Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or [email protected].
June 30 -- Worst things about Vegas betting.
July 7 -- Future books for the World Series.
July 14 -- Games of the year in football.
July 21 -- Over/unders on wins in NFL season.
Today -- Larry Grossman's gambling show returns.
Next week -- Handicappers convene at Mandalay Bay.
In a city that's often criticized for trashing the past, Larry Grossman treasures it.
Grossman, gearing up for the new season of his radio show, "You Can Bet On It," also relishes his role as a keeper of keys to the history of Las Vegas gambling.
"I don't want people to forget," Grossman was saying the other day in his Summerlin home, where sports memorabilia shares wall space with framed photos of such disparate figures as poker champion Johnny Moss and rocker Jerry Garcia.
"The poker world is very 'in' and cool now, but there was a time when guys like Moss and Stu Ungar were giving it a foundation early on, and I want people to remember that."
The same is true in sports betting, Grossman's other gambling passion, he said.
"People like Bob Martin, Sonny Reizner and Mort Olshan had a lot of charisma, they were very bright and they had a real depth of personality," Grossman said. "They brought in a lot of people under the tent."
Martin was an influential oddsmaker, Reizner a longtime Strip sports book director, and Olshan the founder of the betting publication "The Gold Sheet." All three died in recent years.
"I really appreciate what they did," Grossman said. "They won't be forgotten by me."
Although his show focuses primarily on predicting the outcomes of football games, you can bet Grossman will devote some time to educating listeners about the great gamblers of years past as well.
"You Can Bet On It," which airs from 2 to 3 p.m. weekdays on KENO 1460-AM and online at cardplayer.com, is scheduled to kick off its 15th season Monday. The program runs from early August through early February -- or from the opening of NFL training camps through the Super Bowl.
"Football handicapping is huge," Grossman said. "Interest in football handicapping is expanding, not only with hardcore gamblers but also with gamblers who don't bet any other sport besides football."
Each day's show will feature at least one professional handicapper offering his insights on upcoming football games, Grossman said. Among the Las Vegas-based gamblers who will be regulars this season are Fezzik, who will analyze Monday night games, Andy Iskoe, Mike Lee and Lem Banker. Others in the regular lineup are Bryan Leonard, Phil Steele and "The Gold Sheet's" Chuck Sippl.
"To me, that's Murderer's Row," Grossman said. "That's the '27 Yankees. ...
"These guys all do a heck of a lot of a lot of work -- I think of them as the smart kid in class who moves his paper over to the edge of the desk and lets you copy."
Another segment on each program is allocated to a Las Vegas sports book director running down the latest lines, and another to what might be called a wild card.
"I'd say the show is 75 percent football handicapping, 15 percent poker and 10 percent casino games, authors and other topics," Grossman said.
It's the "other" category that gives the show a sometimes quirky edge: For example, it's not uncommon for a nuts-and-bolts segment on football betting to wind up, just before a commercial, with a clip from a classic rock song that mentions some form of gambling. ("I woke up a-feelin' mean/Went down to play the slot machine ...")
And Grossman has interviewed a wide range of personalities including, among many others, writer Jimmy Breslin, historian David Halberstam, and an author who was an expert on attempted escapes from Alcatraz.
"I make sure to leave some slots open during the week to expand the listeners' horizons a little bit," said Grossman, who maintains control over the show as host and producer.
Before moving to Las Vegas 15 years ago, Grossman was what Richard Jessup might have termed a "rambling-gambling man" -- he operated a bookstore in Key West and also lived in Boulder, Colo., Santa Barbara, Calif., and Los Angeles.
From a young age -- he said he booked action on the World Series while in elementary school -- Grossman has emphasized ethics in gambling, he said.
"I always felt gambling was one of the most honest endeavors out there," he said. "Race, religion, color -- none of that mattered. If a guy was bigger and stronger than you, it didn't matter. Maybe you couldn't play football with him, but you could play poker against him."
Grossman still goes out of his way to stress honesty and integrity.
"There are no locks, no guaranteed winners on my show," he said. "You always get an honest accounting.
"We present the information, but I always tell the listeners: It's your money, do what you want with it. You decide."
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