I have had the Empire Buffet chips for years.

If you remember the “Illegal Of The Day Indiana” post with the Lock & Key Club chip that was sent to a woman, you will remember the comment about it was the 1st woman we ever saw as a buyer of Illegal chips. When I remembered Carroll Hardwick, I thought that statement might be wrong. NOT! Carroll turned out to be a man.

Enough of that:

Alvin Clarence Thomas, 1897-1974:

The best history to come out of this research was the Titanic Thompson connection. He was a “Hustlers” “Hustler.” He lived the “Dream.” He lived the “Hustle.”

He created a fictitious identity and lived that life to the fullest like a Damon Runyon character. He would take any bet, any game, any place, any time. (Especially if he had an edge ) He gamboled himself into a millionaire.

Titanic Thompson was one of the most famous hustlers/cheaters in history. He was a poker player, golfer, marksman and pool player who combined his skills with being a hustler, card cheat and dice manipulator.

He was involved in the Black Sox, Arnold Rothstein scandal.

He was around the WSOP a few years before I came to Las Vegas. The poker players had great stories about him.

Here is how he got his name.

In his own story, published in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED in 1972, Alvin Thomas said:

In the spring of 1912 I went to Joplin, Missouri, just about the time the [Titanic] liner hit an iceberg and sank with more than 1,500 people on board. I was in a pool room there [in Joplin] and beat a fellow named Snow Clark out of $500. To give him a chance to get even, I bet $500 I could jump across his pool table without touching it. If you think that’s easy, try it. But I could jump farther than a herd of bullfrogs in those days. I put down an old mattress on the other side of the table. Then I took a run and dived headfirst across the pool table. While I was counting my money, somebody asked Clark what my name was.

“It must be Titanic,' said Clark. 'He sinks everybody.”

“So I was Titanic from then on."

There are also good stories about him from his days in Evansville, IN.
Google him, if you want a good read.

That said. The Joplin chips in this post are fairly common in the hobby. I’ve had many traders over the years but none at this time and I need some. If you have traders or any to sell, please email me.

My research friend wants them because of the Titanic Thompson connection. I owe him!

Please look thru your traders for me.

Enough of that:

Missouri – Joplin 2:

I got 2 colors of the B&H in 1999 and 2001.

I got 3 colors of the HCD in 1999 and 2002.

I got 3 colors of HOC in oval in 1999 and 2001.

EMPIRE BUFFET

Carroll Dare Hardwick, a Kansas native, moved from South Dakota to Joplin around 1927 and died there in 1957 age 65 (he was a him ).

Empire Buffet was located at 533 South Joplin Avenue and was raided several times in the 30's.

The building which housed the Empire Buffet on the NE corner of S.Joplin & W.6th has been replaced by a parking lot.

Hardwick was a friend of Titanic Thompson. Thompson was well known in Joplin. He got his nickname at a Joplin pool hall in the 1910's.

Ad from 1935:

Joplin Globe--7march1937 (I guess the chips ordered by Hardwick could also have been used at the Schlitz Buffet at 412 Main St. It was directly across the street from Rex Athletic Club, from the 1st “Illegal Of The Day” Joplin post on 11/2/10

Joplin Globe--10june1938 (but officer, we're playing bridge ):

Were they really allowed to plead guilty and pay fines under phony names?

Joplin News Herald--16april1932:

Titanic must have been well known in Joplin to get this headline space (the article above is from this page):

The association with Titanic is pretty cool--if you have any extras I wouldn't mind getting one.
See, I told you he wanted the chips.

That said. The Joplin chips in this post are fairly common in the hobby. I’ve had many traders over the years but none at this time and I need some. If you have traders or any to sell, please email me.
My research friend wants them because of the Titanic Thompson connection. I owe him!
Please look thru your traders for me.