Fate Deals a Hand: The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic's Professional Gamblers - Hardcover

by George Behe (Author)

A unique study into both the professional gamblers aboard Titanic and their individual backgrounds and fates

During the early twentieth century, professional gamblers were such a scourge in the smoking rooms of trans-Atlantic passenger liners that White Star Line warned its passengers about them.

In spring 1912 three professional gamblers traveled from the U.S. to England for the sole purpose of returning to America on the maiden voyage of Titanic. "Kid" Homer, "Harry" Rolmane and "Boy" Bradley (Harry Homer, Charles Romaine and George Brereton) were grifters with a long history of living on the wrong side of the law, who planned to utilize their skills at the card table to relieve fellow passengers of cash. One swiftly fell under suspicion of being a professional "card mechanic", and was excluded from some poker games, but other games continued apace.

This new book, the result of years of research by George Behe, reveals the true identities of these gamblers, their individual backgrounds, the ruses they used, and their ultimate fates after tragedy struck, as well as providing an intriguing insight into a bygone age.

Author Biography

GEORGE BEHE is a past vice president of the Titanic Historical Society. He has been interviewed and acted as a consultant for many documentaries and Titanic books, and has written numerous articles for the Titanic Historical Society's journal The Commutator. He has also been fortunate to have been able to count more than a dozen Titanic survivors among his personal friends. He has written On Board RSM Titanic and Voices from the Carpathia for The History Press.