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Gambler's Book Club

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Gambler's Book Club / GBC Press, now located at 5473 S Eastern Ave, was originally located in the Huntridge area of Las Vegas, operated a bookstore and small press dedicated to gambling for over 40 years. Along with original books on various forms of gambling, the company engaged in the reprinting of "classic" works related to gambling that had long passed out of copyright.


In 1964, Gambler's Book Club was born. John and Edna Luckman envisioned not just a bookstore, but a library of gambling and a forum for gamblers to gather and visit, argue, gossip, lie, and - most of all - learn from each other.

After 45 years the shop moved from South 11th to 1550 Tropicana which instantly expanded their retail space and improved their location with better parking and access just 2 miles from the Strip.

Among the works kept in print by the bookshop:

  • "Stud Poker Blue Book", originally published in 1934
  • "Racing Maxims of Pittsburgh Phil", based on the only interview of the famous horseplayer, George E. Smith
  • The 1928 "Handbook on Percentages", republished in 1976 by GBC with the "...firm belief...that the library of any gamblephile[sic] is incomplete without this classic work."
  • The 1906 "Stealing Machine" by Eugene Villiod, the French detective
  • The 1902 Expert at the Card Table

Among other notable works published: the first book on the now popular poker variant Texas hold'em, Hold'em Poker by David Sklansky. Although the role of publishing in the company sharply declined with the passing of John Luckman in 1987, printing and other services are still offered to authors leading to a roster of book titles available exclusively through the store.

The company registered Gambler's Book Shop as an alternate name in 1988 to clarify that this is a brick and mortar which didn’t require a membership card and to underscore its retail business.

GBC also produced two quarterly magazines, Casino and Sports and Systems and Methods. Luckman hired Howard B. Schwartz in 1979 as editor of these publications. Howard Schwartz, who was born in Brooklyn and earned degrees from the University of Montana, Kansas State and the University of Northern Colorado, has an education and newspaper background, he became the owner of the store after the death of Edna Luckman.

The store has been selling online for over 11 years.

References

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