That's the problem with the half-sheet. You can make a good buck, but you're responsible for the laydowns.

I'm reading Jerry Capeci's recent bio (Al D`Arco), and he discussed the headcounts of the five families. Capeci wrote that Lucky's original commission decided on the maximum headcounts for each family to keep everyone in line.

Genovese....300
Gambino.....300
Colombo.....150
Bonanno.....125-140
Lucchese....125-140

This doesn't necessarily reflect the current numbers, but is where each family is capped at when recruiting new members. Even though families can replenish the ranks, some opt not to in order to keep a bigger share of the loot, or to avoid diluting the standards. Since the figures posted by other members are lower, I'm assuming the decision to keep the headcount lower is voluntary.

I agree since you are not putting up any cash. but as long you have other players , even if one guy stiffs you can come back. lets say he was in the black (meaning his players were losing) at half sheet. If he could get 2500 to give to the office then that would be chalked up as square. But each situation is different it depends the deal you have with the office. I have stories for days on the half sheets guys.... especially the young ones

Well, sure. But your problem is when you have a week where all the favorites cover and all of your suckers win, except for one moron who loses enough to balance your sheet. Problem is, you may be waiting for this one guy to pay you, so you can pay your winners. And if you don't have the money to cover the laydown, you shouldn't hold your breath on the office laying it out for you.

It doesn't happen often, but it happens. That's why, even if you're on a half-sheet, it's best for you to have some cash of your own in the drawer. Just in case .

The idea that Detroit has more than Chicago is absurd. As I wrote in another thread, there is 10 x the reported mob activity in Chicago than in Detroit, and the fed's number of about 25 in Chicago would seem to be very solid.

Not that I know about running book but if you can't cover the lay down or waiting on Peter so you can pay Paul.... WTF are you doing running book?
Otherwise it seems it's simply a matter of time before the music stops and there are no chairs...

Regards the 'official' family numbers Lucky apparently set, I'm doubting as Columbo at 150 and Bonnano at 125-140 when Joe Bonnano was a founding member of the commission and Profaci was his pseudo no.2 seems... Unlikely.

Sonny, I agree. Plus, why would Mangano be on equal footing with Luciano's family? I thought they were a smaller family until Gambino took over.

But it came from Jerry Capeci's book, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I misunderstood his words. If anyone has Mob Boss, it's discussed on page 128.

I tend to agree. The last reported estimate I've seen regarding Detroit was 30 members back in 2001. Which was the same as the max figure reported during the 1996 case. Since then, the members or possible members listed below have died. And I take internet rumors about recent ceremonies with a grain of salt.


Carlo Bommarito (2008)???
Antony "Tony Long" Cimini (2005)
Anthony "Tony the Bull" Corrado (2002)
Vincent "Little Vince" Meli (2006)
Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone (2001)
Anthony "Fat Tony" Giacalone, Jr (2013)
Vito "Billy Jack" Giacolone (2012)
Jack "Jackie G" Gianosa (2003)
Salvatore "Sammy G" Giordano (2002)
Dominic Licavoli (2003)
Salvatore "Soupy" Lentine (2002)
Anthony "Pretty Boy Tony" Munaco (2005)
Leonardo "Leo Monday" Monteleone (2006)
Rafaela "Jimmy Q" Quassarano (2002)
Joseph "Jo Jo" Ruggirello (2013)
James "Jackie Two Guns" Russo (2012)
Anthony "Tony T" Tocco (2012)
William "Billy Boy" Tocco (2007) (suicide)
Dominic "Lefty" Tringale (2007)
Frank "Chinky" Versaci (2012)
Dominic Viccari (2001)

So we're looking at approx. 19 active made guys left in Detroit.

michigan doesn't have a high italian population

then again they plug family members and people who marry into the family

so ain't no telling what their head count is

Yeah , but if you have been with the office for awhile why would they not pay the winners if you couldn't cover it? especially if you were making money for them? That is some amateur bullshit right there. They wouldnt want to lose good customers because one guy didnt pay. Also , not every player is gonna to pay on time even if they always pay. You are going to run into some bumps in the road. A REAL office would know this. They would cover it.

All I'm trying to say is, if you're on a half-sheet, then you're the one ultimately responsible for the money. And you're right, a reputable office will float you the money in the short term. But in the long term, the laydown is going to be on you. That's all.

Here's a gem from one of Philip Carlo's books...

...the Gambino family was the largest mafia family in the world.... it had 26 captains, some 2,500 made men, and thousands of associates.

2,500 made men?

Philip Carlo was a chronic bullshitter. And the truth is, he wasn't even a very good writer. Even if you could get past the fact that he was making things up as he went along, his writing style was still annoying. I feel bad that the guy is dead and all, but please, he was no investigative journalist. Hack is more like it.

It makes it difficult to research his works since you have to sift through what is probably bullshit with what isn't. Actually, that's pretty much how it goes with secondary sources on the mob, sans Raab, Anastasia, and a few others who don't present everything as "fact."

I wonder why the Colombos were allowed to have more members than the other two smaller families, especially since they were the youngest family. The 300 made members for the Genovese and the Gambino family does make sense and confirms my own speculation that they had not much more than 300 members at their peak. However, the 125-140 number doesn't correlate with other sources on the Bonannos. It would also mean that the Bonannos would have been downsized since they most likely had more soldiers under Maranzano. Also, Paul Sciacca was heard on wiretaps saying that he the Bonannos had 180 members. As boss he would've most certainly known their exact numbers. Other sources such as the authors of the Sixth Family stated that the Bonannos had 150 members during the Galante period. The Bonannos were also estimated to have this amount of made members during Massino's reign.

9 actually.

Those numbers are total bullshit. The Bonannos had around 300 made guys around 1931. That´s basically the only number you can take to the bank. No outsider (Capeci etc) would have been/would be able to know the exact number of members when the Commission was formed. And this goes for many of the insiders too (D´Arco etc).

Patriarca is closer to 50, Milwaukee is more like 20 and if you count the crews in eastern Upstate NY who are Buffalo made guys but with close toes to Scranton/Pittston, Buffalo has around 60.
Rockford didn't make your list but they have about 10 and are soon to open the books.

Rockford is opening the books? A family can't really servive with only five made guys, but it's possible. The Madison family was the smallest and only had a few guys. I think the reason the families that were close to Chicago were allowed to function being very small as they were is the simple fact they were close to Chicago and the Outfit backed these small families near their territory.

The west side of Rockford has become a gold mine for the family for two reasons.
First, hordes of drug dealers, policy runners and Shylock to get in line, and secondly the renovation and construction that is going on. Millions in "performance bonds" changed hands.
There are literally hundreds of associates from Chicago and the northern burbs who never got made into the outfit, and Chicago has given the green light for some of them to be made into Rockford.
Rockford has the distinction of perhaps being the only LCN family whose activity revolves around a church. The fish fry at St. Ambrosio's is a who's who of both the made Rockford crew and the north side Chicago outfit guys.

Des Moines, Iowa actually had quite a bit of activity when mafia kingpin Louis Fratto ran the rackets there...I believe it was still under the supervision of Chicago.

Delusional nonsense.

The Patriarca family still has 40-50 total members. But Milwaukee certainly doesn't have anywhere near 20 members today. There hasn't been a mob case in that down in over a quarter century. As for Buffalo, an article from last year mentioned a chart the FBI made back in 2006 that showed 23 remaining Buffalo members at the time. A few have died since then so it's around 20 now. Even back in 1989 the family was said to have about 45 members at the time. Not 60 then and certainly not now.

Don't feed the trolls, Ivy .

I try not to but it seems they never find a shortage of people willing to believe their BS.