James McManus is novelist, poet and essayist. He is currently writing a book, “Positively Fifth Street,” about the 2000 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the Ted Binion murder trial held just blocks away. He will be leading a panel, “Las Vegas: The Now City,” that discusses why the city is one of the fastest growing in the United States; it is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Q–What will your lecture be about?
A–How gambling in Las Vegas contributed to its growth. More specifically, it is about poker and the ways in which women and other non-traditional poker players have emerged. There is a movement being spearheaded to make poker tournaments friendlier. There is the tendency of late for the old Vegas dark days of male gamblers. But that is giving way to a more friendly and more women-friendly environment. . . . It is another angle of Old Vegas meets New Vegas.
Q–One of the themes of the festival is “Where are we now?” What place is society at in terms of your subject area?
A–Las Vegas has been chosen as the “Now City” because it is the fastest-growing city not only in this country, but I believe the world. It also changes very rapidly. People who haven’t been to Las Vegas in the last five years wouldn’t recognize it. It has a millennial feel. It feels very unreal and fantastical and, at the same time, it is home to a couple million people.
Q–How will technology affect this industry?
A–With the Internet, people gamble more and more online. But there is no substitute for the interpersonal interaction. Poker is one of those games in which you need to be face to face with your competition because there is so much body language and eye contact. You get a feel for the action and person.
Q–How is poker a part of the humanities?
A–It falls outside the normal academic-based humanities. But if you define humanity more broadly, it is a subject studied more and more. . . . Poker is used as a model of human behavior by researchers who are developing artificial intelligence. It gives a lot of insights into how people make decisions, things they know and things that remain unknowable. It also involves deception founded on dishonesty and what might appeal to the darker view of human intelligence.
