December 2012
Benjamin “Ben” Thompson: The Old West’s Deadliest Gunfighter was an Englishman, Part 2By Johnny Hughes
In 1873, Ben and his hapless brother Billy were running a gambling joint in Ellsworth, Kansas, when there was a dispute over a poker game. Ben had staked a man who would not give him his half of the winnings. The fight spilled into the street, and Billy came with a cocked shotgun to back up Ben.
The BeatNeil "Bad Beat" Channing surveys the affairs of the gambling classes
Action Jack: We’ve got a live one!Paul picks holes in your typical live player
November 2012
Showing by Nick WealthallThere’s a really big flaw at the end of the Wizard of Oz. I mean, clearly there are plenty of flaws up to that point. Like, why is the lion kind of plump? How would a lion without any courage get regular dinner? And who invented the Tin Man – a self-aware, self-sustaining cybernetic organism – and how come that person doesn’t rule Oz with an army of axe-wielding tin men? And why, after the Wicked Witch of the West cleverly exposes them to heroin, doesn’t Dorothy find it moreish and go back?
October 2012
Brian “Sailor” RobertsBy Johnny Hughes
When one of the name road gamblers would show up at the legendary "Shop" in Lubbock, it would stimulate the play. A sucker couldn't get up to the table for all the hustlers. Folks would play higher, and those folks who had won big in the World Series of Poker didn't do so well. Bill Smith and Amarillo Slim couldn't beat the joint.
Cheating at High Stakes Poker: Rarer Than Historians Think By Johnny Hughes
In my own experience, and as a researcher on gambling history, the major mistake many historians make is to overestimate the amount of cheating among gamblers in the past and how essential a “square gambler” reputation is to a successful gambling house or a professional gambler. If a gambling joint is known as a “bust-out joint” or “brace joint”, it cannot attract players.
August 2012
Wyatt Earp: A Leader among Gambling Men, Part 2 By Johnny Hughes
When Ike Clanton came into Tombstone very drunk, he and Doc Holiday had a verbal altercation. Later that night, there was a big all-night poker game at the Occidental Saloon. Doc Holliday played and left early, after he and Ike traded barbs.
July 2012
Great ExpectationsIt’s easy to have great expectations in poker. It’s also easy to get disappointed by them. I had great expectations of the novel Great Expectations but (spoiler alert) the old lady doesn’t actually do very much, Pip isn’t Pippa Middleton (as I was incorrectly promised) – it’s actually a boy – and the whole thing goes terribly wrong, ending in a graphic advert for fire safety in the home.
Wyatt Earp: A Leader among Gambling Men, Part 1 By Johnny Hughes
Wyatt Earp (1847-1929) was a professional gambler his whole adult life. The gunfight near the OK Corral, in 1881, has spawned countless books and 55 movies that make Earp a town-taming sheriff, the very symbol of law and order. Earp, however, only served as a lawman for brief periods and was a deputy marshal or deputy sheriff.
June 2012
Amarillo Slim Remembered By Johnny Hughes
Amarillo Slim Preston was one of the pivotal figures in poker history, a colorful Texan full of old sayings and gambling wisdom. When he won the World Series of Poker in 1972, he suddenly became a household name and the most famous gambler in the world, making 11 Tonight Show appearances with Johnny Carson, as well as featuring on several TV game shows. He even had a part in the Robert Altman movie California Split.