A Turning Point
Alice Ivers Duffield Tubbs Huckert was born on February 17, 1851, in Devonshire, England, and moved to America at the age of 12 with her family. She received a quality education, and her future seemed clear – she was to become a refined lady. After the family relocated to Colorado, she met her first husband, Frank Duffield. He introduced her to the mining town of Lake City, Colorado, where he worked in the mines and also introduced her to poker, which was inherently part of the mining areas.
Alice quickly adapted to life in the Wild West. She began carrying a gun, smoking cigars, and accompanying her poker-enthusiastic husband Frank through various gaming halls. Initially, she stood behind him, observing the game, but it wasn’t long before she joined in, showcasing her own skills at the table.
Their happiness lasted only a few years, ending in great tragedy. Frank’s life was cut short by a dynamite explosion in the mine where he worked as an engineer. Alice faced a choice: return to her family or brave the ruthless reality of the Wild West alone. She chose the latter. With a deck of cards and a pistol that became her loyal companion, she set off. She became a professional player and dealer, traveling from town to town chasing poker action – much like the male "road gamblers."
Queen of the Saloons and Her Poker Face
Alice quickly built a reputation as a master. In mining towns like Leadville and Central City, she leveraged her skills to make money in gambling. Many men heard tales about her and came to challenge her. Few knew that her secret weapon was not just her knowledge of probability and card counting but also her impeccable "poker face." While other women of her time aimed to appear gentle and smile, Alice, with an unshakable expression and a cigar in her mouth, remained unmoved. This allowed her not only to win but to demoralize her opponents.
Her reputation was so strong that saloons hired her as a dealer. It was a privilege she cherished. Despite the harsh environment of the Wild West, she maintained solid moral principles. She never cheated because, as she stated, it would ruin all the fun of the game. She was also deeply religious and would never be seen playing or dealing cards on a Sunday.
Her life was full of paradoxes that made her so fascinating. On one side, a gunslinger and gambler; on the other, a lady who used her winnings to buy the most expensive dresses to keep up with New York fashion. She cleverly used her charm to confuse her competitors. Whatever happened at the table, she ensured her .38 was in place and her cigar well-chewed. Poker Alice claimed to have won over $250,000 in her lifetime, a fortune for those times and worth millions today.
Loves, Tragedies, and a Wayward Bullet
During her travels, she reached Deadwood, where around 1890, she met a painter, dealer, gambler, and her second husband, Warren Tubbs. Their relationship was preceded by an event showcasing Alice’s gritty nature. While both worked as dealers in a salon, Tubbs was attacked by a drunken miner with a knife. Alice pulled her .38, deterring the miner and, by some accounts, even shooting him in the shoulder.
Following this incident, she and Tubbs got together and soon married. It was a love that lit up her life. They had seven children, realizing their dream of a tranquil family life. They moved to Sturgis, started a ranch, and aimed to provide their children a home away from the rough world of saloons. Warren worked as a painter, while Alice continued to profit from gambling.
Her life was once again struck by tragedy when Warren Tubbs died of tuberculosis, leaving Alice alone again. Additionally, she was broke as she cared for him until the end. Stories tell that she even pawned her wedding ring to pay for his funeral but later proudly bought it back with her poker winnings.
Success at cards led her to open her own salon. She established Poker's Palace, where the ground floor hosted poker games and the upper floor functioned as a brothel. Yet, even then, one rule remained – it was closed on Sundays.
It was here that a tragedy occurred, haunting her for the rest of her life. A group of rowdy, drunken soldiers tried to force their way into her salon. When she refused them entry, they began to break in, throwing stones through windows and cutting electrical and telephone wires. Protecting herself and her employees, Alice fired a warning shot from the window, but the bullet struck one of the soldiers, killing him on the spot. Although acquitted, this incident left a lasting mark on her.
Despite her love for cards, Alice remained dedicated, hiring George Huckert to take care of her estate while she traveled for games. Huckert was infatuated with Alice and proposed multiple times. Eventually, she married him, later reflecting pragmatically: “I owed him so much in wages; I thought it would be cheaper to marry him than to pay the debt. So I did.” The marriage lasted several years, but after Huckert’s death in 1924, she was widowed once more.
An Immortal Legacy
Despite all adversities, Poker Alice outlived most of her contemporaries. Her life ended after an ill-fated operation on February 27, 1930, at the age of 79, but her legacy lives on. Her story serves as an inspiration to those who chase their dreams and dare to live by their own rules. Her legendary words, joyfully repeated after a big win, remain etched in the memory of poker players everywhere: “Praise the Lord and place your bets. I'll take your money with no regrets.”
Source: Wikipedia, Legends of America, Denver Public Library
