What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Larry Grossman's first radio show was nearly his last. A neighbor who worked in radio invited Grossman to sit in on a show about Gamblers Anonymous …

"I told him I was not anti-gambling," Grossman said, "but if he wanted me there to help, I would go. For the first 15 minutes, he (the show's host) was stumbling all over himself. He had no idea what was going on, and he was asking some naïve questions. So, we went to a break and he was sweating bullets because he knew it was not going well, so he asked me if I'd like to ask the guests a few questions. I said, 'Sure, these people are really fascinating.' So, I started asking the questions and the first hour flew by. The host asked if I would like to stay for another hour, and I said, 'Yeah, let's do it.' So, he went to engineer the show, and I took over and just did it. The guy who owned the radio station happened to be listening that day, and he called the show and said he wanted to see me the next day. So, I saw him the next day and he told me, 'I've been in radio for 35 years, and that was the best thing I ever heard. Do you want your own show?' I said, 'Sure,' having no training, no idea about anything. He said, 'OK, you start tomorrow. You'll have the 10 to 11 show.'

"So, I got there the next day and had nothing prepared. I had no idea how anything worked, so I figured I'd just ad-lib the show and just do it. All of a sudden, this guy was counting down, '3 … 2 … 1, you're on,' and I was sweating bullets. Suddenly, reality hit me and I was freaking out. So, I said, 'OK, we're gonna talk about craps.' I figured that would be cool. I'd talk for a while and then take some phone calls. I thought it was at least 15 minutes worth, but when I looked at the clock, four minutes had passed. Oh, my God. So then I asked for callers, and nobody was calling in. I was dying here! Finally, I saw the phone light up, and I thought, 'Yes, I can finally talk to someone.' But the engineer looked at me and said, 'Nah, it's my girlfriend.' I don't know how I got through that hour.

"The next morning the owner called me in to talk to him. I walked into his office and he said, 'That was bad. That was really bad. I think you have talent, so I'm going to give you some time to improve.' Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I got better and figured it out."

Figure it out, he did. Larry Grossman's radio show You Can Bet On It! has been on the air for 15 years, and is the longest-running gambling show in the United States. The show focuses on a variety of topics, including sports betting and poker. Through the years, Grossman has had an assortment of fascinating guests, including poker world champions Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Puggy Pearson, Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson, as well as legendary Vegas sports bettor Lem Banker. His guests aren't limited only to gambling luminaries. He has also featured Pulitzer Prize-winning writers David Halberstam and Jimmy Breslin, and the road manager for the Grateful Dead, who discussed the many gambling themes in the Dead's song lyrics.

Grossman said, "Some people say that all they want from the show is the football picks. But the show has never really been about that; it's been about interesting radio. I've found that if something interests me, there's a percentage of people who will find it interesting, too."

The formerly nomadic Grossman has made Las Vegas his home for the past 15 years. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he lived in Key West, Florida, and Boulder, Colorado, before settling, for a while, in Southern California. It was while living in Los Angeles that he started making promotional audio cassettes, the first being a highlights compilation for the L.A. Raiders. The Raiders used those tapes as fan giveaways, and Grossman figured that if people liked those tapes, they would enjoy cassettes relating to other topics, too. He made a series of tapes about gambling, thinking it would be helpful and interesting for people to listen to while driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The tapes did not take off as planned, so he decided to try to sell them in the Las Vegas publication What's On. "The cost of the ads was breaking even with the sales of the tapes, so it was a wash," said Grossman. "So, I asked them if I could write a gambling column in exchange for a free ad." This lead to his column, "You Can Bet On It!" It is still a popular feature in What's On, and has been running for 15 years.

Known by his peers as a man of honesty and integrity, Grossman shows no fear when it comes to his convictions. He has made it a rule on his show that no handicapper is allowed to call any game "a lock," or claim that a team "can't lose," or any other similar statements. He also never allows a guest to promote himself via a 900 telephone number, or in any way that will result in a listener paying for betting advice. These strict edicts are the result of an incident that occurred while Grossman hosted You Can Bet On It on KVEG radio. A sales manager requested that Larry have the station's biggest advertiser on his show. The advertiser, a sports-betting tout with a 900 number and a bogus claim, wanted to reach Grossman's audience. Grossman protested, but was told to have the client on the show or lose his job. He did the show with the tout as his guest, and during the course of the hour, disproved the validity of the client's claims. He was fired the next day, and his dismissal was the subject of stories in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Daily Racing Form, and the Columbia School of Journalism magazine. "The show is really honest. I'm in control of every aspect of it," stated Grossman. "There's nothing phony about it. I want to bring the reality of gambling to people. It's very hard to win, but that's not to say it's not a fun activity. It is. Some people can beat sports betting, and many more are doing very well at poker. You don't jump in the deep end if you can't swim. If you know you have an addictive personality and you're not buying little Johnny his bike at Christmas because you played the playoffs and lost, it's time to rethink your priorities. I bring an honest show and get the very best people giving their best expertise. It's worked over the years because the show has earned credibility."

