Monday, Sept. 13, 2004 | 8:33 a.m.
Maybe more than most cities, Las Vegas is home to a lot of colorful characters. Take "Hollywood" Jack, for example.
Jack Davison, who prefers not to reveal his age, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of making 34 straight passes at a Binion's Horseshoe craps table so we know he's at least older than 21.
On Aug. 12, 1979, the gambler, actor, former stuntman and one-time car dealer paid a visit to one of his favorite casinos. He knew Benny Binion, the owner, and was close to Binion's son, Teddy.
"It was early afternoon," Davison recalled during a recent interview. "I had been playing poker at Caesars and lost about $500."
Davison's luck hadn't been good. He held four deuces and lost. He held a full house aces full and lost. As a result, he was short of cash.
"Therefore, I went to Binion's to collect some of the money people owed me," Davison said, a hint of the accent from his native New York still noticeable as he talked. "That's how I happened to be there that particular day."
The Horseshoe was quiet.
"Nothing was going on," Davison said. "I was standing at the front of one of the tables, talking to the dealers, and one of them told me to go ahead and shoot while I was waiting."
Life's a gamble
Davison grew up gambling. His father started running a gambling room for the mob in New York City before he was born.
"When my mother was pregnant with me she would deal poker when one of the dealers didn't show up," Davison said.
He began running numbers for his father when he was 11. When Davison was a little older, he collected gambling debts.
Davison quit school in the sixth grade.
"I wasn't really interested in school," he said. "I was more interested in making money and doing my thing, which I knew how to do. I worked with my father. I figured that was the thing to do. It was easy work for me."
When Davison was 17 he joined the service and got a taste of the West Coast. He liked it. When he was discharged in 1953 he remained in California, selling new cars. His boss was Ben Alexander, a part-time actor best known for his role as Frank Smith, partner of Joe Friday (Jack Webb) on the popular TV series "Dragnet" in the '50s and early '60s.
Alexander helped Davison get into the film business as a stuntman, a career he pursued while selling cars.
Having been around gambling all his life, it was only natural for him to be attracted to Vegas on weekends.
"I got to know the Binions and started hanging out at their casino," he said.
Benny Binion knew a lot of the film stars Davison knew.
"He took a liking to me," Davison said. "I got in close with the family, Jack and Teddy -- not so much the sisters."
Davison moved to Las Vegas permanently around '75. He lived in Vegas but continued to do stunt work in Los Angeles until he couldn't do it anymore, and he began playing small acting roles -- "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Casino," "Ocean's 11," "Midnight Run," "Rain Man" and many others.
He got to know the city and fully enjoyed the casino atmosphere -- especially the craps table.
Roll 'em
When the dealer handed Davison a pair of dice on that quiet afternoon 25 years ago and said, "Roll 'em," Davison obliged.
"I put a dollar on the pass line," Davison said. "Five was the point. I'll never forget that. I took the odds -- put the money behind the line -- and just started rolling. I kept going and never looked back. I made pass after pass, never made a crap on the come line at all, so it was continuous."
The first roll (called a "come out roll") establishes the point, or the number, the thrower must hit. If his first roll is a seven or 11, he wins. If those two numbers come up after that, he loses (or "craps out").
Davison's come out roll was a five, which was the point he had to get before he could win. Essentially, you roll until you either get your point or crap out.
A "pass" is a win. The "pass line" is the wager made prior to the come out roll, betting the roller will hit seven, 11 or his point.
Davison threw the dice for more than two hours.
"Everything was going perfect," Davison said. "Everything was in motion, everything was smooth."
He says he started with the minium bet, which was $1, and kept upping it until he was at the maximum, which was $500.
"I never made a come bet, they were all place bets," Davison said. "I started with the minimum and just kept going up."
After he made nine or 10 passes, bystanders started gathering and cheering him on. Davison ignored them. He says he never gets emotional when he gambles, just focuses on business.
Davison said he changed dice several times during the unprecedented run.
"Some people don't like to change because they think it ruins their luck," Davison said. "Me, I believe in numerology. I know certain numbers bring certain numbers. When certain sequences show up, I know what to expect. I could tell when a seven was going to show, and therefore I would change the dice."
Bosom buddies
Teddy Binion was working in the pit at the time and witnessed the phenomenon. He and Davison were close friends -- drinking buddies who frequented topless bars.
"We'd go to (topless) bars and Teddy would fan out these $100 bills on the table and pick out a girl he liked," Davison remembered. "He'd call her to the table and say, 'Don't dance, sit with us -- take a bill.'
"She'd sit down, take a $100 bill and not dance. Then she'd leave and someone else would come over. He did this at all the (topless) bars -- Glitter Gulch, all of them. We'd just drink and have a good time and enjoy life."
Davison says he was with Binion at Cheetahs the night Binion fanned $100 bills out on a table and invited Sandy Murphy over to take one and to talk a while. In 2000, Murphy and Rick Tabish were convicted of murder for Binion's death two years before. The convictions have since been overturned, and Murphy and Tabish are facing new trials.
"My impression of her? There was nothing different," Davison said. "She was like everybody else. Just another dancer. To me, they're all there for the money. That's their business. She didn't go home with him that night."
Chips ahoy
On the night Davison made Las Vegas gambling history, Binion had some tips for making tips.
"Teddy said to me, 'What are you going to do with all those chips? Leave the green ones on the table, pocket the rest.' I left the greens and reds on the table and put the rest in my pocket," Davison said.
As his numbers kept coming up, he didn't get excited.
"Lots of times I've made 18 and 20 passes," Davison said. "Once at Sam's Town I held onto the dice for 45 minutes and won $37,000."
His streak of luck at Binion's Horseshoe didn't make Davison rich -- he says he started with $6 in his pocket and took home a little more than $30,000 -- but it did win him a place in Las Vegas gambling history.
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