Hello friends, my name is Dickey Carson. It’s my honor to serve on this board to nominate and select members to be inducted in the SGHOF. I was born in Tyler, Texas on September 26, 1946 . I moved to El Paso, Texas when I was 6 and lived there till I was 15. I then moved to Dallas, Texas, and that’s where I really got into all forms of gambling. Aside from being a pool hustler, I started betting on sports- of course I lost all the money I had most weeks.
I met many characters of the city, including numerous bookmakers. I worked for one of them after school during my senior year in 1964. His name was Ben Summers. Just an apt with 2 phones. I was impressed with his business, and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a bookmaker.
I spent the next 3 yrs traveling around the country playing pool. It was about 1968 when I started trying to be a bookmaker. I started like all of us: slowly. I knew Bobby Chapman very well; he influenced me very much as he was the kingpin bookmaker at this time. Over the next 6 yrs I built my business up to a fairly good book.
I was arrested numerous times, with my last arrest in 1973. I faced jail time, and they got all the money I had (about 20,000 and a new car I had bought). That was when I decided to move my family to Las Vegas. I had 3 children and one on the way.
Bobby Chapman got me a good lawyer. I beat the case. I loaded up my family and headed to Vegas. I met Lem Banker, Frankie Mastering, and others. I got quarters and called old customers from Dallas. I built my bankroll by playing poker. I also handled players for some established bookmakers in Vegas. I went from there and built a great business over the next 25 yrs.
I always liked to play and in 1998 it caught up to. Bet $2,000,000 on the 1985 world series. I survived that and went on to raise my family on my bookmaking business.
Here I am late in life struggling, but would not change anything. I was able to live an extraordinary life and have a wonderful family.
All in all, I thank my family for everything along with my great friends.