On this day, Nov. 4, in 1928, one of New York’s most notorious gamblers was fatally shot during a poker game.
Police found Arnold Rothstein, 46, bleeding profusely at the service entrance of the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan and followed his trail of blood to a suite where a group of men was playing cards.
Rothstein helped turn organized crime into a big business, and has been called the “J.P. Morgan of the underworld.” He became a legendary figure because of his unparalleled winning streak in betting, pool and card games. It is believed that Rothstein usually won by “fixing” the contests. The most famous instance was when he paid players of the Chicago White Sox to throw the 1919 World Series.
– Scott McCabe
