Top 7 Wild West Poker Players

Are you ready to take a trip back to the Wild West, where poker was king and cowboys ruled the roost? In this post, we’ll be exploring some of the most famous poker players from that time period. So grab your hat and saddle up, partner!

1. “Wild Bill” Hickok

No list of Wild West poker players would be complete without mentioning Wild Bill Hickok. He was not only a skilled poker player, but also a legendary lawman and gunfighter. Unfortunately, he met his demise while playing poker in a saloon, where he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall. Talk about a bad beat.

2. Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday was a notorious gambler and gunfighter, known for his quick wit and deadly aim. He was also a skilled poker player, and his reputation as a gambler often preceded him. He even won the equivalent of $68,000 in a high-stakes game in Denver in 1882.

Fun Fact: The seventh-ranked Wild West poker player, Doc Holliday, was reported to have won $300,000 from a lengthy card game.

3. Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp is perhaps best known for his role in the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral, but he was also a skilled poker player. He and his brothers ran several saloons and gambling houses throughout their lives, and Wyatt was known to be a shrewd card player.

4. Bat Masterson

Bat Masterson was a lawman, gambler, and saloon owner, and was known to be one of the best poker players of his time. He once won a reported $35,000 in a single night of gambling, which was an incredible sum of money in those days.

5. Lottie Deno

Lottie Deno, whose real name was Carlotta J. Thompkins, was a skilled gambler who was known as the “Queen of the Pasteboards.” She was famous for her beauty and her ability to win at the poker table, and she was said to have won over $250,000 during her lifetime.

6. George Devol

George Devol was a professional gambler who traveled the country hustling poker games. He was known for his sharp mind and quick hands, and he wrote a book about his experiences called “Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi.” He was one of the most successful gamblers of his time, and he continued to play poker well into his 80s.

7. Johnny Moss

Although he wasn’t technically a Wild West poker player, Johnny Moss was one of the most famous poker players of the mid-20th century, and he got his start playing poker in the saloons and card rooms of the Wild West. He won the World Series of Poker three times, and he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.

“In the Wild West, a man’s reputation was everything. Some of the toughest guys around were all in the game of poker, and they became legend.” — Johnny Moss

Well, there you have it, folks — seven of the most famous poker players of the Wild West era. These men and women were true legends of the game, and their stories continue to captivate us to this day. So the next time you sit down at the poker table, remember that you’re part of a long and storied tradition that goes all the way back to the Wild West. Good luck, and may the cards be in your favor!

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