RIP Bob Stupak (1942-2009)

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I'll be in the Bar..With my head on the Bar
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BOB STUPAK, LONG-TIME LAS VEGAN, DEVELOPER OF THE STRATOSPHERE, PASSES AWAY AT 67

LAS VEGAS - Bob Stupak, who is best known for revolutionizing the Las Vegas Strip with the development of The Stratosphere, passed away today at the age of 67.

Stupak was with close family at the Desert Springs Hospital this afternoon when medical maladies, including leukemia, took his life at 1:15 p.m. Per Stupak’s request, he will be cremated and there will not be a funeral.

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Vegas World ... first place I ever stayed at on my first trip to Vegas in 1987 ... with the package I got, I ended up getting paid $20 per night to stay there, got unlimited free drinks, and didn't have to gamble a cent.
 

Rx God
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I never met the man, but respect his concepts.

He thought "out of the box".
 
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“Bob Stupak was a true visionary and he will be sorely missed. He was instrumental in developing the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower – an icon in Las Vegas, as Mr. Stupak was himself. He will be remembered for his many community initiatives and his many innovative projects within the gaming industry," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
After an unconventional boyhood in Pittsburgh he came to Las Vegas, where he survived a motorcycle crash and sparred with gaming regulators. He eventually built the tallest hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
In his early days, Stupak delved into pop music and motorcycle drag racing before he began selling coupon books. His father, Chester Stupak, was a major player in Pittsburgh gambling rackets from before World War II until his death in 1991.
After Bob Stupak dropped out of school following the eighth grade, he bought a Harley-Davidson and began an odyssey that would lead to Las Vegas.
Stupak's interest in gambling drew him to Las Vegas in 1964. He then took a detour to Australia for seven years, where he continued selling coupon books and got married twice. Stupak stayed in Las Vegas for good in 1971.
In 1973, Stupak opened the Million Dollar Historic Gambling Museum & Casino, which burned down under mysterious circumstances. Rising from those ashes, Stupak built Vegas World in 1974, an outer space-themed casino with a display of cash Stupak had won in some of his most notorious gambling bouts, including poker games and big Super Bowl bets.
Media from around the world came to the April 29, 1996, opening of the 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere. A bronze statue of Stupak was displayed at the resort north of Sahara Avenue on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Stupak had envisioned an 1,800-foot tower, but the Federal Aviation Administration intervened and prevented him from going that high. Less than three months after the Stratosphere opened, Stupak, a 14 percent owner, resigned as chairman and the bronze statue disappeared. Stupak said later he had never authorized it.
On March 31, 1995, Stupak was nearly killed when the Harley-Davidson motorcycle he was driving collided with a vehicle on Rancho Road, leaving him in a coma for five weeks.
Stupak had attempted to enter the political arena by running for mayor of Las Vegas. He also helped his daughter, Nicole, with a failed bid for a City Council seat in 1991.
"It seems like he was always playing it right to the edge -- good, bad or indifferent," said former United Press International Bureau Chief Myram Borders, who covered Stupak during the years of his greatest contributions to Las Vegas history. "He had a good sense of humor. He was a funny man. Bob seemed to enjoy life very much."
In 1989, Stupak won the World Series of Poker $5,000 buy-in no-limit deuce-to-7 world championship at Binion's Horseshoe, earning a purse of $139,500. He had placed third in that same event in 1984 and would go on to place fourth in that game at the 1991 and 1993 World Series of Poker.
Famed Las Vegas oddsmaker Lem Banker called his longtime friend "a visionary."
"Bob was a decathlon gambler -- sports bets, propositions, poker -- everything at once," Banker said. "He had a lot of heart and a lot of brains."
Sen. Harry Reid said in a statement that he was saddened to learn of Stupak's death, adding that they had been friends for 35 years.
"Las Vegas has seen many visionary people come and go throughout the years, but few personified the town like Bob did. He was a genuine Las Vegas character," Reid said. "My thoughts and prayers go out to Bob's family and friends during this difficult time."
 
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There was tons of gamble in this legend...remember when he went to Gene Mayday's place and bet a millon cash on a football game...
 

J-Man Rx NFL Pick 4 Champion for 2005
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Vegas World ... first place I ever stayed at on my first trip to Vegas in 1987 ... with the package I got, I ended up getting paid $20 per night to stay there, got unlimited free drinks, and didn't have to gamble a cent.

The place never even had a Sports book back in those days ! What a joke ! I checked in and 10 minutes later I checked out when I asked where is your sports Book and they replied " We have no Sports book " !
 

Where Taconite Is Just A Low Grade Ore
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In the early to mid 80's many places had no Sports Book. I used to ask the 1st guy I saw "where's your Book"? If the answere was "we ain't got none", adios.
 

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Bob Stupak took the points (seven I believe) and the Cincinnati Bengals for a $1Million at Little Caesars (Run by legendary bookmaker Gene Mayday) on the strip in Las Vegas in January of 1989.

The NFC champion San Francisco 49ers (13-6) defeated the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals (14-5), 20-16.

The game is remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16-13, San Francisco got the ball on their own eight yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the winning touchdown on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game.

Two Vegas legends Bob Stupak and Gene Mayday..


RIP. Bob Stupak.



wil.
 

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I stayed in Vegas World in 1989 with a deal I got from Playboy magazine. They gave you a ton of free BJ money and free slot money. The slot money was bs because you had to play a few slots that were all losers but I had $500 in single play BJ chips that I paid $400 for including my room and free dinner and I remember leaving there with more money than I came with.

RIP
 

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After collecting his $1 million, Stupek bought Mayday that stupid looking car that sat out front. It looked like a spaceship laying down on wheels, never saw anybody drive it, so not sure how fast it would go.

It had writing on it, to the fastest bookmaker or something

Was parked right next to those phone banks, feds had it easy back then, tapped those phones as nobody had cell phones yet, only walkie-talkies and clipboards.
 

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