Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JOHN L. SMITH: Want to be in the know? Odds are gambling expert, his shop will help

As gambling gurus go, Howard Schwartz doesn't look like much. He bears a closer resemblance to Woody Allen than Jimmy the Greek.

He eschews the big talk and instead prefers self-deprecating humor. Although he's no player, at 65 he belongs in someone's gambling hall of fame because he's played a larger role in the promotion of the culture of cards and dice than half the operators on the Strip.

Thanks to Howard's personality and persistence, casino customers from here to Katmandu -- and, yes, I do mean Katmandu -- beat a path to the door of his Gamblers Book Shop, the 11th Street landmark that celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

You want systems? They've got systems. You want books? They've got books. You want to research your next best seller? Howard has the golden files he's been developing for a quarter century.

If you're nice to him, he'll probably help you. That makes him a flawed human being around the Las Vegas gambling crowd. He's like Jacques Cousteau swimming among the sharks in the desert.

When the writer Nicholas Pileggi began researching his latest Las Vegas project, he wisely went to Howard. "He saturates himself with everything he can get," Howard says of the author of "Casino." "He was looking for flavor, atmosphere, dates and names. He really immerses himself in the subject."

Pileggi isn't alone. Writers from William Goldman to Jimmy Breslin have come through Howard's door looking for information and book sales. Michael Lerner, who played Arnold Rothstein in "Eight Men Out," found inspiration here.

But Howard and his staff will give you the time of day even if you don't have any best sellers and are only looking for a book on basic strategy blackjack or how not to get robbed shooting dice.

Howard was raised in New York and took the milk run to Las Vegas. He lived in Kansas, Colorado, Montana, Texas. It's 23 states in all. Dillinger didn't cross that many state lines, but Howard wasn't on the lam. He was getting an education in and out of the college classroom and working in newspapers.

"I didn't murder anybody or get any girls pregnant," Howard says. "I guess I was the Jewish gypsy, in some ways."

John and Edna Luckman opened the shop in 1964 as a resource for players. John had been a dealer at Caesars and the Tropicana and knew how little accurate information existed for gamblers. He wrote small books on the games and self-published them.

Howard started at the shop 25 years ago and became smitten with the sharpies and mopes who came through the door daily. Some were looking for affirmation, others for salvation.

Along the way, Howard and the Luckmans published more than 100 books, assisted in the publication of 100 more, and became an invaluable resource for novelists, investigative reporters, set designers, actors and an endless parade of double-up dreamers.

Millions receive the shop's catalogs.

He's been thanked more times than the Academy, and Marc Cooper's recent Las Vegas book printed a picture of Howard with one of his locally infamous pigeons.

"The pigeon's gotten a lot of fan mail recently, and I got calls from two plastic surgeons," Howard says.

Somewhere, a rim shot is heard.

He kids, this guy, but he has also been a favorite of gambling legends such as the late Sonny Reizner, the also late Bob Martin, the very tardy Big Julie Weintraub, and Lem Banker, who still looks pretty good all in all.

"It's a strange world, but unique," Howard says. "How'd you like to be trapped in Iowa writing about farmers all day?"

Perish the thought.

This time of year, people are shopping for last-minute holiday gifts, and usually I recommend a bunch of books by people who never say thank you for the mention. This time, I'll just recommend that you go to Howard's amazing shop, elbow Nick Pileggi out of the way and buy something incredible for that special degenerate gambler in your life.

"A great bookmark is a twenty-dollar bill," Howard says. "Consider it a little gambling starter kit."

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a double sawbuck.

Hey, there's no arguing with the guru.

John L. Smith's column appears Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.