Karl•Lorimar Home Video: "Casino Gambling" starring David Brenner (1984)

A classic but well-presented film teaching the popular casino games, starring the late, great comedian David Brenner!

If YouTube and internet were a thing back in the eighties, presentations like this would storm the casino gaming community, in terms of teaching the casino games and how it's played. However, unlike the average presentation of today's YouTube videos, this one has better sound quality from the talents and was edited cleanly and professionally—two qualities you don't often see posted on the popular video-sharing website. We thoroughly enjoyed this presentation and learned the games better than some of the video tutorials out there.

Starring the late, great David Brenner at the Sands Hotel & and Casino in Atlantic City, the popular comedian tells viewer about fun of casino gaming as well as learning to play them, as David himself will be learning to play them as well. Helping David out is casino teacher and expert Peter Demos, who teaches David about the games, how it's played and some gameplay in action. All this was done in a way where two men hang in a casino and one man, David in this case, learns what the games are and the way they're played. Given the camera angles and shots, the viewer(s) get a great look at the action as Peter teaches about the games to both David and the other participating casino players. This is an interesting setup since it veers away from that typical classroom-like style of teaching, showing viewers how the bets are made, which ones to bet on, the odds and amount in winnings. It was well done to say the least.

Well Peter, let's do what the politicians do: Let's talk Crap[s].
— David Brenner, learning to play Craps

Granted, many people can go on YouTube to learn how the games are played, but this title was a niche release back in the day before internet. We thought the games and its gameplay were gently presented. Heck, thanks to this video, we finally understand and know how to play Baccarat! With all due respect to the other teachers who have starred and taught this games, past or present, we felt this one was much better. Just seeing how the game is played as opposed to the "class lecture" style of teaching makes learning the games much better (at least it's a style we find better for us). The best part is Peter doesn't add any fluff and simply talks about the games and how they're played; No off-topic giggles nor any ego trip from both men, as they stuck with the presentation and wasted no time, though the famous comedian did squeeze in some jokes here and there. For those who have always found casino gaming daunting, this classic, retro title is nice to watch as the rules still applies today (rules in Atlantic City, that is, since some rules differ from Las Vegas and the casinos themselves). This film, too, is perfect for those who want to gander at the beautiful, olden days of the eighties in Atlantic City and the Sands Casino. Oh, and this is a great treat for those who remember watching and/or are big fans of the great David Brenner as well.





Despite the beautiful camera angles, we had to knock 5% off our final rating because the cameras could've shown the cards up close. Not a big deal, but it was during the tutorial and gameplay of Baccarat where our complaint comes from. While we understood the game via text graphics and the action itself, we wish the camera had close-ups of the cards to see, and prove, whether the player or the banker won. Again, nothing to get antsy over but we feel it could've been done better in terms of seeing the cards.





Along with some sexy scenes featuring a few beautiful women, this presentation ends with David preparing for a show he's hosting after learning about the casino games (sadly, he wasn't present during the tutorial about Baccarat). David was a great host in this presentation, sharing some tips and a little history about the casino games, fitting well with what they produced in this film. It was a treat to enjoy.




Thank you to David, Peter and the entire crew! This was well presented and loved it! For those who remember and are fans of David Brenner, look no further!

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

👤 About me ✉ Contact me