Many of the most famous gamblers that I research and write about died broke: Titanic Thompson, Nick the Greek, Stu Ungar, Minnesota Fats, Sailor Roberts. As Ray Zee and vegasskip have pointed out Johny Moss was broke and playing out of the chip box at Binion's, but his family stioll had two large apartment houses in Odessa, Texas. He came home to Texas to spend his last few months.

Nick the Greek was playing cheap limit in Gardenia. He owed lots of people. He uttered his famous quote, "Hey, its action." Nick the Greek and Benny Binion died on Christmas Day of different years.

Titanic was with his fifh wife. All were teenagers and very pretty when they married. He killed five men all in self-defense. He was ill and greatly comforted by his son, Tommy Thomas, now a minister. I caught him cheating one time. We have exchanged a few emails.

I do't know if Treetop Jack Straus was broke when he died. He was often broke. He said "if God wanted us to hold on to money, he would have put handles on it."

Stu Ungar, Bill Smith, and SAilor Roberts died young and broke because of duugs and/or alcohol.

Austin Squatty was broke and in great financial difficulty when he committed suicide or was murdered.

Many gamblers wouldn't have lived as long as they did if hey had not h used barking iron effectively and shot hijackers that needed shot. Titanic killed five. Benny Binion killed two. Many shot somebody, incluging: Johnny Moss, Curly, Red, Tooter. Doyle Brunson wrote me that he and Curly and Red shot their way out of a motel in San Angelo, Texas when the hijackers were trying to get them. I got the drop on one potential robber coming in my second store window and marched him out at gunpoint. I marched a couple of very large drunks out at gunpoint. One night when there were robbers in town and the word I had spread, I came home big drunk and saw a guy in my backyard. I shot over his head twice. Of courst, I've shot over the heads of lots of people in a W3est Texas Honky ?onk.

Most of the West Texas gamblers I know, especially the bookmakers, had plenty of money and had built up good bankolls to leave their family.They were mostly good family people with long, good marriages. Pat Renfro, Tooter, Iron Drawers Shaw, Dale the Mule, Curly Cavitt, Red Harris, Ed Bradford, and the list goes on and on. Professional gamblers were often, like me, people who came from poor families and saw gambling as their best way to make money. What about the porfessional gamblers around where you live??? ?o they die broke or have a bankroll?

We all go broke when we die

im dead and im broke

Cant see Doyle Brunson going broke soon, he could be gone soon tho ;(

although one just died, it's hopefully a while before any more of my peers die.

Zed's dead baby. Zed's dead.

no ones come to me for money so I assume they're doin ok

Dead broke. You don't have to be worried bout bein' broke when you go Johnny. I'm gonna put a check in your shirt pocket at the viewing. Cash it when you get to where you're going.

I love these stories from the old days.

Was this the origin of the phrase "one time"?

Johnny, FYI, all the links on your webpage are dead? (seriously)

The gambler or minister? At cards or bed? Or both and both?

Does Johnny Hughes Love to Hear Himself Talk?

Butch killed Maynard in self-defense, but Marsellus Wallace killed Zed.

If you're gonna keep posting monologues, please use punctuation.

i can't believe that with this thread title, no one has made the obvious post yet. i don't have the heart to do it either.

Not sure its that obvious. Post it please cuz I cant figure it out.

Yes.

Gamblers might as well die broke they can't take the money with them.

Most do and it seems the ones that don't are no longer professional gamblers but businessmen. I think the reason why they die broke is because they no longer have an edge in their specialty and didn't quit when they realized it(if they ever did). Look at how many players made 6 to 7 figures when online poker was softer and tapped it all. Jimmy the Greek ended up broke in the end because the edge he had in the 30's was no longer there ie picking on soft local lines.

Seriously there's a lot of typos.

Johnny Hughes confirmed busto

currency was their lifeforce.

I'll let you know if a few years OP... quite possibly, yes(if you don't diversify)

OP RIP?

can't take it with you when you die so might as well get rid of it