Lester “Benny” Binion arrived in Las Vegas from Texas in 1946. He created his family homestead in Las Vegas and became a partner in the Las Vegas Club in 1947. He opened Binion’s Horseshoe on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas in 1951. He never looked back. Benny built what he knew best...an old-fashioned Mississippi riverboat-styled gambling joint with low ceilings, red-velvet wallpaper and soft lighting. The smell and feel of a real place, it was all about gambling. There was small artifice, little pretense and no veneer. It was all wide open. Binion was known for taking a bet from anyone, no matter the size. His oft quoted phrase was, “Your biggest bet was your first. After that, let it roll.” This was a gambler to be reckoned with. Benny Binion died on Christmas Day 1989.