Were most of the Old West gunfighters professional gamblers?
Ron Bolza
Slatington, Pennsylvania
At some point, most of the famed Old West figures placed their bets at the poker or faro tables. “Doc” Holliday, trained as a dentist, found he could make a better living at cards. Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson became “sporting men” after some early years in other jobs (legal and otherwise). “Wild Bill” Hickok wanted to make a living at the tables, but was a far better gunhand than gambl

February 2017
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Departments
- Did Old West Towns Require Cowboys To Check Their Guns?
- What History Has Taught Me: Rex Allen Jr., Country Singer
- Western Events for February 2017
- Which U.S. Army Officer Had The Worst Attitude Toward Indians?
- Who Was William Preston Longley?
- What Is A High Shoulder Saddle?
- A Pistoleer Goes Semi Auto
- Where Was The Tombstone Jail?
- Little Houses on the Prairie
- Why In Bob Boze Bell’s Painting, Is Wild Bill Hickok’s Navy Colt Pointed To The Sky?
- The Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas
- Sold Off By Her Father
- What History Has Taught Me: Drew Gomber, History Buff
- A Stone Sentinel Stands Tall Again