TITLE: WSOP Dealer

ARTIST: Larry Grossman / Craig DeThomas

ARTIST BIO:

LARRY GROSSMAN

Little did Larry Grossman know when he left Philadelphia in 1972 and started his odyssey across the United States; that getting on the road and living in a multitude of cities from the rocky mountains to the west coast and finally arriving in Las Vegas in 1988, he would become one of the more seminal personalities in the gaming and poker world. His enjoyment of the intellectual exercise of gambling and its ability to break down the barriers between people from all walks of life, in his own words “ the honesty of the game”, inspired him to pursue all aspects of his talents as a broadcaster, artist, writer, and author.

In 1989 he embraced his passions as a creative contributor to the gaming world as a columnist in “What’s On in Las Vegas”, as well as photographing all of the great card players, in candid sessions and documenting the evolution of poker and the explosive growth of high level tournaments in his photographic works. His viscerally striking photographs have been featured on the cover of Card Player Magazine from 1997 to the present, where he is listed on the masthead with the simple but lofty title, PHOTOGRAPHY, Larry Grossman.

In 1989 inspired by a friend who recognized his extraordinary talent, Mr. Grossman went to a local radio station in Las Vegas and presented a concept for what evolved into the most popular and longest running gaming and handicapping show in America “You Can Bet On It”, now celebrating its 15th anniversary on the Las Vegas airwaves. The show is featured on Fox Sports Radio AM 1460, 2-3pm weekdays and archived on the Internet at www.cardplayer.com. Mr. Grossman is not only the host of “You Can Bet On It” but has been the producer from its inception and has had the rare privilege in the world of broadcasting, having full creative control of this extraordinarily successful show. In 1997 through 1998 he hosted a nationally televised show, “Las Vegas Sports Book”, featuring many of the nation’s top handicappers.
All of his various talents and pursuits have resulted in him authoring two books entitled “You Can Bet On It” vol.1 & 2, hosting and producing handicapping seminars. Also he has produced and hosted several full length audio tapes, Sonny Reizner’s “How To Be a Winning Sports Bettor”, Amarillo Slim’s “Winning Poker Strategy and Gaming Stories and Jean Scott’s “How To Get Comps In A Casino”.

Inclusion of his works in the new ESPN DVD about “Three Time World Champion”, Stu Ungar, is his latest contribution to the growing popularity of Texas Hold-Em, which now has taken over the coveted number two position on the Internet from “Interactive Entertainment” and soon to rival Adult Entertainment for the first time in history on the Net.

Some of his most compelling photographic works have been done most recently in collaboration with Craig DeThomas, a graphic artist whom Mr. Grossman has worked with in creating his most recent series of computer enhanced photographic poker images that grace the world’s greatest poker room at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, which is the home of high stakes players and the highly successful World Poker Tour. Mr. Grossman and Mr. DeThomas also collaborated on an image of two-time world poker champion Doyle Brunson that graced the cover of Card Player Magazine.

CRAIG DeTHOMAS

Craig DeThomas graduated from California State College at Fullerton with a Bachelors degree in art in 1970 and traveled to Europe for an extended period of time. His interest in photography and art led him to enroll in a graphics art program at CCSN. In 2003 De Thomas began to collaborate with Larry Grossman on a new venture involving Grossman’s poker photography being transformed by DeThomas’s graphics. The two have combined their talents with a series of images that are on permanent display at Harrah’s and Rio poker rooms.