Slot machines entered the world of gaming. Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York developed a gambling machine in 1891 that was a precursor to the...
The Birth of the One-Armed Bandit
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The Gypsy and the Bear
One day during Tombstone’s boom times, a Gypsy came strolling into town with a bear on a leash. He announced to the gathering crowd that for...
Running the Con in Denver
The Blonger brothers even outdid Soapy Smith. Lou Blonger and his brother Sam had a lot of experience in running Old West saloons, dancehalls and...
Blood on the Green Cloth
Fighting for the Faro Dollar: Johnny Tyler and Tombstone’s Gamblers’ War In the summer of 1880, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, was a silver-rich...
The Luck of the Irish
GAMBLER JOHNNY MURPHY WAS THE FACE OF AN ICONIC WESTERN PHOTO. Eight months after the murder of notorious Irish gunfighter James Leavy in front of...
Saloons
The saloon was the hub of the western town. Bar, restaurant, gambling house, town hall, hotel, brothel, and sometimes courtroom and church. Often...
Was Bill Tilghman a Good Guy or Not?
Bill Tilghman has two diametrically opposed versions of his death. He was either trying to restore law & order against a crooked government...
Witness For The Defense Wyatt Earp watched as others shot it out.
Wyatt Earp was actually a witness to a big gunfight. It was April 14, 1885 at the Gem Saloon in El Paso. Earp and fellow Vendetta rider Dan Tipton...
Drinking And Gambling: A Bad Mix Ranger Outlaw learned the hard way.
Texas Ranger Bass Outlaw let his bad habits get the best of him in 1893. He was temporarily in charge of D Company when he went to the Buckhorn...
Gambling, Gold and Women
Deadwood has always attracted big names. In 1874, even before the town’s creation, George Armstrong Custer and his command scouted the Black Hills...