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Canada Bill, history's greatest con man |
A gambler and con man, William "Canada Bill" Jones played along the Mississippi River in the mid-1800s. Supposedly, Jones had a squeaking voice, seemed to be somewhat of a klutz and came across as a bit of a clueless simpleton. But nothing was further from the truth.
Canada Bill was a poker cheat and three-card monte hustler of legendary status who regularly fleeced unsuspecting opponents who had him pegged as a sucker.
His gambling winnings were routinely lost in rigged games operated by other con men and he eventually died penniless. When a friend once tried to warn him to stay away from a particular game he knew to be crooked, Canada Bill responded: "I know, but it's the only game in town."
Cool Fact: Perhaps the best-known Canada Bill quote has become a mantra for many poker players: "Suckers have no business with money, anyway." |
