David A. Curtis

Born in 1846 and dying in 1923, David A. Curtis is remembered for writing about poker in both story form and instructional form. Surviving records for his books show a career centered on the game, from Queer Luck: Poker Stories from the New York Sun to The Science of Draw Poker and Stand Pat; Or, Poker Stories from the Mississippi.

His work moved comfortably between fiction and analysis. Queer Luck gathers poker stories first associated with the New York Sun, while Stand Pat was published in 1906 and describes itself as poker stories from the Mississippi. The Science of Draw Poker, published in 1901, presents poker as something that could be studied closely, with attention to principles, chances, rules, and game situations.

What makes Curtis interesting now is the mix of storytelling and strategy in his writing. He wrote about poker not just as a pastime, but as a social world full of character, nerve, calculation, and surprise.