Titanic Thompson was a legendary gambler and hustler who lived from the early half of the twentieth century until his death in 1974. He was known for his ability to manipulate both odds and people, and his stories have become gambling lore. Thompson was not a con artist but a gambler who had a talent for proposition bets. He would bet on anything from the turn of a card to the number of watermelons in a farmer’s truck.

Master of Proposition Bets

Thompson was a successful poker player and mixed with a lot of well-heeled suckers eager to bet on all sorts of crazy suggestions. Between long sessions at the card table, Thompson would offer seemingly impossible wagers that fellow gamblers just couldn’t resist. For instance, he would bet he could hail a cab in under a minute despite the traffic being at a standstill and the only taxi nearby being taken. With a whistle, that same taxi pulled over and the passenger got out!

Thompson’s greatest proposition bets were based on feats of skill that seemed impossible when described at the outset. He had a knack for throwing things with strength and accuracy. He could sail a playing card further than Ricky Jay on his best day and fill a hat with 52 cards from across a pool hall. Thompson was famous for throwing peanuts or walnuts over houses or for great distances. No matter how good an arm his opponent had, Ti could throw further and higher thanks to the lead-filled nuts he had made for the purpose.

From Poker to Pool and Golf

As the “good old days” of high-stakes poker waned, Thompson turned to hustling pool and golf to make a living. In the pool hall, he was unmatched and could line suckers up for more hours than there were in a day thanks to a litany of seemingly crazy handicaps he would offer. As a golfer, he was considered to be amongst the best players in the country. Thompson refused to turn pro because, even if he won the US Open, he couldn’t stand the drop in money compared to hustling.

Thompson lived out his days as a much-sought-after golf partner by gamblers eager to have a story to tell about losing to the legendary hustler. He could rope anyone into taking a much bigger bet than originally intended. After narrowly beating several strong players in the morning, he would offer to play again in the afternoon with left-handed clubs. Given the quality of his right-handed game, the players would quickly accept, confident they could easily beat him when playing with the wrong hand. But he’d already beaten them with the wrong hand since Thompson was actually a left-handed player and had taught himself how to play right-handed to pull bigger bets!

The Best of It

Titanic Thompson was known for his strategy of always having “the best of it” in any bet he made. He gained a reputation that attracted gamblers who wanted to participate in his proposition bets, even though they had no chance of winning. Thompson had a talent for winning almost every proposition he made, whether by developing a unique skill, orchestrating a situation, or concealing secret knowledge. However, a few times in his career, his wagers backfired with hilarious and expensive consequences.

Thompson’s opponents never stood a chance of beating him, but they were willing to lose just for the opportunity to tell a story at their next game. As golfer Ben Hogan once said of Thompson, “Only a fool would play him at a game he suggested.”

Despite his success, Thompson’s bets did not always go as planned. Occasionally, his opponents would outsmart him, leading to amusing and costly results. However, these instances were rare, and Thompson’s reputation as a master gambler remained intact.

In conclusion, Titanic Thompson was a fascinating character in hustler history. He was not a con artist but a gambler with a talent for manipulating both the odds and his fellow gamblers. His stories have become gambling lore, and he was a formidable player who mixed with a lot of well-heeled suckers eager to bet on all sorts of crazy suggestions. Thompson’s greatest proposition bets were based on feats of skill that seemed impossible when described at the outset. As the “good old days” of high-stakes poker waned, Thompson turned to hustling pool and golf to make a living.