Magicians and their tricks abound on the Las Vegas Strip.
But few could exceed the magic flamboyant casino operator Bob Stupak pulled off during his Las Vegas career when, over the course of three and a half decades, he turned what was first known as Bob Stupak’s World Famous Historic Gambling Museum to Bob Stupak’s Vegas World to the Stratosphere Hotel and Tower to what is now known as The Strat.
To tell the story of how Vegas World became The Strat means telling the story of Stupak, known as the “Polish Maverick,” a professional poker player who once won $1 million in a highly publicized Super Bowl bet and who was frequently referred to as Southern Nevada’s greatest hustler — or possibly, its greatest huckster, and the closest thing to P.T. Barnum anyone in the state had ever seen.
