Silvio Petricciani - University of Nevada, Reno

Las Vegas, 1948-1964
99
He said, “What’s the matter?” He says,
“Who’s bothering you?”
I said, “Nobody’s bothering me, Beldon,”
I said, “but I don’t want to work for a man
that doesn’t trust me.” I said, “And you don’t
trust me.”
“What do you mean I don’t trust you?”
So I went on, told him, I said, “I’m very
well aware of everything that’s happened
here.” I said, “Beldon, I’ve never stolen your
money, never had any intention to.”I said, “All
I ever wanted to do was work for you.”I said,
“But evidently that’s not good enough for
you.” “So you deserve what you get.” I said,
“No hard feelings, but goodbye and good
luck.” And that’s when I went to the Fremont.
So, my motives for leaving the El Rancho.
So I went to the Fremont Hotel, and it
was like a revelation getting in there and just
being on my own.I was a shift boss there,
and I bought a half a percent which was ten
thousand dollars at the time, and I was a shift
boss there. The Fremont was to all intents and
purposes a new hotel in town, and it had all
the games that all the other places had, but
it was downtown. Customers were a little
different. The downtown customers are not
the same as the Strip customers; they’re a
different class of people. They’re nice people,
don’t misunderstand, but it’s a cheaper type
of play. But they were good customers and
very affable people and I got along real good
with them all.I was able to do my work, and
nobody bothered me; I loved it, just got along
real good.
And their method of operation was
much different than the El Rancho where
everybody was suspicious of everybody.
In other words, you were there, you did
your work, you showed results, that was it.
Nobody bothered you. So, and that was their
policy, their method of operation and their
policy. I went in there in September and I
was there until May, I think, of the next year.
I was there seventh of September—I worked
through March. And actually I didn’t have
any experiences there. It was a very pleasant
experience all the way through, and the
bosses and everybody, they respected me.
They respected me for my experience and the
work I could do, and it was just a complete
turnaround from what happened with me in
the El Rancho.
And I enjoyed working there. Interesting
customers—I can’t say that there were any
interesting—it was just all more or less the
same. And I worked there with people who
I’d worked with in Reno and throughout the
spectrum of my experience in the gambling
business. So it was a much friendlier place,
and I didn’t stay there too long.
And the motive for my leaving was when
I was there I called up Ruby Kolod, who was
a good friend of mine at the Desert Inn, for
a reservation for some people that wanted to
go see their show. And in an endearing sort
of way Ruby said, “You bum, you.” He said,
“What did you leave the El Rancho for?”
He said, “I had you all set up to go into the
Stardust as a shift manager.”
And I said, “You what?”
He says, “I had you all set up to go to the
Stardust as a shift manager;” he says, “possibly
later on be able to buy in.”
I said, “Well, it’s not too late.” Said, “I’m not
all that happy up here, you know.” [Chuckles]
So, “Well, we’ll talk more about it.”
So I went down and talked to him, and
I could see not only the opportunity of
advancing myself to a higher position—and
of course I’d worked the Strip all my life and
I like the Strip; I like the people out there. So,
I went over and talked to Ruby, and I said,
“Actually, Ruby, I wish I had known that
you were intending to call me from the El
Rancho; I would have stayed there; I would