Continuing our look at "saloon poker" in the 19th century, another figure steps forward for closer inspection from the roster of early poker-playing "heroes" — the famous buffalo hunter, gambler, gunfighter, occasional lawman, and later journalist Bat Masterson.
A Night in Sweetwater Turns Sour
Born in Quebec in 1851, Masterson's family moved about until settling in Kansas, then he and his brothers left the farm to hunt buffalo. Some time after in Texas he was said to have participated in a famous battle defending a small town from the siege of a Comanche tribe, though details of his involvement are sketchy.