When considering the story of poker in the United States during the 20th century, most logically think of places like Texas or Las Vegas or (later) Atlantic City as the settings for the game's most memorable and far-reaching moments. But for several decades there was another stopping place sought by the game's most ardent players, one located nearly three hundred miles southwest of Sin City.
From the late 1930s all the way through the 1970s and after, the poker clubs of Gardena, California were firmly within many poker players' sights. For the next three installments of Poker & Pop Culture, we'll train our focus on those clubs as well, doing so through three different lenses.