Luck be a lady

The 1951 Poker World Championships, Monte Carlo. Each of the final four players still seated at the table are legends in their own right.
Everyone knows the Belgian Count de Henricout isn’t here for the prize money but the glory. It’s said he sold his soul to the devil in return for ability to read every muscle in his opponents’ faces. Fanciful stuff- but watch him play and you could half believe it. There’s little Jimmy Truco, whose unwavering glass left eye tends to unnerve his fellow competitors, especially when his right eye is looking in the opposite direction. Next to him sits volatile Raoul Estoz Mendoza, also known as the Spaniard. His utterly unpredictable rages over anything from his chair to the face of the drinks waiter may or may not be a ruse to distract the other players.
And then there’s the cool American beauty nicknamed the Ice Queen. Her trademark is her lucky gloves- no one has seen her play without them. Her weapons of choice? A lethal dose of glamourous serenity, and a ladylike charm that totally disarms her competitors (even the Spaniard seems to be behaving himself). Oh, and the extra ace tucked into her glove…

This pattern is now up in my Etsy store– click on the image for the listing.