Summary of Kevin Cook's Titanic Thompson

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Alvin’s family lore says that his father, Lee Thomas, was a poker player who left when Alvin was born. His mother, Sarah, married a hog farmer who had a plot near Rogers, Arkansas. They shared a three-room cabin with Alvin and his brothers.

#2 Alvin grew up in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He was a very precocious child, able to throw a coin so that it landed flat against a wall. He could make the coin lean on the wall if he wanted. He was also very good at card tricks.

#3 When no one was looking, Alvin would pitch pennies at a tin cup. After hundreds of tosses, he grooved a soft underhand motion. He could now offer a crazy-sounding bet: I can make nine out of ten from five paces.

#4 Alvin’s first stop after leaving Rogers was Monett, Missouri, the town of his birth. He thought he might pick up his father’s trail there, but instead he met a man who sold colorful accordion maps of the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822505933

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Kevin Cook's Titanic Thompson

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Alvin’s family lore says that his father, Lee Thomas, was a poker player who left when Alvin was born. His mother, Sarah, married a hog farmer who had a plot near Rogers, Arkansas. They shared a three-room cabin with Alvin and his brothers.

#2

Alvin grew up in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He was a very precocious child, able to throw a coin so that it landed flat against a wall. He could make the coin lean on the wall if he wanted. He was also very good at card tricks.

#3

When no one was looking, Alvin would pitch pennies at a tin cup. After hundreds of tosses, he grooved a soft underhand motion. He could now offer a crazy-sounding bet: I can make nine out of ten from five paces.

#4

Alvin’s first stop after leaving Rogers was Monett, Missouri, the town of his birth. He thought he might pick up his father’s trail there, but instead he met a man who sold colorful accordion maps of the United States.

#5

Alvin learned that card rooms were like churches, brothels, and mad dogs: every town had at least one. He began selling maps in towns along the river, and soon became known as a good little player.

#6

The boy, Alvin, shot Bogardus, who was the world’s champion, and won his trust. He then took over as the trick shooter for the Bogardus Miracle Medicine Show.

#7

The medicine show toured four