Book Joint for Sale

From taking $2 horse bets at his uncle's newsstand in Chicago's downtown district as a nine-year-old in the 1940s, to taking $20,000 Super Bowl bets from traders on the floor at one of Chicago's Exchanges , Anthony Serrano has seen every bet and every character that comes with them-some loved, and some who wield machine guns. Serrano, a lifelong resident of Chicago's Chinatown, takes readers on a story about his childhood experience with a book-maker, in the army, as an options clerk and broker and as a railroad clerk. Where it seemed everyone just couldn't resist the thrill of a good (or bad) bet. Told first-hand, Serrano walks us through light-hearted tales that often lead to funny yet sometimes serious circumstances. After taking steep bets from what appeared to be a wealthy businessman, Serrano is exposed to what turns out to be a drug-crazed, bankrupt husband who will stop at nothing to get his ex-wife back and suffers a brutal fate in his pursuit. Meanwhile, Serrano is swept into this drama after the husband cannot pay back a bet. Serrano also explains how his experience as a bookie gave him an advantage while in the army, giving him job opportunities that few other reserves had. He tells how his investment in a Lounge in Cicero, Illinois, welcomes some threatening and dangerous company, and how his neighborhood connections may have saved his life. From being shaken down by Chicago Police for "their" share of the action from a bookie on the railroads to trying to rescue a dear friend from financial ruins in the commodity markets in 1980s, we see a self-made man who has an unusual grace in pressure situations and an affinity for forging friendships with the most unlikely of characters, resulting in some fascinating tales.