Listeners of You Can Bet on It are sure to hear guests and commentary about all of their favorite sports – except baseball. In fact, the show is aired only six months of the year, the other six months being baseball season. Does Grossman hate baseball that much? Not at all. He is a baseball fan of the purest form, yet he has boycotted baseball since 1994, when Major League Baseball players went on strike. He said, "Since they didn't have enough respect for their sport to play the World Series, which has been played even during times of war, and they couldn't work out their differences, I will do nothing to support baseball, especially while Bud Selig is the commissioner. It's not even open for debate until they get rid of him." The only mention of baseball is for betting purposes during the playoffs and the World Series, and only because he has the world's best handicappers as guests.

Grossman, aside from being a popular columnist and radio host, is also an accomplished photographer. His love of sports and music is evident by the photos and memorabilia that can be found in nearly every room of his house. There is a framed and autographed photo of Pete Rose with Howard Cosell, taken by Grossman. Propped in a corner is a bat that belonged to Jackie Robinson. There are pennants and baseball cards on any available wall space. The collection of music memorabilia is stunning. "I'm just a music aficionado. If it weren't for rock 'n' roll, I'd be a totally different person, I truly believe that. It has changed my philosophies, my interests, my heart." Grossman has seen every major rock act that one can name, with the exception of the Beatles. He has attended more than 150 Grateful Dead shows, more than 20 Bob Dylan shows, and a handful of Pink Floyd shows, his trusty camera along for the ride, and it seems as though he kept every ticket stub from every show.

One wall in his living room contains a collage of photos of poker champions, many of whom he considers friends. During his first year in Las Vegas, Grossman went to cover the World Series of Poker for his column in What's On. The late Jim Albrecht, WSOP tournament director, gave the young reporter/photographer permission to go in as close to the action as he wanted. Having photographed the World Series every year for the past 15 years, Grossman has accumulated a most comprehensive and fascinating collection of photos. He has pictures of winners and losers, old pros and wholesome novices. He has a photo of a group of champions, including the late Johnny Moss, the late Stu Ungar, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth Jr., and Puggy Pearson, who is wearing an Indian headdress. He has a great shot of a baby-faced Phil Hellmuth Jr., arms in the air, winning the WSOP championship against Johnny Chan. Another historic photo is from the 1990 WSOP championship. Mansour Matloubi was heads up against Hans "Tuna" Lund. Grossman was focused on Tuna, because any card but a 10 would give him the championship. Instead of recording his victory, Grossman's photo captured Tuna's anguish at the precise moment the 10 hit the board. A few hands later, Matloubi won the championship. According to Grossman, in many instances, photos can be much more powerful than written words. Words would fall short in describing the look of misery on Tuna's face, but the photo shows all. Grossman has documented, through photos, what the World Series was then, and what it has become. Grossman's love of his subject is apparent. He has an innate ability to capture the many moods that a poker game can create: faces bursting with jubilation when winning a hand, dejection in the eyes of those who didn't get that one card on the river. "World Series month" has become Grossman's favorite time of the year. "Over the years, I've found the people fascinating, I've found the scene fascinating, and I think it's the very best month to be in Las Vegas. It's a collection of characters from all walks of life. I have become friends with many of the poker players, and it's like a family get-together every April through May."

Larry Grossman is already under way with another action-packed season in the booth on AM 1460 in Las Vegas. For the first time, he is devoting the second half of his Wednesday show strictly to poker. So far this season, poker guests have included Dan Harrington, Diego Cordovez, Linda Johnson, Jeff Shulman, Harrah's executive Howard Greenbaum, and Gabe Kaplan, the former star of Welcome Back Kotter, who recently placed third in the World Poker Tour event at the Mirage. Upcoming guests include Russ Hamilton and Erik Seidel. Grossman suspects that with the recent boom in poker, other sports shows will start including it with their football, baseball, and basketball features. However, it's unlikely that this pioneer in poker radio will lose any listeners to the upstarts. With a 15-year head start, they would have a hard time catching up.

Listen to Larry's show each weekday from now until Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. PT on KENO radio, AM 1460 in Las Vegas. Or, visit cardplayer.com to listen to all his shows from last year and this year. Two-time World Champion Doyle Brunson's appearance is an especially good show from last year.