Skip to product information
1 of 1

Indian Head Publishing

Frontier Gambling

Frontier Gambling

Regular price $9.95 USD
Regular price Sale price $9.95 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
NEW BOOK ON GAMBLING IN THE OLD WEST

Frontier Gambling: The Games, The Gamblers, and The Great Gambling Halls of the Old West by G.R. Williamson.

Texas historian, G. R. Williamson, tells the "unvarnished truth" about one of the integral facets of the American West – gambling. Rich in detail and jargon, yet written in an easy to understand style, the book tells how the games were played, legitimately and otherwise; it presents the stories of some of the infamous gamblers and con men of the era; and it covers the notorious saloons and gambling houses where fortunes were wagered night and day in the untamed West. The thoroughly researched 300-page book has over one hundred vintage photographs, a glossary of frontier gambling terms, extensive bibliography, and index.

Indian Head Publications is pleased to announce the release of a new non-fiction book by the master Texas storyteller. “This book was written to try to tell the true story of gambling in the Old West”, Williamson says. “I intentionally did not delve into the societal and moral issues of gambling; rather I decided to explore the myth and lore that drove men to risk fortunes, big or small, on the turn of a card or the spin of a wheel.”

Williamson points out that games of chance were dear to the hearts of not only cowboys but also gold miners, plantation owners, bankers, merchants, soldiers, trappers, buffalo hunters, muleskinners, and most of the other men of the American West, even including some preachers. Wherever there were men with money there was gambling – and most of it was crooked. Whether it was rigged, fixed, double-dealt, cold-decked, braced or otherwise manipulated - very little was left to luck and skill.

Frontier Gambling: The Games, The Gamblers, and The Great Gambling Halls of the Old West takes you inside the infamous gambling saloons where players could try their luck against faro, monte, or twenty-one dealers. Along the way you will meet some of the big-time gamblers of the era including Big Ed Chase, Swiftwater Bill Gates, Long John Dunn, Ben Thompson, Luke Short, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and J.J. Cozad. You will also meet some of the card sharps and con men such as, George Devol, "Canada Bill" Jones, and Jefferson Randolph Smith (Soapy Smith). In addition, you will meet the petticoat dealers that include “Poker” Alice, “La Tules” of Santa Fe, Eleanore Dumont "Madame Mustache", and the mysterious Lottie Deno.

See book review at wildweststories.com.

Also available in print at B-N and Amazon.
View full details