Little Man Popwell
Encyclopedia
Julius Oral "Little Man" Popwell (June 1, 1912 – May 19, 1966) was a well-known poker
player.
Popwell is one of the most famous poker players from the first half of the 20th century. His preferred game was five card stud, and he often played against other poker legends such as Johnny Moss
. He was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
in 1996.
Despite his nickname, Popwell was obese, weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg) while standing 5'6" tall. The nickname "Little Man" actually came from his prowess in billiards
when he was a teenager, because he could regularly beat men over twice his age.
He operated lotteries and card games from his home near Birmingham
, Alabama
,
and on April 3, 1954, he was sentenced to 366 days in jail and fined $250 for this, as well as income tax evasion.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player.
Popwell is one of the most famous poker players from the first half of the 20th century. His preferred game was five card stud, and he often played against other poker legends such as Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
. He was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
Poker Hall of Fame
The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker playing in the United States. Founded and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest poker players and to serve...
in 1996.
Despite his nickname, Popwell was obese, weighing over 300 pounds (136 kg) while standing 5'6" tall. The nickname "Little Man" actually came from his prowess in billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
when he was a teenager, because he could regularly beat men over twice his age.
He operated lotteries and card games from his home near Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
,
and on April 3, 1954, he was sentenced to 366 days in jail and fined $250 for this, as well as income tax evasion.