The Sands is as notorious for its clientele as it is its services. We have all seen the classic photographs of Dean Martin lazing by the lido pool surrounded by bikini clad beauties, but shouldn’t we be reviewing its money making facilities indoors?

Plastered in burgundy velour and chestnut, it exuded class and this didn’t end with the upholstery. The Sands establishment had the best croupiers in Las Vegas; nobody could stack chips like these boys, and at the time they were unrivalled on The Strip.

The man at the head of the roulette table was none other than Pierre Francois, native of Monaco and a close personal friend of the Mote Carlo Royal Family.

It was none other than Frank Sinatra himself who invited Pierre to work at the sands, which he did for the entirety of the casinos 1950’s/1960’s heyday, when his tenure at ‘Le monde’ in Monaco came up for review.

Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior preferred blackjack, when they weren’t too busy swigging scotch with broads. It should be mentioned that the iconic image of the Rat Pack at the pool table was taken in the bar lounge at the Sands Hotel, where Sammy is seen to be idly reviewing his cue tip as Martin, Sinatra and Lawford share an in-joke at his expense.

Sadly, the Sands Hotel, as with many hotels of America’s golden age fell to ruin, as larger, more affluent hotels, such as Caesar’s Palace sprang up in the seventies.

Why review a has-been casino? The Sands Hotel was an important part of American culture at the time, which has been well documented as an equally iconic place as Bellagio’s also derelict establishment on The Strip. As for Bellagio’s, that is for another review.