Laying down the spread...part 1

D

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just the other day ,I mentioned the fact that I love the action created by
PROPOSITION BETS

It has been suggested that some ruskie snuck in a ringer and won
some cash at a one handed spot shot contest

It was further stated that this same ruskie was know to pull off these kind
of shenanigans with regularity

Now I don't know the facts or the ruskie,but I do know something about
the nature of proposition bets.

I had the pleasure of running with Titanic Thompson as a kid.He was known to
have many bets and also to know how to get called when a proposition bet was
offered

For example if I came into the arena of action and started offering bets
one after another,winning each time.

What would be your attitude if I offered you a bet,even if it looked good?


PS
This is taking some space,if about 10 of you guys ask for more info,
then I will continue the story

If not I will assume that i have nothing of interest and call it a day
 
deanoc said:
Just the other day ,I mentioned the fact that I love the action created by
PROPOSITION BETS

It has been suggested that some ruskie snuck in a ringer and won
some cash at a one handed spot shot contest

It was further stated that this same ruskie was know to pull off these kind
of shenanigans with regularity

Now I don't know the facts or the ruskie,but I do know something about
the nature of proposition bets.

I had the pleasure of running with Titanic Thompson as a kid.He was known to
have many bets and also to know how to get called when a proposition bet was
offered

For example if I came into the arena of action and started offering bets
one after another,winning each time.

What would be your attitude if I offered you a bet,even if it looked good?


PS
This is taking some space,if about 10 of you guys ask for more info,
then I will continue the story

If not I will assume that i have nothing of interest and call it a day
Click to expand...

Dean,
There are nine guys here with me and we'd love to hear more.
Don
 
An example from titanic

The scene was the waterfront cafe in Chicago back when

An outfit restaurant where high rollers spent a lot of time,including betting propositions

Titanic was aware that he couldn't just sit around offering one after another proposition bets

For one thing,even the dead would wake up if Ty offered nothing but winning propositions
Plus it is a maxim,"Don't bet on another mans game"

Money gets scared in spots like that

So Titanic decides to introduce a proposition by use of the shill

He has friends bring up spelling contest,day after day,not all day long and obviously but casually

During this same time Titanic is teaching the village idiot to spell 2 words,RHINOCEROS and HIPPOPOTAMUS,
Every time Titanic sees Jimmy Williams,he calls him over and gives him $10 to spell Rhinoceros and hippopotamus,this goes on for days until Titanic is sure that Jimmy can do it

At last his friends engage the patrons of the place in witty repartee and the occasional
spelling bet,nothing high dollar,just fun,cheap 45 beys with a $10 or even $100 once in a while

Finally titanic is deeply involved in breakfast and reading the news paper,Arnold Rothstein
and a few other high rollers are plying their trade when one of the spelling shills brings up the word
RHINOCEROS


Titanic,seemingly uninterested until now,comes alive"RHINOCEROS,he says"That ain't no hard word'
why even Jimmy here could spell RHINOCEROS

I think you are beginning to catch the drift,Arnold (the guy who fixed the world series in 1918)

calls titanic's pop off,"wanna bet"
sure whatcha got in mind


The bet finally settles for $25,000 or thereabouts

Titanic hollers at Jimmy and says"Jimmy spell RHINOCEROS'

Jimmy smiles dutifully,basking in his opportunity to shine says

"sure,H I P P O he stammers"

Well the proposition was laid with care,but


I hope this one example gives you guys the key to the art of the prop

let me know if you enjoy these stories and i will give you another one

the next one shows you how to win friends,lose almost every bet you make and
bust the house on one big bet while attracting no heat and keep everyone laughing
 
Last edited:
Great story, Dean.
I can't seem to find the time to finish that Titanic Thompson book I got from you (about halfway through) but It's been a great read so far.
I wish there were more lighthearted tales like this in there, though.
They should have consulted you, if they didn't.
 
deanoc said:
An example from titanic

The scene was the waterfront cafe in Chicago back when

An outfit restaurant where high rollers spent a lot of time,including betting propositions

