Volume 5

Volume 5: The Casino Years, Networking, and the Vegas Era (1990–2000)

The 1990s were a defining decade — a time when my business success, love of golf, and interest in market dynamics intersected with the glitz and opportunity of Las Vegas. Through a unique blend of technology, trading, and serendipitous connections, I found myself at the center of a world filled with high-stakes deals, celebrity encounters, and global networking.

The Bellagio Opening and Vegas in Full Bloom

The opening of the Bellagio was one of the most extraordinary weekends of my life. Joann and I were flown out on a private jet, checked into our suite before even leaving the plane, and treated to a series of lavish events.

The weekend included:

• A command performance by Cirque du Soleil
• Two concerts by Andrea Bocelli
• A formal dinner where Van Cliburn performed piano
• The grand debut of the Bellagio fountains, which left us awestruck

It wasn’t just entertainment — it was an immersion into the Illuminati circle of Las Vegas.

Kenny Rogers and the Power of Presence

At one point during the Bellagio opening brunch, Joann found herself snubbed by people we had flown in with from New York. Seeing Kathy Azzinaro, a casino host she knew, she struck up a conversation — only to find Kathy chatting with Steve Wynn and Kenny Rogers. Kenny spent ten minutes talking to Joann. When she returned, the same people who had previously rejected her were now clamoring to make space at their table.

VIP Life in Las Vegas

That weekend wasn’t a one-off. Joann and I became frequent guests at elite events in Las Vegas:

• Mystère at Treasure Island — we saw it over 100 times
• EFX at the Las Vegas Hilton — a Broadway-style spectacular we attended dozens of times, featuring rotating stars like Tommy Tune
• Countless Super Bowl parties, Chinese New Year events, and New Year’s Eve galas
• Rodney Dangerfield show, where we were seated in a central booth alongside Danny Gans and his wife. Danny was a top impersonator at the time, and we had seen him perform many times.

NASCAR, Callaway, and Golf Contacts

I was invited to drive a NASCAR stock car at 180 mph on the Las Vegas Speedway. I had to climb in and out through the window — there was no door.

Later, I was flown to the Callaway factory in Southern California, where I was personally fitted for custom clubs, which they shipped directly to me.

I formed many business relationships on the golf course, especially at Shadow Creek, where I played multiple pro-am rounds. One such encounter was with a principal of D&H Distributing, which eventually led to a technology distributorship I ran between 2005 and 2008. Joann and I even had dinner with his boss at the Beverly Hills Hotel shortly after that round.

The Beginning of Online Trading and Networking

Back in New York, I had obtained my first Internet connection via Pipeline.com and was experimenting with early market data services. I built one of the earliest futures trading bots, using insights I gathered from an AIQ seminar on volatility expansion in Miami. Trades were executed through a modem connection to my broker, who would call the pits — this was before the days of electronic trading.

Eldon Ziegler, my brilliant engineering partner, wrote the communication software that transmitted the trades. He wasn’t involved in the trading logic, but the partnership laid the groundwork for future innovations.

This decade blended innovation, exploration, and indulgence — from building one of the first trading bots to dancing at New Year’s Eve parties with the Las Vegas elite. The world was changing fast, and I was living at the edge of technology and opportunity.