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Mar. 12, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Ex-Nugget owner tells of wild ride

NORM CLARKE
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Tom Breitling, left, and Tim Poster owned the Golden Nugget for a little more than a year before selling it to Tilman Fertitta in 2005.
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Elvis Presley getting Strip star

There's no shortage of nuggets in Tom Breitling's new book "Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas' Legendary Casinos."

Breitling reveals the tense times with his Golden Nugget partner, Tim Poster; the embarrassment of the reality TV show "The Casino"; Breitling's breakup with actress Jaime Pressly, and the hardball deals with Barry Diller and Tilman Fertitta.

Masterful writing and reporting by co-author Cal Fussman takes the reader on the wild ride that made millionaires out of the co-founders of the Travelscape reservation service (later sold to Expedia) in their 30s.

Breitling blames a disappearing act by "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett for the stinker ratings of "The Casino."

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    • "We were his third-string show, and Burnett had left us with some first-time producers" who relied on staged scenes and every imaginable Vegas stereotype.

    Friction was already building between Poster and Breitling when Pressly came between them.

    Pressly showed up at the June 2004 premiere of the show in a miniskirt and halter top, "which couldn't have been further from the Vintage Vegas image Tim and I were trying to brand."

    Poster took one look at the former Playboy cover girl and growled, "What the hell, Tom! The cocktail waitresses have more clothing on than she does."

    Later, Poster spoke his mind. "Tom, this broad is not for you."

    She became a wedge in the two pals' long friendship, and it came to a head in Dubai when they went to watch friend and Golden Nugget investor Andre Agassi play in a tennis tournament.

    The blowup occurred in front of Agassi, who stepped between them and "explained everything he'd learned from his marriage and divorce with the actress Brooke Shields," Breitling said.

    Stomach-turning, million-dollar losses to high rollers also tested their friendship.

    Their worst nightmare was a video game creator code-named "Mr. Royalty," who won $8.5 million in less than two weeks while playing craps at $110,000 a toss.

    Breitling and Fussman provide a dramatic account of a bidding war that broke out between Texas businessman Fertitta and his cousins, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the owners of Station Casinos.

    The Fertitta brothers, longtime friends of Poster and Breitling, thought they had a deal with the duo for the Golden Nugget, but it fell apart during a meeting at Piero's Italian Cuisine.

    The Fertittas released them from the deal and preserved the friendship. 

    THE SCENE AND HEARD

    Elvis Presley is getting his star on the Strip, thanks to the Viva Las Vegas! Elvis Presley Fan Club. The Las Vegas Walk of Stars ceremony will be held in September. ...

    A red carpet event for Kevin Spacey's set-in-Vegas gambling film "21" will begin at 7 tonight on the casino floor at Planet Hollywood Resort. Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, James Sturgess and author Ben Mezrich are expected. The film will premiere at Planet Hollywood Resort, Paris Las Vegas and Bally's for ShoWest conventioneers.

    SIGHTINGS

    Hollywood heavyweight Jeffrey Katzenberg, dining at Picasso (Bellagio) on Monday. ... Paris Hilton and boyfriend Benji Madden, spending four hours on the thrill rides at Adventuredome (Circus Circus) on Saturday.

    THE PUNCH LINE

    "Whenever a car ran low on gas, bought a new car." -- From David Letterman's Top Ten Mike Tyson Financial Mistakes

    Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.



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    Paco wrote on March 29, 2008 12:50 AM: No corporation would do the things that Tom Breitling and Tim Poster did to attract the free wheeling big time gamblers. The Golden Nugget had the exact same revenue in 2003 (when it was owned by MGM) as it did in 2006 after Landry's returned the betting limits and odds to a corporate friendly level (Landry's bought it in Sept 2005). What is an absolute mystery to me is why Tilman Fertitta (CEO Landry's) didn't buy the property a year earlier when MGM first put it up for sale? By waiting for a year he ended up paying an extra $100M for the same property.


    Death nVegas wrote on March 13, 2008 01:22 AM: 'Rocker', the big deal is that Elvis was a favorite of a certain demographic that made it possible for Vegas to become what it is today. Looking at City Center, it's easy to forget that just a few years ago, there was a lot more gaudiness than there was glamour and who do you think came and kept putting their nickels in the machine? Yes, that's right 'Rocker', we're talking abut Elvis fans. By the way, your blog-name 'Rocker' doesn't seem to fit with being a big fan of Tennis, the "music" of Paris or the "acting" of Pamela --unless you are Kid Rock, :lol:


    jimbob wrote on March 13, 2008 12:12 AM: sounds like tim and tom are 2 douchebags who dont know what to do with knockout like pressly ...


    divebeener wrote on March 12, 2008 12:57 PM: It was announced Elvis Presley was getting his star on the Strip on Feb 28th at Pete "Big Elvis" Vallee birthday party at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon. To bad Petes birthday party did not make it in The Scene And Heard. It was quite an event.


    doglvr wrote on March 12, 2008 09:00 AM: The saddest thing is how Las Vegas was showcased on "The Casino." My guess would be that feeling like you needed a shower after watching might have played a part in their low ratings.

    The only bright spot? That as usual, the Las Vegas Fertitta family shows that class is still possible in this business.


    Rocker wrote on March 12, 2008 08:37 AM: What is the big deal about Elvis and Las Vegas? Yea, he did the movie 'Viva Las Vegas', which was filmed 95% in a studio, not on site. For most of his concerts in Vegas he was do drugged out and out of it, the fans left a little p.o. Vegas was not exactly Elvis' better days. Doesn't matter, no one looks at these dumb stars on the strip anyways. When does Pamela Anderson, Andre Agassi, and Paris Hilton get their stars Norm??


    Vegas Dude wrote on March 12, 2008 08:29 AM: What did Breitling think when he started 'dating' Pressley, that she was in it for his less than Adonis type looks? She is your typical D-list actress - always looking for a deep wallet and she found one. I love how they try to paint this picture of how 'stressful' it was in the measly 1 year they owned it. So much stress, they made half a billion dollars. Wow - pretty stressful I'd say - yep. Also, I'm sure "Mr. Royalty" has lost his $8 million and another $8 million on top of that playing craps that way. Suckers all.


    Maurice Colgan wrote on March 12, 2008 06:09 AM: A gold Elvis Presley Star in Las Vegas should have been erected decades ago. By the City!


    Gettin_Mad wrote on March 12, 2008 03:42 AM: Thanks guys... selling may have been good for you, but not the hundreds who lost their long time jobs oh, and didn't you guys also own the nugget down in Laughlin? I thought so!!