Texas Wagering History Aspect III: Typically the Legend Involving Poker Cal king Lottie Deno

Texas, home to some of the most restrictive gambling laws in the country, has an equally storied history of gambling. The names and places that make up this history resonate in the minds and memories of lifelong Texans and sometimes extend beyond the borders of the Lone Star State.

In this series, we delve into some of the individuals, locations, and moments that define Texas’ gambling history. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the state’s complex relationship with online casinos, gambling, and the culture it fosters.

In Part I of this series, we learned about how a horse trader from North Texas became one of the most influential casino magnates in Dallas before making his mark in Las Vegas.

In Part II, we explored how two brothers from Sicily transformed Galveston into one of the most renowned gambling cities in the world.

In this third part of the series, we examine the life and times of the Poker King of Texas.

A refined Lottie Deno position in San Antonio

The title “Lottie Deno” was one of the aliases used by a woman named Carlotta T. Thompkins. She arrived in San Antonio with her loyal companion, Mary Poindextor, at the end of the Civil War in 1865 when she was 21 years old. Interestingly, Poindextor, a 7-foot-tall, nine-fingered individual, had served as Deno’s childhood nanny when Deno was enslaved.

Deno exuded an air of sophistication and confidence, often dressing in fashionable French attire. In contrast, Poindextor’s imposing presence commanded attention and deterred any unwanted advances towards Deno.

During their time in San Antonio, the pair frequented the University Club in search of a card game. Surprisingly, they aimed to keep a low profile, despite their intriguing backgrounds.

A kid of The almighty and cash

Carlotta M. Thompkins was born in Warsaw, KY in 1844 to a wealthy farming family. She grew up in a privileged environment, and her parents assigned Poindextor, one of their enslaved women, to be her nanny. What developed between them was a deep bond built on compassion and friendship.

When Thompkins wasn’t at school in an Episcopalian convent, she was often with Poindextor. She preferred her company over that of the sisters at the school. Thompkins had no interest in a life of piety and servitude; instead, she would rather be at home with Poindextor or accompany her father on the road, where he would gamble and deal with racehorses.

Thompkins’ father nurtured her adventurous spirit by taking her, along with Poindextor, on trips to places like New Orleans. During these journeys, he taught his daughter the skills and tricks of a skilled card player.

This, in a way, complemented her education in the convent. While she gained spiritual guidance from the Episcopalians, with her father, she learned how to navigate the world of men—a world of gambling dens, racetracks, money on card tables, and cigar smoking in dimly lit rooms.

Detroit night life and a betting fraternity

In 1861, Thompkins’ father enlisted in the Confederate military and tragically died in battle. As a result, her family lost their home and fortune. Thompkins and her mother, who was in poor health, had to relocate to Detroit along with her younger sister.

At the age of 17, Thompkins immersed herself in the nightlife of Detroit. With Poindexter by her side, she became involved in the local gambling scene. Her mother had hoped that she would find a suitable husband in Detroit—a wealthy, religious, and landowning man who would take care of her. However, Thompkins could only pretend to be interested in her mother’s dream for so long. After her mother’s passing, Thompkins set off on her own path.

The Mississippi riverboat yrs

Stories of Thompkins and Poindextor’s time on Mississippi riverboats are deeply rooted in American folk traditions. It is said that they became acquainted with a man named Johnny Gold, who some claim was a jockey that rode Thompkins’ father’s racehorses.

During this period, Poindextor’s legendary status also grew. Thompkins herself recounted an incident where Poindextor lost her finger while protecting Thompkins from a striking rattlesnake.

On another occasion, after defeating two Confederate soldiers in a game of poker, Thompkins was confronted by one of them on the side porch of the riverboat. The man accused her of cheating and confronted her. According to reports, Poindextor intervened and lifted the man up, throwing him into the water. These stories vary in their accuracy and different versions exist, but they contributed to Thompkins’ reputation before her arrival in San Antonio.

The particular angel associated with San Antonio

For someone like Thompkins, Texas was a place to disappear. She still had distant relatives in Kentucky, but at the age of 21, she wanted nothing to do with them. So, she embraced the names she had acquired.

“The Angel of San Antonio” was a title she picked up at the University Club. However, it may have been Frank Thurmond, one of the club owners and a man she eventually married, who gave her the nickname that stuck the most: Lottie Deno.

The story goes that after she had spent the whole night winning against every gambler in the club, Thompkins introduced herself as Lotta Peculiar. She liked the idea but shortened the name to the more elegant Lottie Deno.

Around 1869, Deno, who had by then separated from Poindextor, traveled across Texas towns such as Jacksboro, Fort Concho (where she became known as “Mystic Maud”), and finally Fort Griffin, a military encampment west of Fort Worth.

This town had a storied reputation that included figures like Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, and Doc Holliday, who was a friend of Thurmond and apparently had a run-in with Deno when she won $3 from him in a game of faro.

Winning large sums of money and doing so in a manner that was quite different from the rough and tough clientele in Fort Griffin earned her another nickname, the “Poker Queen.” In Fort Griffin, Deno purchased property and established The Gus, a boarding house and saloon. It was the first time she had set down any roots.

Time for God

Her success lasted for nearly ten years before Deno ran into legal troubles. She moved around to avoid charges and eventually left the state in 1878 to settle in Deming, NM, where she reunited with and married Thurmond. After a career that, in every published account, preserved the elegance, gentility, and cunning of a Poker Queen, Deno put it and Texas behind her.

She settled back into her Episcopalian roots and became a prominent member of her community. In fact, Lottie Deno disappears from the records in New Mexico. There she is known as Frank Thurmond’s wife, Charlotte, a woman she made peace with and lived life with for almost six decades until 1934, when she died at the age of 90.

Texas provided Deno with a platform to present herself as both a dignified Southern Belle and a cunning gambler. Sadly, nothing is known about the remarkable Mary Poindextor after San Antonio, but her reputation certainly owes much to Lottie Deno’s confidence in a tough world for few women.

In the 1960s, the television show “Gunsmoke” reportedly based the saloon owner Miss Kitty on Lottie Deno. Additionally, the 1957 film “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” supposedly based the character of Laura Denbow on Deno.