Greetings,
Here is a list of Phenix City, Alabama, gambling clubs prepared from the book "Phenix City; The Wickedest City in America." by Edwin Strickland and Gene Wortsman. This books was printed back in 1955 and is one of the most sought after organzied crime books around. It regularly sells for $200 or more. I recently sold an extra copy on eBay for $275.
Phenix City wa a hotbed of gambling and assorted vice during the 40s and 50s. Mostly it preyed upon soldiers from Fort Benning across the river in Georgia. Almost every club had rigged games. An honest game could be had, supposedly, at the Bama Club, The Bamboo and Bennie's Cafe. The big bosses were Hoyt Sheppard and his partner, English-born Jimmy Matthews. The two "retired" from active participation in the running of gambling clubs and lotteries in the early 1950s but continued to run Phenix City politics and leased buildings to other gamblers.
The book is a wealth of information. The authors visited Phenix City numerous times during its heyday and saw the clubs in operation. This is eyewitness stuff, not second-hand.
Since most won't ever see a copy, I went through and culled the gambling clubs specifically mentioned, along with the author's description of games offered.
Next to some clubs, in parenthesis, is a list of gambling devices found in operation during a survey taken in April, 1954, by the provost marshal at Fort Benning. 13 places were placed "off limits" at that time. It should be noted that some of the clubs may have been aware of the survey and may have reduced the number of machines and tables available.
If the list of gambling available is not in parenthesis, it comes from the authors' personal observations of the club during visits to Phenix City.
BTW - Roulette, and therefore chips, were known to be available at the Bama Club, The Bridge Grocery (which didn't have so much as a can of peas on the shelf), The Ritz, Bennie's and the Original Barbecue.

All of these clubs are on or in the East 14th Street - Dillingham Street area

Riverside Cafe; owned by Glenn Younglood; girls who directed soldiers to gambling in the Oyster Bar downstairs next door under Youngblood's Phenix Finance Company.

Yarbrough's Cafe: 204 14th Street; Owned by Clyde Yarbrough; (U.S. Army
y survey: 4 slots, 4 pinball with payoff, 1 poker)

Golden Rule Cafe: 1500 Third Ave.; owned by Frances Knighton; 4 slots, 3 horse-racing machines, 1 pinball, poker.

Manhattan Cafe: 203 14th Street; Owned by Davis Enterprises. Upstairs was the Manhattan Club, headquarters of the national lottery (U.S. Army survey: 12 slots, 5 horse racing machines, 4 pinball, 1 blackjack, 1 craps, 1 poker)

Hi-Lo Club; 215 14th Street; 8 slots, 4 pinball, 1 poker, 1 craps, 1 blackjack.

Silver Slipper; owned by Davis Enterprises.

Silver Dollar; owned by Rudene Smith and H.C. Edwards. Whores, craps and poker.

Curts Cafe; owned by Curt Daugherty; slots, poker, craps, numbers.

Blue Bonnet Cafe; owned by Frank Gullat

Bama Club and Corral: 500 Dillingham Street; owned by Hoyt Sheppard and Jimmy Matthews. They later sold to Stewart McCollister, J.D. Abney, Clyde Yarbrough and J.D. "Frog" Jones; This was the biggest gambling club in Phenix City and supposedly ran straight games. In addition to sports and horse betting, blackjack, poker, craps and high dice, this was one of the few clubs to offer roulette.
(U.S. Army survey: 9 slots, 9 pinball with payoff, 2 horse racing machines)

Yellow Front Cafe: owned by W.C. Roney and his son Lawrence, they also ran the 514 Club next door. Both had slots, craps and numbers. The 514 had 10 slots, 3 horse-racing machines, 1 pinball, 1 craps and 1 blackjack.

Girard Cleaners; lottery

Bridge Grocery; owned by C.O. "Head" Revel and George T. Davis Sr.; Headquarters of the Metropolitan Lottery, and also featured slots, dice, poker roulette.

New Bridge Cafe; owned by David Griggs

Ritz Cafe; owned by A.B. "Buck" Billingsley; one of the few clubs that offered roulette.

602 Club, behind the Ritz Cafe on Brick Yard Road; run by Andy Cook.
(U.S. Army survey: 20 slots, six horse racing machines)

Original Barbecue; E.L. "Red" Cook's lottery HQ and other gambling, including roulette

Bennie's Cafe; 519 Dillingham; high stakes club, offered roulette
(U.S. Army survey: 17 slots, 2 craps, sports betting)

Blue Goose; 1000 Brick Yard Road; 4 slots, 1 craps, 1 poker, 1 blackjack

The following clubs were out in the Highway 431 and Highway 80 area:

Cliff's Fish Camp; Hwy. 80 North; owned by Cliff Entrekin; largest whorehouse in Phenix City; offered 2 "morocco" games, whatever that is, in addition to hookers and what was supposed to be the best fried catfish in town.

Jack's Cafe: owned by Jack Hunt; dice and slots

241 Club (once the Southern Manor Club); owned by Buck Bush; whores and gambling, including 1 high dice table.

Skyline Club; owned by H.C. Hardin Jr., whores
(U.S. Army survey: 4 slots, 2 crap tables, 1 blackjack)

Hi-Way Tavern; Hwy. 431 North;
(U.S. Army survey: 2 slots, 1 craps, 1 poker)

Eldorado Club; owned by William Henry Clark; whores and gambling

Bamboo Club; owned by W.T. "Bud" Thurmond Jr.; the swankiest place in Phenix City. This club catered to officers and high rollers. Club had 4 slot machines, 1 blackjack and 1 craps.

Red Top Cafe; Hwy. 541 North; owned by Sam Johnson; slots, pinball, 1 craps, 1 blackjack.

In the Seale Road area were three clubs catering to blacks:

Club Avalon; 1500 Seale Road; owned by J.D. Abney.
(U.S. Army survey: 5 slots, 1 horse race machine, 1 craps)

New York Club; 1648 Fountain Road; owned by Steward McCollister and J.D. Abney.
(U.S. Army survey: 5 slots, 1 poker, 1 craps)

Cotton Club; owned by Fannie Bell Chance, the notorious "Queen of Hearts."

On Long Street:
Phenix City Card Company; Dice loaded by Horace T. "Pat" Webster, who reatialed marked cards and other crooked equipment ordered from wholesalers in Chicago and Los Angeles. Raiders found customer lists of most Phenix City clubs as well as clubs and individuals in several surrounding states.

And in a residential neighborhood, away from other clubs, the famous:

Ma Beachie's Swing Club; owned by Beachie Howard Parr; Strippers, prostitution and a crap table that was supposedly honest until about 1 a.m., then watch out.

Cheers,
Russ