May the Schwartz Be With You

A poker player from Texas called a bookstore and described his predicament to the friendly voice on the other end of the line. He explained that he had lost $100,000 in a couple of months playing Texas hold'em, and figured it was about time to study up a little. "Here's my credit card number. Just run it through for $500 and send me everything you got on hold'em."

The bookstore wasn't Barnes & Noble. In fact, anyone in the gambling community already knows that the only person who commands that kind of trust and credibility is Howard Schwartz of the Gambler's Book Shop in Las Vegas. The store was described in Newsweek as "the resource for students of gambling in all forms." The article went on to say: "More a library than just a store, the shop features the most comprehensive collection of gambling publications in the world."

A former schoolteacher and journalist from New York, by way of Colorado, Texas, Kansas, and Montana, who has been at the store since 1979, Schwartz has a distinct advantage over other booksellers: He's a speed-reader. With the ability to read 1,500 words per minute, he has read just about every book the store carries - upward of 1,000 new titles and 2,000 used books.

But Schwartz's encyclopedia-like knowledge of books is just the beginning of what makes him so special - and in my eyes, a gambling icon. What makes him unique is his passion for books and his dogged belief in customer service. In a world where most retailers are obsessed with the bottom line, Schwartz and the sales staff at the Gambler's Book Shop, which includes Billy, Brian, and Celia, will sometimes actually refuse to sell you a book until they've probed you for your specific needs and know it is the right book for you.

As an author and a literary agent, I hear lots of conversations about the good old literary days, before the big superstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders took over the industry. Not only am I too young to know what they're talking about, I used to like chain bookstores. With a huge selection, modern design, and a full-service coffee bar, what was there not to like? But now, having spent hours upon hours at the Gambler's Book Shop at 630 South 11th Street (at the intersection of Charleston and 11th, two miles from Downtown's Fremont Street), I understand what those old-timers were talking about.

I now realize that bookstores used to be a place where you didn't just go to buy books. You went there for information - to pick the brains of fellow book lovers (disguised as employees) who cared about books and cared that you bought the right ones. You also went there to interact with other readers and local authors. "The store is like a stage where drama is played out every day - kind of like the show Cheers," said Schwartz. "You have your authors, researchers, and mathematicians mingling with the naïve, the obsessed, and the hopeful, all searching for the same thing - trying to find a way not to work." Schwartz gives them all the same advice. "I tell people that they're looking through the telescope from the wrong end. Rather than try to make a living from gambling, I advise them to keep their job and make gambling their hobby."

For the past 30 years, my dad has visited the store every time he's been in Las Vegas, and I still have the copy of Gambling Theory and Other Topics, autographed by Mason Malmuth, that he bought me on Sept. 15, 1991. It wasn't as if Malmuth had a scheduled signing day; he's just one of the many authors who frequent the store and who are happy to talk to readers and sign their books. Schwartz cited Nick Pileggi, Jimmy Breslin, and William Goldman as just three of the celebrity authors who have visited the store. It's almost sad that the atmosphere at the Gambler's Book Shop has become the exception, rather than the rule, in a world now dominated by superstores. At least for us gambling book enthusiasts, there is still a thriving place of refuge in Las Vegas.

But even those who frequent the Gambler's Book Shop probably aren't aware of Schwartz's impact on gambling books. Upon hearing thousands of requests for The Biggest Game in Town, a classic by Al Alvarez that was out of print for years, Schwartz, as he has done for countless other books, called publishers and pleaded with them to bring the book back into print. And sure enough, the book was finally released again in paperback before the World Series of Poker last April.

The store also creates an opportunity for niche authors whose books don't have appeal beyond die-hard gamblers. For some titles, the store is the sole distributor, providing the dual benefit of allowing writers to earn a living as well as giving readers access to specialized information. Back before David Sklansky was David Sklansky, the store provided a home for his material - when no one else would.

The Gambler's Book Shop was founded in 1964 by the late John Luckman and his wife, Edna, who is still active while in her 70s. Its mailing list of 80,000 loyal customers includes readers in 60 foreign nations, and Schwartz estimates that 10 percent of sales are shipped abroad. With the help of photos by Card Player director of photography and radio personality Larry Grossman, the store pays homage to gambling history with a "gallery of gamblers." More than 100 photos in the exhibit include poker legends Amarillo Slim Preston, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Stuey Ungar, Betty Carey, and Jack Straus. The exhibit also includes photos of celebrities such as Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra with "Big Julie" Weintraub, and three of the "Big Four of Blackjack" - Dr. Ed Thorp, Stanford Wong, and the late Peter Griffin - pictured together at a blackjack table in South Lake Tahoe in 1981. The late Ken Uston was supposed to be in the photo, but was distracted by his obsession, the video game Pac-Man, and wandered off from the table.

The Las Vegas Sun once stated: "While much of old Las Vegas is slowly being destroyed to pave the way for new megaresorts, at least one important part of its history is being preserved." If not for the great selection of books, the photo gallery, and the chance to meet an icon in Schwartz, visit the Gambler's Book Shop in Las Vegas to experience an important part of living gambling history. And if you've lost $100,000 in the last few months playing poker, may the Schwartz be with you!

The Gambler's Book Shop is located at 630 South 11th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101. For a free catalog, call (800) 522-1777, or order books online at http://www.gamblersbook.com. Store hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Autographed copies of The Poker MBA by Greg Dinkin are available at the store.