The Gambler

How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History

By: William C. Rempel

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The rags-to-riches story of one of America's wealthiest and least-known financial giants, self-made billionaire Kirk Kerkorian - the daring aviator, movie mogul, risk taker, and business tycoon who transformed Las Vegas and Hollywood to become one of the leading financiers in American business.

Kerkorian combined the courage of a World War II pilot, the fortitude of a scrappy boxer, the cunning of an inscrutable poker player, and an unmatched genius for making deals. He never put his name on a building, but when he died, he owned almost every major hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He envisioned and fostered a new industry - the leisure business. Three times he built the biggest resort hotel in the world. Three times he bought and sold the fabled MGM Studios, forever changing the way Hollywood does business.

His early life began as far as possible from a place on the Forbes List of Billionaires when he and his Armenian immigrant family lost their farm to foreclosure. He was four. They arrived in Los Angeles penniless and moved often, staying one step ahead of more evictions. Young Kirk learned English on the streets of LA, made pennies hawking newspapers, and dropped out after eighth grade. How he went on to become one of the richest and most generous men in America - his net worth as much as $20 billion - is a story largely unknown to the world. That's because what Kerkorian valued most was his privacy. His very private life turned to tabloid fodder late in life when a former professional tennis player falsely claimed that the 85-year-old billionaire fathered her child.

In this engrossing biography, investigative reporter William C. Rempel digs deep into Kerkorian's long-guarded history to introduce a man of contradictions - a poorly educated genius for deal-making, an extraordinarily shy man who made the boldest of business ventures, a careful and calculating investor who was willing to bet everything on a single roll of the dice.

Unlike others of his status and importance, Kerkorian made few public appearances and strenuously avoided personal publicity. His friends and associates, however, were some of the biggest names in business, entertainment, and sports - among them Howard Hughes, Ted Turner, Steve Wynn, Michael Milken, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Mike Tyson, and Andre Agassi.

When he died in 2015, two years shy of the century mark, Kerkorian had outlived many of his closest friends and associates. Now, Rempel meticulously pieces together revealing fragments of Kerkorian's life, collected from diverse sources - war records, business archives, court documents, news clippings, and the recollections and recorded memories of longtime pals and relatives. In The Gambler, Rempel illuminates this unknown, self-made man and his inspiring legacy as never before.

©2017 William C. Rempel (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Fabulous story of a great man

This is an inspirational story, filled with many great business lessons. After hearing the story I felt inspired, motivated and ready to take on the world!

One of the Greatest Dealmakers

Very detailed about Kirk's life and what shaped it. You also get a real idea of what drove him in business and why he stayed out of the spotlight. You will learn how each business was an extension of the previous one. It was fascinating to learn how he was such a brilliant deal maker and business builder. Yet, made a major blunder in his personal life in his later years.

Great book

Excellent excellent book ! Very interesting and never knew how great a business man he was .

Great guy.

Excellent story and performance about a great guy. I wish I had known Kirk Kerkorian.

WOW

A must listen!
Fantastic story, lessons, journey and human being.
hopefully more people can be like him.

Excellent book!

Kirk was an incredible man and defined how to do business the right way. Good guys DO finish first!

Good book, well written and read.

Not an authorized biography obviously but that doesn't seem to be an issue as the author did enough research. Not a hagiography either.

Story You Could Read Again and Again

I’ve read this book at least 5 or 6 times. It doesn’t get boring. A movie couldn’t do the story justice. So don’t wait for a movie, just read the book. Kirk did it all. Started from 0 and went to billionaire. But what’s so fun is that he goes from one industry to another and to another and is successful. Always doing it with a big heart stopping gamble.

A Great Book

One of the best books I have read in years. This biography is a real lesson of life and success.

A Book Worth Reading

I didn't get what I was looking for in this book, but I really enjoyed it. The story is great, it became a real interest because I grew up in the same area and did not know of him. Many of the things he was involved in I remember happening or in some part new of them. He led an interesting life and I am glad I read this.