Saturday Memory
November 1, 2025

I learned to play poker from the police. The police were guarding our family. In addition to his job as foreman at Arden Milk Company, my dad was a bookie. Quite a few of his clients were police. Mickey Cohen wanted to organize all the bookies in LA under his command. He was Bugsy Siegel’s right-hand man. My dad refused. Cohen threatened to kill him and the family; hence, the police guard. Mickey was finally arrested, and the threat subsided. Mickey was a glamorous villain as he mingled with Hollywood celebrities and others (e.g., Frank Sinatra). I never felt scared. But I reveled in being with the police and the detectives, and poker served me well.