Hello readers and welcome back to Pale Horse Revelations. where we explore significant people, places, and events in Old West history. While I make no promises, don't be surprised if some of these places, people, or events find their way into future Pale Rider adventures.
In the last issue of Pale Horse Revelations you were introduced to the Lady Gambler, Kitty Leroy. And though she was an extraordinary woman who defied the social norms of the day, she was hardly the only one to do so. This week we'll meet the equally extraordinary "Poker Alice".
Alice Ivers Tubbs, aka "Poker Alice," is considered by some historians as the best-known female poker player in the Old West. Like several others that have been profiled in this blog, Alice's story begins beyond the shores of the United States. She was born in Devonshire, England on February 17, 1851, to a conservative schoolmaster. The family moved to the United States and settled in Virginia when Alice was still a small child. There she attended an elite boarding school for young women. When Alice was a teenager the family moved again, this time to Leadville, Colorado hoping to strike it rich in the silver rush.
At the age of twenty Alice married a mining engineer named Frank Duffield. Gambling was a way of life in Old West mining towns and Frank was an enthusiastic gambler. He made frequent visits to Leadville's numerous gambling halls taking his young bride along with him. For a time, Alice was content simply standing behind her husband and watching the games unfold. But Alice was a quick study, and it wasn't long before she was sitting in on the games. Much to the surprise of her male counterparts, Alice soon demonstrated a superior proficiency at both Poker and faro.
Just a few years into the marriage tragedy struck. Frank was killed in a mine explosion leaving his young widow alone with no means of support. With her education Alice could have become a schoolteacher had she lived somewhere other than a mining camp. But despite having a population that exceeded 35,000 residents Leadville didn't have a school. The few jobs available to women in the camp held little appeal for Alice, so she decided to try to make a living with her gambling skills.
Alice's preferred game was poker, but she learned to deal and play faro as well. She soon found herself in high demand as both a dealer and player. No doubt her skill played a significant role in her popularity. But so too did the fact that she was "...a petite 5'4" beauty with blue eyes and lush brown hair" (Alexander, Legends of America, March 2023). Finding such a woman who wasn't a prostitute in a gambling hall was a rare treat that certainly brightened the day of many a tired miner.
Alice soon found herself traveling from one mining camp to another to ply her trade. As her renown spread Alice easily found work in cities all across Colorado. It was during this period that she earned the moniker "Poker Alice". This is also when she began smoking cigars. What an image she must have been, puffing on a fat cigar while wearing her customary fashionable frilly dresses. Hidden in the folds of those dresses was the .38 revolver that she never left home without. Her fame soon spread across the west and there was never a shortage of players looking for a challenge. Gambling halls were quick to welcome her because the crowds she drew were good for business.
Alice eventually left Colorado and traveled to Silver City, New Mexico. There she broke the bank at the Gold Dust, a well-known gambling hall, walking away with over $6,000. After a brief trip to New York to replenish her wardrobe, Alice returned to Colorado, this time settling in Creede, Colorado. There, she worked as a dealer in the saloon owned by Bob Ford, the man who killed Jesse James.
Like many gamblers before her, Alice eventually found her way to Deadwood, South Dakota. She soon met a painter by the name of Warren G. Tubbs. Though Alice routinely beat him at the gaming tables, Tubbs became smitten with the female cardsharp. It wasn't long before the two began seeing each other outside of the saloons and gambling halls. When a drunken miner threatened Tubbs with a knife, Alice pulled her revolver and proved that she knew how to use it. The miner survived but left the encounter with a bullet lodged in his arm.
Tubbs and Alice were eventually married and moved out of Deadwood to homestead a ranch near Sturgis. In time the two would have seven children together. Alice reduced the time she spent in gambling establishments to work the ranch and raise her children. Sadly, tragedy would strike for a second time in Alice's life when Tubbs was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Alice was determined to stay by his side and nurse him back to health. Despite her best efforts he succumbed to the illness and died in the winter of 1910.
After the death of her second husband Alice found herself once again in need of a source of income. She hired George Huckert to care for the homestead and moved to Sturgis to resume her gambling career. Huckert soon fell for Alice and proposed marriage almost daily. Alice eventually agreed, but the marriage was more a matter of convenience than romance. It seemed that married life was just not in the cards for Alice as Huckert would die just a few years later in 1913.
During Prohibition, Alice opened her own saloon, Poker's Palace, between Sturgis and Fort Meade. It was a full-service establishment offering gambling, liquor, and female company for those willing to pay for it. One evening a drunken soldier made a scene, destroying furniture and generally raising hell. Alice promptly pulled her revolver and shot the man. She was arrested but eventually acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.
Alice struggled in her later years. She continued to gamble but gone were her youthful beauty and fashionable dresses. She took to dressing in men's clothing. Even in her 70's she continued to operate her so-called "house of ill-repute" in Sturgis. She was frequently arrested for drunkenness and keeping a disorderly house. Alice simply paid her fines and resumed running her business. She was eventually arrested for repeated convictions of running a brothel and sentenced to prison. The governor stepped in and pardoned the now 75-year-old Alice.
Poker Alice's life came to an end at the age of 79. She died on February 27, 1930, of complications after undergoing gallbladder surgery. Over the course of her extraordinary life, she managed to win in excess of $250,000 at the gaming tables.
This brings us to the end of another edition of Pale Horse Revelations. I hope you found it to be both interesting and entertaining. As usual, I have tried to provide some interesting historical information while trying not to bog the casual reader down with too much detail. I encourage anyone interested in learning more to dig in and do a little research of their own.
As a reminder, I would love to hear your suggestions for topics to focus on in future editions of Pale Horse Revelations. If there's a particular location, person, or event that you would like to know more about, please let me know. Just fill out the Contact form found on the "Contact the Author" page of this website and indicate your desired topic in the message box at the bottom of the form. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Please be sure to check back next week for the next installment of Pale Horse Revelations and thank you for your continued interest and support.
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