Originally Posted by Ray Zee

glad to see you around johnny.
many dont realize how hard it is to get facts correctly 100% of the time and if you are off just a little the jump on you.
as far as i can tell johnny is not a liar about things and does his best to get the facts right.

Originally Posted by Johnny Hughes;33885778[B

]When I first started writing on here, I wrote my own gambling memoir experiences and about the Texas road gamblers that I knew. This mostly came from memory and experience.[/B] I was robbed with a shotgun and pistols. I shot over a robber's head. I pulled a gun on drunks in my gambling joint. I was arrested by local police and the fabled Texas Rangers for the simple act of gambling. I played with, was robbed with, and was arrested with some of the biggest gamblers on the road. I started going to the World Series of Poker in 1975, and I write about the folks I met.

What road gambler experiences have you had? Been robbed? Arrested? Stiffed? Cheated? Beat Up? Used your gun for defense?

When I managed Joe Ely in the music business, I sometimes carried a small pistol in my boot. I only pulled it in a crowded night club and fired into the ceilling once. I only busted two caps. The band kept playing. No one called the law. West Texas.

I've had all that happen to me which definitely informs my history writing. I was cheated by Titanic Thompson's son and caught him. I played with early World champs: Johnny Moss, Sailor Roberts, Amarillo Slim, and Bill Smith, all who lived in West Texas at one time. And folks I'd met in Las Vegas when I was 21, Benny Binion and Bill Boyd.

I wrote on here about the West Texas gamblers I knew and had experiences with. Then I switched to big, famous gamblers: Nick the Greek, Titanic Thompson, Arnold Rothstein, Poker Alice, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, and many of the more recent poker players. I believe these people's biographies reveal a lot about American history. I've collected many gambling history books and find this study a rich hobby. This really all started with TwoPlusTwo some years back. I have posted rather rough draft material on these famous gamblers, and other people add comments, add very helpful links, and catch my errors, or raise questions about what to believe. I encounter conflicting stories, and I must select what is most interesting, humorous, but also true. I have rated gamblers and writers as to credibility. The least credible writer I have encountered in any field is Jon Bradshaw. Jim McManus is much better but still flawed when he writes about Texans. My being a gambler and learning to be a researcher, gaining my Ph.D., gives me a huge advantage. The ton of history books written about the Old West does not understand the key players were professional gamblers. The gamblers you cannot believe include: Amarillo Slim, Titanic Thompson, Wyatt Earp. Johnny Moss embellishes with Texas exaggeration. Truthful are Benny Binion, Jack Binion, Doyle Brunson, Crandell Addington, and Bat Masterson.

I love TwoPlusTwo and do not mind the haters. When I first came here five years ago, I'd get all angry and take the insults, especially being called a liar, very seriously. Now I try to use them to improve my research and writing. If I am doubted on my facts on here, I re-research the topic. I also use the term, Accounts Vary, when dealing with old stories. No one can ever be totally sure about old gambling stories you read about. I really wish there was more written about who won, who lost, and who was the best poker player.