The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast

How do you beat Las Vegas casinos at their own game—and get away with it more than 500 times? On this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” I talk with Dustin Marks, author of "How I Did It and Got Away With It—Principles and Stories from Cheating at the Blackjack Table" and cohost of the podcast “Cheating at Blackjack.”
Dustin reveals how he used sleight of hand, sophisticated computer technology and a carefully constructed strategy to cheat at blackjack as both a player and a dealer during the 1980s. He eventually walked away after four years, ending his gambling career in 1990. Today, he shares his unusual expertise as a casino consultant, public speaker and podcast host. He also performs magic, having b een introduced to that world at age seven,
We discuss why cheating is harder today, how lessons from the casino floor can apply to the corporate world, his philosophy of “go for longevity,” and his unexpected partnership with a diamond thief. It's a fascinating look at casino deception, risk, and the fine line be-tween getting away with it and getting caught.

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ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY: THE MUSICAL ADVENTURE THAT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO LAST

What started with "Red Dust and Spanish Lace" was never supposed to become a long-running musical adventure. In fact, Acoustic Alchemy guitarist Greg Carmichael originally thought that recording the album might be the end of the story.
Instead, it was just the beginning.
On this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” I talk with Greg Carmichael about the remarkable journey of Acoustic Alchemy, the band’s distinctive blend of steel-string and nylon-string guitars, and why he always wanted to be part of a band rather than perform as a solo artist.
We talk about their very first track, “Mr. Chow,” their first American gig in Dallas, and the unexpected musical adventure involving Richard Branson. Greg also discusses the evolution from working with record companies to producing Acoustic Alchemy’s own albums—and what that creative freedom means for the music.
Acoustic Alchemy is known for creating what Greg describes as “songs without words”—highly melodic, almost cinematic instrumental pieces that tell stories without lyr-ics. Their catalog is almost entirely original, with the notable exception of their interpretation of “Take Five.”
And here's something that might surprise you: despite the freedom and spontaneity of their live performances, Acoustic Alchemy doesn't typically improvise when recording its songs. Greg explains why—and how those same compositions can stretch and evolve when performed in concert.
We also talk about Greg's favorite Acoustic Alchemy album, Back On The Case, and the enduring appeal of a band that has built a career around melody, musicianship and an unmistakable sound.
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CLINTON WRIGHT: CAPTURING THE HISTORIC WESTSIDE OF LAS VEGAS

(Photos courtesy of UNLV Special Collections and Archives)

The camera can capture a moment—but sometimes, it captures an entire community.
On this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” I sit down with photographer Clinton Wright, whose photographs documented Black life in Las Vegas’ Historic Westside and preserved a side of the city that many people never saw.
Clinton recalls arriving in Las Vegas and becoming familiar with what was then a relatively small neighborhood. He and his brother got into photography initially to “make a few bucks,” but photography soon became much more than a way to earn money. Clinton learned to do his own printing and eventually received a recommendation to photograph for the "Las Vegas Voice" newspaper.
We talk about the power of the camera—and how Clinton didn't fully realize the historical impact of his photographs until years later. He also reflects on the negatives he wishes he had been able to preserve and the importance of documenting everyday life before those moments disappeared.
Clinton also shares some of his favorite photographs and what those images reveal about Las Vegas, the Historic Westside, and Black history in Southern Nevada.
After celebrating his 90th birthday in Las Vegas and being recognized by the City of Las Vegas, Clinton continues to look back at a remarkable life behind the camera.
This is a conversation about photography, history, community, memory—and the legacy that can live on through a photograph.
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Las Vegas, Crime, Comedy and Three Guys Chasing the Big Score

What happens when three guys who grew up together in Las Vegas decide they’re ready to get rich — and their plans go spectacularly wrong?

That’s the world created by Torthell Robinson, a Las Vegas-area screenwriter, U.S. Air Force veteran and author of "Men Will Be Boys," a fast, funny and dangerous crime-comedy series set against the backdrop of Las Vegas.

Torthell’s journey to becoming a writer is anything but conventional. After serving in the Air Force, he took a regular job before deciding he wanted to do something completely different. He enrolled in a Los Angeles film school, where a professor read his pilot script and recommended him for literary representation. After entering screenplay competitions, Torthell began thinking beyond the pilot and decided to build out the world and its charac-ters.

Then he moved to Las Vegas — and discovered that the city itself seemed to fit perfectly with the stories he wanted to tell.

Torthell explains why he chose to turn his original pilot concept into a three-book series, rather than adapt the books from novels into screenplays. We meet his three central char-acters: an Ivy League-educated man, a blue-collar local and a degenerate — three very dif-ferent personalities connected by a shared history and a common ambition to make it big.

We also talk about Torthell’s childhood and the lessons he learned about respect and accountability, his writing process, why the first draft is so important, and the challenge of creating believable characters who can carry an entire series.

And then there’s Las Vegas itself.

For Torthell, Vegas isn't simply where the story takes place. The city becomes a character in its own right.

Could "Men Will Be Boys" eventually make the jump from books to television? Torthell would certainly like to see it happen.

It’s a conversation about writing, reinvention, friendship, ambition, trouble — and why Las Vegas can be the perfect setting when you want a story where almost anything can happen.

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