Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas | 
 enlarge | Author: Christina Binkley
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $15.24
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Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 9853
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 140130236X
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.4779509793135
EAN: 9781401302368
ASIN: 140130236X
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080721215920T
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| Also Available In:
| • | Audio CD - Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas | | • | Audio CD - Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas | | • | MP3 CD - Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas | | • | Audio Download - Winner Takes All: Wynn, Kerkorian, Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas (Unabridged) | | • | Paperback - Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas | | • | Unknown Binding - Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas: Library Edition |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Fascinating read for anyone who has visited Las Vegas July 23, 2008
I just visited Las Vegas and loved it, it was much better than I expected it to be after having toured all around Europe! I bought this book at the airport book store in Vegas as the assistant said that was the book everyone had been asking after. It was a fascinating and entertaining read, with particularly inside information on how Steve Wynn approaches business and also how it contrasts with that of Kirk Kerkorian and Gary Loveman at Harrahs.
I couldn't put it down and recommend it to anyone who has visited Las Vegas and is wondering how it go to be the town that it is today.
Vegas, baby, Vegas! July 8, 2008
Binkley presents an insightful and lively account of some of the players who operate in a world where nothing succeeds like excess. It is a world that the author knows well from her years of having covered the industry as a Wall Street Journal reporter, but, despite being granted unprecedented access to Las Vegas' movers and shakers, she remains a detached observer. From backroom deal-making to outsized egos to glitzy spectaculars, Binkley covers it all with a sprightly writing style, providing insights into what makes men like Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, and Gary Loveman tick.
It was a world I knew nothing about other than a few business trips to Las Vegas, but I found the book highly entertaining and learned a lot about how about how three very different visionaries plotted a path to success. I will enjoy my next business trip to Sin City much more having read this book. I recommend it highly.
Fascinating! June 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A great summation of the last 15 years of Las Vegas, the influences that made it what it is, and the big personalities that rule the land. One negative comment I have is the movie is really two stories in one, Wynn/Kerkorian their deal and influence, and how Loveman/Harrahs elbowed its way from a smalltime operator to major player.
The majority of the book is about Wynn and his influence in Las Vegas and how it developed from the Mirage to the Bellagio to the Wynn. And of course the big occurrence is the buyout of Wynn's operation by Kerkorian when he senses the stock weakness caused by Wynn's lack of management skills. A very fascinating story!
After completing the acquisition the book slows down somewhat as it tells the tale of middle market Harrah's and how it busts into the big time by acquiring Ceasar's. This book explores the mathematical focus at Harrah's and how it increases profitablity. While it's interesting reading how a glorified math professor rises to casino president while retaining his old lifestyle, this section is the least interesting at least for me.
In summary this is a fascinating read of a fascinating city. Just a walk down the strip let's anyone see every part of American culture good and bad as Las Vegas is the mecca of most Americans at some point in their lives.
 Slots of Fun May 28, 2008
This was a very interesting book and the closest thing to reading an autobiography of any of the main three men profiled: Kerkorian, Wynn and Loveman. The writing was easy to follow although, I did feel that the information was not presented in an orderly way. The book didn't begin with a history and move forward and it didn't begin at the present and go back either; the information was rather free-flowing and jumbled. The insight into the three men and how they conduct business was fascinating, especially the interactions/business between Wynn and Kerkorian. It felt, at times, that the author was biased against Wynn as he was presented in a really ... negative light. There really isn't much personal info. about these men in non-fiction - aside from news articles, so if you have an interest in vegas corporate dealings this would be a good choice. I was surprised that Sheldon Adelson (ofthe Venetian) wasn't part of the group of men profiled, and was surprised also to learn that Wynn is basically blind.
Great Book! May 27, 2008
I was looking for a good biography of Steve Wynn and stumbled upon this book - and was it ever a good find!
I like Binkley's writing style and the fact that she doesn't "dumb it down" too much. Her book takes us through the large scale development and evolution on the Vegas strip over the last 20 years and it's three biggest moguls. We get an inside look at Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian (of MGM Mirage) and, to a lessor degree, Gary Loveman of Harrah's - as well as a number of other executives that came and went along the way.
I definitely recommend it if you're at all into hotel/resort development or investing, Las Vegas history, Steve Wynn, people with money, business profiles or all of the above.
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