OH NO, not another poker story!

I knew better but just had to let them “Show Me.”
In the Early 1960’s I was operating a Bingo in the Sportsman’s Club in Newport, KY, while Screw Andrews was on a federally paid vacation in Terra Haute, IN. I had a so called partner named Tony F-----i. He was a fireman on an extended leave from St Louis, MO. After the Bingo closed I did not hear from him for a couple years.

Out of the blue he calls. Boy, do I have a poker game for you. It is a real loose game and easy pickins. Bunch of businessmen. You can clean them out. I can get you invited. We’ll split. $10,000 buy in pot limit.

With great reserves, I agreed. If you play poker, I’m sure you will agree you need one or two “Live” players in a game. They will move the money around the table. A good player should in the long run beat this type of game.

I always watch a game for awhile before I play. It gives me some idea of who and what I am in for. In other words pick out the geese. I was there when this one started, no chance to get a handle on the players.

30 minutes after the game started I realized all 7 of the other players, were “live ones.” The game was reduced to pure luck. After they beat a few good hands, I was a hot sucker. All I wanted was to get even and get out. One or two geese are ideal. Seven sucks!

Four days and several black beauties’ later I got even. It was pure luck. I figured I had a $100 in expenses getting there. Told Tony, “You owe me $50” and scooted as fast as I could back to KY.

They “Showed Me.”
Life is good! Live it to its fullest!

Enough of that:

Missouri:

Was ripe with illegal gambling. Its cup runneth over. Clusters of illegals operated in Kansas City, Joplin, Stateline, Warrensburg, St Joseph, Excelsior Springs, Jefferson City, etc, etc. In the past I have posted lengthy research on the Troost St/Walnut St/John Dolan liquor store illegal operations.

It's fairly well known that Kansas City was an "open" town in those days and was similar to Chicago. The town was run by Judge Tom Pendergast who ran the political machine as well as several businesses which received many city contracts. He also sponsored a local county judge who was a former haberdasher to become a US Senator from Missouri. That Senator later became Vice President and then President of the US. Harry Truman was his name. His haberdashery business was a few blocks from the Lido...who knows, he might have even put a few bucks down on a nag at the Lido.

Allan Meyers sent me 2 colors of the GJ chips in 2000. I felt sure they were part of the Kansas City Cluster. Now we know for sure.

I miss the old days when about 15 of us just mailed out new illegal finds to each other. No $ involved and no one kept track of who sent the most. Only a few of us left now.

1827 Club
1827 Grand Ave
Kansas City
George Jones
Chips delivered

1932 thru 1938-Lots of chips.

Lot of stuff going on in KC when Jones was there, (Pendergast machine, etc.).
Further research on this chip would probably yield interesting results, but here's what I've found.

George H. "Farmer" Jones was described in 1919, at age 48, as "Kansas City's principal gambler" and the "J. Pierpont Morgan of the local gambling trust;" in 1929 he was reportedly the head of a south side hotel gambling syndicate.

I'm not sure what was located at 1811 Grand Avenue in the early 1930's when the chips were first ordered, but in the latter half of the 30's it was a retail liquor establishment run by John T. Dolan (not sure if bar or store). (My note: Dolans Liquor Store was used as a mail drop for many area illegals) (A load of chips was found in a wall by workers many years later.)

Dolan had been a saloon owner and hotel proprietor in the 1910's and 1920's. In 1921 he operated a bar in the back of the Centropolis Hotel which, when raided by police, was being patronized by an inebriated Pendergast municipal court judge--all were arrested except the judge.
(big surprise the Judge gets a walk!)

Also, in the late 1930's George Jones was the proprietor of the 1827 Club, located at 1827 Grand Ave., just a few doors down from 1811. By 1940 both places were no longer there (Dolan was dead). George Jones' name was brought up during the Kefauver hearings about KC in 1950.

More Troost St area illegals.

427 Club
Delivered in 1934-36 - 4 orders to Harper & Uncer, Webb Means, and QA Seifert.

Lido
Shipped to John Murray in 1936 - 31st and Troost St.
The CA boys claimed this one.

Premier Club
3130 Troost St
1936

I got 3 colors of the Premier Club from the son of a salesman for Jack Todd Co in 1999. They have the small pin holes used to set them in place in salesman’s sample books. The yellow came much later.

1003 Walnut

Kansas City Star--January 6, 1922:
Jones Robbed. I bet the robbers paid heavily for this one.

Columbia Missourian—June 25, 1929:
Jones connected to hired guns from Chicago, St Louis, and Memphis. The "Era Of The Illegals" were brutal when they had to be.

The Estes Kefauver Commission went after Kansa City illegals and the politicians/cops that protected them with a passion in early 1950’s.

Interesting chart about KC gambling prepared for the Kefauver hearings--Jones, although still living in 1950, age 78, is not mentioned: