 James
Maxlore
Age: 51
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 170 lb.
An average looking guy in good health.
Personal background: The only thing James Maxlore’s farmer
father ever gave him was an admiration for President Eisenhower. One
of 13 children born into extreme poverty, Maxlore was almost 11 years
old when the brother closest to him died of malnutrition. Maxlore had
realized at a very young age that potato farming was not bringing in
enough money to support so many children. He seized upon the day of
the funeral as an opportunity to run away from home, relieving his parents
(he thought) of the burden of another child. He stuck out his thumb
in front of the funeral parlor, and headed for the bright lights of
Las Vegas.
Once there, he was befriended by a bouncer at one of the smaller casinos,
who lived at the boarding house where James did odd jobs in exchange
for space in the garage. His new friend, homesick for his own younger
brothers and sisters, saved bits of food for him, taught him to read
and write, and, along with his fellow bouncers, generally made a pet
of him. Allowed the run of the casino, Maxlore spent the greater part
of two years watching people play cards. At first, he tried to read
their faces and body language. Later, he paid more attention to the
cards themselves. He discovered in himself an instinct for reading the
subtleties of play. It wasn’t hard for him to know who was holding
what, based on their previous moves and on what they seemed likely to
do next. Increasingly, as he continued to observe, he found he understood
the motivations and actions of people around him. He began to advise
his friends.
He quickly earned a reputation as an uncanny kid. No one is more sensitive
to the distribution of luck than gamblers. It didn’t go unnoticed
that the people who took Maxlore’s advice at poker won more often
than those who did not. When people won, they tipped him. He took care
of his friends, the bouncers. As a result, they followed him around
to be sure no one hurt their meal ticket. It was during this period
of his life that he met his future chief of security, Samson “Buggsy”
Powers, in a back alley.
Two large men, one with a knife, had waylaid Maxlore on his way home.
Buggsy had been passing by and had disarmed one and scared the other
away. Maxlore, realizing his reputation as a gambler was becoming a
liability, had offered Buggsy a job guarding him. Buggsy accepted, with
the provision they deal honestly with each other and everyone else.
Thus began a close personal and professional relationship that had continued
for thirty years and counting.
Business history: It’s difficult, then as now, to draw
the line between his personal and business lives. Early on, he made
it his policy to encourage creative financing, accepting shares of companies
in lieu of cash. By the time he was 18, he had accrued substantial stakes
in hundreds of companies. By the age of 21, he was clearly poised for
an unusual career in business.
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