parts Department will make a duplicate key from the VIN #, and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car.

He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and off he goes to a local chop shop with your vehicle.

You don't believe it? It IS that EASY.

To avoid this from happening to you,simply put some dark tape (electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN Number Metal Label located on the dashboard.

By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you CAN cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.

Tell your friends about this BLOG before some car thief steals another car or truck.

I slipped a 3x5 card over my VIN NUMBER.

A Morning to Remember ....................

I took Caleb, our dog, out, early this morning, and I was greeted by a crisp, clear, cool autumn morning hitting my cheeks. For some reason, I was instantly taken back to a similar morning I experienced in the late 50's, my first morning walking out of my room at a small lodge, on the way to work, at the Nevada lodge, at Lake Tahoe.

This was before all of the development that took place prior to the Winter Olympics, it was still rustic, one two-lane road, and basically as it was during the 30's and 40's. North Lake Tahoe was strictly a Summer resort. There were ski lodges that opened in the Winter months, but nothing like it is today, or even as it became in 1960.

I had taken a room in a small lodge, had a basement room with my own entrance, and I will never forget that morning. The fragrance in the air, all those pine trees, the cool air, the bright clear, clean alpine air, and I was on my way to work, just across the street, at the Lodge, as a dealer, working for Lincoln Fitzgerald.

I had worked in Reno for him previously, but had left and returned to Ohio. A number of changes took place in my life, I called him on the phone, asked if he had any openings, and he told me to "Come on out, I have a job for you." This in itself made me feel good. Fitz, remembering me, the grouchy old seasoned gambler who was a legend around Nevada, remembered me.

I took the train from Ohio to Reno, had too change trains in St. Louis. That was in the days of drawing rooms, club cars, dining cars, elegance, and not many dealers. I was received with a "celebrity" status among my fellow travellers. "You're a dealer, in one of the clubs, WOW."

In St. Louis, as the train was loading, an "entourage" came on board, family, kids, maids, nurses, a whole group. Augie Busch, was taking his family to California. Needless to say, there was ample Budweiser for all, compliments of Mr. Busch.

I still remember getting off the train at the old station, in Reno, and going directly to the Nevada Club, to let Fitz know I was in town.

"I want you to start at the Lodge, up at Lake Tahoe, day after tomorrow." He had bought the Lodge when I was back in Ohio, but the thought of working up at that "wonderland" made me feel special. And, then as I talked with some other dealers and told them where I was going, they were envious. A very select "few" were chosen to go to the lake, or "work up on the hill" as it was called.

Anyway, I got a ride to the lake, found a place to stay, unpacked and decided to take a walk through the Lodge. I knew a few of the dealers, spoke with them, and the more I took in all that atmosphere, the more excited I got about this new job.

"Doc" Ledford, one of the shift managers, put me on the day shift, to start with. Old one eyed Burt was working, Eddie Beatty, Bettye Johnson, were all dealers I knew from downtown. I was really impressed, with myself, this little "kid" from Ohio, was going to be working at Lake Tahoe, at the beautiful Nevada Lodge, heaven on earth to me.

That is why I still remember that first morning. I was already on "cloud nine," had on my heavily starched white shirt, French cuffs, nice cuff links, gorgeous tie, tasseled shoes, alligator belt with an attractive buckle, and my green apron in hand .... that Tahoe wind on my face, life was good, not a worry in the world, walking across the street from where I lived, in a log paneled room to the Lodge..

I will never forget that feeling, or that morning, life was as good as it gets, and I was one of the "elite" few, that Fitz chose to work up there.

My first Celeb as a Dealer

I turned out as a crap dealer at the Nevada Club in 1956. The training period was intensive, much to learn, trained by other dealers, and after my 8 hour shift I was exhausted.
There are so many bets to learn, shortcuts to paying off, in those days, learning how to work with the silver dollars, that's right we used silver dollars in those day. Handling the silver was an art in itself. A hand full of about 25 dollars, using the index finger to "cut" off the right amount, silver in both hands, it took a lot of practice.
I trained for a few weeks with other dealers, learning, then eventually working with customers, and real money.
You not only learn to deal, but you learn to protect your table, everyone at the table is trying to take advantage of you, increase a bet, decrease it on a loser, distract you so they can do "something."
One of the first things I learned, and the most important, pay attention, learn each bet, where each stack is, on your end of the table, the size of the stack, and watch each bet.
As well as pay the right amount, don't drop the silver, there was a lot to learn.
I went in to work one weekday evening, 3 in the morning. We did all our training on the graveyard shift, 3am to 11pm. There weren't too many customers in the club, so Mark, my floor boss, had me relieve a dealer who was alone on a table.
I was standing behind the table, white on white french cuff shirt, gold cuff links, expensive tie, part of the dealers uniform, when I heard a very familiar voice, "Give me those dice, fella."
My first celebrity, Jimmy Durante.
He was playing the Riverside Hotel and had finished his last show and was doing some clubbing.
I gave the dice to him, he made his bet, threw them, not sure of how the game went, but for about fifteen minutes, it was just he and I at the table, bantering back and forth a little.
My first celeb, first of many during my years in Nevada .......... the good old days.
You didn't do too much kidding, or talking, money is money, the customer, regardless of who it is, wants to win money, so each customer, whether a celeb or not ... you just did your job.
But, I will never forget my first celebrity.
As I type this, close at hand, a pair of Nevada Club Dice, and two $20 Chesterfield Club checks. The checks date back to the 30's, used in Detroit in the "roaring" days, and then taken by Lincoln Fitzgerald to Reno, when he moved there and opened the Nevada Club.

My Introduction to Nevada, casinos and Fitz

ARRIVING IN RENO - May, 1956

I first heard of Fitz when I got out of the Navy in 1956, and flew to Reno, Nevada, which is where my family was, at that time.

After a few days I was looking for a job, looked through the paper, and the Nevada Club was hiring. So, I got cleaned up and headed for downtown.

We were living in between Reno and Sparks at the time, gravel road, near the stockyards, the wild, wild, west.

I heard rumors about Fitz from everyone, mafia, Purple Gang, dictator, hard to work for, gruff old man, all sorts of information to make me nervous.

I headed downtown, found a place to park, parking was allowed on the streets in those days, and there was plenty of parking.

I parked just across the tracks, near the train station. I headed down Virginia Street, down and alley, and found the back door, to the Nevada Club. Went inside, asked a change apron where the office was, she pointed it out, and I headed for the CAGE, to face Fitz.

He was in the cashiers cage, white shirt, tie suspenders.I don't know what I said, but he asked me a few questions, brief background, married, from where, family, schooling, that was about it.

He told me to head for the police station and register and get a background check. I don't remember any of that, but I did go, got fingerprinted, and after a while, was given a card and told to return to the club.

I did as told, Fitz was still in the cage, he looked at the card, looked at me, "Come in at 3 in the morning, wear a white shirt and a tie." That was it, I had a job, didn't know what it was, but I knew I had to be in at 3am, white shirt and tie.

I look back on that meeting and try to remember, but I was so nervous and excited, it all became sort of a blurr. Remember, we are talking the mid 50's, no computers, I don't think I even filled out an employment form. I think all that information was gotten my first morning of work.

I think Fitz wanted to make sure I would show up before getting any of that information.I later found out there were a few things he liked about me, some college, 4 years in the Navy, married, young daughter, and my Father was a Doctor, and, I never drove a cab or was a bartender, two jobs that were no nos, for Fitz. He hired a bar manager, but let the manager do all the hiring of bartenders.