The Most Unforgettable Character

'Dear Geno,' a member writes. 'I have been following your columns for a while. Seems you have been everywhere and met most of the gambling legends of your time. Which one is the most unforgettable character you ever met? Walter H., Austin, TX.'

Thanks for the letter, Walter. By the way, I'm a great admirer of the Lone Star State. I worked on newspapers in Eastern New Mexico and West Texas and made a lot of friends in Texas so it's good to hear from you.

The most unforgettable character I ever met? That is a good question. Let me mention a couple of colorful gamblers who made a difference in my life and tell you why I admired them.

Amarillo Slim Preston was the first colorful poker player that I met. I was a blackjack player at the time and had only played a limited amount of poker in the U.S. Army.

Slim was promoting a tournament in Reno, NV. and came by the Phoenix Press Club in the 1970s to get some publicity from the local press. Vic Thornton, city editor of the Phoenix Gazette where I worked, was a horse player and thought the Texas poker player would be a good subject for a feature story, so he assigned me to cover Slim's appearance.

Amarillo Slim was decked out in jewelry -- gold, diamonds, rattlesnake boots and had a smile as wide as the Rio Grande. Our photographer was setting up his equipment when he interjected a question: 'Slim, what does it take to motivate you to get into a game of poker?'

Slim whipped out a bankroll of $100 bills so thick they would choke a horse and said, 'Son, find us a table and name your game?'

Another unforgettable character was Walter 'Puggy' Pearson, who billed himself as 'the last of the redneck gamblers.' Puggy wore the nickname because of the way his nose was mashed in from a childhood accident.

He had composed a song, 'I am a redneck gambler, I've gambled all my life, whenever I put my money down...' I can't remember the rest of it, but Puggy would sing it loud and boisterous. He was also the most generous gambler I ever met. If a poker player was busted, Puggy wouldn't think twice before slipping the player a cash handout and telling him not to worry about paying it back. When he passed away, the poker world lost a true legend.

Then there was Phil Hellmuth, Poker's big mouth. Phil hated to be outdrawn and when a player dared challenge him with a hand that failed to respect him, Hellmuth would literally come unglued. Lord, he could be unmerciful to such a player. When he was through with his tongue-lashing, the foe would be quivering with embarrassment and rage. That was Hellmuth's persona and if you played against him you had to take it or find another table.

And of course I can't leave out Doyle 'Texas Dolly' Brunson. When Doyle walked into a poker room, the respect went up a notch because the other players knew Brunson was there for some real action. While I never played against Doyle -- his stakes were out of my league -- I was around him a lot. He was always a good guy to be around and would give me a good quote for one of my stories.

Oklahoma Johnny Hale was another larger than life character. He was the seventh son of a seventh son (at least that was what he claimed). His father was Chicken Hale who owned a chicken farm somewhere in Oklahoma. Johnny claimed his dad was the best seven-card stud player in Oklahoma and that he had taught him and his brothers how to protect themselves from card cheats.

There you have it, Walter. I don't know which of those players were the most unforgettable character I've ever met. All of them could fall into that category, but if I was forced to pick one of them it would probably be Puggy Pearson. Puggy was the all-around gambler and poker player that you read about in literature -- tough, unyielding, ready to play all day and night, and generous to a fault. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for asking.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).