Frontier Gambling

Frontier Gambling: The Games, The Gamblers, and The Great Gambling Halls of the Old West by G.R. Williamson (Kindle Edition published 2012) 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, and extensive bibliography.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*********As reviewed by Wild West Stories:"A great work that makes a significant additionto the historical record of the Old West."'As Mr. Williamson points out in his book, even the act of heading West into the frontier was an act of gambling in itself. It included gambling your life itself to seek the potential that awaited. Many died, most failed to achieve great wealth and only a few created the life they dreamed of... not since Dee Brown's epic "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" have I found myself drawn into the narrative of a non-fiction work on genuine Old West History in this way. I highly recommend this book to all enthusiasts of Old West Stories. I have a small shelf above my desk where I keep a few treasured works that I want to keep at hand. "Frontier Gambling" by G R Williamson is being added to that shelf." *****G.R. Williamson's other book available on Kindle is "The Texas Pistoleers: Ben Thompson and King Fisher."