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Bob Stupak's Vegas World

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by surf87, Jan 23, 2017.

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  1. surf87

    surf87 MIA

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    Anyone lucky enough to have experienced Bob Stupak's Vegas World? My first Vegas experience was in 1999 so I was not fortunate to have experienced it. However, around 1990 I used to get in the mail these promotional advertisements. It was enticing to me to want to try it but I never got to do it. I was curious if anyone here tried it?
    [​IMG]
     
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  2. AbFab

    AbFab Low-Roller

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    No, but I read a blog of someone who ended up making money of those packages. Great read.
     
  3. Rush

    Rush MIA

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    I remember seeing those ads, and they really seemed enticing. My friends and I would discuss how we would get the deals, and then one guy bets the don't and the other bets the pass with the "promotional chips" they gave us. We would break even, and storm the castle! LOL!

    Before we ever dove in, we started hearing about what a scam it was. The slot machine tokens could only be used on a certain bank of machines, and you NEVER got a dime back on the investment.

    Stupak was a great hustler, and if you ever get a chance, read the book, No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower.
     
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  4. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    I remember those ads were in all the big California paper's travel sections during the 80s.

    :peace: :beer:
     
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  5. mrstealth

    mrstealth VIP Whale

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    If you do a search on this board & google you may find some good old stories. There was some good ones from some engineering college students from california that used those promo's to help fund his college. They pulled a lotta hijinks at Vegas World at the time that were hilarious.

    Bob was a really interesting guy - he was of polish decent and often referred to himself as the "Polish Prince". He was always running some kind of promotion and the ones mentioned above actually help build what is now the stratosphere. Many may remember there were actually 2 fires there (conveniently timed), that also helped fund the tower.

    I actually got a chance to meet Bob a few times (after his motor cycle accident & he had sold the casino to Lyle Berman). He was actually a pretty good high stakes poker player and was at the Bellagio almost daily. The plastic surgery he had done after the accident left him not looking the greatest, however, every time you'd see him at the sports book bar right outside the poker room he had 1 or 2 "stunning" girls with him.
     
  6. Joejoejackson

    Joejoejackson The Max Bet King

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    Thanks for sharing this.
     
  7. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

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    one of his legendary acts was after getting in a fight with his girlfriend he went to Lil Caesars sports book and bet a million dollars on the Super Bowl. And won.
     
  8. Rush

    Rush MIA

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    I think it was "Maverick".
     
  9. bobert07

    bobert07 Low-Roller

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    We used to do the $400 deal. We would go through the promotional chips the first night. If you won 50%, the trip was essentially free (free room, open bar even if not gambling). It was a lot of fun back then. (The free slots was pretty bad though.)
     
  10. tominiowa

    tominiowa High-Roller

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    he was one of a kind. First one I knew to have crapless craps. I knew some who did the promo and just bet half red and half black at roulette table and went on to enjoy the trip. I remember that 1 million sports bet. It was made at a dump casino across the street from what is Mandalay Bay now. I am sure they laid most of the bet off.
     
  11. vegaskid74

    vegaskid74 VIP Whale

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  12. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

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    It was Ll Caesars in a strip mall about where Paris is. They used to serve your drink in a styrofoam cup:kill:
    right next to it was Churchill Downs racebook ...back then there were no books in the casinos.
     
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  13. chipspew

    chipspew Tourist

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    Bob Stupid
     
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  14. blackjack4me

    blackjack4me Low-Roller

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    Bob Stupak's "Vegas World" was my hotel on the first trip I ever took to Vegas...going on one of the "deal" trips for two that always seemed to be listed on the back page of the Sunday "Parade" insert in the paper. Considering the "quality" of the place, it's probably amazing I ever went back! The rooms were on the low, low end of of comfort...the casino was very small, with an overwhelming outer space theme...but I managed to win at blackjack and knew I had to come back to Vegas. Fortunately, the next trip was to Ceasars and it's been great to go ever since. Vegas World even had a low-limit "Acey-Deucy" game that I also managed to win at, so that was fun. It was cheesy...it was low-end...but Stupak was probably making a killing on all his newbie gamblers like me.
     
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  15. IxAccDnf

    IxAccDnf VIP Whale

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    I never stayed there but did like playing poker there. Tried the crapless craps and double -exposure blackjack a couple of times
     
  16. surf87

    surf87 MIA

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    During the Bob Stupak era I lived in Hawaii at the time (1990). I was an apprentice plumber at the time and barely made enough money to pay my rent and provide for myself. When I saw those "deals" I really wanted to try it but my better self rationalized that I didn't have the means to go gambling so I ended up saying to myself "maybe one day." I regret not being able to take advantage of the deal but it was more important to live within my means at the time. Now I'm maxing out my 457 plan (similar to a 401k or 403b) where I've saved the max allowed by the IRS at 51 yrs old at $24,000 and max'd my Roth IRA at $6500 and yet still have disposable income and if Bob Stupak still had that deal today I would pounce on it like an eagle soaring in to catch a trout (lol).
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2017
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  17. Danamrak

    Danamrak Low-Roller

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    Fun reading these stories keep them coming.
    Remember seeing the ads but at the time was busy raising kids and no extra spending money.
     
  18. Frankr163

    Frankr163 High-Roller

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    I remember they had a little rocket car outside little caesers.
    It was a gift from Stupak I believe.
     
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  19. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    I can't remember where I read it but he reportedly was the last player to put down a bet at the craps tables at the Sands before it shut down for good. He bet $1k on the field and it won. Kind of cool Las Vegas trivia.

    :peace: :beer:
     
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  20. 18000rpm

    18000rpm Low-Roller

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    [​IMG]
     
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