Page 33 - Southern California Gaming Guide • December 2021

who was killed by Jack McCall while playing poker. The hand he held when he was shot contained two
pairs of aces and eights and to this day it is still referred to as the “Dead Man’s Hand.”
Soldiers from both sides of the Mason Dixon Line played poker during the Civil War. Around that time cards were added to each hand and the game of 7-card stud was born. Those returning from the war brought their love of the game home with them and it grew into a truly American game. It would became popular in all walks of life from city socialites to the farmers in the Heartland.
Several of the United States presidents were fond of the game. Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed playing poker with friends and cabinet members. Harry S. Truman was known for his love of poker and the legendary games played in the White House while he served as president. He had a sign on his desk that said, “The Buck Stops Here” which was an expression derived from poker, as the “buck” was a marker or button used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. President Nixon was quite an avid poker player, and it was said that he financed his first Senate campaign with poker winnings.
Poker has been played in homes around the country for over a hundred years. Although poker was extremely popular, the occupation of “professional poker player” still held negative connotations. Rather than a game of skill, poker was considered gambling and was illegal in most states. So most of the players making their living playing poker did so by playing in illegal games around the country. It was not considered a “respectable” way to make a living. That would start to change when many of the “road gamblers” made their way to Las Vegas
where gambling
was legal. Even more so in the
1970’s when the legendary Benny Binion started
the World Series of Poker at his Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas.
World Series of Poker
The first World Series of Poker (WSOP) took place in 1970, but the prelude leading up to the creation of the event took place back in 1949 when Benny Binion was approached by gambler Nicholas “Nick The Greek” Dandolas with an unusual request. Dandolas asked Binion if he could set up a marathon high stakes poker match with the best poker players he knew. Binion set up the match with legendary poker player Johnny Moss with the agreement that the match would be played where the public could view it.
They played for five straight months taking breaks only to sleep. During the marathon, the public would gather to watch the two play every form of poker. The match took on all the proportions of a major sporting event.
DECEMBER 2021 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE PAGE 33