If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn had come of age at the end of the twentieth century looking for an all-American adventure, they probably would've headed for Vegas. However, they'd have been hard-pressed to go on a wilder ride than the one taken by Tom Breitling and Tim Poster to the top of the famed Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.
Call them the Odds Couple.
Breitling is the kid who lives next door if you grow up in Burnsville, Minnesota. He never saw a hundred dollar bill or The Godfather until he went to college. Poster comes from a family of oddsmakers who reach for the Doritos on football Sundays and scream for the point spread. He was whistling Sinatra and booking games at his Las Vegas high school.
Their unlikely friendship began in college over an eight-dollar veal parmigiana sandwich that led to a partnership in a hotel reservation business. Starting with a desk, a chair, a pillow, and a telephone, Tim and Tom grew a company that they sold during the dot.com boom for $105 million. This allows Tim to pursue his childhood dream of owning a casino and bringing back the glory days of Vegas.
When Tim ups the odds and raises the limits to give gamblers the best game in town, a craps player nicknamed "Mr. Royalty," who's on one of the hottest winning streaks in history, heads for the Nugget. When he begins to take Tom and Tim for millions, the partnership is put to the test. But Tim refuses to back off on the odds or the high limits, telling his partner, "It's a ballsy proposition here. It's gonna be a roller coaster ride. But we don't have a public company to answer to. It's just you and me."
When Mr. Royalty rolls twenty-two consecutive passes and rakes in a mountain of chips, he takes Tim and Tom to the brink. They must figure out a way to hold up the House.
Just as they do, the roller coaster ride really gets rolling—and the ride becomes crazier than they'd ever imagined.
Download and start listening now!
"Double or Nothing is a very exciting and interesting read. I found myself loving to flip the pages and see what Mr. Royalty (creator of GTA???) was doing next, or finding out what wisdom Steve Wynn would bring Tim and Tom. It is a fun read, and I encourage all to read this book!"
— Dan (5 out of 5 stars)
" Interesting book, but expect more after the reviews I read "
— Jason, 11/17/2013" I liked the first half of this book better than the second. You have to read it for the story, not the writing - the writing reminded me of someone just telling me their story, without edits, without perfecting their grammar, and over-repetitive use of some phrases and adjectives. "
— Lisa, 4/28/2013" Fun read about our favorite casino/hotel in Vegas. "
— Daniel, 4/18/2013" I thought an account of what it's like to suddenly get rich and own a casino would be interesting. I was wrong. "
— Noah, 1/13/2013" One of the best books about Vegas! "
— Javier, 6/17/2012" This book was really engaging. Half of it was about the two friends and their business booking Vegas hotel rooms and how they sold that and it became Expedia and became multi-millionaires and THAT allowed them to buy a Vegas casino. "
— Elizabeth, 3/12/2012" Something a bit different, just a quick light story that was pretty cool about two guys striking it big in Vegas as businessmen. "
— Bill, 12/26/2011" Fun flight through Vegas, although obviously out to tell their side of the story. "
— Charles, 10/19/2011" Fun read about our favorite casino/hotel in Vegas. "
— Daniel, 5/1/2011" This book was really engaging. Half of it was about the two friends and their business booking Vegas hotel rooms and how they sold that and it became Expedia and became multi-millionaires and THAT allowed them to buy a Vegas casino. "
— Elizabeth, 1/3/2011" One of the best books about Vegas! "
— Javier, 10/5/2010" Fun flight through Vegas, although obviously out to tell their side of the story. "
— Charles, 6/29/2010" I thought an account of what it's like to suddenly get rich and own a casino would be interesting. I was wrong. "
— Noah, 2/27/2009" I liked the first half of this book better than the second. You have to read it for the story, not the writing - the writing reminded me of someone just telling me their story, without edits, without perfecting their grammar, and over-repetitive use of some phrases and adjectives. "
— Lisa, 4/20/2008" Something a bit different, just a quick light story that was pretty cool about two guys striking it big in Vegas as businessmen. "
— Bill, 3/21/2008Tom Breitling cofounded Travelscape.com, which later sold to Expedia for one hundred million. He and his partner then bought and sold the legendary Golden Nugget hotel and casino, and they are the main subjects in the FOX reality series The Casino. Breitling also runs an independent film production company in Las Vegas.
Cal Fussman is a contributing editor for ESPN The Magazine and Esquire, for which he has interviewed Jimmy Carter, Robert DeNiro, George Steinbrenner, Rudy Giuliani, and LeBron James, among many others. A graduate of the University of Missouri Journalism School, he lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.