..Arnorld Rothstein (1882-1928) was one America's best known and richest gamblers. He was called the Brain and the Big Bankroll. He owned many gambling houses, was the biggest bookmaker in New York, and owned a fancy casino in Saratoga, New York. He financed many underworld operations. He fixed the 1919 World Series (baseball).

Rothstein was the model for F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gadsby." He was also the model for Nathan Detroit in Damon Runyon's "Guys and Dolls". Titanic Thompson was the model for Sky Masterson in the same play and movie.

Fake poker historian, Jim McManus, has written that Nick the Greek broke Arnold Rothstein winning many millions. This is the second silliest thing ever written about poker or gambling. McManus also wrote the silliest, discussed later.

If he had researched any, McManus would have known that Rothstein won huge sums and won nearly every time he faced the Greek at poker or dice.

Rothstein won the biggest pot in poker history at that time, $797,000, from the Greek playing 5 stud. DO YOU THINK HE CHEATED OR THE DECK WAS RIGGED? A COLD DECK? I do. The Greek started with back to back Kings. Rothstein started with the Ace and King of diamonds, the ace in the hole. Both were raising all the way. With one card to come, all the money was in. The Greek had the Kings and Rothstein had a diamond flush draw, and could catch one of the three Aces if the Greek didn't help. With the odds way against him, Rothstein built the pot and made the flush. In four or five books written long ago, Rothstein's biographers clearly state that Rothstein always beat the Greek at poker. McManus's silly grad researchers never read that. McManus proves again he knows little about poker history and less about how to research.

Arnold Rothstein was murdered because of one of the most famous poker games of all time. Titanic Thompson set up the game and was secret partners with everyone in the game, including Rothstein at the start. When he was $12,000 ahead, Titanic ended the partnership with Rothstein. His major confederate was another card sharp, Nate Raymond. Also in the game was future Poker Hall of Fame member Joe Bernstein. Doyle Brunson has written that Bernstein was a "a likable and entertaining fellow, if something of a compulsive card cheat."

When the game ended after three days, Rothstein owed $312,000 in markets or I.O.U.s. The "House man" or man running the game was Hump McManus, who was responsible for collecting all debts.

Rothstein knew and said he had been cheated. Remember he was also known as a swindler, cheater, and the fixer of the World Series..baseball. He said he would not pay and said he would pay later. In those days, big gamblers paid off whether they had been cheated or not.


After many days, Rothstein, went to a meeting with a drunk McManus who shot him. True to the underworld code, Rothstein would not tell who shot him and died a few days later.

It took a year to put McManus on trial, and it was a huge national newspaper story. Titantic was really owed half of the marker. He promised to testify for the state and was released from jail. At the trial, Titanic said he didn't remember. Newspaper photos of a dapper, handsome, imaculatley dressed Titantic with diamonds on several fingers coming and going from court were in newspapers across the country. This made Titanic nationally famous and hurt his cons and prop bets. Titanic said, "Publicity is not good for my business."

Hump McManus was convicted of the murder. I first read Rothstein's biography as written by Leo Katcher in 1959. Why hasn't Jim McManus, a so-called leading poker historian, read any of the books about gambling history? "Cut and Paste" Jim McManus should not be quoted by literate folks.

The worst stupid lie Jim McManus told was that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Benny Binion, Ted Binion, and Jack Binion conspired to have a federal judge murdered with Jimmie Chagra. McManus's publisher paid the Mayor $50,000 and retracted the stupidest thing ever written from futute editions of McManus's Positively Fifth Street, but it is still in google books. The publisher also bought a full page ad in the New York Times apologizing for how stupid Jim McManus is.

in b4 lock

Why would this be locked? And why are you running to post "in b4 lock"? What a loser.

Interesting read sort of, never knew McManus was such a hack.

Johnny - what does Dr Pauly think of McManus?

I played McManus in some micro stakes HU PLO SNGs before BF.

He was godawful.

Johnny you are clouding some good research (and a good story) with too much of your feelings about Jim McManus. I would have rather read "Nick the Greek versus Arnold Rothstein" without all the Jim McManus stuff. A "Jim McManus had it wrong as usual" would have sufficed. You had a good story to tell and some of it it got lost somewhere between your thoughts and your post.

You are the better historian so you should be above that. mho

Poker history is always interesting. TYVM for the post.

Jim McManus' history book has some great stuff in it, especially about the American Presidents. I assume most of it is accurate. I'd advocate everyone buy it. He lost me with his misinformation about Texans: Johnny Moss and the Binion's, more than the Rothstein thing.

I agree with this. The OP does not seem to really be about Rothstein or Nick the Greek, but actually about Jim McManus, despite the title. Also, for a post made purely to criticise another historian for being inaccurate, there is a surprising lack of sources or references for the corrected information.

You can go go google and see two biographies of Titanic which I have, and three of Rothstein which I have. One of Nick the Greek. The amount of the five-stud pot appeared in Alvarez' classic. Google. To write this, I looked in those books as well as Doyle's and McManus'. That is ten books from my extensive gambling library.

Anyone who has read about Arnold Rothstein would consider the statement that the Greek broke him to be child-like.

I appreciate all the things you write about the old school gamblers, keep it up.

It was the nuts or nothing

Jim McManus is the great-grand-nephew of Hump McManus, his base lies are an attempt to deflect the family guilt for murdering the colorful and greatly beloved Rothstien

Great post Johnny I really enjoyed the read.I'm somewhat naive to the older history of gambling and found very informative.

Op comes off jealous and spiteful itt. Why are you even mentioning McManus in a thread supposedly about Rothstein.

You've provided zero proof of your allegations against McManus. Saying he's wrong because you "read about it in many books..." etc. is not a valid way to source your claims.

Haters gonna hate I guess. Or rather Hughes gonna Hughes.

5 card stud is the stupidest poker game ever played.

i read all your posts in the Buzz Killington voice. Well, the first third of them anyway.

I'd never heard of any of these guys (obviously not a poker historian) and this post got me interested and I was looking up more articles on the topic.

I wanted to ask one thing though; other articles I've found say that McManus was tried for the murder, but NOT convicted, and set free. Is that correct? Or was he actually convicted as the OP states?

Thanks.

You are right! George McManus was ruled innocent by the Judge when he was asked for a directed verdict of acquittal. None of the poker players were good witnesses. The one witness changed her story saying McManus was not the man she saw leaving the hotel room. There was a Chesterfield overcoat found in the room monogrammed with McManus' initials, although they could not prove it was his. After he was acquitted, McManus asked for his coat back. He wore the prosecution's exhibit as he left the court room. So cool!

Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.....why every few months do you feel a need to insult and discredit other poker writers who are more successful than you? We go over this all the time. Your stories are very colorful and informative if not slightly biased and are somewhat accurate. I personally like your stories and have learned a thing or two from them or at least got verification about other stories I have heard from the "old timers". But your stories are far from accurate and do have misinformation. Please stop the insults and just focus on the subject.

calling arnold rothstein beloved, thats a bit of a stretch.

Cool article, probably >10% of it is truth.

Still going after McManus I see.

Janters gonna Jante

You guys are right. I should not have mentioned Jim McManus at all. I will not in the future. Scout's Honor. Gambler's Oath.

Yes I was about to say that. He was respected, beyond that I doubt he was "loved" as he was a vicious criminal who had murderous associates.

Is it safe to say that a $750k pot in the 20s ($7-9m today) is the biggest pot in poker history?

nice read as usual, ty johnny.