Titanic was aware that he couldn't just sit around offering one after another proposition bets

For one thing,even the dead would wake up if Ty offered nothing but winning propositions
Plus it is a maxim,"Don't bet on another mans game"

Money gets scared in spots like that

So Titanic decides to introduce a proposition by use of the shill

He has friends bring up spelling contest,day after day,not all day long and obviously but casually

During this same time Titanic is teaching the village idiot to spell 2 words,RHINOCEROS and HIPPOPOTAMUS,
Every time Titanic sees Jimmy Williams,he calls him over and gives him $10 to spell Rhinoceros and hippopotamus,this goes on for days until Titanic is sure that Jimmy can do it

At last his friends engage the patrons of the place in witty repartee and the occasional
spelling bet,nothing high dollar,just fun,cheap 45 beys with a $10 or even $100 once in a while

Finally titanic is deeply involved in breakfast and reading the news paper,Arnold Rothstein
and a few other high rollers are plying their trade when one of the spelling shills brings up the word
RHINOCEROS


Titanic,seemingly uninterested until now,comes alive"RHINOCEROS,he says"That ain't no hard word'
why even Jimmy here could spell RHINOCEROS

I think you are beginning to catch the drift,Arnold (the guy who fixed the world series in 1918)

calls titanic's pop off,"wanna bet"
sure whatcha got in mind


The bet finally settles for $25,000 or thereabouts

Titanic hollers at Jimmy and says"Jimmy spell RHINOCEROS'

Jimmy smiles dutifully,basking in his opportunity to shine says

"sure,H I P P O he stammers"

Well the proposition was laid with care,but


I hope this one example gives you guys the key to the art of the prop

let me know if you enjoy these stories and i will give you another one

the next one shows you how to win friends,lose almost every bet you make and
bust the house on one big bet while attracting no heat and keep everyone laughing
Click to expand...

So the art of the prop is cheating people? Sounds awesome.
 
I bet some of you guys are really fun at parties... They're just stories about a way of life that doesn't really exist anymore so I don't see the harm is in telling them. Just because some of us find them interesting, it doesn't mean we necessarily condone that kind of behavior...
 
Beating Arnold Rothstein and Al Capone is hardly taking advantage of widows and children


I had no idea that pool players didn't enjoy gambling stories
 
PhilosopherKing said:
... You can take the food out out of the mouths of wives and children, ...
Click to expand...
In the case of Rothstein, that would be widows and orphans. From Wikipedia:

On November 4, 1928, Arnold Rothstein was shot and mortally wounded during a business meeting at Manhattan's Park Central Hotel at Seventh Avenue near 55th Street.[22][23] He died on November 6 at the Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital in Manhattan.[2] The shooting was reportedly linked to debts owed from a 3-day long, high-stakes poker game in October. Rothstein hit a cold streak and ended up owing $320,000 ($4.5 million in 2016 dollars). He claimed the game was fixed and refused to pay his debt. The hit was intended to punish Rothstein for failing to pay his debt.[24] The gambler George "Hump" McManus was arrested for the murder, but later acquitted for lack of evidence.[24]

According to Kevin Cook in the book Titanic Thompson (2010), the poker game was fixed by gambler Titanic Thompson (real name Alvin Clarence Thomas) and his associate, Nate Raymond. Due to some complicated side bets, by the end Rothstein owed $319,000 to Raymond (much of which Raymond was due, by secret agreement, to pass on to Thompson); $30,000 to Thompson; and approximately $200,000 to the other gamblers present. McManus owed Rothstein $51,000. Rothstein stalled for time, saying that he would not be able to pay until after the elections of November 1928, when he expected to win $550,000 for successfully backing Herbert Hoover for President and Franklin D. Roosevelt for Governor. Thompson testified at McManus's trial, describing him as "a swell loser" who would never have shot Rothstein.[25] According to Cook, Thompson later told some of his acquaintances that the killer had not been McManus, but his "bag-man", Hyman Biller, who fled to Cuba shortly afterwards.[25]

​
 
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