In 1988, the Binion family bought the Mint and expanded the Horseshoe so that it took up the entire block. People came from around the world to have their pictures taken standing next to the display. Benny also had a million dollars encased in an oversized horseshoe shape and put it on display.

Unlike today’s tournament, this was a small, but very elite group of poker players who made their living at playing the game professionally. In 1970, Benny made news by hosting the first World Series of Poker. His recipe for success: “If you wanna get rich, make little people feel like big people… good food cheap, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble. He conducted business out of his office, the booth in the Horseshoe restaurant. He was widely known for accepting all bets. Just as many stories abound of punishment of those he felt had cheated while playing at the Horseshoe. Stories abound of his largesse and of his temper. Because of his stint in prison, Benny was never issued a new gaming license but he was understood to be the man in charge of the Horseshoe.īenny was known to be a hard man and did not tolerate cheats. Brown’s name from the facade and hired Yesco to design a neon facade for the building. It wouldn’t be until 1964, though, that he owned 100% of it. While Binion was in prison, Joe W Brown had his own name put on the facade though everyone knew that when he got released Benny would buy back the Horseshoe.īenny was away at “college” for four years, and when he returned he bought back the Horseshoe. Before “he went to college” (the locals speak for him doing jail time), Benny sold the Horseshoe to Joe W. He offered southern hospitality and high-limit gaming and the Horseshoe was doing a land office business when in 1953, the Feds got him for tax problems.

These connections made it difficult for Binion to get licensed but he finally pulled it off. Benny and Doby “Doc” Cahill were good buddies and could often be found eating the Shoe’s famous chili in the coffee shop at lunchtime.īenny had left Texas, some say under rather hurried circumstances, and there is ample evidence that Benny had been involved in illegal bootlegging, gaming, and the mob back in Texas. The Binion family went to work to make the Horseshoe Club the go-to casino on Fremont Street. Wife Teddy Jane handled the books while sons Jack and Ted worked the floor. bought the Eldorado Club and renamed it the Horseshoe Club.īreaking with traditional “sawdust joint” interior, Binion installed carpet. In 1951, that larger-than-life Texan, Benny Binion-having got a good taste of gaming in Las Vegas as a partner of Kell Houssels, Sr.

Horseshoe Club – Las Vegas – $100 (10th Ed) Vintage Casino Chip – Rare, Collectible

Horseshoe casino silver poker chip