Giveaway! Enter to win a copy of The Lady Was a Gambler:
True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West
“Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other.” Charles Lamb, 1823
The New World gambling parlor in Marysville, California, in 1851 was filled with prospectors and sojourners eager to lay their money down on a game of chance. Patrons could choose from a variety of amusements, including roulette, dice, faro, and poker.
An elaborate bar lined an entire wall and brass mountings accentuated the gleaming countertops of the grand and ornate saloon. Imposing mirrors clung to all sides of the enormous entryway, and paintings of nude women relaxed in prostrate beauty loomed over the patrons from the walls above.
Madame Belle Ryan, a voluptuous creature with dark hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion, sauntered down the stairs surveying the guests who had gathered. Men scrambled for a place at the tables, their gold dust and gold nuggets exchanged for the chips they tossed onto the green felt-bets for the lucky cards in their hands.
To learn more about Madame Belle Ryan and other lady card players read
The Lady Was a Gambler: True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West
