Poker Alice- The Lady Card Playing, Gun Toting, No Nonsense Card Prodigy Of The Wild West
Whether it was winning big pots or getting into shoot outs with rowdy soldiers, Poker Alice always seemed to be in the middle of excitement
Besides gunfighting and drinking, one of the most popular activities associated with the Wild West is card playing. With the possibility of winning a jackpot or losing all the money in your pocket hanging in the balance, many gravitated to the poker tables. One of the most memorable in these male dominated games was actually a woman. “Poker Alice” Ivers became one of the most skilled and reputable card players during what became a lengthy and colorful career.
Born in England in 1851, Ivers’ Irish parents (her father was a teacher) emigrated to Virginia when she was a pre-teen. Initially, she attended a boarding school, learning manners and etiquette of fine young ladies, but ultimately moved with her family to the Colorado Territory in the late 1860s.
It was in her new home out West where the young woman met and married her first husband, Frank Duffield, who was a mining engineer. He was also an avid poker player and taught his new wife his appreciation of the game. Sadly, he died just a few years into their…
